Page 58 of Deadly Lust

Grant

IDIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE Mia alone, but I knew she needed space, so I texted Ashley to meet me at Point Loma Seafood in twenty minutes.

When she got there, I was already seated. She was out of her NCIS business suit and back in her Autumn summer-casual clothes. I ordered us some fish tacos, and we sat and gazed at the pelicans and seals playing in the harbor.

Ashley’s gaze narrowed in on my hand. “Please tell me you didn’t marry her.”

I flashed my band at her. “Best decision I’ve ever made. You know where I stand. You’re wrong about her.”

She shook her head. “Grant, look, I hope you are right, for your sake and your son’s, but something isn’t adding up.”

“I need your help getting my son back. You said you’re working on it, but honestly, that’s not good enough. Joaquín is a psychopath. I’ve learned some new information, which is so fucked up I won’t repeat it.”

“Come on, spill.”

“Nope. It’s not about drugs or the Teams, so none of your business. Do you have a date for offering the plea?”

“Sometime in the next month. We’re still negotiating the offer with his lawyer. He does have a pretrial hearing tomorrow, so I think everyone is waiting to see what happens with it.”

A month? My son could be dead in a month. No way. “That’s not acceptable. I need to find my son now.”

“I’m well aware, Grant. I need you to trust that we are doing our best. We can’t jeopardize the investigation. You have no legal claim over the child at the moment. Third-party testing isn’t admissible.”

Fuck this shit. I stood. “What’s the time of the hearing?”

“Nine in the morning, but I won’t be there.” Her eyes narrowed, and she added, “If I hear that you’re trying to interfere with the proceedings, I’ll have you arrested.”

“On what charges?”

“Obstruction of justice.”

“Do what you got to do.”

I walked away from her and got in my borrowed truck. I stopped at Liberty Market and picked up a vegan tofu bowl for Mia and some flowers.

When I showed back up at our place, she greeted me with a sleepy kiss and an apology.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re just trying to protect me. I still think you’re wrong. By the way, Joaquín called while you were gone.”

I ground my teeth. “Yeah. What did he want?”

“Just to talk. I asked him why he name-dropped Julián. He said it was because he wanted me to find him. Don’t you see? He told us about him so we could discover him. I’m more certain than ever. I think that maybe Rafael kidnapped him, and Tiffany told Joaquín that she had his nephew and he lost it.”

I understood how Mia thought that. But she didn’t know that Tiffany was working for NCIS. And I wasn’t at liberty to say. And Tiffany could’ve still told Joaquín about Julián. “Did he say anything else?”

“I asked him to tell me where Julián was, but he refused. Said he would take me to him if he was free. I think that’s the only way we’re going to see Julián again. We have to get Joaquín out of jail.”

And for once, I agreed with her.

“I already ate. I’m going to take Hero on a run. I’ll be back in a bit.”

I leashed up Hero and left again. I made several calls and put my plan into action. No longer would I be the pawn in Joaquín’s game.

I was done letting everyone else make the decisions.