“Fuck you, Ashley, Autumn, whatever you want to call yourself. This is the one time in my life that I need someone. I need you. And you’re off on a wild goose chase, probably listening to Mia’s batshit ideas. I know Mia Cruz better than you’ll ever know her. And her loyalty lies with Joaquín. Always. She will always put her brother over everyone, including Grant. It’s sad. He’s actually accepted it. But I only care about finding Sienna.”
My voice broke. “So, do I. Please, Mitch. Don’t shut me out.”
“Bye, Ashley. Don’t call me again.”
And with that, the line went dead.
I wrapped my arms around my body, my hands shaking with anger.
I forced myself to get up off the hotel bed and walk over to the minibar. A shot of whiskey was what I needed. Maybe then I could calm down my anxiety.
What had I just done? Had I pushed away the only person I was close to? Shut him out like I’d shut out every other person in my life?
How could he not see I was trying to help? I knew he was in complete agony and couldn’t think straight, but I wasn’t the enemy. I was an ally. And I was in no way, shape or form responsible for Sienna’s disappearance. I knew he would regret those words later. And I would forgive him.
But there was no way I could let this theory go. None. I believed in my gut that Joaquín and Tiffany held the answers to where Sienna was.
And I had just bet my relationship, or whatever you called it, with Mitch on this theory.
But if my hunch could lead to Sienna, then it would all be worth it.
9
Mia
I AWOKE BEFORE DAWN AND snuck out of the hotel room, leaving a sleepy Ashley behind. I knew she wanted to see Joaquín, confront him about her suspicions about Tiffany possibly being alive. She wanted answers. But she didn’t deserve them since her fuckup not checking the logs could’ve proved his innocence. And he would never ever, ever tell her anything.
Hell, he probably wouldn’t tell me.
But that was fine. I knew that. I accepted that. If he was lying to me, he had a damn good reason. A good reason for ruining my life, stealing my son, lying about raping me, making me hate the only person in the world who I had trusted.
My brother.
And he would only do all that…if he was trying to protect me.
I was going mad with conspiracy theories. But today I hoped, I prayed, that I would get some answers.
I was first in line at the gate at San Quentin for visiting hours. No one would get in front of me. I would see my brother. And if that girl who resembled Tiffany was here again, I would confront her.
The female guard made me fill out a form that I had practically memorized at this point. She patted me down to make sure I didn’t have any weapons, contraband, or drugs on me. I was clean. She escorted me to the room where I waited to see my brother.
And waited.
And fucking waited.
What if he refused my visit, like he’d done when he was awaiting trial?
After an agonizing forty-five minutes, the heavy steel doors swung open.
Four minutes later, my brother appeared.
I gasped when I saw him. He actually looked good, better than he had since the last time I’d seen him. He was twice the size he’d been when he was a Navy SEAL—something that I could hardly believe was possible. Though, I guess he had little else to do but work out.
But the thing that stood out to me most was his eyes.
They had always been sad. But this time, they looked brighter. Maybe it was my delusions, but he almost seemed…hopeful.
How could he be hopeful?
Maybe now that Tiffany is in contact with him, he knows he will be exonerated soon.
As he sat down in the seat before me, I noticed one other thing.
He was carrying a bible.
What the fuck? Mind blown.
Sure, we had been raised Catholic. But Joaquín was the least religious person I knew. He had always hated going to church, Sunday school, and catechism. He even disliked Christmas.
Had he become religious in prison?
He picked up the phone. “Hey, sis. What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were going to visit.”
Uh, yeah. I didn’t know you’d been on the base in Arizona the night I was raped.
“Yeah, it was a last-minute trip.” I paused. I had to tread lightly. No showing my hand yet. “Why are you carrying a bible?”
“Actually, it’s not my bible. It’s yours. I’m giving it to you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, so now you’ve turned into Papa. Are you serious? You know that’s no longer my belief system. I’m now spiritual, not religious.”
His eyes twinkled, and I briefly saw that mischievous boy who I had loved, missed, and mourned. “I’ll pray for you.”
Who was this man? Enough of the proselytizing.
I needed to start asking the hard questions. And focus on his body language while he lied to me.
“I actually came by yesterday. You already had a visitor. And, I know I sound crazy, but she looked like Tiffany.”
His bottom lip trembled slightly, and he gave a nervous laugh.
“She’s just a groupie. Met her on a prison dating site. That’s funny—she does kind of look like Tiffany. But I’m behind bars, I can’t afford to be picky.”
Liar. He was lying to me. But I still wasn’t ready to believe that Tiffany was alive. I had more important fish to fry.
“So…Sienna is missing. She was kidnapped at Disneyland. Mitch is a fucking mess.”
Joaquín’s left brow lifted. “Yeah? I hope he finds her.”
What the fuck? How could he be so cold? “You hope he finds her? That’s what you have to say? His little girl is missing. Probably sex trafficked. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Plenty. I’ll pray for her, too.”
If I could punch the Plexiglass separating us, I would. “Dammit, Joaquín. I’m not going to play your game anymore. Sienna’s disappeared. You loved that little girl. Do you know anything about this?”
“Me? This is suddenly my fault? I’m in prison, Mia. Now I’m responsible for kidnapping Sienna too?”
I shook my head. “No, Joaquín. No. I don’t think that.” I looked him dead in the eye. “And actually, I no longer think you kidnapped Julián.”
His jaw dropped open, and then he quickly shut it. “Really, sis. Why is that?”
I pressed my hand to the glass. “Because you didn’t rape me. You never thought Julián was yours. You were on the base in Yuma all night. You never left. You are innocent.”
Joaquín made a fist, and his skin flushed. “Angelita Mia, you fucking stop whatever it is you think you’re doing. You have no fucking clue what’s going on. Why can’t you ever leave well enough alone? I’m in here, and you and Julián are safe. That’s all that matters.”
And there it was. Tears welled in my eyes, and they were a mix of bitterness and despair. “Joaquín! What the fuck did you do? What do you know? Who are you protecting us from? Why did you ruin your life for us?”
The guard walked over to check on me, and I assured her I was fine.
Joaquín’s voice lowered, and he spoke softly into the phone. “Because I love you and my nephew. And you’re all I have. Now go home and enjoy that little boy of yours. Tell him that his tío loves him.”
And with that, he got up, handed the bible to the guard, and I watched him slip away.
I couldn’t prevent the tears. They just began to flow.
Joaquín was innocent. He hadn’t raped me. He loved me. He had sacrificed his life for me. For Julián.
But why?
I exited the door, and a different guard caught up to me.
“Your brother wanted you to have this. I checked it, there’s nothing in it. Just some highlighted bible verses.”
I nodded and choked back tears. “Thank you, sir. I will cherish it.” I paused. Should I ask him what he thought about my brother? Or would this
man just consider Joaquín a scumbag? “Hey, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure. Shoot.”
“Uh. My brother. What’s he like in prison?”
The guard eyed me hard. “Honestly, he’s a model prisoner. Very calm and obedient. We have no problems with him at all. If the evidence wasn’t so overwhelming, then I would think he was innocent.”
Innocent. He was innocent.
He pointed to the bible. “Funny thing is that I think he found his calling. The other inmates call him Jesus Christ.”
My breath stopped. Jesus Christ. J.C. Joaquín Cruz. Cruz meant cross. Was that some kind of coincidence?
“That’s really great. Thank you again, sir.”
I walked out of the jail. Clutching the bible like it was my own baby.
Once outside and safely in my car, I flipped through it. There were a ton of passages highlighted.
Matthew 5:11
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
Romans 12:19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
James 1:2-4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
And there were more and more.
As I began to read, I noticed one thing.
All of them were about being innocent.
My brother was innocent.
And once again, I would dedicate my life to freeing him.
10
Autumn
I WOKE EARLY THE NEXT morning to find our room empty.
There was no sign of Mia.
Dammit!
I blew up her cell phone and she, of course, didn’t answer.
I checked the hotel’s parking lot, and, of course, Grant’s truck was missing.
None of this was shocking to me at all.
None of it.
She had gone to see Joaquín without me. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I got it. He was her brother. And it was probably the right move. If she had any hope of finding out the truth from him, it was on her. He wouldn’t tell me, a stranger, an NCIS agent, anything.
I could choose to be pissed at her, yell at her for not taking me. But I had vowed to grow. Be a bigger person. Understand where she was coming from.
So, it was time for me to forgive and let go.
I called Mitch, but he didn’t answer. I know I had royally screwed up everything. But I would make it up to him.
Today, I would focus on my new task. Finding Tiffany.
To that end, I obtained a record of Joaquín’s visitor log from yesterday. It was easy to do since I had been officially assigned to his case.
The girl who’d visited him had been forced to show identification, of course.
Her name was Tania Jackson. And she had a local address in San Rafael.
Thanks to a background search, I found out everything I could about Tania Jackson. She had rented the apartment a year ago, when Joaquín was already at San Quentin. She worked as a maid. She had no known relatives or records prior to moving here.
In other words, she had appeared out of nowhere.
What the fuck was going on?
I didn’t have a vehicle. So, I hired an Uber to head over to her place.
It was a tiny apartment in the Canal, one of the poorest areas in Marin. I texted Mia the address so she would at least know where I was if anything happened to me.
Despite its reputation, the complex seemed well maintained. Maybe the residents fixed it up themselves. There were a small courtyard and a tiny playground. I arrived at Tania’s corner apartment and knocked on the door.
But no one answered.
I knocked again.
And again.
And again.
Maybe she was at work. But I had nothing going on today. I could wait.
I walked around the side of the building and peered into the window. The place was empty, with just some old newspapers on the floor.
My breath hitched.
Had she absconded in the middle of the night?
An elderly lady tapped me on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sweetheart. I’m Gladys, the property manager. Can I help you with something?”
“Oh, yes. I’m an old friend of Tania’s. Do you know when she’ll be back?”
The lady took a step back and crossed her arms. “Well, if you were an old friend, I would assume you’d know how to pronounce her name.”
Ah, shit. I was caught.
“I’ll give you two minutes to leave before I call the cops.”
“Ma’am, no. Please, I’m sorry. Actually, I’m NCIS.” I flashed her my ID. “Tania isn’t in any sort of trouble. I just need to talk to her.”
“Well, you’re out of luck. She moved last night.”
My heart began to beat rapidly. This couldn’t be happening to me. I had to have been right about her being Tiffany. Maybe she’d seen me.
“Please, ma’am, I beg of you. This is very important. You have to tell me where she went. Was this a planned moved? Do you have a forwarding address?”
She shook her head. “No. She said it was a family emergency. But she’ll be back soon.”
I cranked my head and stared at her. “Soon? Why do you think that? Why did she leave so suddenly?”
“Like I just told you, it was a family emergency.”
“Right, you told me that. Then why do you think she’ll be back soon.”
“Because I have something of hers. Something that she would come back for.”
The heat from the sun was making me dizzy and adding to my confusion. “I apologize, Gladys. Clearly, I’m confused. Completely confused. What did she leave with you? Money?”
Gladys shook her head. “No. It wasn’t that. But I’m not going to tell you. Now, you best be leaving. I have to cook dinner.”
And she turned and walked back into her apartment.
What the fuck had just happened?
Did this mean anything?
I should go. Find Mia. Call Agent Meeks. Call the cops and report that I think I saw Tiffany.
But everyone would just think I was crazy.
Maybe I was crazy.
I had a better idea. I would stake out this place. Stake out Gladys. Maybe talk to some other residents.
I walked across the street and ordered a coconut paleta from a street vendor. The rich, creamy texture coated my throat. This was the one bright point of the day so far.
“Señor, may I ask you a question.”
He nodded.
“Did you know Tania Jackson? She just moved out.” I made sure to pronounce it correctly.
“Sí. She’s a great woman.”
“Did you know why she moved?” I took another bite of my paleta. These were so good.
“No.”
I was getting nowhere fast.
“Got it. Was she acting strange for the past few days?”
He shook his head no.
“Thank you for your time, señor.” I was barking up the wrong tree. Of course, he didn’t know anything. This was a dead lead.
I began to walk back over toward the apartments when he stopped me.
“Señorita. There is one thing.”
I turned quickly back to him. “What’s that?”
“Yesterday, she showed up with a little girl.”
A little girl? My heart literally skipped a beat. “A girl? What did she look like?”
“Short blonde hair.”
Sienna’s brown hair had been chopped off! We had found her hair in the bathroom. It could�
��ve easily been dyed.
I ran back over to him, thrusting my phone in his face with a picture of Sienna on it. “Señor! Is this the girl?”
The man stared at the picture for a while. “Could be.”
Oh. My. God. “Where is she? Where is this girl?”
He shook his head.
Fuck!
I ran across the street back to the apartment complex. I would tear down this place! I was about to bust open Gladys’ door when I heard a small voice ring out.
“Miss Ashley?”
I turned to see Sienna standing in the middle of the playground, tears streaming down her face.
“Sienna, baby! Oh my God. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. But I’m scared. Is my daddy with you?”
“No, baby. But he’ll race here. Did someone hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all. My grandpa took me on an adventure. Then he gave me to this nice lady, and she left me here with Miss Gladys. They told me my daddy would come find me.”
“Grandpa?”
“Yeah, he’s my mom’s friend. Super nice. He bought me new shoes.”
Sure, he did. “Let’s call your daddy.”
I picked up the phone and called Mitch, but it went straight to voicemail. So I took a picture of her and sent it to him.
Ashley: I found her.
11
Mitch
I DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER TO text Ashley back. I fell to my knees to thank God for bringing my baby home and then dialed Ashley’s number, my hands shaking. But Ashley didn’t pick up—Sienna did.
“Daddy?” The sound of her sweet, innocent voice broke me. The badass SEAL faded—I was only Daddy. The only title that meant anything. And hearing from my daughter was the best sound in the world.
“Baby, are you okay? I love you so much! Did they hurt you?”
“No, Daddy. I’m fine. I’m scared, though. When are you coming to get me?”
“I’m on my way, sweetheart. I’m on my way.” I didn’t want to interrogate her now, but not knowing where she had been, who she had been with, and what had happened to her was killing me. All that mattered, though, was that my baby was alive.
Deadly Lies (Deadly SEALs Book 4) Page 5
