Page 43 of Our Tricks

Her head lolled to the side as she took me in for the first time. “You’re the one they’ve been after, aren’t you?”

“If you mean the one they blame for ruining your family’s business, then yes,” I answered.

“How they hated a woman who could destroy what had been theirs for so long. Men don’t understand the power of a strong woman… or maybe they do since they took every opportunity to break me,” Mariana murmured, her attention returning to the window.

“Father gave into my brother’s idea and sent me to a boarding school about an hour away. A strict all-girls Catholic boarding school that would teach me how to be a good, pure woman for my husband. Little did I know that Marco already had that planned without our father’s knowledge. As soon as I graduated, then turned eighteen, he had me married off to Diego De León who was in need of a new wife who could produce his heirs. A year after we were married, I was pregnant with our firstborn, and every year after that for the next four years. We used to be able to go back at Christmas to visit Father, but when the boys got older, Diego forbade it, saying it was too risky. I never got to say goodbye to my father, and now he’s been gone almost four years,” Mariana said, her voice tight with sadness as tears spilled down her cheeks.

I got up from my spot, and not finding any tissues, I went to the bathroom and grabbed some toilet paper. Handing her the wad, she blinked at it a moment then gave me a weak smile. “Thank you, to show such kindness after what my family has done to you is rare indeed.”

“Mariana, you’re as much a victim as I am in all this,” I pointed out. “Why wouldn’t I look after you?”

“That’s exactly the soft spot my brother will use against you. He’s studied you for a long time, knowing the time was coming when he’d have to take over. Father fell ill a year after your name started popping up in whispers found in the darkness. You were making moves fast, and then once you found your footing, you were unstoppable. Marco tried everything he could think of to cut your legs out from under you, only I think he made you stronger,” she commented, reaching out a hand to mine. “Do any of my boys live?”

I didn’t know the answer to that. The list of names that had been collected was a mix of children through mistresses and Mariana. Then again, only her children were given the last name De León.

“Did you know about Benny?” I asked.

She gave me a teary nod. “Yes, my boy was too soft and foolish for this life. It was a mercy his father decided to just save him from the pain of having to live as an absolute disappointment.”

“Alvaro is your youngest, correct?” Cam inquired. “We noticed he was an intern for the company.”

“Alvaro tried so hard to escape this life, but in the end, his father made it impossible for him to do anything else. His punishment was having to work from the ground up in the company to prove his loyalty,” Mariana shared. “Martin, my only son to get married, was sent to Mexico to work with Marco. He was supposed to take over the business when Diego stepped down. Franco is here in the city, where he and Alvaro live together in one of our townhouses. Will you find them? I need to know if my boys are alive. They’re the only things worth living for, and now that I’m free from their father, maybe there’s a chance we can get away from all this.”

I crouched in front of her and settled my hands on her knees. “Mariana, we’ll find your sons, but I can’t promise you that we’ll be able to protect them. If they let us help, we will, but if they’ve chosen to follow in their father and uncle’s footsteps, I’m not sure they can be saved.”

“Alvaro will help you. He just wants to be free,” Mariana said with a determined expression. “Watch out for Franco, though. He idolized his father and loved the power it gave him. He’ll stop at nothing to get back at you for stealing it all from him. It was always my biggest fear that Franco would kill Martin to take his place. Franco is ruthless like Marco, but Martin got his uncle’s brain and knew he’d be safer back in Mexico.”

Giving her legs a gentle squeeze, I stood. “Mariana, don’t let him win,” I whispered. “Don’t let Marco or Diego win by destroying you. They knew you would be a force to be reckoned with so they clipped your wings. The thing they always forget is that, in time, we grow new feathers. Let these people help you remember how to fly. You’ve got the wings, use them.”

More tears streamed down her cheeks as she nodded. “It’s all so much. I’ve never had my own life, so how do I even begin to live it?”

Leaning down, I hugged her. “One moment… one step… one day at a time. Soon it will get easier, and you’ll realize just how far you’ve come. Be brave, Mariana. It’s a tough battle to choose yourself, but you’ve survived so much worse.”

When I stepped back, Cam offered me his hand, and I took it, leaving Mariana as she wept. Hopefully, she was shaking off more of the chains those bastards had put on her. We had to knock on the door then wait for Nate to let us out. He frowned as he heard her weeping and looked at us.

“She asked about her sons, and I was honest with her,” I answered his unspoken question.

Understanding my meaning, he sighed and nodded as he shut the door. “I’ll give her a few moments before I check on her. Do you need an escort to make your way back to the front desk?”

I shook my head. “Nah, it was pretty straightforward.”

Cam waved goodbye, and we headed down the hall. Turning the corner, we had to pause as an orderly was pushing a food cart to pass by. We continued on, then I halted and tugged Cam’s sleeve back. I glanced at his watch seeing that it was almost two o’clock. Facilities like this were strict about keeping a schedule for the patients, and two o’clock was far too late for lunch and way too early for dinner.

“Shit,” I swore and turned on my heel.

Neither of us had our weapons, knowing they wouldn’t be allowed in the building. While shooting someone would make this so much easier, I was itching for a good old-fashioned fistfight. Bolting down the hall, I saw the orderly with the cart, and instead of yelling to alert Nate, I just tackled the son of a bitch. Like a flying squirrel gliding through the air, I slammed into him and wrapped my arms around his neck. As we landed, I shored up my hold, getting my arm so his neck was in the crook of my elbow and pulled back, choking him out.

“What the fuck is going on?” Nate bellowed as he came stomping up to us.

Cam was already at the food cart, yanking open the doors and tossing empty trays out of his way until he found the gun and drugs that had been smuggled in. “Put this place on lockdown now,” Cam ordered.

Nate ripped the radio off his hip and did as he was ordered. “Code silver, I repeat… code silver. This isn’t a drill. Lock the place down now. Shooter detained in hallway seven, seen near room sierra-whiskey-two-five. Send backup.”

The man in my arms thrashed as I tried to knock him the fuck out. In the process, his hat fell off, and I got a look at his face. The resemblance to his mother was uncanny. There was no way he could deny being one of Mariana’s sons. Question was, which one? I had a guess, but I prayed it wasn’t the case.

“Alvaro, don’t make me hurt you,” I growled out as he bucked, trying to toss me off. “Seriously, kid, I promised your mom I’d do what I could so she wouldn’t have to lose another child. Now knock it the fuck off.”

Finally, I got better leverage, and my hold was tight enough it blocked his airway. After a few seconds and frantic tugging at my arm, he passed out. Quickly, I released the pressure, not wanting to kill him since we needed to talk to him about the invoices. Panting, I looked up at Cam who held the gun at the ready, watching my back.