Chapter 15

Isabella

I tried to keep calm as Horace and José drove Liliana and me to the apartments. No matter how much Mia told me about my new job, the reality was terrifying. A sheltered life doesn’t prepare someone to work with whores. Smoothing my slacks, I rubbed away the moisture from my palms.

As we drove, the scenery around us changed. There was no longer the opulence of Mia’s neighborhood and no more gated homes. Houses became smaller and manicured lawns were replaced with stones, weeds poking through the white gravel. My heart beat against my breastbone as yards filled with broken-down cars. I even saw a washing machine. Looking over at Liliana, I spoke low. “Are you ever scared at the apartments?”

She looked up from her phone. “Scared? No.”

“Probably because you’re used to the cartel. You know who you can trust and who you can’t.”

Her lips curled slightly on the ends. “I trust Mia. She’s done everything possible to give the residents a safe haven, and that includes us.” She tilted her head toward the front seat. “José is always there. Horace will be too. And the building is heavily guarded.”

I gave that some thought. “Okay, no one is getting in to harm us. That still leaves the…tenants.”

“It’s really rather simple. Be nice to them, and they’ll be nice to you.”

It was my turn to smile. “I think I’m guilty of overthinking and overanalyzing this. Did you do that when you started?”

She shook her head. “Mia asked me to help when the project was still in the planning stage. My husband had recently died, and Sofia and I moved into Valentina’s home.”

I nibbled my lip. “I’m sorry. You just said a lot of names that sound familiar….?”

“I was married off to Gerardo Ruiz, the brother of Andrés—Catalina and Camila’s father,” she added.

Multitudes of questions came to mind. I recalled something. “Oh, and Valentina is their mother.”

“Em’s too.”

My cheeks unexpectedly rose at the mention of his name. “You lived there, with all of them?”

“Catalina was gone, but the rest, yes, for a while.”

I wanted to push for a more personal opinion of Emiliano. Instead, I asked, “Who is Sofia?”

“Sofia is my husband’s daughter.” Liliana shrugged. “She’s my age. We were best friends until…” Her smile dimmed. “Anyway, after Gerardo’s death, el Patrόn wanted us to live with people he could trust.”

“Where is Sofia now?”

“She moved back to Sacramento. She’s working on her degree.”

“College, really?”

Liliana nodded. “I’m not suited for that.” Her big brown eyes opened wider. “Are you going to go to college?”

My attention went to my hands on my lap. “My parents don’t see it as a priority.”

“Catalina went,” she said. “Camila is in college.”

“My mama says it’s a waste of money. Look at Catalina. She has her degree and spends her time shopping, popping out babies, and catering to Dario’s needs.” I looked her direction. “You don’t need a degree for that.”

“Catalina majored in art. I can’t remember the whole name, but Valentina told me that she’s on the board at some art museum in Kansas City. She has done some good things through there. Including scholarships.”

I inhaled. “Shit. I didn’t know any of that.”

“But you live near her, don’t you?”

“Yes, but my dad doesn’t have a positive opinion of…” I hesitated, wondering if the men in the front seat were listening.

“The cartel,” Liliana offered.

“Yes.” I lowered my voice. “And honestly, of the capo.”

Liliana’s eyes opened wide. “He’s the capo,” she said, aghast. “Your opinion isn’t a choice. Just like an opinion of el Patrόn.”

Technically. My father saw it differently. Instead of pursuing that conversation, I decided to change the subject. “Did you hear all those men outside last night?”

Liliana nodded. “Something big was happening. That’s why Mr. Luciano was there last night.”

“What? Which Mr. Luciano?”

“Dante.” Her cheeks pinkened. “Camila got lucky with that one.”

I scoffed. “He’s my cousin, but I guess you’re right.” I sat taller. “How didn’t I know he was there?”

“You’d already gone to bed. I’d assume he was out of the house before us this morning. I only saw him last night. Really only for a second or two. He and el Patrόn were busy in the office.”

I looked around at the neighborhood. The houses were small but well kept.

“Oh, that went faster than usual.” She smiled. “Probably because I had you to talk with.” She turned toward the window. “We’re almost there.”

A large limestone building came into view. The outside was pristine with landscaping of rocks and succulents. We approached an enclosed parking lot with a guarded gate. As José pulled the car into the parking lot, I saw that the area wasn’t all parking spaces. There was a grassy part with picnic tables and a fountain surrounded by flowers.

Liliana must have known where I was looking. “Mia recently had the area added. It used to be a playground with broken-down playground stuff. This is better for the residents. Isn’t it nice?”

“It is,” I answered, pleasantly surprised.

The breeze blew my hair around my face as I stepped from the car. With Horace at my side, we made our way toward the front doors. The entrance reminded me that the building was originally a school. The first set of doors opened to a foyer. Through a window at the side was a guard. Like the ones outside Mia’s home, the man was armed with an array of weapons, including a long gun.

Horace spoke to him. The only part I recognized was my name. A buzzer sounded, and the next set of doors opened. To my surprise there was a second guard by a metal detector. Horace motioned for me to walk through.

I did.

No alarms beeped.

Turning back, I watched as Liliana walked through, but both of our bodyguards walked around.

“You get a free pass?” I asked Horace with a grin.

“Sí. My job is to protect you. Being armed is part of that assignment.”

If I’d lived a normal life, I would probably have an issue with the tiers of security. My childhood in the Mafia was far from normal. Having an armed bodyguard was part of life. Even though I didn’t know Horace well, his presence was reassuring.

The lingering scents of new construction filled my senses. Our shoes tapped on the vinyl plank flooring. Liliana led me into the front offices. I imagined that back in the day, this would be where the secretaries and principals had offices. She opened a door to a large private office. “This is Mia’s office,” Liliana said. “She said you could use it since she’s still at home.”

I turned a complete circle, taking in my surroundings. On one side, a large window faced the street with a small white table and four gray swivel chairs. A large white-lacquer-finished desk with a sleek white leather chair was centered near the back wall. The monitors were attached to a pole mount. Matching white bookcases and cupboards ran along the other side wall near a door. “What’s in there?”

“Oh, Mia has her own bathroom.”

Shaking my head, I met Liliana’s gaze. “This is very nice.” I walked behind the desk. “Why are the monitors on this arm?”

She came forward and pressed a button on the corner of the desktop. The middle section rose, lifting the keyboard with it. The arm extended, lifting the monitors. “This adjusts so she could stand and work. Mia says it’s unhealthy to sit behind a desk all day.”

My eyes widened. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“We all have them.”

I looked around. “Is it always this quiet around here?”

A large clock near the window told me it was nearly ten in the morning.

“Let me show you around. Many of the women are still asleep. The club doesn’t close until three a.m.”

The club. Where these women get paid to have sex.

I continually told myself to not show my parents’ prejudices. It wasn’t easy to ignore the views and biases of the people who raised me. Then again, if this time in San Diego was going to broaden my world, maybe it needed to start with reexamining those beliefs.

That didn’t mean I wouldn’t freak out when I came upon a woman with too much makeup, teased hair, wearing a silk robe over X-rated lingerie and high heels, and smoking a cigarette. My imagination had been running wild ever since Papà told me I was going to San Diego.

Keep it together, Izzy.

Liliana showed me where to leave my purse and started my tour.