“Care to tell us why we’re here?” Matt’s raised brow resembles the look on the rest of my brothers’ faces.
We’re at the main house, inside of Jack’s study. “Yes. Anaya’s husband. I have William running a background check, and so far, it’s come out clean, but something doesn’t feel right. For starters, his surname is Garcia.”
Jack sucks in a sharp breath. “As in your late wife’s maiden name, Garcia?”
“That’d be the one.” I’m standing in front of the fireplace, pacing back and forth. It’s been days since Anaya’s revelation, but with the move to the new cabin and then the incident in her bedroom, I’d all but forgotten.
“There could be a reasonable explanation. It’s a very common last name.” Jace spits out this fact as though I hadn’t thought about it.
“Yes, it’s very common. But what are the odds?” I raise both brows, begging him to add anything more of value.
“What are you thinking? That he’s her brother? We already know she’d been with Cárdenas, and Garcia is the name she received at birth.” Hunter lays out the facts, trying to make sense of this new bit of info.
“Brother or cousin. He’d be too young to have been her father. He’s only a decade or so older than she would be.” I finally stop, taking in all of their expressions. They’re just as surprised as I am.
“Okay, so let’s say he’s somehow related. What does it matter? How is it tied to us, if at all?” Jace makes a valid point, Matt later adding to this train of thought.
“Exactly. If they were related, wouldn’t we have seen him by now? I mean, the guy has been married to Anaya for some time now, right? He could’ve paid us all a visit, but he hadn’t.”
Matt’s words have a growl ripping from my throat. “He hadn’t until this week. The fucker was here, and Mary had to chase him off with a shotgun.”
My brothers let out various curses, all eyes on me.
“What the fuck? Why didn’t I know about this?” Jack asks, fury painting his face.
“Maybe if you hadn’t been too preoccupied with my daughter, you would’ve heard.”
“Bullshit! I had every right to know!” Jack is now standing in front of me, his face an inch from mine.
“Want seconds, big brother? I don’t have any qualms with throwing some punches right now.”
“Both of you. Enough!” Matt steps between us, putting some much needed space between Jack and me. Lord knows if another second had passed, he’d be laid out on the floor. “We need to figure this out, and both of you squabbling like a pair of old bitties isn’t helping.”
He’s right. “Fine. But that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly okay with this.”
The this being Jack and Pen. But I’m willing to put it aside for now, at least until we get everything figured out.
“I want to know why the guy was greeted with a shotgun. Isn’t he Anaya’s husband?” Jace asks the very same question that plagued me.
“It seems they’re on the outs because of some stunt he pulled.” I say nothing further, thinking his indiscretion isn’t something Anaya would like for me to share.
“So, is she getting back with him, or are they getting a divorce?” Jack asks from behind the safety of his desk.
Divorce. My heart clenches, wanting nothing more to have Anaya be free of that man. “I don’t know. She hasn’t said, but she needs to leave his ass for good.”
Right then, I vow to make it my mission. She deserves so much better than that jack-off who did her wrong.
“Unless the men of WRATH find anything, I say we wait it out.” Hunter, who’s been awfully quiet, finally speaks.
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” I sit back on the chesterfield, letting my arms splay along the back of the sofa.
“He’s never bothered paying us a visit until now, the only draw to our family being his hold on Anaya. Either he takes the hint the shotgun provided, or he comes back. If he comes back, then we deal with him. But if he stays away, there’s no point in wasting our time. No sense in making waves when there’s no need. We have enough on our plate with the missing cartel members and Jack going into business with Cárdenas.”
“I’m not taking any chances on the shotgun getting the message across.” I rub at my mouth, already thinking of all the things I want to do to that man.
“Austin?” Matt pulls me out of my darkness and I’m met with his eyes, holding nothing but concern.
“What?”
“Maybe you just let it be until he comes to us.” He’s talking to me like I’m a damn child. Like he knows better. But he doesn’t. Not when it comes to Anaya. Only I know what she needs, and it definitely isn’t some cheating son-of-a-bitch.
“Maybe you just keep that thought to yourself. Like I said, I’m not taking any chances. I’m keeping Anaya safe, and that means going on the offensive.” I get up, ready to leave my brothers behind when Hunter’s words stop me cold.
“Be careful, brother. Hold on too tightly to that little bird and you might just snap its neck.”
What the fuck?
Matt lets out a sigh, and out of my periphery I see he’s rubbing a hand over his face. “I think what our dear brother is trying to say is, if you do something too rash, it might push Anaya away.”
Now I’m really confused. I’m stumbling back, looking at them as if they’re all crazy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that keeping that girl safe is my priority.”
They all exchange glances, as if they’re all in on some secret conversation, their reaction making my blood boil. “What? What the fuck is the problem here? Care to let me in on whatever the hell this is?” My hands are waving between them, equal parts frantic and furious.
Hunter takes a step toward me, his hand landing on my shoulder and squeezing. “It’s not your job to keep everyone safe, brother. What happened to Blanca wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.”
My forehead creases as my brows push together. “Despite that being completely wrong, what does that have to do with Anaya?”
Matt comes closer, his words coming out hushed. “Austin, we all would’ve done the same had we been in your shoes. You need to stop blaming yourself, and trying to gain redemption through Anaya isn’t going to help you. She isn’t Blanca, and you going all caveman on her will only serve to drive her away.”
Redemption. That’s not what this is… is it? No. There’s more to it than that. Maybe a small bit of me is hanging on to the fact that I let Blanca down, but that has nothing to do with how the nanny makes me feel.
Protecting her is a primal need, something in me refusing to let anything harm her. I’d even go as far as cutting off my own arm if it threatened her in any way.
That’s all this is. That’s all it could ever be. “I appreciate everyone trying to absolve me of my fault with Blanca, but no amount of psycho-babble bullshit will ever hide the fact that I fucked up. I shouldn’t have brought them to Mexico. That’s on me.” I step toward the door, giving them all my back. “But that fault has nothing to do with the nanny. She’s under my care, just as everyone on this ranch will be. It’s my job to keep her safe, and if any of you dare get in my way, expect to get the shit knocked out of you, because I’m not backing down.”
Not giving anyone a chance to answer, I leave, closing the door behind me and heading toward my cabin. There’s some business I need to handle, and it’s not going to wait until morning.
I’VE MADE it two steps down the hallway when Penelope’s hesitant voice stops me. “Austin?”
Looking up I see the anguish strewn across her face, the vision making my brows drop instantly. “What is it?”
Before she utters another word, she’s thrusting a leather book into my hand, urging me to take it. I do, opening it up and seeing swirls and lines I know all too well. Blanca’s penmanship is scribbled throughout this massive journal.
“It’s Mom’s.” Pen’s words break me out of the mental tornado I’d been under, a million-and-one questions zooming by my head at warp speed.
“Okay. But why are you giving this to me now?”
She’s shifting on her feet, unwilling to look me in the eye as she answers. “It came in the boxes Jack shipped from our old house. They must’ve packed up mom’s things too, and it all ended up here.”
“But why are you handing it to me now? Don’t you want to keep it?”
“Not really. There’s stuff in there I’d rather forget.” She finally looks up at me, her eyes glassy and red. “Look, I saw you and Anaya earlier.”
Her words suck the air out of me like a sucker punch to the gut. “God. Pen, I’m so sorry you saw that. That it possibly tarnished the image of your mother and me, but it’s not what it looked like.”
“Stop. You don’t have to explain.” She holds up a palm. “I’m giving you the journal because there are things in here that might make what you’re battling a little easier.”
I rub at my scruff. She couldn’t possibly know the thoughts of guilt that plague me, could she? “Okay. I’ll take it.”
“Good. You might want to start where the feather is.” She rolls in her lips, her eyes welling with tears until a big fat drop escapes, the lone bead rolling down her flushed cheek. Pen goes to turn but looks back at the last minute. “And Austin, thank you.”
“For what?” I’m truly confused, wondering what she has to thank me for.
“For being the family rock. I never thanked you before, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate everything you did for me, even though I was never your flesh and blood. It didn’t matter what I was going through, I knew I could always count on you.”
I’m at a loss for words, taken aback by what she’s saying. If anything, I’d thought she’d resent me for working so much and never spending enough time at home. Funny how fresh eyes paint a completely different picture. “There’s no need to thank me, Pen. I’ll always be here for you. No matter what, we’re family. Never forget that.”
She fully turns to me now, getting on her tiptoes as she gives me a hug. “I know. And you never forget that you deserve to be happy too.”
Her words further surprise me, but she doesn’t elaborate. And with a quick peck on the cheek and a smile, she’s turning and walking, leaving me holding Blanca’s book of untold secrets.
With a deep sigh, I continue down my original path, making my way back to the cabin and dreading what I’ll find inside. Whatever it is, I hope it eases some of the remorse that’s weighing me down.
