Now here Ana was, sitting on a hilltop, teaching young girls from countries as far away as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, part of American culture. So far, she’d taught them One Potato Two Potato, Rock-Paper-Scissors, and Miss Mary Mack. She found herself enjoying the lessons just as much as the girls were.
“Bueno,” Ana said, encouraging Elsa and her friend Marcia as they slapped the back of their hands together, then the fronts.
Elsa flashed her a grin. “Speak in English, please, Miss Garcia. We want to practice. And you’re such a good teacher.”
Elsa’s comment almost made Ana flinch. These girls were innocent. They had no idea that Ana was here under false pretenses. They didn’t have to worry about such concerns, which was good. Gloria had created a place where they could be safe. Free. Granted, her sister had admitted that she was helping the FBI turn humans into vampires, and some would argue that was unnatural, but since all the humans were volunteers, she wasn’t doing anything illegal or immoral, any more than the FBI was. She wasn’t one of the Rogues Ty was looking for, going behind the FBI’s back and preying on the innocent or selling humans as blood slaves. No, there was absolutely no proof of that.
In the three days Ana and Ty had spent at the compound, the only thing they’d observed was an idyllic life. The mothers and the children Ana had been fortunate enough to meet all were grateful for the help Salvation’s Crossing had given them. Grateful for the work provided to their menfolk.
Still, that the husbands and fathers had to stay away for an entire growing season made Ana’s heart ache. She’d never trusted men much—the horrific choices her mother had made in men had set her on a path of distrust. That Gloria’s own grandfather—her flesh and blood—had sexually molested Gloria for so long had solidified her distrust. Oddly enough, Miguel had been the only male she’d trusted. Maybe because even though he’d led her to Primos Sangre, he’d done so with good intent. To protect her. And although she trusted Ty completely, he had an undeniable agenda, and was blind to the possibility that her sister and Miguel could be innocent.
She played with the girls for another half hour before they got bored and ran off. As they did, movement on the path up the hill caught her attention. Miguel. She smiled, though she felt herself tensing slightly. She was open to believing in his innocence, but she wasn’t a fool, either. The longer they stayed here, the more she saw what Ty had—the way Miguel looked at her. With love. And sometimes with desire.
“Playing pat-a-cake?” he asked when he made it to the top of the hill.
“Something like that,” she answered, forcing herself to grin and pat the ground beside her. He sat, stuck his legs out in front of him, and leaned on his hands behind his back. Close enough so their shoulders could touch. She tensed, unsure whether he’d touched her deliberately or not.
After making love to Ty the other night, the two of them had not touched except for a few displays of kisses and hand-holding. Even so, no matter how much she told herself it was impossible, she kept fantasizing about a future with him, one in which they didn’t just fuck or work together, but gave each other everything.
Peace.
Happiness.
“You’re good with them,” Miguel said, nodding toward the chattering girls.
Ana blinked and refocused on the present rather than on her thoughts of Ty. “They’re good kids, that’s all.”
“Be honest with yourself, chica. They like you for a reason. Don’t sell yourself short. You always did before.”
“Gracias, mi hermano.”
A flicker of movement appeared near the corner of his eye, then he smiled, but didn’t look at her. “Is that what I am to you now? Your brother?”
“My sister loves you,” she said carefully.
“Not as much as her cause,” he bit out in response.
How could he possibly think he was second fiddle? Ana had seen the way Gloria looked at Miguel when she thought he couldn’t see. The look of a woman completely in love.
“I’ve tried to talk to Gloria about what happened to her after I went to prison. She avoids the subject. I don’t want to dig into her private business, but do you know what happened to her? After the shooting?” she asked.
“I never left her side, Ana. I took care of her, just as I promised you I would. We returned to the gang, but it wasn’t long before Devil’s Crew came to us. Shoved their way in, really. But not with disrespect. Just talked to the members about how bad our people were being treated. Gave legal options for how to get our families out of dangerous countries. Worked with us to find scholarships for our kids. Mostly, they talked to the women. The cholos at first ignored the representatives, thinking anything different was a threat. But the women—the mothers, the daughters—” Miguel cut himself off, his voice going thick with emotion. “The women knew how bad things were. How there was no hope. Salvation’s Crossing offered hope. Some, like Gloria, listened. Some men, like me, listened to their women. Went against machismo.”
“So you and Gloria were together by the time Salvation’s Crossing came to Primos Sangre.”
He looked at her sharply. “You were in prison …”
She patted his knee, automatically wanting to reassure him. But then she reconsidered … and kept her hand on his knee. If Miguel really did desire her, then perhaps avoiding him was taking the easy way out. She’d told Ty she’d do whatever the mission required, so what she should be doing was capitalizing on any feelings Miguel had for her.
“I don’t mind that you’re with Gloria, really. I want both of you happy. Always have, always will. But I must admit … seeing you now … I wish …”
A shadow crossed Miguel’s face. “What do you wish?”
“I wish things could have been different for us. For all of us.”
“What do you mean? Aren’t you happy with Ty?”
She didn’t have to fake her uncertainty as she looked away.
“Ana?”
She smiled as she turned back to him. Nodded. “Of course. Ty saved me.”
“You love him?” Miguel asked.
Pain hit her midsection—tight and sharp. Love? There was that word again.
She did love him, but …
Love couldn’t enter the equation. And thankfully, though she couldn’t lie to herself about loving Ty, she could lie to Miguel—to see how he’d react. “No. I don’t love Ty. Not the way I should. But I like him enough.”
He looked away, but not before she saw a hint of a smile on his face. Another ripple of unease climbed up her spine.
“Is he good to you?” he asked.
“What does it matter?”
His head snapped around and anger flashed in his eyes, causing her to gasp. “It matters. Believe me, it matters. A man should worship you. Kiss the earth beneath your feet. Swear his fealty to you. End his life for you.”
She stared at him in shock for a moment. The way he was talking, the intensity of his response, it was all consistent with a man who’d loved her so much he’d been doing whatever it took to keep her. Even kill her sister.
But what was she going to do? Ask him straight out if it was true?
Miguel stood abruptly. “I need to go now. The sun …”
Ana nodded and waved him off. “Yes. Go. I don’t want you to get hurt. Besides, I’m supposed to meet Ty for a horseback ride soon.”
He raised his brows. “That’s right. He told me he wanted to check out our current irrigation system. But you? On a horse? I’d like to see that.”