“This better be important, or so help me—”
“Whoa, what’s going on?” Matt’s voice trickles through the line.
“Nothing. Just tell me why you called.”
“As a matter of fact, it is important. Remember how we found out Raul had escaped?”
“Yeah?” The hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention and I know whatever he says next isn’t going to be good.
“Well, Mila has gone missing and we think it’s Raul.”
“What the fuck? When did this happen?” My heart is beating overtime, wondering if the fucker has another connection on the way to Colorado.
“Just now. Her detail had followed her to a doctor’s appointment… get this… we think Mila might be pregnant.”
I shake my head, blowing out a long breath. “Jesus, how is Jace taking all of this?”
“How do you think? Not well. With all of your surveillance, do you have any clue what they’d be after?”
“Yeah, and if they’re wanting to trade Mila for it, I bet Jace might just give it to them.”
“Wait… so Jace knows too?! I thought we were womb buddies. Does that not mean anything to you?” It might seem like Matt is making light of this, but I hear the hurt in his voice.
“It isn’t like that, brother. Dad gave him the will first, I only happened to find out when I’d been trailing the girls.”
Matt hisses. “Okay, you’re going to have to tell me everything.”
Resigning myself to the fact that it’s time I let my brothers in, I walk over to the study and shut the door behind me, making sure Mel isn’t within earshot. This information, like I said, has the power to unleash Pandora’s box and I’m not ready for that confrontation just yet.
“It’s about Austin and his bio dad. Are you sitting down?” I pause waiting for Matt to confirm. “Okay. It’s El Jefe. Turns out he has a slew of bastard children running about but Austin was his firstborn. His will leaves the entire Cartel’s fortune to him. The land, the money, the gold. Everything.”
“Holyfuckingshit.”
“Yeah. That’s an understatement. And to make matters worse, Raul is of the mindset that all that fortune belongs to him. He made that clear when he murdered his brother in hopes of getting his hands on the will and everything that came along with it.”
“This is some insane shit. So how did you find out about the will and how does Raul know that Jace has it?” There’s a door shutting in the background and the creaking of a chair as Matt sits down.
“I thought you said you were sitting down.” I’m shaking my head at the little shit.
“Man, no way in hell I thought it was going to be this crazy. Go on. Tell me how Raul knew.”
“Process of Elimination. He’d been working alongside our father for decades. Originally, he thought it’d be Austin himself, but it became clear he didn’t have the will after their abduction in Mexico.”
“And? How does that equate to Jace having what he wants?” Matt presses for what I’ve been asking myself all along.
“Next in line would be one of us, but why he chose Jace is still a mystery. The only thing I can think of is the stuff I’ve dug up on Mila’s mother, Catherine. She used to date the attorney who laundered for El Jefe. That’s quite the coincidence if you ask me.”
“I’d say so. Do you think Catherine was sent to dig up information? Maybe look for the will herself?”
I’m about to answer when there’s a beep, another call wanting to connect. Looking down, I see that it’s the number to Jace’s beach house. “Hold on Matt, I’m going to patch Jace in.”
“Okay.”
A few seconds pass before our brother’s voice is crackling through the receiver. “Hunter, you there?”
“Yeah, brother. So is Matt. We’re both on the call.”
“Okay, good. You’ll never believe the shit that just went down.” Jace is talking a mile-a-minute, but I wouldn’t expect any different with Mila having gone missing. “It’s Catherine, she’s the mole. She’s the one who’s been sabotaging the calls.”
“Fuck, I knew it!” I exclaim and the line goes silent.
Two beats pass before Jace’s eerily calm voice comes through. “What do you mean you knew?”
“I knew that she’d dated Mila’s dad, the attorney who laundered money for El Jefe. I suspected that her getting pregnant with your baby was just a ploy to get closer to you and find the will.”
“And you didn’t think to fucking tell me that!?” Jace is screaming into the line, the pitch so intense I have to pull the cell away from my head. “What the fuck Hunter?”
“I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to give you half-assed information.” I’m shrugging, even though I know they can’t see me.
“Well, she isn’t pregnant. That was all a lie. And get this…”
“Go on, spit it out!” Matt shouts from his end.
“That attorney? He isn’t Mila’s dad, El Jefe is,” Jace adds to all of our surprise.
“Get-the-fuck-out-of-here. This is some real Jerry Springer shit!” Matt chuckles into the line, but it isn’t really funny.
“Yeah. And there’s more… Catherine isn’t Mila’s mom. She’s her sister!”
I hear something slam on someone’s end and I can’t help but ask, “Everyone okay?”
“Yes.” Both brothers answer but it’s Jace who elaborates. “Hunter, she wants the will for herself and the attorney, but I’ll be damned if I give it to them.”
“Good. Don’t. We’ll find Mila, brother. I promise.” I send Jace my assurances, but even as I do, I’m not sure I’ll be able to deliver.
“So, hold up. Catherine has no connection to El Jefe’s brother then? Raul?” Matt asks something that had slipped past both Jace and me.
“Besides being a part of that twisted family tree? Nope. She’s only working with the attorney, John McComb.”
“Fuck, so not only do we have to work on a rescue mission for Mila, but we also have to be on guard of Raul—a psychopath who also wants to get his hands on the will.” I can hear Matt pacing, his Italian loafers clicking on his marble floor.
“Seems that way,” I answer, though it isn’t really needed. We all know what’s at risk.
“Alright. Now that we have all that out in the open, what’s the plan and when are we telling Austin? This is bound to get out and when he figures that we knew all along, he’s going to be pissed, if not just hurt.” Jace voices something that we’d both been thinking about for some time now. It’s quite the secret to keep, and my only hope is that this doesn’t destroy our bond.
“We do what we can to find Mila, all without giving those fuckers what they want…And as for Austin? I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” A lump forms in my throat, knowing that this is a lose-lose situation and the best we could hope for is minimal damage.
“That sounds like a shit plan with respect to Austin. You sure we shouldn’t just come out and tell him?” Matt seems hesitant and I can see why, so far, it’s just me and Jace who have carried this burden, but now, he’s technically in on it too.
“I think he’s right, Hunter. We should tell him before the rescue,” Jace adds, and I can hear the anxiety in his voice. He has a lot on the line.
“You guys aren’t thinking straight. How do you think he’ll react if we tell him before the mission? He won’t go into it thinking clearly and that’s a recipe for disaster. He needs to be sharp and lacking any emotional turmoil.” This is the basics and something they would remember if they weren’t basing their decisions on emotions instead of logic.
“Fine, but I want to make it clear that I was against this every step of the way.” Matt adds, trying to wash his hands of this secret.
“Oh, don’t worry little brother. I’ll take the heat for it when it comes down to it.”
“Um, excuse me. I’m only younger than you by like five minutes.”
“Hey, that’s still five minutes your elder,” I counter.
“If you two are done with your bickering, I’m going to get with the team and let them know of our plan. How soon can you get down here?”
“I’m on my way,” Matt chimes in.
“I need to get Mel ready, but we’ll be there in a couple of hours. I doubt she’ll want to stay behind for this.”
Jace sucks in a sharp breath. “Yeah, I’m just wondering how that dynamic will play out with our prisoner. You know how Catherine and her get on. Now with all of this, we’ll definitely need to keep them separated.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice. My girl is quite the spitfire. There’s no doubt she’d be clawing her face off upon arrival.”
My brothers chuckle, but I’m not joking. Mel is fiercely loyal to those she loves, and as I hang up the line, I pray that I’m still on that very short list.
“We’re leaving.” I shout up to the loft where Mel has parked herself to pout.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Her bellow comes out sounding muffled, making me think she’s been crying.
Jesus. That’s my fucking weakness.
“Baby doll, we need to go to Florida. It’s about Mila.”
I hear rustling, and before I know it, my girl is scurrying down the ladder. “Why didn’t you say so! Is she okay? Tell me she’s okay!”
I blow out a breath, trying this honesty crap even though I know it’s going to hurt her. “She’s missing.”
Mel’s mouth drops open—and call me a sick bastard, but the site just begs for the taking.
“When? How? How can we get her back? Tell me we’re getting her back. Please!” Her legs wobble and she starts to drop right before my very eyes.
“I got you, baby. Daddy’s got you.” Pulling her smaller frame into mine, I hold her close. “I promise you, we’ll find her.”
And right then, I vow to move heaven and hell to get that girl back. Not for Mila’s sake, and hell, not even for Jace, but for my girl.
“Come on, doll. Let’s get your bags and head to the airfield. We’ll touch down in a couple of hours and I’ll make good on my promise.”
Mel is blinking up at me, her eyes glossing over as she nods. “You better my feral Buddha, or I’m taking you right over that cliff like I promised.”
This stops me in my tracks. “And you better be joking, Mel.”
My girl rolls her eyes. “Of course I’m joking. But that doesn’t mean you’re not still in the doghouse.”
“Alright, baby doll. Whatever you say.” I chuckle, even though the situation calls for anything but. “Whatever you say.”
