our mom. That was my end goal, it had been from the moment I asked Lorenzo for a job just one week after dropping out of high school.
At sixteen he’d given me a job, one that meant I could take care of my newborn baby brother. I’d been on track to get us out by the time I was eighteen, but then Mom’s belly started to grow again. And nine months later, my little sister entered the world. It had changed my plans, but only momentarily. It’d take us longer to get to where I wanted to be, but we would get there—eventually.
The door to the command center opened, and I turned to face it just as Aida asked, “Mateo?”
I shook my head, and blinked, clearing my gaze to look at her properly. It was hard to see her face and not remember the injuries we’d all witnessed on her body. She’d taken the brunt of it. The people you loved were always your weakness. Which was why I promised myself I would never put anyone in that situation. I would be alone for the rest of my life rather than watch someone I loved in pain. I saw it every day when I looked into the eyes of my little brother and sister, and I didn’t need more of it. I was trying, but sometimes it didn’t feel like I was trying hard enough.
“Yeah.” I tried to smile, but it was hard when all I could think about were the scars that littered her back.
“You okay?”
I cleared my throat, not sure what I was going to say, but it didn’t matter because the doorbell rang, interrupting us. “I better get that.” I took a quick look at the monitor to make sure that it was the security guy, then stood.
“You know you can talk to me, right?” Aida said, her eyes glazing over. She hadn’t looked at me the same since I’d told her a few months ago that I’d had to drop out of high school. Part of me regretted telling her. I didn’t want or need sympathy. I was doing what was best for my family.
“I know,” I murmured, slipping past her, effectively ending the conversation.
I walked toward the front door, opened it, and stared at the small man dressed in navy from head to toe. He couldn’t have been more than five foot, but his stern face told me he meant business.
“Mr. Caputo, I presume?” he asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.
“That’s me.” I held my hand out to him and he shook it. “And you’re Mr.…” I trailed off, waiting to make sure this was definitely the guy I’d been waiting for. He’d told me during a secure conversation exactly how our first greeting would go. He said it was a way for people to know that it was him and not someone pretending to be him. By someone, I was presuming he meant law enforcement.
“Blue.” He let go of my hand, tilted his head in a small nod, then continued. “Mr. Blue.”
Now that the confirmation was out of the way, I let him into the mansion, shutting and locking the main door behind us.
Aida was still standing in the hallway, her gaze focused on us, but neither of us said anything. If Lorenzo wanted her to know something, then it would come from him, not me.
I led Mr. Blue into the command center, knowing that we didn’t want to talk business outside of this safe room.
“I’ve analyzed your security,” he started, placing a black leather bag on the table. Lorenzo had taken to having his meetings in here lately, preferring to be able to keep an eye on everything at the same time. I understood his need to know what was happening in every facet.
“And?” I crossed my arms over my chest and widened my stance. Mr. Blue was the best security guy in the country. If you needed something to be locked up tight, then he was your guy. A former CIA analyst who had worked with the FBI and Homeland Security, he was perfect for the job. He saw things that no one even knew were possible.
“It needs upgrading.” He raised a brow. “It took me fifteen minutes to hack into your feed and see what you were all doing.” He pursed his lips and shook his head, his disappointment clear. “Don’t worry though, I got exactly what you need.”
“And what is it that we need?” a new voice asked, and I immediately