Ana Sofia walks over to stand behind him so she can see who Papa is entertaining, then gives me an odd look. Pushing my hair behind my ears, I move to stand next to her, lean down and kiss our father on the opposite cheek that she did, before I turn my eyes to the visitor.
“Hola, Señor Vargas,” I say, giving Ana Sofia a nervous glance.
The man gets to his feet to greet us properly, taking my hand in his, kissing the top then repeating the gesture with my sister. As soon as he lets go, she tucks her hand behind her and wipes it on the back of her pants and I smile.
Miguel Vargas, the second most powerful boss after our father, is nothing like what I would’ve expected. He’s about Papa’s age, has grey sprouting through his otherwise black beard, small, dark brown eyes, and one of the kindest faces I’ve ever seen.
But these men usually do.
It’s how they keep the trust of their people and the citizens around them. That, and being generous to their pueblos ensures that they are never turned in by civilians.
“Sentarse,” Papa instructs me and my sister, nodding toward the seats to his right.
I nudge Ana Sofia frantically. If he wants us both here, it’s because he knows she went to Altata.
She grabs me by the hand, gives it a reassuring squeeze, then plops down in the seat closest to him. She’s willing to take the blowback of his anger if we’ve incurred it, by putting herself between us.
I sit down on the other side of her, clasping my hands in my lap while she tucks her legs up on the chair. Both our eyes are on Papa, waiting for what he wants us to do next.
“Miguel and I were interested in how today went,” he finally says after a few moments of silence.
“Um—”
“It was a setup, that’s why I went,” Ana Sofia offers, cutting me off. I’ve never been able to lie to our father and she’s helping me save face right now by trying.
“What makes you think that?” Señor Vargas asks her curiously.
“It took a long time for the man to show up,” I say. “We were waiting, and no one knew where he was or when he would arrive, so I stepped outside to call Ana Sofia. I explained to her what was happening, and we concluded that something wasn’t right.”
“Fucking gringos,” Papa mutters with a sigh as he glances around. When he sees Anabella, he waves her over and sets his knife and what’s left of the pitaya on the tray she’s holding.
I like her a lot. She showed up after Mama left and has been the best housekeeper we’ve ever seen. She has a myriad of women working beneath her and everyone is very respectful of Papa’s home.
And they can keep their fucking mouths shut, which is the most important thing.
“And Lorenzo? Was he there?” Señor Vargas asks me curiously.
I nod.
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Papa questions in confusion.
Señor Vargas and he exchange a glance and Papa nods. Apparently, this is not a conversation to be had in front of Sicarios.
Our allegiance is a topic that is always in question. It doesn’t matter if the same blood flows through our veins, or if we were just lucky enough to be recognized for whatever skill was needed at the time; there are things that we don’t have the privilege to know.
I get to my feet and tap my sister on her shoulder. She glances up at me with annoyance in her eyes until she understands that we’re supposed to leave now.
“Let’s go to my room,” she suggests when we step back into the house. “I wanna know what happened in that place before I got there.”
I want to tell her no, to let me just have some time to myself, but she put her life in danger for me today. The least I can do is show her some appreciation by sitting through an interrogation.
And unlike anyone else that’s ever sat through her line of questioning, at least it’s not in her kill house, and I’ll get to walk away alive.
Chapter Ten
Ana Sofia walksover to her window and pushes it open, then makes herself comfortable on the ledge. One leg is hanging on the outside of the house, while the other is firmly planted on her bedroom carpet.
“Think Enzo is in some kind of trouble?” I ask her thoughtfully as I lie down on her bed. She shrugs as she crosses her arms over her chest and sucks her teeth.