“What is it?” Her mother sounds understandably wary.

“We’re getting married!”

There is another long silence on the other end of the line. Then: “You’re getting married… to him?”

I suppress another smile as Nora starts trying to convince her mother that I am not as bad as they think—that it was a combination of unfortunate circumstances that resulted in her kidnapping and that things are very different between us now. I’m not sure if Gabriela Leston is buying this, but she doesn’t really need to. The recording of this conversation will be distributed to key individuals in certain government agencies, helping soothe their ruffled feathers. I’m too valuable for them to fuck with, but it still doesn’t hurt to play along. Perception is everything, and Nora as my wife is much more palatable to them than Nora as my captive.

I could’ve married her earlier, but I was trying to keep her hidden, keep her safe. That’s why I abducted her and took her to my island: so no one would find out about her existence and her importance to me. Now that the secret is out, however, I want the entire world to know that she’s mine—that if they dare touch her, they will pay. News of my vendetta against Al-Quadar is starting to filter through the sewers of the underworld, and I’ve made sure that the rumors are even more brutal than the reality.

It’s those rumors that will keep Nora’s family safe—that and the security detail I put on her parents. It’s unlikely anyone would try to get to me through my in-laws—I’m not exactly known as a family man—but I am not taking any chances. The last thing I want is for Nora to grieve for her parents the way she’s still grieving for Beth.

By the time Nora is wrapping up her conversation, Padre Diaz starts getting impatient. I give him a warning look, and he immediately stops fidgeting, all visible traces of annoyance fading from his features. The good Padre has known me since I was a boy, and he knows when he should exercise caution.

When I glance in Nora’s direction again, she waves to me, motioning for me to approach. I get up and walk over to her, turning off my bluetooth device on the way. As I get close, I hear her saying, “Listen, Mom, let me introduce you to him, okay? I’ll ask him to put us on video—that way it’ll be almost like we’re all meeting in person… Yeah, we’ll connect with you in a couple of minutes.” And hanging up, she looks up at me expectantly.

“Lucas.” I barely raise my voice, but he’s already there, carrying a laptop with a secure connection. Placing it on a windowsill, he props it up so that the little camera points at us. A minute later, the video call is established, and Gabriela Leston’s face fills the screen. Tony Leston—Nora’s father—is behind her. Both pairs of dark eyes immediately turn toward me, studying me with a peculiar mix of hostility and curiosity.