“Joaquín!” Papá yelled. “To the casa. Hurry!”
The reins snapped, and Papá jumped into the carriage just as they lurched to full speed.
“What is it, Luis?” Mamá asked, clutching Carolina’s arm.
Papá ran a hand down his face. “The guards, they’re…they’re dead.”
“Dead?” Mamá gasped. “How?”
Carolina’s pulse raced. Icy dread clawed up her spine. Lalo was missing. Lalo had been left to roam. By her.Please don’t say a sediento. Please don’t say a sediento. Please…
“It was a…” He shook his head. “It was another sediento attack.” His eyes flashed to Carolina. “This is exactly why I want you gone.”
“But my brothers and uncles and cousins get to stay?”
“Yes,” he growled. “Because they follow my orders. You do what you want, and because of that people get hurt. Or worse.”
Carolina recoiled, the guilt over Abuelito resurfacing. She didn’t have the energy to argue. Her muscles, her bones, her heart had frozen over in fear as a realization dawned on her.
Lalo had killed the guards.
Oh gods. Oh gods! Her brothers!
“Hurry, Joaquín!” she screamed. Hot tears burned her eyes.
Before the carriage stopped, Carolina and her father bolted out and up the steps toward their home, leaving Mamá with the drivers.Please let them be all right. Please let them be all right.They burst through the doors and skidded to a stop as soon as they entered the foyer.
Carolina let out a small cry and clamped a hand over her mouth. Her two youngest brothers, Adrián and Marcos, were there, sword fighting one another with wooden weapons.
The twins stiffened. Their handsome little faces motionless with shock. They weren’t allowed to play such games inside the house. Normally Papá would reprimand them or send them out to the horse stalls to clean the dung. Instead, he scooped them up in his big arms and squeezed them so tight, they dropped their wooden weapons.
“You’re safe,” Papá said, breathlessly.
“Sí, señor,” both boys replied.
Papá set them down gingerly. “Where’s everyone?”
“Nena is getting us some sweets for being good,” Marcos beamed. “Our uncles and brothers left in a rush.” Carolina had three uncles and fifteen boy cousins who had all been allowed to join the guard. The twins were the only boys under the age of fifteen, so they stayed home with all the women in her family who hadn’t been invited to any hunt.
Papá sprinted to the kitchens.
Now it was her turn to pull her brothers into a crushing hug. They squealed and complained. They smelled of dirt and sweat, but she didn’t care. She nuzzled into their scents. Their warmth. Their squirming, vigorous bodies.
Her decisions could have led to their demise. The very thought had tears streaming from her eyes and falling into their black curls. How could Lalo do this? Why did he lose control again?
“Ay, Carolina,” Marcos complained, shoving himself away. “Enough. What is wrong with everyone?”
“We just…” Carolina wiped at her face. “We missed you.”
The twins rolled their eyes.
“Nothing strange happened while we were away?” Carolina’s gaze darted around. From here she could see Luz Elena dozing off in a rocking chair. As she breathed, her belly pushed the baby blanket she was knitting up and down.
“Nope. Nothing,” Adrián said. He snapped his fingers. “Oh. I remember. Your husband was here.”
“My what?”
“The boy Papá caught you smooching.” He wiggled his eyebrows and made a kissing face.
