Elle doesn’t seem to register the stunt, or the casual glares. She’s too involved in whatever conversation she and Celeste have been immersed in for the last twenty minutes. Staring at them side by side, it’s clear at a glance that they’re sisters, at least now that I know. They have the same eyes, and similar head-tilts when they’re deep in thought.
“I see where Elle gets it. That drive and independence. You still haven’t told her, have you?”
I glance at Flores, whose gaze is still fixed on the two women. “Her life will change when she knows. It doesn’t serve any purpose to tell her yet. Her or Antonia.”
I lift an eyebrow, because that’s the first time he’s claimed Toni as his out loud.
“So their right to know the identity of their biological father isn’t reason enough?”
He turns to look at me, gesturing toward the girls. “Tell me, would you have let Zoe know who you really were if her parents hadn’t been killed?”
“I see your point,” I say. “But that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have a right to know once she was old enough to process it.”
“There’s more than one reason I accept both your brother and Leo as my daughter’s partners. They are a barrier between her and those who would harm her. That doesn’t mean I think they’re expendable, but her life is more important to me than anything. However, any danger to her is only a result of her name—of her link to me and my organization. The second I claim my other children, they become targets too, and anyone close to them. They’re better if they, and the rest of the world, are kept in the dark, comprendes?”
I clench my jaw, but begrudgingly nod. If I have any regrets about claiming Zoe, it’s only because I’ll have to come clean to her eventually about some of the darkness in my past. Though there are some secrets I may never share.
“Does Celeste know all the names of the men you’ve killed?” I ask in a low voice. There’s music playing and we’re surrounded by the din of dozens of conversations going on at once, so it’s unlikely anyone can hear me, but I don’t want to take any chances.
He casts a shrewd glance my way and shakes his head. “She just needs to ask. But there’s one name that isn’t on that list, despite what you might be thinking.”
“What I might be thinking is that we had a conversation a few weeks ago and you agreed to take care of something that needed doing. And now that thing is done.”
He chuckles and lifts his beer to his lips. After swallowing, he says, “I won’t deny setting things in motion, but the timing wasn’t right for Marcella. I didn’t think she was in any condition to handle a loss like that. Turns out God had other plans. I did check with my contact to make sure he didn’t jump the gun. Your father was drunk when it happened, and had no business working on helicopter engines in that condition. Since his unit loved him so much, they didn’t put it in the report. Simple slip and fall. Hazard of the job.”
I just blink at him, trying to decide if I heard correctly. Dad’s death was an honest to God accident.
Flores laughs and stands, patting me on the shoulder. “You can ease your conscience, son. Now why don’t you introduce me to my grand-niece? Any woman who can survive a week with César Zavala and still laugh like that little angel is someone who’s earned my respect.”
I take a moment before I follow, surveying the scene before me and processing his speech. I can’t dispute his logic, but my perspective is a little different. My siblings and I are tight, but have always been independent. I’m not about to be the one to unilaterally decide for them how best to keep them safe. It should be a joint effort, and to make sure it is, I’m going to have to give them the tools to protect themselves.
Deciding to start with Marco today, I stand and head his way. He redeploys in a couple days, so I don’t want to waste time, especially considering he just volunteered his own life to the cause.
45 Mason
My world brightens in the days after the party, after Papá Flores revealed that he never had the chance to act on my demand that he assassinate my dad. With Mom home, things start to feel normal for a change, though I occasionally find myself just standing in the middle of the living room, marveling at the fact I’m even back here.
The crazy thing is that when I was discharged from the Navy three and a half years ago, I wasn’t anywhere close to wanting this. I was too antsy to focus on settling down. I bounced between money-making schemes and women’s beds like a teenage girl trying on prom dresses. To say I’m a different man now would be a huge understatement.
Everyone is getting back to their lives now. After the party, Elle and Sam head back to San Diego. Marco disappears on another SEAL mission, vowing to call the second he gets word of his new assignment coming through. Dad’s death barely caused a blip on our radars, though I think it was one of the factors in Mom’s desire to throw herself back into her dance classes. She was married to him for over thirty years, and it can’t all have been bad if she stayed, even if the reasons near the later part were more about protecting him from Flores than actually loving the bastard.
She still isn’t quite steady enough on her feet to dance, but won’t budge on the issue of returning to work. Despite mine and Maddox’s objections, Callie insists it’ll be good for Mom to get back to her regular routine. Something about neuroplasticity and creating new pathways to
