Reckless by Samantha Love Read Free Book Online Page A

gun and steps away.  
    “Jalar!”
    The pigeons fling out along an arched path, curling over the valley. I want to blow each one of these things to smithereens, and I know I can. But I have to remember that I’m not here to impress Diego or win a shooting ribbon. This about drugs and crime and information.  
    I shoot high and then wildly to the left as if the gun’s kickback has jolted me.  
    The intact pigeons plummet to the ground.
    Diego laughs. “You shoot like a girl.”
    I tighten my grip on the shotgun.
    “Reload,” I say.
    Diego opens the action and pops in new shells.  
    This time, I yell, “Jalar.”
    I don’t even have to think. I follow the pigeons, waiting until the first clay disc reaches its apogee before I blast it out of sight.  
    The dust settles.  
    I catch the second pigeon on the its descent.  
    Clay shatters.
    Setting down the gun, I offer Diego a satisfied smirk.
    “Must be beginners luck,” he says. “Shall we go for lunch?”
    Diego leads me through a pathway spanning between the stairs and underneath the upper terrace. We wind down the steps of a pergola with purple clematis forming a shaded tunnel. When we step out of the darkness, we’re farther down the mountain, away from the main house. A table and a butler wait in a loggia set into the lee of the mountainside.  
    I feel lightheaded. The path before us is no more than a couple of feet wide. Over a short parapet, the mountain becomes a vertical drop.  
    I hug the face of the cliff.
    “Afraid of heights?” Diego asks. “Take my hand.”
    His grasp is light, but I sense the strength behind it. For a ruthless psychopath, I’m surprised by the romantic gesture. He remains patient, allowing me to move across the path at my own timid pace.  
    The butler helps me with the last couple of steps.  
    I fall into a wooden chair facing the valley.  
    I’ve entered a fairytale. The surrounding rocks create a small cave, shading us from the wind and sun.
    “Welcome to Mantanay,” the butler says.
    “It’s beautiful,” I say, staring at the valley.
    “Yes, it’s very quiet,” Diego agrees. “This is a conservation area of the Polylepis forest. I guess that makes me a conservationist.”
    The butler serves us steak on a bed of rice and peas with red wine. He waits for me to try a bite.
    I cut into the center and try a small piece.
    “It’s very good,” I say. “Is it rib eye?”
    They both laugh.
    “No,” the butler says. “It’s cuy.”
    “What’s that?”
    “It’s guinea pig,” Diego says. “A very traditional dish. One you must try while on vacation.”
    I almost spit out the meat. “Guinea pig?”
    “Yes. It’s no different from cows or pigs.”
    I know he’s right. I’ve hunted plenty of fury critters and have never flinched when skinning them. But the game I capture don’t run through plastic tunnels.”
    “I’ll get you a ham sandwich,” the butler says.
    I start to protest, but the butler won’t listen to me. He heads down the path toward the main house.
    “I’m sorry,” Diego says. “I wanted you to try some of the local cuisine. I hope I didn’t offend you.”
    “You didn’t offend me. It just took me by surprise.”
    “I like surprises. Life is too boring without adventure. That’s why I like you, Caroline. You strike me as someone who goes wherever the wind takes her, not worrying about tomorrow.”
    “Life is short. Ten years from now I’ll probably be filing papers in some stuffy desk job. I have to enjoy things while I’m young.”
    “I think you underestimate your abilities, Caroline. Though I second the sentiment.” He raises his wine glass. “To living life as an adventure.”
    Our glasses clink.
    Diego ignores his food. I tell him he can go ahead and eat, but he insists he won’t start until I’m served.
    “What does you family think about you staying in Peru? Do they worry?”
    Diego has hit on a sensitive subject. I debate whether to give him the family background