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  I downed my coffee and planned to take a shot of whiskey from my flask.

  My partner wasn’t Grant Carrion. It was Mia Cruz Carrion. A woman I despised. A woman I was still convinced was guilty as sin.

  Fuck my life.

  10

  Mia

  I smugly appreciated the shocked expression on Ashley’s face, even though I wasn’t happy about being her partner, either. My new boss had sworn to me that this arrangement was best for the mission. My mission. Our mission. The quest to find out who really controlled the SEALs of SEAL Team Se7en.

  Yes, I had accepted the fact that Joaquín was guilty of the crimes he’d committed, including raping me and kidnapping my son. Hell, he’d admitted it. And I’d been drowning in therapy to try to make sense of it all. But sometimes, late at night, I still didn’t believe it was possible. My heart just couldn’t come to terms with the horror, so I tried to believe in an alternate reality. Grant was right; I was delusional.

  But even so, there was so much more danger lurking around SEAL Team Se7en than just what had gone on with my brother. Rumors of a drug cartel, weapons trafficking, and even worse, sex crimes. The media outlets had recently published some stories about the crimes of the other SEAL teams, including SEAL Team 6ix and Black Squadron. But it seemed that their crimes were just being covered up.

  Not anymore. I was here to learn the truth. I’d had to jump through so many hoops to get this job. As the wife of an active-duty SEAL and the sister of a former SEAL convicted of kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder, I had been initially disqualified for this case.

  But then, Agent Meeks set up a meeting with me. Though I was no longer able to go undercover, I had extensive knowledge of the SEAL Teams. He felt that I would be able to examine and understand evidence like no one else could. I was the right woman for the job.

  Not shockingly, initially Grant wasn’t supportive. He was fine with me becoming an agent. He just didn’t want me sniffing around his buddies. But ultimately, my hubby is a good SEAL. An honorable man. And, in my opinion, one of the last ones left. He believed that the corruption in the SEAL Teams ran even deeper than I imagined, and he wanted to fix it. So, he’d promised to support me no matter what.

  After I had finished my undergraduate degree, I had gone through the background check and had then attended the academy in Georgia. I’d hated to be away from Julián, but Grant had said that it was only fair for him to watch our son while I pursued my dreams because I would be watching Julián alone when Grant deployed soon. I’d been grateful for help from Grant’s friends’ wives. Paloma and Annie both took turns watching Julián when Grant was at work I was away. I couldn’t be more blessed.

  And now, I was here. The first day of my new career. The first day as a professional. The first day using the skills that I had gained to go undercover in the SEAL Teams.

  I couldn’t wait.

  And I wasn’t going to let Ashley ruin my opportunity.

  I didn’t care the Ashley hated me. I ran up and gave her a hug, but she quickly pulled away from me. Undeterred by her rejection, I tried to stay positive. “We are going to be partners! This is going to be so much fun.”

  Ashley rolled her eyes. Subtlety was not her strong suit. “Lucky me.”

  Agent Meeks’ eyes twinkled. “Well, I’ll let you two get reacquainted. Then I will give you your assignment. Good day, ladies.”

  “Bye, Agent Meeks! Have a great day.”

  “My, aren’t you peppy. How on earth did you pass your security clearance, Mia?”

  I was not going to let Ashley get me down. I understood where she was coming from and why she hated me. In fact, I didn’t blame her. She thought Joaquin and I had been in cahoots. But that wasn’t true. I was innocent. And I also know that she had harbored a crush on my husband and that they had hooked up once. But I couldn’t hate him for that. We had been broken up. My marriage was solid, and Grant and I had completely forgiven each other for what had happened in our past.

  And according to Grant, Ashley and Mitch were hot and heavy now. You’d think being fucked senseless by Mitch would’ve loosened her up. But clearly, she was still uptight. Mitch and I had definitely shared a flirtation when I’d been undercover. So basically, Ashley and I were even.

  “Actually, I passed with flying colors. I have nothing to hide. I’m not responsible for what my brother did.”

  She smirked. This was going to be harder than I thought. “He’s not your brother.”

  Here we go. “He will always be my brother. And I forgive him, Ashley. Maybe you should try that sometime. It’s not good to live with hatred.” There, that should do it.

  A resigned look crossed her face. “Whatever you need to tell yourself to fall asleep at night. I’m not here to debate with you, but I don’t trust you. I’m not fake, nor will I talk behind your back. I just don’t see why they hired you as my partner because your brother is a convicted felon and your husband is an active-duty SEAL. Clearly, there is a conflict of interest.”

  “Aren’t you fucking Mitch Martinez? Because I would say that is a conflict of interest as well. Especially in light of what happened to April.”

  Ashley pressed her lips. Yup, I had her by the nipples. She would not intimidate me.

  The silence was awkward, so I decided to attempt to smooth things over. I wanted this partnership to work.

  “So, are we done with the cattiness? I’m here to help. And you are stuck with me.”

  Ashley lifted her hands up in resignation. I wanted to smack the look off her face. Grant had told me that he didn’t think she would soften toward me, but I had sworn that I would be able to win her over with my charm. Clearly, I should listen to my husband more.

  “Yup. So . . . tell me about April. What’s she like? Did you know she’d been fucking Paul?”

  I had to laugh. Wow, she was making this too easy. “Are you asking as an agent or as Mitch’s sidepiece? You don’t actually think Mitch is going to be faithful to you.” The second those words left my mouth I regretted saying them. I didn’t want to be snarky. I had once liked Ashley when I’d known her as Autumn. She had been the only stripper to show me kindness when I’d been undercover. And I’d never once suspected she had also been also undercover. She seemed to care about me as a person. Saw me as more than just a poor, immigrant stripper. But, of course, that had been an act. And I had been acting too.

  With our masks off, I wondered if we could get to know each other and find some commonality.

  And Mitch was a good man. Well, I believed he could be. He had been loyal and protective of me during my full nightmare with my brother. And I knew he had been faithful to April back in the early days of their marriage. But they had both cheated. Being married to a SEAL was a hard job.

  I decided to be the bigger person. “Sorry, that was uncalled for. Mitch is a great man. And Grant says he’s already fully sprung on you. I hope it works out. So, back to April. No, I didn’t know she’d been fucking Paul, and it’s actually really hard for me to believe that’s true. April and Dara are best friends. And I know Dara and Paul had a decent marriage. Well, I know Paul had cheated, but Dara was clueless, and Paul would always kiss her ass.” Rule one of being a SEAL wife. We will lie to protect each other. I trust Grant, I really do. But sometimes I wondered if even he could be lying to me.

  After all, as he’d once told me, Joaquín is a killer, and so am I.

  “Well, I went to April’s house in Vegas with Mitch. Hell, I just got back from a trip to Disney with Mitch and his kids.”

  I stifled a laugh. I couldn’t imagine Ashley walking around an amusement park with children. Even when she had brought me to meet Julián when he was still with Tiffany’s mother, she had acted like she’d had no clue what to do with kids.

  “What does Mitch think?”

  “He’s pissed, of course. No one wants their friend fucking their ex.”

  “Right.” The silence was awkward because I had once kissed Mitch and Ashley had kisse
d my husband.

  “But more importantly, he’s confused. I mean why would April try to kill herself? Just because she’d been involved with Paul and she’d been distraught over his death? Or . . .” Ashley’s face contorted.

  “Or what?”

  “Or does she know something? Did she cover something up? Is she involved with something with the SEALs? The possibilities are endless.”

  My breath hitched. I would not tell Ashley my insane suspicions that Joaquín was innocent. That he’d been lying to me. That he was in prison as part of a huge SEAL conspiracy. I was aware of my delusions. I wanted Ashley to trust me. I wanted her to like me. Hell, I needed a friend.

  So, I decided to offer up a truth. Something I could bring to the case. “I have a confession to make.”

  Ashley’s brow cocked? “What?”

  “Well, I thought nothing of it at the time. But a few months before I became an agent, I went to Paul’s parents’ house for one of those stupid SEAL family parties. You know, the ones where they all try to pretend they are not psychopaths?”

  Ashley laughed. “And?”

  “And I’m a nosy bitch. So, I locked myself in his father’s office and went through his dad’s photo albums. And I found this picture. It’s of my father.”

  Ashley grabbed the picture from my hand, and as she studied it, I noticed her face turned pale.

  “What, Ash, what do you see?”

  Her voice dropped, and her hand began to shake. “My father is in this picture, too.”

  11

  Ashley

  I studied that black and white photo, horrified by what I saw. My father and the man that Mia had said was her father were standing next to each other, surrounded by a bunch of SEALs. Surely this picture had to have been doctored.

  Maybe Joaquín had put her up to this.

  But upon closer examination, I was pretty sure that the photo was real, not that I wouldn’t send it away to a lab to know for sure. And then I noticed something else. A date stamped on the back of the photo.

  Twenty-two years ago.

  My sister had still been alive and well and living with my parents and me. Before she was kidnapped. Before my life had fallen apart.

  But now, I realized something else. Though Mia may have taken this job with ulterior motives, like freeing her brother or finding classified information and selling it to the cartel, I now needed her more than she needed me.

  She could hold the link to finding my missing sister.

  I clasped my hands and aligned my mind. Time to get into character. “Let’s start over, Mia. Since we are forced to work together, let’s try to make the best of it. How’s Joaquin?”

  Mia was so immature that she rolled her eyes. “Good.”

  Great. She clearly was not buying what I was selling. I had to try harder. “Good? That’s all you are going to say? Listen, Mia, if you are going to be my partner, you are going to have to attempt to be honest with me. I know that must be hard for you—you know, not lying.”

  Dammit, I couldn't go two minutes without being a bitch to this girl. What could I say? This piece of work brought out the worst in me.

  “Well, I mean he is good, considering he is a prisoner at San Quentin. His case is closed, so frankly, his well-being is none of your business. You don’t care about Joaquín. Why does it matter how he is doing?”

  I shook my head. I had tried to be friendly. Clearly, it wasn’t working.

  Friendliness isn’t your strong suit, Ash. Snarky fits you better.

  New approach.

  “Fine, you are right. I don’t give a fuck how he is. I hope he hangs himself from a bed sheet and saves the taxpayers’ money. What I meant was, has he given you any more tips about his involvement in the cartel?”

  She glared at me. “Are you serious? Have you ever visited a prison, Ash? Inmates don’t just talk freely to their visitors about their crimes.”

  Right. She had me there. I knew that. He wouldn’t be able to tell her anything. SEALs would rather die than tell the truth. And even though I knew that, I had still slept with one.

  And honestly, I couldn’t wait to fuck Mitch again.

  “I know that, Mia. But I don’t know, maybe he speaks to you in a special code or something. Some type of telepathy.”

  She bit her lip. “I’m trying here, Ash. I really am. But I really dislike you.”

  Hey, at least she was honest.

  Well, at least we both felt the same way about each other. “Do you still believe he is innocent?”

  This time, she glanced down at her feet, and her face fell. I was excellent at reading people.

  “No,” she said in a soft tone.

  Liar, and not even a good one. I thought she was an actress. This crazy-ass bitch honestly thought her brother was innocent.

  I was now almost certain she’d taken this job to free him. Wow, would she ever learn? What did Grant possibly see in her? Poor guy was trapped for the next fifteen years because they shared a three-year-old son. If Grant had any sense at all, he would divorce her, file for custody, and take Julián away from her.

  But Grant was a SEAL. He couldn’t exactly leave his job. Being a SEAL was like being in the mafia. It was impossible to quit the Teams. But both groups were crooked as all hell. There was a saying in the teams. If you don’t get caught, then it ain’t illegal.

  But I was going to catch them.

  How could agent Meeks possibly put me in this situation? Working with a psycho. How had she passed her psych evaluation?

  I dropped the Joaquín questions for now. Mia paced around the room. “So, are we going to work on a case or just fight?”

  “I think today we are supposed to bond or something. Maybe you could fall, and you could see if I catch you.”

  She laughed. “Ha. I’m pretty sure you would drop me. Come on, girl. I liked you once when you were Autumn. You were the only nice person when I was Ksenya. I’m really a nice, normal person, I swear. Can’t you give me a chance?”

  I exhaled. I had to try. “I was only nice to you because I was undercover. But I can see we have some common ground. Clearly, we are attracted to the same kind of men.”

  “For real. Though I got the better one. But tell me, how is Mitch in bed? I bet he’s a serious dirty talker.”

  Damn, she wasn’t shy. She was talking about her husband’s best friend. And I had pictures of her and Mitch kissing. Pictures I showed Grant. But that fool still married her.

  Well, I might as well have some fun.

  “He’s incredible in bed. A fucking beast. Tore me up and ate my pussy like he was starving, and I was his own personal buffet. Dirty as all hell. You really missed out. You should’ve fucked him when you had a chance.”

  She exhaled. “Don’t get me wrong. Mitch is fucking beautiful. But I can’t imagine sleeping with another man. I’ve only ever slept with Grant. I love him. He’s it for me. Always has been.”

  I winced. I was such a bitch. I didn’t know that Mia had only been with Grant. And she had been raped. By her own brother, nonetheless. And she still spoke to him. Harbored some delusion that he was innocent. She was clearly seriously fucked up and not qualified to be an agent. Even so, I needed to cut her some slack and seriously try to be nice.

  I took another deep breath. “So, back to this picture. Tell me about your father. Did you know he used to live down here?”

  She shook her head. “No, not at all. I’m super shocked. And I don’t have a clue about my biological mother’s identity. So he must’ve been with her when this picture was taken. Based on the timestamp and other pictures I have of me as a baby, shortly after this picture was taken, my father took me and moved to San Francisco. Then he met Joaquín’s mom, and they got married. This is all news to me, because up until I did the DNA test on Julián, I didn’t know that Joaquín and I aren’t related. So, your guess is as good as mine.”

  Wait, what?!

  My vision blurred, and heat rose to my chest.

  I stared a
t the picture closely, studying every detail of Mia’s father.

  I closed my eyes, grasping for memories that had long vanished.

  And then I remembered something.

  The gardener.

  I studied the picture again. Was the gardener Mia’s father? He had thick black hair, long eyelashes, and almond-shaped eyes.

  Just like Mia.

  And just like her little boy.

  When my father had deployed, that same gardener had taken care of the yard. He had even brought me candy.

  And it wasn’t just any candy. It was Mexican candy. To this day, I still craved de la Rosa Marzipan Peanut candy. I loved the way that crumbly, grainy candy melted in my mouth.

  But that wasn’t all. Sometimes, he would talk to my mom.

  And other times, he would spend the night.

  Oh, my God.

  Years later, right before my father had left, I remember he had yelled at my mom.

  “She’s not even my daughter!” My mother would weep, and my father would run off and not come home for days.

  And then one day, he left and never came back.

  Where was my father now? I had tried to find him and had never been able to. I knew Mia’s father was dead.

  Holy shit.

  A horrifying thought passed through my head.

  What if Mia was my long-lost sister?

  I gazed into her hazel eyes. I had naturally blonde hair and blue eyes, and Mia had dark hair and hazel eyes. We looked nothing alike.

  But appearances could be deceiving. Especially because she had gone through extensive plastic surgery.

  I was twenty-six, and Mia was now twenty-three. And I had been a little over three when my sister was taken.

  It was possible.

  I remembered holding my baby sister, kissing her forehead, counting her toes. Her hair had been light brown, but her hair could’ve darkened. Had her dad kidnapped her because she was his kid, not my dad’s? And had my mom known all along that he could’ve been a suspect in the kidnapping?