“Where are we going?” Axe asked Blue Skull, who was also known as Ivan.
“You and Leanna are persistent buggers,” Ivan said. “Heard she killed El Bardo.”
“He drove himself into the river,” Axe said. “Leanna barely got out in time.”
“Yeah, right.” Scabby Juan, who was driving, turned around. “Whose side are you on?”
“Rescuing Leanna and Carmelita,” Axe said.
“Leanna doesn’t need rescuing,” Ivan said. “It’s Carmelita who’s in trouble.”
“She’s Cano’s daughter. Why would he hurt her?” Axe pulled his knees against his chest and sat against the seatback to avoid getting thrown around.
Leanna’s father huffed. “I don’t trust Cano with his own mother. He wanted my daughter to abort Carmelita. Now he’s acting like daddy dearest? I don’t believe it. What kind of trouble is she in?”
The two scruffy characters looked at each other, then back at Axe.
“You mean you don’t know?” Ivan raised one eyebrow.
“Know what?” Leanna’s father sounded gruff. “Aren’t we all supposed to keep Carmelita safe?”
“True, but that’s not the problem,” Ivan said. “I think you two better be sitting.”
“Bad joke,” Axe said. “Spit it out. What’s wrong with Carmelita?”
“She’s not Cano’s daughter,” Scabby said, staring at Axe. “She’s yours.”
“That’s impossible.” Axe stiffened, gawking at the two. He turned to Leanna’s father. “I never slept with your daughter.”
“I’d kill you if you did.” Tomas blew so hard his whiskers shook. “What’s going on?”
“Carmelita is Gabriel’s friend, Soledad Garcia.” Blue Skull flipped a picture out of his wallet.
“Soledad Garcia?” Axe grabbed the photo. Hot rage warred with anxiety in his chest. He was staring into the eyes of his beloved baby, now a teen. She still had that innocent look but was on the cusp of becoming a woman.
Every protective instinct exploded inside him, and he knew he’d die for her.
“Wait, this is an outrage,” Leanna’s father said. “Where’s the real Carmelita?”
“She died as a baby.” Scabby’s words echoed in the suddenly tomblike van, especially since it was stopped at a railroad crossing waiting for a train.
“That bastard, Cano.” Leanna’s father slammed the dashboard. “He lured my daughter to hurt her. To punish her.”
“It gets worse,” Blue Skull said. “Cano wants Soledad to be his next girlfriend.”
“No!” Axe jolted upward, hitting his head on the van’s ceiling. “Let me at him. He can’t.”
“We figured it out after your father contacted us,” Scabby said. “He saw a photo of Carmelita and told us she’s not who we thought she was. He texted us a picture of Soledad, and then he told us about Cano’s perversions.”
“My father knew?” Axe roared. “How come he didn’t say anything?”
What was all the stuff about kidnapping Carmelita and exchanging her for Soledad, when he already knew? The only explanation was that his father knew there would be no exchange, or his real goal was to grab Leanna and get revenge for Uncle Dom.
Axe’s head hurt, trying to make sense of his father’s deviousness, and his stomach turned with nausea. No way his father would hurt Leanna now that they were engaged, right? Should he tell his father she was pregnant?
The van swerved onto an expressway, throwing Axe back. He scrabbled onto his hands and knees, breathing hard and feeling like he was exploding. Jagged sparks stabbed his vision, and roaring rumbles churned behind his ears.
“Simmer down, son.” Tomas gripped Axe’s shoulder. “We can’t let Cano know that we know. I’ve figured it out. He wants to eliminate you and your father, so he can take Soledad as his young mistress. He wants you out of the way. That’s why he ordered me to bring you to the mansion. He’ll kill you after he rubs it in your faces.”
