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“How was your latest appointment?”
“My bloods are holding steady.”
“Really? Because when you walked in, I could tell you were wincing, and your wrists look a little swollen—”
“Mamá,” I plead, and she throws her hands up in apology. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s your birthday. We can talk about this another time.”
“Thank you. How long are you staying?”
“Anna and I fly back to Colombia tonight. Your father has business with Isabella.” She shrugs her shoulders helplessly and I know she’d stay longer if she could. “You’re not the only one in constant negotiations with him, Ella.”
“Yes, but you have one major advantage over the rest of us,” Thalia interjects sweetly.
“Tha-lia,” our mother scolds, swatting her arm with her napkin, as the server comes over to take our drinks’ order.
“Is it truePapá’sstepping away from the business?” I say in an undertone as the others noisily discuss the merits ofsashimiovertemaki. “Is that why he’s with Isabella?”
My mother carefully places her napkin down on the table. “He and Joseph have been planning it for a while, but after everything that happened last year with Thalia…” She trails off and glances at her youngest daughter. “This isn’t the first time he’s stepped away. He did it before we were married too, back when he was initiating his anti-trafficking task force. Instead of flitting between them, he’s decided to focus on that for now.”
“You mean he’s working hard on his morality,” I say, trying not to smile. “He should skip the queues and become a priest.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think there’s enough Holy Water in theworldto wash your father’s sins away,” she responds dryly. “And, knowing him as I do, he won’t be able to stay away from the business forever.”
The server returns to take the first portion of our order, and then Thalia is asking what articles I’m working on.
“Nothing much.” I hesitate. “Although there’s this one story about the Latin Americanbrujeríathat’s pretty eye-opening...” I glance atTíaAnna to catch her reaction.
“Brujería? Really?” She leans forward with interest.
“Witchcraft?” Thalia looks confused. “Wait. What’s this got to do with the New York news scene? Unless Uncle Rick’s been using religious occult practices to gain new voters again…”
We exchange quick-fire smiles, whileTíaAnna studies me thoughtfully.
“What’s the story?”
“There’s been a spike in the black market for this kind of stuff,” I say, keeping it super vague, but enough to stir up interest, before I’m switching the subject. “How’s Santi, Thalia?”
“Good!” Her face lights up as soon as I mention his name. “In fact, we’ve decided to have a second wedding in a couple of months. Please be my bridesmaid!”
“I’d be honored!”
“You can choose any dress you like, just so long as it’s red.”
The rest of the evening passes in an easy haze of Thalia’s plans andTíaAnna’s updates from Colombia. Occasionally, I’ll catch her staring at me, and my heart skips a beat. There are unspoken words in her eyes that I desperately want to hear, but it’s a conversation for another time.
Being around my family again is like coming in from the cold. As the night progresses, I can feel their love and warmth wrapping around me like a blanket. Worries about my intruder are quickly pushed to the back of my mind, but Edier’s still front and center, like the forceful, demanding bastard that he is.
When my mother’s head bodyguard, Armando, murmurs something in her ear, we know our time is up.
“Here,” she says, slipping an envelope into my hand. “Happy birthday, Ella. Just a little something from your father and me.”
“Mamá…”
“Rob says you’re doing great, by the way.”
I give her a look that’s somewhere betweenhow dare youandeternal gratitude.
“Shush, you got that job on your own merit, and you’re keeping it with instinct.” With that, she waves the conversation away.Finito.No more.As far as she’s concerned, what she did to help me get into NYC, and then to land me on Rob Willis’s radar are just things that all mothers should do to help their daughters.
