He steps into the room and offers a dismissive shrug as he feigns interest in the bookshelf closest to the door. “He had me follow you today. Now that you know Mad Dog is back in LA, I guess Papá doesn’t trust you to stay away. Turns out, he was right not to. Whatever you two were doing in the back of that studio, you sure left looking freshly fucked.”
My blood turns to ice, and I’m struggling for breath when he turns to me with a smirk. Any pretense of affection he might have shown me before is gone.
“Don’t worry, princess. I kept your secret. I suppose I owe Mad Dog for patching me up after what Leo did.” He touches his cheek thoughtfully. “Though he still owes me big.”
I exhale the breath I’ve been holding. Leo was a fool to attack Gustavo the way he did. I’m not sure what made Gustavo reveal his true feelings—or lack thereof—to me. Was it just what happened with Maddox, or Leo’s behavior toward me? Either way, it’s clear now it was all a ruse to make me let down my guard with him.
“Are you going to hurt Leo?”
“Where would be the fun in that? I’ve learned that when someone owes you a favor, it’s best to be strategic about how you cash in. While I’d gain some satisfaction from seeing him bleed, how would that help me in the long run? As for you . . . I think I already know how you can repay me for keeping your little secret.”
“What happened to owing Maddox?”
“You weren’t the one with the bandages, princess. You still owe me.”
“What do you want, Gustavo?” I grit out. Outside the open door to the patio, Papá’s voice floats by, followed by Manny’s and, a moment later, the sweet-tobacco scent of cigar smoke. Normally, it would relax me, but tonight it just makes me edgy. Gustavo must have smelled it too, because he edges back out of view of the doorway, as if he doesn’t want to be seen talking to me.
“I want you to be available over the next couple weeks. That’s all. And when I ask you to join me for a business meeting, don’t say no.”
“What sort of business meeting? Who is it with? I need more details so I can be prepared.”
“One that would be beneficial for the business. You care about how things go in this organization. Holding on to the success Papá has achieved is important to you, so I think you’ll want to meet with this person when the time comes. He definitely wants to meet with you.”
“Who is it?” I snap, standing up and leaning on the desk.
He gives me a devious smile that doesn’t instill a shred of trust. “Amador.”
I blink once, not sure I heard him correctly. Amador is my father’s oldest enemy. Why in the world would he want to meet with me? The rift between them didn’t always exist though. At one point, they were business partners, but Papá has never explained exactly what caused them to part ways with such ill feelings toward each other.
“Why aren’t you bringing this to Papá?” I ask. “If Amador wants a truce, or to go into business together again for some reason, you should take it to him first.”
“He specifically asked for you. Don’t ask me why, he’s as cagey as Arturo. All I know is he wanted you, and I have a vested interest in bringing you to him. If you want me to keep your secret, you’ll say yes and keep your father out of the loop until we can bring him a solid deal. I’m sure you remember what I can do to a man’s face with my fists.”
Baffled by this request, I give him a terse nod. Papá showed me photos of a teenage Maddox after Gustavo had finished with him. The only reason Gustavo let Maddox live was because my father had a soft spot for Marcella Santos. I knew Papá gave her a deal on her lease, but I always wondered if there was something more between them.
“You’ll hear from me,” Gustavo says, then disappears into the hallway again. A moment later, his deep voice joins Papá and Manny outside.
It takes me several minutes before my confusion subsides enough to come up with a plan. Owing Gustavo a favor is the last thing I want because I wouldn’t put it past him to ask for more than I’m willing to give. However, keeping my father from finding out about my meeting with Maddox is more important, especially after being reminded of what Papá ordered Gustavo to do to Maddox all those years ago.
It’s crucial that I find out why a man my father has been at odds with for decades would have any interest in talking to me. I can’t go into a meeting this dangerous blind. Instead of the work I intended to do, I switch gears. The old business accounts from Papá’s partnership with Amador have been archived, but I still have access. Papá would only evade the question if I ask him directly. But numbers don’t lie, not to me.
I type in the name Amador and wait as the results scroll up the screen. When I click on one of the transactions, I’m presented with a scanned image of a canceled check, and my heart stops. My mother’s signature is just how I remember it, and I resist touching the screen to trace the lines that spell out Lola Flores in wide, graceful loops. The payee on the check is Amador Propiedad, Ltda. Then the date on the check catches my eye, and I blink.
Back when my father first introduced me to accounting, I had just started my degree program at UCLA. He showed me his ledgers, which covered the accounts for a multitude of different corporations going all the way back to Amador e Flores, Ltda., the Brazilian holding company he started with Amador before he
