“Sold out? I don’t understand.”
“Mija, I’m sorry you felt you had to go to him for answers I should have given you. I realize my mistake now. You are my legacy. This business is yours as much as mine, so you need to understand both the power I have and the steps I am willing to take to keep that power. It is no small thing. You may have an abstract understanding of the scope from managing our accounts, but you need to understand the reality too. He can try to hurt me, but he won’t succeed.”
My skin tingles in anticipation of whatever revelations he’s about to share. He’s right though. The accounts I manage indicate our holdings are as vast and varied as some of the most profitable Fortune 500 companies. Many are even legitimate, but the connections to each other are so vague it would be impossible for even a skilled forensic accountant to find a link without having access to our books.
But I have a feeling he isn’t just talking about the money.
“How deep does your influence go, Papá? Please don’t leave anything out. If something ever happened to you, the more I know, the better.”
He smiles and shakes his head. “Nothing is going to happen to me, but I can’t risk you going anywhere else for answers. Amador would stop at nothing to destroy me. There is only one way for me to ensure he stays out of our lives for good. It isn’t an ideal arrangement, but it is one that will protect the health of the organization for the foreseeable future and provide me some leverage in areas where my influence is lacking. Provide us leverage. You will be part of the decision-making from now on, if that is what you want.”
“Of course it’s what I want! We’re partners, aren’t we?”
“We have been on paper ever since you became the CFO. However, there have been decisions I made that I was unwilling to share with you, thinking the burden would be too much. This won’t make your life easier, mija, and you must not tell anyone else. Not even Toni or Leo.”
“I don’t care,” I blurt with conviction. An almost agonizing pain radiates through my chest at the thought that Manny might be alive had we taken this step already. Had I had the answers and not gone seeking them from a man like Amador.
With a nod, he places his hands flat on the blotter on his desk. “I have made a deal with the government to assist in an operation to take down Amador. Our arrangement began almost a year ago, and we still have more work to do. That he’s interested in you enough to venture back to California means he wants something. Whether it’s a need for vengeance against me, I don’t know. Whatever it is, my hope is that we can find out and exploit it.”
I’m too stunned to speak at first. When I finally find my voice, I croak, “The government? Is that safe?”
“They want him enough to accept my terms, and since I’m the only person on the face of the planet who knows all his weaknesses, they have no choice. A joint task force has been set up to cover multiple jurisdictions. Once everything is in place, they will make their move.”
I stare at him, working to digest this new development. “But you haven’t worked with him in decades. How can you be so sure you know enough? Did Mama have something to do with this intel? Those checks she wrote to him, were they some kind of . . . of payoff?”
Something still doesn’t add up, but his news has thrown me off-balance. After so long working to remain under the radar of a myriad of government agencies, he’s decided to work with them? Is Amador that big a threat?
“Your mother has nothing to do with this, I promise,” he says, but when his gaze cuts to Mama’s portrait that hangs on the wall over the fireplace, I know he’s lying.
“I was nearly killed two nights ago, Papá. A man we all loved died! Gustavo, a man you trusted, pulled the trigger. I didn’t have much time to talk to Amador, but in the time I did have, he only mentioned Mama. If you really, truly intend to bring me into all your schemes, you have to tell me the truth. Why would Amador even want to see me? And if Gustavo was working for him, why did Amador shoot him?”
Papá’s jaw clenches, and he opens his mouth to speak when a loud thump comes from outside the room. He raises his hand, and I turn toward the door, which isn’t fully closed.
Someone is eavesdropping.
21
Leo
“Leo, please come in.” Arturo Flores’ voice booms from within the room, and I wince. Bracing myself, I push through the door and step inside. I pause with the doorknob in my hand and lock eyes with the man behind the desk. The man’s intimidating gaze drills into me from beneath his heavy brows. His mouth is surrounded by a silver goatee that does nothing to conceal his scowl. The hair on his head is darker than his beard but shot through with silver and combed back in thick waves from his forehead. He wears it longer, like me, the ends brushing his shoulders, but his is more controlled. He and Celeste share the same eyes, but while hers were tender the last time she looked at me, his are intense, calculating, and the deep lines that surround them only enhance their intensity.
He nods toward the door and I close it behind me, then obey his silent command when he aims his gaze at the chair next to Celeste’s. She reaches out and grabs my hand as I sink down, though
