Moreno's (Moreno Brothers Series) - Elizabeth Reyes Page 0,70

really believe that after just a few months of knowing all hope was lost for the happily-ever-after she’d waited so long for, she could’ve moved on just like that?

Isabella took her order to go and brought it home to have with her mother. After catching her mother up over dinner about her exchange with Cido, she went to bed, glad she’d accomplished something else today. Even if no matter how much she accomplished, she was still left with such a sense of desolation. At the very least she’d gotten that monkey off her back.

The relief was fleeting. That very night Isabella got several drunk phone calls from Cido. She hung up on him each time, especially when he started getting disrespectful. Then days later the drunken phone calls became drunken serenading calls. At first, she actually got a kick out of listening for a bit before hanging up. He wasn’t half bad. But then he began changing the lyrics to well-known songs to suit what he wanted to say to her, which, again, got disrespectful, and Isabella had been forced to hang up and leave the phone off the hook for hours.

She’d warned him she’d be changing her number to an unlisted one if he didn’t stop calling. So far, it’d been a few weeks since she’d last heard from him, but she still cringed each time the phone rang now. Only reason she didn’t just change the number already was because she didn’t want him showing up at her apartment or worse her work.

The phone rang as she was getting ready for bed. Isabella stared at it for a moment, debating on whether to answer. Only because her mother wasn’t home from work yet, she did. To her relief, it was Magdalena. “Mujer, how’ve you been?”

“Good, good,” Magdalena’s cheery voice made Isabella smile as she sat down on the bed. “I’ve been meaning to call you. So much chisme going on.”

“Ooh, do tell.”

Magdalena filled her in on how she was seriously thinking of putting in her notice and finally quitting working for the Ochoas. Cido was drinking on the job more often than not now, and he and Octavio had been getting into it because of it. Then about how they’d started sending the new trucks they’d bought to Mexico a few times a week because Octavio said there’s a lot of money to be made there. Then how Pancho a new cook who’d driven one of the trucks, didn’t make it back with the rest of the crew after their trip down last week.

“Octavio blamed his visa. Said it’s expired and it’s why they didn’t let him back in the country. But the other guys on that crew are being really weird about it. They won’t talk about it but haven’t gone back since, and those men we’d see Cido and Octavio talking to all hush-like have been showing up even more now. If you ask me,” Magdalena lowered her voice so low Isabella almost didn’t hear the next part, “I think they’re doing something illegal, and either Pancho got pinched or worse.”

Isabella’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

“Isa, you’ve seen those guys that come around acting all shady. They don’t look like they mess around. Oh, and not only that . . .” For whatever reason, she went back to lowering her voice. “I’ve seen Cido looking out into the street from the truck all suspicious, like maybe someone’s watching him. I even asked him about it, and all he said was to tell him know if I ever see a certain car out there with a guy sitting in it. Isn’t that creepy?”

It was by far the juiciest part of Magdalena’s chisme, and they exchanged theories for a while before her friend said she had to go but that she’d keep her posted. Magdalena was right. It was creepy.

Isabella lay there pondering her mother’s take on fate and destiny, how everything happens for a reason. Maybe finding out about Alejandro when she had, while heart-wrenching was a good thing. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to move out as they had. Maybe God sent Alejandro of all people her way, when he had, to save her from a potentially dangerous situation. God would know nothing would get her moving faster than needing to forget about him.

Bringing her hands over her already scrunching face, Isabella shook her head. Whatever the reason, no matter how positively she tried spin it, her heart would forever be