He’s gone, closing the door behind him, leaving me sitting on the bed facing Valeria. We’re both breathing quickly. She’s watching me just like my brother, like I’m as much of a mystery to them as they are to me.
Only Valeria should know me better. We’ve lived in the same house for so long.
“Your brother is certain, but your father was just a boy.” She stands heavily, exhaling deeply. “It’s like I said, no one was in the room when it happened. No one could verify the events.”
Blinking up at her, I frown. “So it’s not true?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I’m sorry, Carm. I tried to protect you.”
“Protect me from what? Gossip and hearsay? That’s what you called it, not me. You said that.”
“All I know is you can’t keep your family and this man.” Her voice is sad but kind, tender and motherly. “You have to decide.”
“But he didn’t do anything. I love him.”
Her dark eyes press closed and she shakes her head. “I asked you to promise—”
“Well, I’m sorry. It’s too late for that.” I stand off the bed and pace my room. “I’m not a part of this. I’m not carrying on this feud. It has nothing to do with him—or me.”
“It has everything to do with you. It’s your family.” She leans down and places her hands on my upper arms, giving me a gentle squeeze. “Rest. Drink some water and try to sleep. Things might look different in the morning.”
I don’t know how anything is going to look different. From where I’m standing I see my family on one side of the Grand Canyon and my love on the other, and it’s not a hard choice. They’re the ones putting him on the other side of the chasm for no reason.
As much as I want to hold my family together, my heart is with Deacon.
I won’t walk away from him.
9
Deacon
“But she’s okay?” Rain beats on the roof of my car, and I’m parked in the empty lot of a Best Buy outside a strip mall in Plano.
Adrenaline pulses in my veins, and my chest is tight. It’s a mixture of too much information and too little all at once.
Lourdes is on the other line reassuring me. “She wanted to call you, but her phone got smashed in that tussle with Mateo. It must’ve been under her when she hit the floor.”
My eyes squeeze shut, and I can’t get that image out of my head. Fucking Mateo with his fucking hands on her. Her cry of pain; the tears in her eyes. I’ve never felt more helpless. I hate it.
“I need to talk to her, Lor.”
“I know.” It sounds like Lourdes is walking fast as she speaks. “I can’t do anything. She’s in the room with Val and Beto.”
“What are they telling her?” Scrubbing my forehead with my fingers, I’m trying to get a grip on what happened tonight.
Beto said the past couldn’t be undone and he kept saying my family name. Would Winnie know what he’s talking about? Hell, I don’t even know how to approach this with her.
“Not sure. I took Poogie out of the room before it got too heated.”
Frowning at my phone, I try to understand. “Angel has a dog?”
“She has a four-year-old cousin.” Lourdes says it like I should know Sofia’s million nicknames.
“Sofia, right. Is she okay?”
“She’s a trooper.” I hear the small voice in the background, and I realize Lourdes has her.
Leaning my head against the headrest, I think about how I left. How much I hated walking away from her. Angel was angry and helpless, and I told her to trust me. “I need to see her tonight, Lor. I need to talk to her and decide what to do.”