She closed her eyes, her soft lips becoming pursed in a way that created a strong need to kiss them. “There was only mention that he knew it was time to leave his homeland. Now, I can see why he pretended as if we didn’t have a past. After discovering his copious volumes of notes, I could easily tell whatever position he’d held within my uncle’s regime had had nothing to do with numbers.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means I know scientific formulas when I see them. Most of them were old, some in pencil that had faded over the years.”
I moved toward the ottoman she wasn’t using, sitting down on the edge so we could stare at each other eye to eye. Only she was as uncomfortable as she’d been moments before we’d fucked. She was both terrified and taunted by my close presence.
“But not all.”
Even her laugh indicated nervousness. “Not all. One had been written in a Sharpie and he’d ripped off the page.”
I half laughed. “But it bled through.”
“Yes. I’m no chemist and there were no notes regarding what the formula was for, but I could tell whatever it was might have been the single most important thing to him. Everything was left in disarray, but I could swear he wanted me to find details about my past. Maybe he was just attempting to rid himself of extreme guilt.”
“Let me guess, Fallon. Your father knew I’d arrived in Mexico.”
“There was a photograph of you after you arrived. Taken by a telephoto lens. There was no mistaking you in comparison to the picture of you with Brooke. The photographs were side by side.Either he left to handle killing you himself or…” Every sound she made highlighted her exasperation.
“Or he fled to save his own skin, luring you to Mexico.”
After nodding, she threw her head back and groaned.
“He traveled to Mexico more than once, including several days ago.”
“How do you know that?”
I chose my words carefully. There was no sense in keeping her on edge. However, she deserved the truth. “He worked with Eduardo on a formula to make cocaine highly addictive.”
“My God. I can’t believe it, Navarro. Why would he act like he didn’t care about his daughters after the love and care he gave us for twenty years? It just doesn’t make any sense. The only thing that did was that you were responsible for my sister’s kidnapping like he was convinced you were of our mother’s murder.”
I pulled her hand into mine, surprised she didn’t try to pull it away. “Do you want to know the truths as I know them to be, Fallon, or would you prefer to live in a bubble, pretending you don’t have a past?”
When I pulled her fingers to my lips, she sucked in and held her breath. Her eyes were wide, misted over from the level of emotion that we both felt but I refused to allow to be seen.
“That’s what I’ve been asking myself since I boarded the goddamn plane. The only reason I followed through was adrenaline and the need to protect my sister.”
“I understand. Just like I do everything I can to protect Maya. Sadly, in the world where we both were born and bred, there is no hiding from our pasts or finding a secure location where we can attempt to fool ourselves danger isn’t lurking behind every corner.”
“Then why bother trying to have a normal life?”
“Because not every day is filled with violence and bloodshed. There can be some joyous moments.” I sounded like a goddamn hypocrite.
“What happened, Navarro? I know the two families were close. What set them off? Why the betrayal?”
Telling her my belief that everything had been my fault wasn’t going to solve anything. Yet the guilt would continue eating at me for the rest of my life. “My brother was a well-trusted soldier in Rafael Torres’ empire. The two families, the Aldero and Torres Cartels were the most powerful criminal syndicates at the time. They ruled the entire country. Now, there are a half dozen with strongholds as influential as what was held twenty-five years ago.”
“So I’ve heard. The wife of the man you work for combined her inherited cartel with the Torres Cartel, creating another extremely powerful regime. Yes?”
I chuckled. “Now the Morales-Torres Empire or vice versa depending on which spouse you talk to. How fascinating. You know more than you’ve let on.”
“Only a little, Navarro.” She at least allowed me a slight smile. “I do pay attention to conversations.”
“I’ll need to keep that in mind.”
The touch of her soft skin against my lips had a calming effect. I took a few seconds, kissing her knuckles before allowing Fallon to pull her fingers away.
“Twenty-five years ago, the alliance between the two families was strong, the product of an earlier turf war that had left dozens dead. The pact they’d agreed on was passed down to another generation and there was no reason for Rafael Torres to believe a man he considered a friend would betray him. Then word that my brother had disappeared turned into concern that Lucian had betrayed the Torres organization. I remember the anxiety, my mother and father both shaken while trying to convince Rafael there was no way Lucian would become a traitor. At least not willingly.”
