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It’s been days and once again, no communication. His promise was nothing more than words spoken to the wind and disappearing just the same. And even when I called him before we arrived, my attempt was shut down after the third ring.
Disappointment sinks into me, but I shake it off. “She seemed nervous last time we spoke. Almost fearful.”
“They must’ve known Dalian was missing then.”
“That idiot has been dead nearly a week, and they’re panicking.” Not a hypothesis. That was a statement from Orlando as he walks back into the room, and it’s clear they know more about the brothers than I ever did. “When was the body recovered, Edgar?”
“About three hours ago.” Luna’s uncle takes a bottle of water from Ivan’s father and passes it to me before grabbing another for himself. My stomach is in knots, though. I’m nervous. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of my source inside. Right now, the media’s reporting and the headline ties Jaime to Dalian, and they’re asking the public if anyone knows how he was mauled by a gator.”
“Where was the body found?” I ask.
“Deep in the Everglades by a now-traumatized park employee.”
“I can imagine.” Every person in this room has seen things they’d rather forget, but were unavoidable. Turning my attention back to Maritza, I give her Karen’s number and wait as she punches the numbers in. No one talks as it rings, the speaker loud, and after the fourth ring, there’s an audible click.
“Hello? Who’s this?”
“It’s me. Amberlyn.”
“Hey. How’s it going.” No reaction. Very calm.
“Have you seen the news today?” I ask, hedging.
“No.” Small laugh. “I’m just waking up. Felt very sick all night, think it’s something I ate.”
“Karen, they found the body of your fiancé at—” The phone sounds like it dropped, and I can hear the word fuck being repeated, but no crying. No, this is panic. Pure fear in the one word. “Karen? Miss Lopez, are you listening to me?”
“I’m dead,” I hear her say this clearly and so do the others in the room, but before I can ask another question, I’m met with a disconnected call. Immediately, I try to call again but it goes straight to voicemail.
I try one more time and get the same.
“We need to find her.”
“We do. Something tells me she’s the key to understanding this mess,” I agree with Edgar. “The sooner we take her into custody, the fewer chances of someone else nabbing her.”
Standing from my seat, I pull out my phone and head toward the door. “Dad can help. He’ll start mobilizing our resources to see where she could be hiding.”
“I’ll contact Ivan,” a voice says, and my head snaps toward the female so fast my neck cracks. “He should be made aware of what’s going on.”
“Who the fuck are you?” The brunette is pretty and curvy, but the gleam in her eyes as they stare into mine hold malice.
“I’m a guest of the younger De Leon brother.”
“Are you, now?” No one denies it, and I feel sick. “Since when?”
“A few days now.” She’s wearing a man’s shirt but as my eyes water, I can’t tell whose. Both Maritza’s sons leave clothes here for emergencies. In fact, they have stashes everywhere, even in my home. “He saved me from Dalian.” Her smile is wistful, as if remembering something that causes her heart to flutter, while mine feels as though it dropped to my feet. “I knew he would. Ivan promised to come back.”
My heart clenches and the air escapes my lungs, yet I remain standing.
This betrayal stings, feels as though I’m being stabbed all over, and the look on Maritza’s when I gaze back at her says it all. “Explain.”
“Don’t speak to my mother-in-law like that. Who the—” Before I can comprehend my actions, I have my hand around her throat and she’s on the ground. I’m straddling her, my grip choking while she tried desperately to claw at my arms.
“Who is she?” The question is open to whoever wants to answer, but no one does. What I do feel is someone pulling me off, dragging me away and to the opposite side of the room. “Who is she?”
“Mi niña, you need to calm down. There’s an explanation—”
I hold a hand up, and Orlando quiets. “I’m going to ask three questions, and I expect the truth.”
