“It’s more than that,” Carly said. “We believe that Miguel is running the blood slave program for a group of Rogues. And that he’s doing it with your sister’s help.”
“My …” Ana shook her head and horror filled her voice at what they were implying. It couldn’t be true. It was impossible. More impossible than vampires being real. “You’re wrong. You have to be. Gloria would never do something so vile.”
“We’re not wrong,” Ty said, forcing her attention back to him when that was the last thing she wanted. “I know she’s your sister and you love her, Ana, but—”
“Pero nada! Gloria would never do that. Never!”
“People change.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” she snorted. “But you’re wrong. Acerca de Gloria y acerca de Miguel.”
“I’m certainly not wrong about Miguel. And your friend Bobbie agrees with me.”
He couldn’t have shocked her more than if … than if … well, than if he’d sprouted wings and turned into a bat. A bloodsucking vampire bat. “Bobbie? Bobbie Hernandez? From my coffee shop?”
“That’s right.”
“But he’s just a kid.”
“They grow up fast in your neighborhood. He wants to be a vampire. And he’s been keeping tabs on you for Miguel.”
“What? You’re crazy!”
“Am I? Because I grant you, I was a little skeptical when Peter raised his theory, too. Until I started looking into it. Do you remember the name Greg Flick?”
“Greg—Greg Flick. He was a prison guard.”
“You accused him of getting too handsy with you, remember?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“Do you know what happened to him?”
“I never saw him again. I assumed he was fired. Or transferred.”
“He was neither. He was killed. One week after you filed your complaint, he was shot during a home invasion. The intruder, however, was never caught.”
“So what? That doesn’t prove anything.”
“After you were released from prison, you rented an apartment in Florida. You had some trouble with the landlord, didn’t you?”
Ana swallowed hard. She reached out to steady herself. Shakily sat down. Then shook her head. “How do you know all this?” she whispered.
“Didn’t you, Ana?”
“Yes, I did.”
“What happened?”
“He claimed I hadn’t paid him rent for two months when I had. He tried to shake me down for more and when I refused to pay, he kicked me out. I—I had to sleep on the streets until I earned enough to get back on my feet.”
“How long was that?”
“Couple weeks.”
“During that time, your landlord was mugged and killed. You want me to continue?”
“Yes,” she said defiantly.
“Okay. How about this? After we wrestled in your coffee shop, I was shot by a cop. An Officer Southcott. Name sound familiar?”
“Oh, God. He came to my house. Told me about Téa.”
“Téa, who died. Téa, who gave us information about you that she wasn’t supposed to give. We think Officer Southcott paid her a visit, right before he was eliminated himself.”
“He’s dead? But why? How?”
“We think he went behind his boss’s back by visiting you. Everyone who has ever hurt or betrayed you has paid for it, Ana. If I wasn’t a vampire, I’d be dead, too. And I think the man responsible is Miguel. Hell, he probably played a role in getting your prison sentence shortened. Even made sure you got your business loan, despite the fact that you’re an ex-con. I tried checking into it, but the bank gave me the runaround. That in itself was enough to tell me someone had intervened on your behalf. Why not Miguel? He loved you. He still does.”
“Then why hasn’t he come to see me? Why play all these games?”
“Because he made a mistake. One that as a result ensures you’ll never be with him. Not the way he wants.”
“What mistake?”
“He became your sister’s lover.”
The world had gone crazy.
It was all becoming too much for Ana to deal with.
She was vaguely aware that everyone in the room had left. Everyone but Ty.
She looked at the intercom on the table.
“It’s off,” he said. “It’s just the two of us.”
“You say that like it should reassure me,” she said.
He smiled but said nothing, letting her assimilate what he’d told her. Letting her take the lead.
She shook her head. “What you’re saying—I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you. I know you think it’s true, but you’re wrong. I know them.”
“Then prove me wrong.”
She threw up her hands. “How?”
“Help me get to Miguel. If we don’t find anything to back up our intel, I’ll admit defeat.”
“And you’ll leave him and Gloria alone. And me as well.”
The heat in his gaze intensified. “If that’s what you really want. Yes.”
She looked at him. Thank God that even if he couldn’t lie, she could. They were two different people. Two different species. She couldn’t trust him. Not when he was so determined to take down what little family she had left. “That’s what I want.”
Ty nodded. “The fund-raiser is in a few days. It all hinges on that. We fly to California this Friday. You want to be left alone? Finish up your training. Help us get what information we can on Miguel. Then convince Miguel we’re legit and get us into Salvation’s Crossing.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Ana thought she had been handling the news about Ty and Peter being vampires remarkably well, but apparently Ty had other surprises in store for her.
“You want me to what?” Ana asked.
She and Ty had just finished sparring on the mats. She was sweaty and tired and cranky, edgy from having Ty’s hands all over her and imagining what he could do with those fangs of his that would hurt only in the best ways possible. Then he’d told her what he wanted and she had to fight the sudden urge to pin him down on the floor again and knee him where it would hurt most.
Ty’s gaze didn’t waver. “I want you to accompany me to a bar where Primos Sangre members hang out.”
Ana couldn’t help it. Her throat went dry, making it difficult for her to speak. In truth, she hadn’t had as much trouble speaking yesterday, when she’d learned vampires were real. What Ty was asking of her now was tantamount to making her confront every miserable mistake she’d ever made. And she wasn’t sure she could do it.
“Members …” When her words came out as a croak, she cleared her throat and tried again. “Members that have joined the gang since I left, or members that were part of the gang when I was?”
“Both. But obviously, we’re hoping for more of the latter. That way, you can capitalize on old acquaintances to get what we need.”
“Which is what?”
“You know that we’re going to the fund-raiser to try and convince Miguel that we’re lovers.”
She nodded.
“He’s dodged my attempts to meet with him but he trusts you. He’ll trust your prior relationship and the fact you want to see him again, separate from anything having to do with me. If you really wanted to see him again, what would you do? Wait for the fund-raiser or track him down yourself?”
“So you want me to go to this bar and pretend to be looking for Miguel? And you think people are just going to lead me to him?”
“Not at all. But if one of them saw you and talked to you, knew how close you and Miguel had been and that you were looking for him, maybe they’d tell him.”