different location for their announcement. Or maybe postpone.
And the name...Chuy Duran. It couldn’t be the same Durans. Could it? It was too much of a coincidence. Maybe Luke could have Sal look into it.
When she was a few feet from the library, she heard muffled voices arguing. She stopped outside the door, shocked when she recognized Sal’s harsh, baritone voice. She’d never heard him raise his voice at Luke before. Something was wrong.
“How can you be so sure she’ll make an appearance?” Sal’s voice drifted down the hall.
“Do not forget, Saleos. The girl’s greatest weakness is her love for her family,” Luke said. “She is so much like Raphael.”
Luke shared a lot of his business contacts with her, often giving her little bit of gossip to amuse her during boring social functions she had to attend in Washington. She didn’t recall anyone named Raphael. And why was Luke calling Sal ‘Saleos’? Was that his real name? Strange.
“You’re taking much risk going after that one. We should focus on the plan to increase the company’s investments so that we can take Prescott Oil global. Without it, you’ll not be able to rise in power. As we speak, Michael is gathering forces.”
“It’s a risk worth taking,” Luke snapped. “Your job is to make sure that the Durans stay put, and see to it that they’re not put in harm’s way until the girl is here.”
Jane gasped. The Durans! It wasn’t a coincidence. It was Anita Duran’s grandson who was in the paper.
Why was Luke bothering that poor family, especially after the girl, Naomi, disappeared in the desert a year ago? She wondered what he was hiding and why. Why would he do something like that? She remembered asking him about the boy, Javier Duran. Could it be that he lied to her?
She shook her head. None of this was making sense. What did Sal mean about Luke’s rise in power? Luke was already a powerful man with his vast amount of financial resources. She knew he wanted to expand fracking into third-world countries. He was also expanding into water exploration. Was this Michael who Sal mentioned a business competitor?
“I’ve checked the hospital. The boy called Chuy suffered no injuries, other than smoke inhalation.”
“Good, make sure he and his grandmother stay out of trouble.”
Sal laughed.
“Do you find anything humorous about the situation?”
Sal cleared his throat. “Don’t you? It was the quake that created the leak in the gas pipes that eventually led to the explosion. Do you think Michael placed Megan Dalene in Chuy’s path?”
“That would be very unlikely. It would be an act of desperation for Michael to place a human at risk. He has too much
“Should I do something about the Dalene girl? There’s a lot of media attention on her right now. Your political adversaries may use her against the senator.”
“The blonde whore? Who in their right mind would listen to her?” Luke laughed. “I have a copy of her criminal file right here.”
After a ruffling of papers, Luke continued. “Arrested for prostitution, in possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, petty theft, and the list goes on. No, this Megan Dalene is not a threat. Let the media have their fun with her. It’ll blow over quickly.”
Jane heard footsteps down the hall heading in her direction. She quickly walked toward the library, clicking her heels loudly on the wood floor, making sure she was heard and then knocked. “Luke?”
“Ah, Jane, come in, come in.”
She entered the library and glanced over at Sal, giving him a slight nod of greeting. His jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth, his head barely making a nod in return.
She blinked and felt a sense of cold wash over her. She took in the way he stood stiff and unmoving. Somehow, he seemed to look bigger, more threatening. Although she was used to his dismissal of her, only acknowledging when it was expected from him, his animosity toward her seemed to have grown within the past few months.
She took in black eyes that pierced through her, the ferocious scowl, and huge muscles that bulged in a snug-fitting black suit. He looked like a hit man. The type of guy one would see in the movies, who mob bosses hired to kill people like...political figures. She shivered at the thought.
“Did you read the Dallas paper?” She waved the paper at Luke.
“Yes. What a shame.”
Jane studied his face. For the first time, she noticed his gray eyes looked empty, void of emotion, even though his words sounded sincere. “I was thinking we could put together a small fundraiser for the family.”
“My dear Jane,” he took the paper from her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I do admire your compassion. However, it’s not a good idea to do so at this time. We don’t want to draw attention away from your announcement.”
“We have to do something. And the poor little girl, she’s fighting for her life. If Prescott Oil is to blame, we need to make this right, Luke.”
Anger flashed across his face. His hand seared her shoulder as if it was on fire. She winced, taking a small step away from him.
In a blink, his face was back to normal, as if she had imagined it. His lips curled into a smile that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand. “I’ve already made some phone calls, and there’s a full investigation underway as we speak. I’ll send Sal to set up an
He crumpled the paper and tossed it into the trash. “There. Done. Now, shall we go over the key points in your speech?”
Jane was shocked by the way he took over. He’d never done that before. He was definitely hiding something from her.
She glanced over at Sal and then back at Luke. Both were watching her expectantly, as if wondering what her next move would be. A voice screamed inside of her, warning her not to press the issue with him. That same voice warned her that it would be dangerous for her to do so.
She’d stop for now, but she wasn’t letting go. Somehow, she was going to get to the bottom of this. She’d find out, one way or another, what was going on. And the place to start was to find and talk to Anita Duran.
13
Naomi brushed the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand as she watched Megan read to a sleeping Emma. It broke her heart to see the little girl in the hospital bed, her tiny body lying in a sea of white: white bandages around her arms and hands, white sheets and pillows, and the white walls of the hospital.
Naomi alternated between feeling heartbroken for Emma and elated that Chuy was alive. She hadn’t believed Jeremy when he told her Chuy was still alive until she’d seen him, limping out of the house with a fireman under his arm, helping him.
She had cried into Jeremy’s chest, relieved, until another fireman came out with Emma in his arms. Pain had crossed over Jeremy’s face, and she had realized that the look he’d given her when he first came out was because of Emma.
Chuy sat in the corner of the room, taking turns with Megan reading all of Emma’s favorite stories. Naomi wasn’t surprised that he had stayed with them, even though he had just met Megan. He was always the first person to volunteer to help a neighbor when it was needed. And when it came to children, he was putty in their hands.
Chuy had held onto Megan when the doctor told her that her aunt died. Naomi could tell Megan already knew her aunt was dead. There was something about hearing it from someone else that somehow made it more
