Chapter Twenty-Nine
Monterrey temperatures were unforgiving, breaking the thermometer late into the evening. Despite the heat and mugginess, Leanna put a beige raincoat over her hooker outfit and boarded the rideshare she’d called to take her to Cano Castle.
The party planner Reuben hooked her up with had agreed to a bribe to get her inside, and money had been transferred. She didn’t expect any problems, but to be on the safe side, she slipped a supply of roofies she bought from the party planner into the gaudy sunburst pendant she wore right over her well-exposed cleavage.
As the tinny Honda wound its way up the steep hillside, Leanna clasped her hands together and prayed for Axe, his father, and Ivan. They had bravely stayed behind so she, Soledad, and Gabriel could escape.
She couldn’t imagine the agony Axe was going through if he knew his father had died. But then, if Axe was in trouble, he might not be aware.
No one had heard from any of them since Ivan’s one text message, and Leanna had left her burner phone with Soledad so she could be in communication with her father should she need anything. The guards at the castle would frisk her of all weapons and scan her for electronics anyway, so the phone wouldn’t be of any use to her. Cano was paranoid that way, and there was no reason to believe the new boss would be different.
The rideshare driver approached the gate and let the window down. “I have a guest for the party. Name is Carmelita Cano.”
“There is no such guest on the approved list,” the guard said.
“I don’t know nothing,” the rideshare driver said. “Ask her.”
The guard called in, speaking on his phone, and moments later, he gave the go-ahead. “Proceed up the drive, drop her off, and be back right away.”
“Your move, Veronica,” Leanna said to herself.
She was brought to the front entrance where a guard opened the car door. “You, take off your coat.”
Leanna let her well-tanned legs slide out first. Her perfectly manicured toenails glittered in her open-toed stilettos. She removed her raincoat and made sure to jut out her breasts as she sashayed up the red carpet toward the entrance.
Guests were routed through a metal detector and radio frequency scanner for bugs. Leanna passed easily, and the host asked her to select a mask for the party.
A chill grazed Leanna’s exposed shoulders as she picked through the various feathered eye covers. Joshua Cano always had a masquerade party when he wanted to assassinate someone.
Who could Boss Veronica want to kill? Other than herself and possibly her father? She didn’t really believe the real Carmelita Cano could be so stupid to show up, could she?
Leanna last checked litaloca’s FacePlant feed, but there were no new updates. Hopefully, her father was on it and sent men to protect her—whoever she was.
Could she really be the daughter she lost? Or was Leanna betting the farm on a theory?
Ana and her had read spy novels that summer long ago. They’d marveled at the stories where someone was hidden in plain sight. Would that ruse work so well that Cano himself was fooled? Could the social media sensation be her daughter?
Leanna swallowed back her doubts and selected a yellow Venetian mask. One side of it was decorated with a ruffled ribbon where several yellow feathers sprouted. The yellow feathers along with the sunburst pendant would allow her father to recognize her.
But what about Axe?
She’d never discussed masquerade parties with him. Which mask would he pick, or was he being held prisoner?
“Welcome, welcome, friends of Capo Cano,” the host said, clapping his hands. He was wearing a full-faced jester’s mask. “As you all are aware, Capo has departed us peacefully. May God rest his soul. We are gathered here to celebrate his life and his work. Please join me in the ballroom for cocktails and dancing.”
Leanna traipsed into the ballroom and scanned the other guests. Men were dressed in tux and tails, and a lot of the women wore evening gowns, while others wore revealing outfits like she did. Waiters served champagne and fancy finger foods, and a string quartet played in the background.
A group of men whistled at Leanna and gestured at her, beckoning her to flirt with them. Leanna ignored them as she made a circuit of the room.
“Hey, prettymamacita.” A man in a full-faced Batman mask hooked his hand around her arm.
“Ivan?” Leanna whispered, recognizing his voice.
“What the heck are you doing here?” He spoke too loudly, because people turned to stare.
“Let’s dance,” Leanna said, taking his free hand. “It would look less suspicious.”
“This place is dangerous,” Ivan said. “Something’s going down tonight.”
