ever found out that you were my daughter, or even Raymond’s daughter, it would have painted a big red target on your back. I thought you being the daughter of a dead man would keep you safe, but I was wrong.”
The words she spoke had delivered a donkey kick that knocked a hole in my chest.
Raymond Evans is my father?
“No, I refuse to believe any of this shit.”
“Es verdad, lo siento,” she apologized. It had just occurred that she was how I knew Spanish.
“I don’t want your fucking apology.”
The anger raging through me had me seeing double.
“You skirted your responsibilities as a parent and sent me to live with a man that used me most of my life. Raymond had me out on the streets selling drugs by the time I was seven. How was that a fucking better life? As far as I’m concerned, you and Raymond can kiss my whole black ass, and I have a lot for you to kiss.”
She stood in place, frozen and staring. It was clear that no one had spoken to her the way I had as she appeared at a loss for words. I didn’t give a shit about all this family shit she was talking about. I gripped Arjen’s hand, turned, and was taking off, not caring what else she planned to say or do.
Arjen didn’t stop me; he was right at my side. What the hell was I supposed to do with all the truth I had discovered? The truth couldn’t do shit but complicate my already chaotic life.
There was one question I had yet to find an answer to. If the Cardenas Cartel were not the ones trying to kill me, who the hell was?
37
Mecca
The sky was what I decided to lose myself in, gazing past the fluffy, sun-kissed clouds as Arjen gathered his men. Images of my childhood churned in my mind, some that I had never understood until now. Me, being sung to sleep in Spanish, the voice that had always sounded familiar had now been confirmed. Me, always longing for a face I could never see, but now it was as clear in my mind as if the memories were implanted.
I sensed Silvia’s eyes on me from afar, but I couldn’t deal with her. I had too much to think about, too much to process, too much to choke down and digest.
I climbed into the passenger seat of Arjen’s truck when he opened the door and took my hand to help me inside. He had directed one of his men to drive the SUV I had driven.
When our vehicles began spilling from the tree line, most of them tactical vehicles with machine guns attached to the backs and tops, the sight caused me to glare at my husband. He had truly brought an army, an insane amount of men that were prepared to fight a woman that was as unbothered by their presence than if she were surrounded by her own men. I couldn’t imagine what type of bloodbath would have taken place if I wasn’t a relative.
“This might not be the right time to bring it up, but with your mother being one of the most powerful women in the country, it gives us another ally, and eliminates the Cardenas Cartel as our adversary.”
“You were right, husband. This is not the right time to bring that up.”
My head fell back against the seat once the view of my uncle’s compound disappeared from the rearview mirror. The thick woods that surrounded the area loomed, the waving dark leaves saying their goodbyes.
Arjen’s hand sat secure on my leg, and every once in a while, when I would drift too deeply into my mind, he would squeeze, reminding me that he was there.
I placed my hand softly atop his, absorbing his strength through the touch. With him, I had discovered that I could love and be loved in return. Our connection was the last thing I expected to fall into my life, but he was one of the best things to ever happen to me. It was also the one thing in my life that wasn’t turning out to be a lie. We knew most of the gory details about each other.
“Pull over,” I ordered out of the blue.
A smile creased his face as he eased the truck over without a second thought. The last time I had asked him to pull over, we had ended up ruining his car. Once he had parked, the long line of