He nodded. ‘Did you have any idea at all that Miguel Ramos might not be your real father?’
She shook her head. ‘No. None at all. I mean, I always felt different to them, but I thought that was just because I was a girl, and you know, not a psycho like him and my brothers. But, he was my father. He would have told me if he wasn’t – wouldn’t he?’
Alejandro rubbed a hand across his jaw. ‘I don’t think so. He wouldn’t have lost face. I know that my uncle Carlos and your mother had an affair. It lasted almost a year and it ended a few months before you were born. It seems that your mother chose Miguel and my uncle didn’t take it well. He was always a liability, but after your mother ended things, he completely lost it. He ended up in a mental health facility for over a year.’
‘And you really think he was my father?’ she asked.
‘Yes. And he certainly believed so too. And your mother. At least according to her old friend, Crystal.’
Lucia smiled faintly at the mention of Crystal’s name. ‘She was always good to me,’ she said softly. ‘Until the drugs really took hold of her anyway.’
‘So, is that why Carlos took us?’ I asked. ‘Because he thought Lucia was his daughter?’
Alejandro cleared his throat. ‘No. It was slightly more complicated than that. He knew that my father was getting ready to hand everything over, and he wanted to expedite that process so he tried to kill him. He also resented the fact that it would be me taking over the family business, rather than him.’
I opened my mouth in shock. ‘He had your father shot? His own brother?’
Alejandro nodded. ‘He wanted to destroy our family. He wanted to ruin me so that he could legitimately take my father’s place. He knew that I would burn this city to the ground to find you. He counted on me getting myself killed, or just being so lost without you, that I’d self destruct.’
I nodded my head while Lucia sat beside me in stunned silence. It was all so much to take in.
‘Perhaps he would have eventually used your freedom as a bargaining chip? Who knows what was going through his mind. He was loco. But, he knew that the easiest way to get to me was through you, princess. Then when Lucia came into our lives, that just added more fuel to his jealousy. I honestly think he would have never harmed you, Lucia. I think he wanted to try and be a father, at least in the only way he knew how,’ Alejandro finished.
‘So, that was why they treated me okay?’ Lucia asked. ‘Well, compared to Alana anyway?’
‘Yes. It would seem so,’ he nodded, looking at me and frowning slightly, as though he was thinking about what I’d endured at his uncle’s hands.
‘Do you think it was him who killed Blake?’ she asked.
‘Probably. My uncle was the kind of man who could make things like that happen, and it would fit with my theory of him wanting to step into the role as your father and protect you.’
‘So, I’m not a Ramos after all, then?’ Lucia asked.
Alejandro shook his head. ‘No. A Montoya through and through,’ he smiled at her.
She smiled back.
‘What are your plans now, Lucia?’ I asked her, wanting to focus on something positive. ‘Now that Blake is gone, and you’re not running from anyone. What are your dreams, sweetheart?’
‘I guess I still need to apply for emancipation,’ she shrugged.
‘Unless you’re happy to stay with us until you’re eighteen?’ Alejandro suggested. ‘It’s only one more year.’
‘What?’ she sat up straighter. ‘Really? You’d both be okay with that?’
‘Of course,’ I replied.
‘You’re family now, kid,’ Alejandro added.
‘What about your future though? What would you see yourself doing in an ideal world?’ I asked.
Lucia leaned back against the pillows, her hand resting on her bump, and sighed. ‘I always wanted to go to college. I’d have to work my ass off and get a scholarship, but my grades are good even despite the school I’ve missed. I figured I could put the little man here in daycare, and then I could pick up some shifts at the shelter and he could come with me.’
I lifted my arm, wincing at the pain, and wrapped it around her. ‘Sounds perfect,’ I said as I felt a wave of tiredness washing over me.
‘Mind if I stay in here with you guys for a while?’ Lucia asked softly as my eyelids fluttered. Suddenly, they felt very heavy.
‘Sure. I’ve got some calls to make. I’ll sit on the balcony. Why don’t you watch the TV? Looks like Sleeping Beauty here is about to fall asleep again,’ Alejandro chuckled.