by Elisabeth Naughton, Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus, Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Joan Swan
“You slept,” she said, growing irritated with his attempts to provoke. “And I not only have sore muscles but aching body parts. So stop whining.”
The hint of a smile lifted one corner of his mouth. The thrill that wound through her chest from that simple curl of his lips was ridiculously out of proportion to the situation.
“I decided this morning that I want to hire security for the clinic,” she said. “For Nina. Raymie’s great, but he’s in and out, sometimes has to go out to get supplies. What do you think about Javier?”
His head turned toward her again. “Lopez?”
“Yeah. I mean, Miguel told me he’s done some time in prison, and I don’t know him now, but I knew him growing up, and he was always a good guy.” She shrugged. “Beat up a guy who pulled my hair once. Taught me to street fight.”
Rio grinned, and the sight cleared away the pain in her heart like the sun appearing from behind the clouds. She returned the smile but doubted those clouds had disappeared for good.
“The sign of a true hero,” Rio said. “By all means, hire him. You owe the man payback.”
“I know, right?” She looked out the windshield again. “But I also know that the money Mamà gave to Casa del Refugio is the money Saul has siphoned for his prostitutes, and I’m sure Javier could use the extra work. What do you think?”
Rio didn’t say anything for a long time. “What if I said I didn’t think he was clean? You know, kosher. On the up-and-up.”
She lifted her shoulders. “Then I’d look somewhere else. Ask you who else you’d suggest.”
Cassie was flipping through her mind for other possible security guards when Rio said, “Really?”
“Really, what?”
“You’d take my word for it? Choose someone I suggested instead?”
She stopped at a traffic light and frowned at him. “Security is your thing, not mine. You know the people here now, not me. Why wouldn’t I?”
“You trust me enough to pick someone to watch out for Nina?”
The sincere surprise in his voice touched her. She reached out and ran her hand over the side of his head before she realized the significance of the gesture. “Shouldn’t I?”
Rio caught her hand under his, turned his face, and kissed her palm. Her heart stuttered. He opened his mouth and kissed her again. And heat flooded her chest. He skimmed his tongue across her palm. And fire melted between her legs.
“Light’s green,” he said, lowering her hand, but he didn’t let go. He threaded his fingers with hers and held it against his thigh.
She drove the remaining blocks with her attention focused on the warmth and strength of his hand. The huge size of it swallowing hers. Thoughts of where that hand had touched her just hours ago, the level of ecstasy it had delivered.
When she turned onto Avenida Hildalgo, her mind veered, and she pulled her hand away. “What happened to this place?” Cassie muttered, searching for a parking spot among the pieced-out, vandalized heaps of metal lining the street. “This is even worse than I remember.”
“Gangs.” Rio’s phone rang, and he answered, “Yeah?” He pushed his sunglasses up and scanned the street. “I see them. Can you send a couple guys my way? Thanks.” He hung up and pointed toward the house Lorena shared with Desi. “Double park. I’ll take care of the car.”
Cassie slowed and put on the parking brake. “What’s going on?”
Rio swung out of the car and rounded the hood, his gaze drifting over the neighborhood homes. Cassie’s gaze followed, where she saw several men sitting out on stoops, talking.
Her door opened, followed by Rio reaching across to unfasten her belt, then taking her hands in his and looking her in the eye.
“Desi isn’t home, so now is your chance to talk to Lorena. But make it fast, because it won’t be long before he knows you’re here.” Rio waited until she was on the ground, then squeezed her forearms. “Cass. I’m one person. I can only do so much. Seriously, make it fast. And bring Lorena with you when you leave if she’ll come. She won’t listen to me.”
Cassie’s scattered brain focused on Rio. “You tried to—”
“Go.” He stepped back and pulled his gun from the back of his jeans, holding it close at his thigh.
Cassie went, fists clenching, muscles tense.
“Hey, beautiful,” he called to her, all charm and ease; she presumed for the neighbors looking on. “Bring me back a few macadamia nut cookies if she’s got ’em made.” She glanced over her shoulder. He was leaning against the passenger’s side of the jeep, ankles and arms crossed, weapon only partially concealed in the crook of one arm. “And you really do look damn hot in that skirt.”
She turned back toward Lorena’s house—or rather, Lorena’s son’s house—looking over the neighborhood. Jagged cracks in the sidewalk spouted shin-high weeds; rusted chain-link fences herded barking dogs; yards collected trash, old appliances, and decayed furniture.
This was a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn from where Lorena had lived while employed at Terra del Mar. No way in hell had she quit to take care of her grandchildren. That was a crock of shit. Her grandchildren were all school-aged, and Lorena could have easily helped with the kids while maintaining her job. But Cassie had to get the story from Lorena before she could decide how to handle Saul. And then there was Rio to consider.
She paused at the white picket fence leading to Lorena and Desi’s house. Cassie wasn’t surprised by the immaculate state of the little cottage. The fence had a fresh coat of paint and ranunculus bloomed along the foundation—Lorena’s favorite flower.
Anger backed up in Cassie’s throat. This was all so wrong. Those flowers should be planted in huge terra-cotta pots and mixed with a dozen other varieties, the way Lorena loved to garden. She should be doting on the little townhouse she’d owned within walking distance of the cinema and the market.
Cassie checked her frustration and started up the walk. On the porch, she peered through the screen and into the open house. “Lorena? It’s Cassie.”
The screen door squeaked as she stepped into the tiny living room floored in slab concrete. A tattered sofa made up the bulk of the furniture, its rust-and-brown floral fabric worn.
In contrast to the dilapidated state of the neighborhood, the house, the furnishings, the space as a whole was immaculate. Every knickknack was dusted, every magazine perfectly stacked. The few plants had healthy, shining leaves. Through open doorways on the right, Cassie spied tightly made beds.
Lorena definitely lived here.
The older woman peeked around the doorframe of what Cassie guessed was the kitchen, her eyes wide in surprise, lips parted. For a moment, she just stared. Then her wrinkled face went tight with fear. She rushed forward, wiping her aged hands on an apron, and held them out to Cassie. “Mija, what are you doing here? You come too soon.”
Lorena squeezed Cassie’s hands but didn’t pull her into a hug. Instead, she went to the window and pushed aside the sheer. A rush of breath left her at the same time her shoulders slumped. “Ay, Rio’s with you.”
Through the space, Cassie saw Rio blow Lorena a kiss. The woman she’d known since preschool turned back to Cassie with a shaky grin and charming blush.
“This is not a neighborhood a beautiful young girl like yourself should be in alone,” Lorena said. “I’m glad Rio came along.”
“This is not a neighborhood you should be in alone either.” Normally, she would have been more tactful when it came to Lorena’s pride, but between Rio’s concerns and now Lorena’s, Cassie was feeling an urgency to get out of the area. “Tell me what’s going on, and don’t try to lie about taking care of the girls. I don’t have time. Rio wants me out of here, and he wants me to bring you with me.”
“But it’s true. Desi has a new job at the docks for a shipping company, and he works long, strange hours. Without their mother, las ninas need someone here for them. I can’t leave two young girls home alone, especially not here.”
“Why didn’t you
pick them up from school and take them to the estate?”
Lorena broke Cassie’s gaze and looked down at her threaded fingers. “No, Saul wouldn’t allow that.”
“Why didn’t you keep your condo and bring them there after school? This is unsafe for all of you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t afford to keep the condo when I’m not working.”
Cassie’s stomach twisted and twisted. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have made it right. I would have worked it out.”
“You were already suffering so and trying to get through your residency. I couldn’t bother you with my problems. I’m a grown woman, Cassie.” A faraway look hazed Lorena’s deep brown eyes. “Besides, it was better that I go. I wasn’t comfortable there after Alejandra passed. Even before…things…just weren’t right…”
Now she was getting somewhere. “Tell me about that. I need to know. What wasn’t right?”
Lorena’s dark face creased in concern. She wrung her hands and glanced at the open screen door, where an older-model car cruised by slowly. “You must go, mija. It’s not safe for you here.”
She took Cassie’s arm and started pushing her toward the door. Hurt and frustration collided. “Stop it, Lorena.” Cassie grabbed Lorena’s hands and turned on her. “This is insane. What are you so afraid of?”
“The gangs. Rio must have told you about the kidnapping threat. That’s why he’s here with you, isn’t it?”
Cassie’s mind searched. Spun backward. Something Rio had said days ago on the beach clicked. “I… He… How would you know about something like that?”
“I hear things. People talk around old women like we don’t have ears. This is serious. You need to go back to San Diego. You’re not safe here.”
“I need answers, Lorena.” Growing frightened and desperate, she implored the woman. “I’m still suffering. I won’t stop suffering until I know what really happened to Mamà and Santos. Until I get Saul out of our house. I know he’s been stealing from the estate, using the operating fund to buy prostitutes, and bringing them into Mamà’s home.”
Lorena drew a sharp breath. “What? What are you talking about?”
Cassie explained what the private investigator uncovered. “I found him moving money from Casa del Refugio to the operating fund and pulling it out in cash.”
“Ay! In Alejandra’s home? That…” Lorena’s face wrinkled in disgust as she curbed her obvious fury.
“I need to know what was going on before Mamà and Santos died. Rio had been living there for six months before they died and neither of them ever mentioned him. Why? Why were they hiding things from me? What else were they hiding?”
“They didn’t want you to worry. Didn’t want to distract you from your studies.” Lorena pulled her hands from Cassie’s and focused a distant but serious gaze out the window. “She and Saul were at odds all the time. The last year it seemed they fought whenever they were together. Saul started spending more time away on business. Alejandra became more involved in her community work. And that’s when—”
“Santos moved back in,” Cassie finished. “What did they fight about?”
“Money, Terra del Mar, his business, Santos, Rio…” She shrugged and sent a nervous look toward the door again.
“Are you afraid of Rio, Lorena?”
“Rio? No! Rio, he’s the best thing that happened to your mother and brother since…since you left for college.”
Guilt pressed in on Cassie.
“He was such a nice influence for both of them,” Lorena went on, for once unprovoked, her voice lightening. “A source of security for Alejandra, a true friend to Santos. When the three of them were together, whenever Saul wasn’t home, the house was like it used to be when you and Santos were young—filled with laughter and peace and conversation and activity. The way a home should be. But Saul…” Her face flipped from light to dark. “He is loco. Ruined everything, just like he did when you were young.”
Cassie could envision how well Rio would have fit in with her mother and Santos. The picture Lorena painted filled Cassie with warmth and gratitude. Rio had been there providing happiness and security for the people she loved when she’d been unable.
Cassie moved to Lorena’s side and squeezed her shoulder. “What happened?”
“Ay.” Lorena sank to the edge of the sofa and looked at the door again. “You can’t tell him I told you,” she whispered. “Las ninas need me, mija. They need the little money I have. Their father, ay, I raised a worthless son.”
Cassie was confused now. “Tell who?”
“Saul. If Saul finds out I told you, he’ll take the money…”
“Dios mío, Lorena.” Cassie knelt before her. “I will make sure you never have to worry about money again. And Desi’s failures are his own fault. He’s as much a grown man as you are a grown woman.” Cassie took her soft hands. “You’re helping him. Let me help you.”
Lorena shook her head.
Cassie pushed from the floor with enough pent-up frustration to blow off the roof. “I’m sick of this.” She tried to keep her voice down, but it didn’t work very well. “If you won’t let me help you, then at least let me help myself, Nana. Let me find my answers so I can set things right. So I can heal and move on. Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that what Mamà would want?”
Tears slipped over Lorena’s lashes. Cassie’s heart broke. For the millionth time since the explosion, she wondered if not letting go was causing everyone close to her more pain than simply letting go—even without her answers.
“Cassie.” Lorena’s hands lifted, palms up, a helpless gesture. “I honestly don’t know what your mamà would want you to know now.”
Cassie tipped her head, eyes narrowed. Tension gathered beneath her breastbone. A foreboding that didn’t take her completely by surprise, making it all the more troubling.
“Nana.” She lowered her voice, her tone serious but shaky with emotion. “The reason I’m here early is because I was put on extended leave from work because my boss doesn’t think I’m fit to do my job. He’s told me to get my personal life straightened out, grieve the loss of my family, and get my head right before I go back for my fellowship.”
For Cassie, getting her answers meant even more than the job. It meant her sanity. It meant closure. It meant purpose that gave her a reason to go on.
“Oh, Cassie…”
“So. Let me explain this another way.” She pulled in a breath, forced the tears back. “I will find my answers. I will stay here until I get them. I don’t care what they are or how long it takes. But I can’t move on until I have them. So consider, Nana, who do you want telling me what you don’t think Mamà would want me to know? You or a stranger?”
“I don’t really know anything. Nothing was right in the months before they passed. Everything was…different. Saul, well, you know how he was, but as Alejandra and Santos and Rio became closer, Saul became more paranoid, more controlling. A couple of months before the yacht accident, Rio pulled away. He spent less time with Alejandra and Santos, rarely ate meals with the family as he used to; only came to visit with me when everyone was out of the house.
“Santos started hanging out with the wrong crowd in town. Alejandra and Saul fought even more. In the last month, Alejandra and Santos spent more time together. More than usual. On the yacht, out to eat, walking the beach. They would talk in whispers with their heads together, then stop the moment someone walked in the room.”
Cassie’s mind circled back to the initial accident report of the yacht explosion, the sketchy, limited information she’d gotten from the police, since they wouldn’t release any more in the ongoing investigation. Several things had bothered her, but what tightened her gut now was the memory of the harbor patrol detective explaining that the gas had built up inside the cabin, sparked, and caused the explosion. The fact that both bodies had been recovered from the vessel indicated that Mamà and Santos had been inside the cabin during the explosion; otherwise, they would hav
e been thrown from the yacht. And Cassie could never understand why they had been inside the cabin on a beautiful fall day out on the open ocean.
But after a night in Rio’s arms, Cassie had a different mindset…and didn’t like where her thoughts were leading. At all.
“I could tell by the way Saul acted,” Lorena continued, “the way he would come home early from appointments and immediately search for Alejandra, that he thought they were…” She looked down at her hands and shook her head. “Ay, ay, ay. I told your mother what a problem it was becoming, how it upset Saul. I suggested she have Santos move out on his own, but she didn’t listen, and when I talked to Santos about it, he said he needed to stay for your mother.”
“To keep Mamà company, because Saul was traveling a lot. And it helped Santos, because his shop was struggling. That’s what they told me.”
Lorena shrugged, shook her head. “They never explained. I didn’t feel it was my place to question.”
Cassie’s mind fought against the unthinkable insinuation, while another part tried to prepare for a worst-case scenario. Mamà had never been a mother to Santos. He’d been nearly an adult by the time he’d moved into the estate with his father, and Mamà and Santos had always been more friends than family. But nor had they ever been inappropriate with each other. Yes, her mother had been nearly twice Santos’s age, but she’d also been incredibly youthful—mind, body, and spirit—and beautiful. And hadn’t Cassie seen a myriad of crazy relationships develop at the hospital?
Her thoughts tangled in confusion and denial. A sick sensation slid into the pit of her stomach. They wouldn’t. They wouldn’t.
“You don’t think they…” Cassie couldn’t get the words out. “I mean, they couldn’t have been…”
“I never imagined. Under normal circumstances, absolutely not, but…Saul…he was intolerable. The atmosphere at the house, it was dreadful. If anyone was capable of driving people to do things they wouldn’t normally do, it’s Saul.” She lifted an imploring gaze to Cassie’s face, which had to be plaster white by now. “Everyone needs someone, mija. Alejandra and Santos…they only had each other.”
