“And then you had different ranks within the family as well. Like, for example, my uncle, he was a matón…uh, enforcer I think in English. Basically, he was the guy who’d beat you up if you messed up. Apparently, he was pretty close with the mayor, who was like supposedly one of the jefes. It’s honestly kind of confusing, how my mom explained it. It’s like a network of individuals, some of them with completely normal jobs, like the mayor, or doctors, farmers, etcetera, etcetera, that also operate legitimate business that they funnel cash through.”
“Like money laundering?” I asked.
“Yeah. Exactly. That’s not even the half of it. I know they also dealt with trafficking people over the border. That’s how my mom ended up in the US. My uncle bought her as a gift to my dad, and they got married.” My eyes bulged as I stared at him with sick disbelief.
“Yeah,” he sighed with a sad smile. “Which is why I believe everything my mom said, and why I believe they’re more than capable of covering up the death of Shiloh and her brother. Hell, her father too. Unless you wanna believe what the neighbors said about immigration picking him up.”
My stomach flipped. I hadn’t thought about what Shiloh had told me. I assumed that ICE had indeed picked up her dad, but…maybe Carlos did kill him for her.
“I…Wow. I guess Granby being safe was all just an illusion with the—”
I paused midsentence when my sister stepped up behind Sebastian, leaning over his shoulders. Sebastian looked back at her, bringing her hand to his mouth to kiss.
“Amor,” he whispered, smiling up at her with adoration.
“Whatcha talking about?”
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head and picking up my drink. I reached over and gave Sebastian a pat on his arm. “Thanks, man.”
“Yeah,” he said with a soft smile. “Thanks for not calling me crazy.”
I left them in search of some peace and quiet. I was craving contact with Shiloh after all that talking about her and I was planning to try and give her a quick call, but my mom cut me off on my way downstairs.
“Where are you off to?”
“Uh, nowhere. What’s up?” I asked, trying to smile naturally.
She narrowed her eyes and studied me. “I wanna spend some time with ya. I thought ya might wanna come with me to the store.”
“The store?”
She chuckled, running her hand down my arm. “I know, I know. Ya did an excellent job stockin’ the fridge, but there’s just a few things I need for breakfast tomorrow.”
I nodded, knowing that this was all just an excuse for us to have some time alone, away from the chaos.
“Let me grab my wallet. Are you ready to go now?” I eyed her sundress, and she smiled.
“Yes, just gonna say bye to Dad.”
“I’ll meet you out front.”
“Okay, honey.”
I quickly retrieved my wallet from my dresser and sent Shiloh a text.
I miss you.
I love you.
How was your lunch meeting?
I locked my phone and met my mom outside waiting for me beside my car. I wanted to be able to relax. I wanted to be ableto enjoy my time with my family, but it felt wrong when I was hiding so many secrets from them.
The car ride was silent until we pulled out of my neighborhood.
“Gosh,” my mom said, staring out the window at the mountains in the distance. “I missed these views.”
I nodded, turning my eyes back to the road. “Yeah. Me too. I went on a hike yesterday, got to see some amazing views.”
