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“I need information on Jason Reichard.”
Donato had requested a meeting in person. He’d suggested Muriella’s apartment instead of a public place, and I’d readily agreed. Holly’s brother had plagued me since she’d confessed how troubled he was. But I was also avoiding the topic Donato had likely come here to discuss. I was certain he had news of Eduardo I didn’t want to hear.
“The brother of the lovely young lady with the boy.” I lifted a brow, and he looked at me as if I should have known better. Of course he kept tabs on anyone who entered Daniel’s life.
I sat back in my chair and wondered for a moment what it would’ve been like to have a father like him. He was no less dangerous than my own, perhaps even more so, yet he cared about his family. He protected them at all costs. I’d never known what that was like.
I’d learned not to trust anyone the hard way. What if I’d been able to rely on family? Would I still be this monster if Donato had been my father? Would he have let me kill or kept me from it?
“My priority is to keep his problems away from Holly and Gabriel,” I said, returning from the land of what-ifs. Donato was not my father. Juan Carlos Calderón was, and nothing would ever change that, no matter how I wished it.
“He’s in and out of jail on mostly drug related offenses, though there have been a few assault charges and possession of a firearm.”
“Who’s he associated with?” The thought of anyone threatening Holly made my spine tingle with the gun against the base of it. I reminded myself they likely couldn’t, or wouldn’t bother attempting to find her here, but complacency had never been anyone’s friend.
“Apparently, his only allegiance is to himself and his next fix. Somehow, he’s eluded most of those he’s crossed, but I have word that when he is released this time, thugs will be waiting for him.” Donato sipped his coffee and carefully set the mug on the coaster beside him. “Do you want him to remain in jail? Or would you prefer he be released?”
I resisted a smirk. The man sitting across from me had no boundaries when it came to his power. For as much authority as I had myself, he could control my fate just as easily. Strangely, I wasn’t all that uncomfortable with that. So far, he’d proved he wasn’t my enemy.
Donato patiently waited as I mulled over the options, rubbing my hands up and down my thighs. If Jason was released and the inevitable happened, and it likely would, would Holly blame me for my part when she found out? Could I keep another secret from her? It was getting harder and harder by the day, consequences be damned.
“Is he beyond help?” I spoke more to myself than to Donato.
“The same could be asked of all of us.”
What I didn’t know was what it would do to Holly if her brother was no longer in the picture. She’d all but cut him out of her life, but that didn’t mean she loved him any less.
“What about a rehabilitation facility?” The answer was to have him released from prison and let the gangs deal him his fate. Then he couldn’t hurt Holly or Gabriel again. Yet I was fighting for a person I didn’t know, grasping for a hope that wasn’t reality.
“If that’s what you’d like,” Donato said carefully, leaving the truth unspoken. As Holly had said, if breaking free of addiction wasn’t what Jason wanted, all the help in the world wouldn’t save him.
Bing. Bing. Bing.
I stood, ignoring Donato’s quizzical look as the oven timer sounded. The scent of sweet rosquillas wafted from the kitchen. I pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven and placed it on the stove to cool. Muriella had provided detailed instructions on how to make them when I’d told her I wanted to for Gabriel.
They were misshapen. I was a little afraid to taste them, but did anyway.Not bad.Not Mama’s, but they were edible. I put a couple on a plate.
“Before you ask why the hell I’m offering you cookies, just know that my sister urged me to,” I said when I returned to the living room.
He chuckled at that. “Knowing her, there wasn’t an option of a no.” He took a bite and then raised his eyebrows at me in teasing. “Not bad. Young Gabriel will like them . . . and his mother.” The man read me well.
I thought more about the options we might have with Jason, and my instincts were honed in on one. “Leave Jason where he is for now.”
He nodded, and it felt as if I’d gained his approval.
“Agreed. We wait. Find out more.”
Even though I barely knew the man, I didn’t feel I had to explain my motives or choices. He seemed to understand me in a way no one else did. Was it because we were so similar?
“You realize that doesn’t ensure his safety?” He took a bite and brushed some of the crumbs off his mouth.
I nodded. The gangs could reach him inside, but it was guaranteed they would on the outside. At least he had a chance to sober up. Maybe this time it would stick.
“Where is Eduardo?” I might as well face what Donato had really come to talk with me about.
His expression went blank. “With the Abarca cartel.”
My heart stopped. They were our greatest rival. They’d killed Mama. In their hands, he was as sure as dead.
