Page 3 of Deadly Sins

It was then that I knew in my heart something was gravely wrong. Not just the murder of Tiffany and the charges against Joaquín, but something else. Something hidden deep in the secret realm of the SEAL brotherhood. “I promise.”

I nodded and placed my hand on the thick plexiglass. He did the same. Would this be the closest I ever came to touch him again? “I love you, Joaquín.”

“I love you too, Angelita Mia.”

My little angel.He hadn’t called me that since we were kids. That name had always meant so much to me. I wanted to be that angel for my brother. No, I needed to be that angel. And I would. I would live up to my birth name and become Joaquín’s angel.

We only had a few minutes left, so I tried my best to cheer him up. My hands trembled; my body froze. He’d worked so hard to be a SEAL. It was all he’d ever wanted. The possibility of his career being destroyed was almost worse than him being accused of a crime he didn’t commit.

The bell rang. The guard came and escorted Joaquín out of the room. I stared at him walking away, praying that this nightmare would end soon. This couldn’t be goodbye.

I walked out of the San Diego County Jail. Determined. Dedicated. Definite.

I would clear my brother’s name. For my entire life, he had protected me, lifted me up when I had fallen. It was my turn to rescue him.

I took off in Joaquín’s truck, a brand-new Ford Raptor. The scent of the fresh leather tickled my nostrils.

For a second, I actually questioned his innocence. How could he afford this new truck? He’d told me he’d saved up during deployment, but I knew he spent most of his money on my tuition and housing. Even though I worked part-time as a makeup artist, living in San Francisco was not cheap.

Paul was a second-generation Navy SEAL officer and came from old money—was Joaquín involved in something shady that had resulted in him being framed for murder?

I pushed the thought of his guilt out of my head. My gut wrenched for even questioning his honor.

Speeding on Harbor Drive, I rolled down the window and allowed the crisp San Diego breeze to blow all doubt away. Though it was January, the sun was still bright in the sky. As Joaquín’s words replayed in my head and the look on his face haunted my thoughts, I choked back tears.

The Raptor seemed to have a mind of its own, and I found myself driving toward Grant’s place. I had to see him. I had no choice. He was my only hope. I needed to ask for his help. I prayed that he would be able to fix everything like he once had. He’d been with Joaquín at the party that night. He must’ve seen something.

My insides twisted. The intersection of excitement, desperation, and guilt left me unable to focus. Grant was the one man who rivaled my brother in his steadfast character. He’d been my first love, my only lover…and I’d shoved him away. Like every great thing in my life.

I pulled up to his tiny apartment in Point Loma, praying he wasn’t off somewhere training. The sight of fresh mud on the door of his lifted truck alleviated that fear.

My fingers traced the doorbell. His dog, Hero, let out a friendly bark. Maybe he recognized my scent.

There was no turning back. I pressed the button.

“Hello?” Grant’s deep, sexy voice sounded groggy through the intercom.

He must’ve been asleep even though it was three in the afternoon. Probably another balls-to-dawn training rotation. Back when we were together, I’d make sure to have his place clean, his favorite meals cooked, Hero walked and fed when he came home from those all-nighters. It was some of the only times he allowed me to take care of him.

“Hey, it’s me.”

His tone turned bitter, dark. “What do you want, Mia?”

I couldn’t help but smile that he still recognized my voice immediately even though we’d been broken up for two years and hadn’t seen each other in six months. I knew what I had done to him—abandoned him in his hour of need, secretly blaming him for being gone when I’d needed him most. Then I had been unwilling to allow him to see me at my lowest point, and unable to open up to him and confess my secret. My fatal flaw had ruined our love—my conceit.

Joaquín would never turn his back on someone he loved. He would embrace his anxiety. Shake hands with fear.

Somehow, I would have to learn to do the same.

“I need to talk about Joaquín.”

Grant opened the door, and I gasped at the sight of him standing in front of me wearing only pajama bottoms. I’d forgotten how incredible his body was; his broad shoulders and V-shaped torso displayed no body fat, just a perfect eight-pack of abs. His skin glowed in the afternoon sun, highlighting his sculpted arms, which were covered with ink.

My eyes focused on his huge hands, remembering how they had explored every inch of my body. He ran his fingers through his golden hair, and I imagined those fingers deep inside me, sending spikes of pleasure to my core. The scruff of his beard hid the mottled scar on his neck. His green eyes seemed to shoot beams of kryptonite at me, exposing my soul.

Right, I came here for my brother.

“Let me in, Grant.” I pushed my way inside the door, scanning the place for signs of another woman. All clear.

Hero, his black lab/pug mix, gave me a lick on my face and lay by my feet.

The last time I saw Grant was at an awkward run-in at my brother’s apartment last summer before they’d deployed. Grant had ignored me the entire time. No matter how hard I tried, he’d refused to engage with me.

Today, he had no choice.