Page 16 of Carnal

“No. I want to go see Joaquín. But you have to trust me on this. Don’t go telling him anything about Mitch, Elías, or that you knew you were raped. Promise that you will follow my lead.”

“Of course.” I agreed, not willing to fuck up my shot at seeing my brother again.

I excused myself from breakfast and went into the bathroom to get ready. When I walked out fifteen minutes later, I found Grant already dressed and the breakfast table cleared. The picture of my son nowhere to be seen

* * *

After a longer than usual wait, Joaquín was pushed through the door by a guard.

As he stumbled to the blue plastic chair, I wanted to cry. He looked exhausted, beaten down, and defeated. There was a brand new tattoo on his neck. The skin was so red and blotchy I couldn’t tell what it was at first, but when he finally situated himself in the seat and turned to the phone, I got a good look. It was a thinly drawn barbed wire.

Just like the one Rafael was sporting the other night.

A pit grew in my stomach.

I finally had a realization that even if Joaquín was exonerated, his life would be ruined forever from this experience. There was no coming back. My brother, the former SEAL, now sported what I believed to be a gang tattoo on his neck.

He picked up the phone. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I dropped my accent. “Grant knows. I guess he knew last time we visited.”

Joaquín smirked. “Damn, sister. You’re fucking crazy. I told you to stay away from me, but you didn’t listen. You did this all for me? Man you look hot! First time you showed up here looking like a porn star, I wanted to fuck you.”

Grant gave him a disgusted look.

“Funny. I’m still your bratty kid sister. Yeah. I have to get you out of here. What’s with your new tattoo?”

He gave me a stone cold stare. “I’m in jail, Mia. We’re Mexican. I do what I have to do to survive. No more questions. What have you turned up on your investigation?”

I opened my mouth to answer and was about to tell him that Tiffany had a child and that I thought the little boy was his, but Grant stole the phone from me.

“Nothing yet, bro. We’re following some leads. I’m going to keep your sister out of trouble until you get out. Do you need anything?”

“A woman. And I appreciate you watching over Mia for me. I know she can be a handful.”

“She can be, but we both already knew that.”

Joaquín laughed, but it was a hollow sound. And he kept staring at me. It must’ve been hard for him to see his beloved sister as a new woman.

Grant and Joaquín made some more small talk about the Team until our time was up. The guard led Joaquín away, and for the first time since this nightmare started, I was happy to see him go. I hadn’t realized how hurt I was that he knew I had been raped and he didn’t confront me. It was silly for me to feel that way. Something like that wasn’t easy for anyone to talk about, and it was likely that he had been waiting for me to talk to him about it first. It didn’t stop the irrationality that was swirling around my mind and fogging my thoughts.

“I hate to say it, Mia, but he could be guilty,” Grant said when we were safely away from anyone who could overhear us.

“Why would you say something like that? How could you doubt him?”

“I mean . . . fuck, what was with his tattoo? The Joaquín I knew would never have agreed to get tagged like that. He can never go back to the Teams with that shit.”

“Have you heard of lasers? He’s doing what he has to do to survive in there. I don’t see how my brother getting a tattoo equals him killing someone, Grant. You know Joaquín! How can you stand there and say he could have done something like that?”

“I’m just wondering if either of us really knew your bother, that’s all. People do things sometimes that they wouldn’t normally do. I want to help, I do, but what do you think we are going to find that the cops haven’t already looked at? If he didn’t do it, why isn’t he being more forthcoming with information? He just sat there and gave us nothing! All he cares about is getting laid. And call me jealous, but did you see how he was looking at you? You’re his fucking sister.”

“You’re paranoid, and again, what part of any of that points to him being guilty? He wasn’t looking at me like anything—I can’t believe you would think that. I’m his sister for crying out loud! He’s scared of something, don’t tell me you didn’t see it. Why else would he agree to get that tattoo? There has to be something we are missing. Some information that will free him.”

“And what if there isn’t? What then? Huh?” He was getting agitated, but so was I.

“I have to believe there is something. Otherwise, I did all of this for nothing!” I screamed, reaching up to rip out one of the stupid hair extensions. It hurt, and I was sure my scalp was bleeding, but I didn’t care. The pain in my skin was nothing compared to what was ripping apart my heart right now. “Don’t you see? I have to get him out of there. He didn’t do it, and I will move heaven and earth to fucking prove it.”

“And what if he did do it, Mia?”

Grant’s voice was so low and so soothing that it finally broke through the anger, releasing a flood of sorrow I had been holding back. My lip trembled and tears fell from my eyes. “He didn’t,” I sobbed.