Falling With Grace

Nadia plucked at her clothing, her lips downturned and tight, as we exited the SUV.

The evening air surrounded me, a blend of trimmed hedges and a distant hint of chlorine. Nadia’s heels clicked on the cement as Javier approached, shoulders straight, eyes wide.

Did Grace open up to him?

“We need to talk.” Javier cast a look over my shoulder, eyeing the footsteps drawing near. “In private…”

I gave a subtle nod. “I’ll meet you in my study.” Javier strolled off, leaving me to face Nadia. “Why don’t you see how Mamá is doing while I speak with Javier?”

“Okay. Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine.”

Ushering her forward, I guided her through the lavish foyer as we trailed behind Javier. I entered my study, an opulent space where the air hung heavy with unspoken tension, and Nadia continued down the hall.

The mosaic door sealed shut, enveloping us in a cocoon of hushed stillness. I poured a generous glass of spirits, the amber liquid glinting in the subdued light of the room, and took a much-needed gulp.

“We may not need Grace after all.”

I swallowed the fiery liquid, pivoted to meet his gaze, and settled into the embrace of the sumptuous leather chair. “And how’s that?”

“Dr. Navarro recognized her…” Javier unleashed a torrent of details about Navarro’s initial run-in with Grace and her elaborate tale about him. “I bet we can leverage that couple to get to his crew. Once we have them, we’ve got a direct line to him.”

I raised the glass to my lips and halted. “Because that strategy has proven so successful in the past?”

“This time could be different. She claimed Andrés’ men targeted her. Get closer to her, and maybe she’ll share some intel. Knowing their identities might just set the stage for a well-executed ambush.”

“There’s a heap of ‘maybes’ tangled up in that scenario.”

Javier shrugged and settled into the chair opposite me, crossing his legs and propping his ankle on his knee. His Santa Muerte tattoo danced on his forearm as he got comfortable. “Otherwise, you leave it to me to break her.”

Not going to happen.

He sighed. “Do you honestly believe cozying up to her will work?”

“It’s better than what weweredoing.”

“If you’d just allow me a day with her—”

I lifted my hand, halting him mid-sentence. “No.”

“So then, what’s our next step?”

I leaned back, my brows tightening in a frown.

Grace carried the heavy marks of a lifetime marred by torment, her spirit worn down to a fragile thread. Trust had become an elusive luxury, shattered by the relentless onslaught of Andrés’ cruelty.

She anticipated danger around every corner and braced for it all.

She doesn’t fear death.

Allowing Javier to take a shot at her could prove detrimental.

She has nothing left to lose.

Moreover, her lack of trust mirrored my own, and taking that path meant there was no turning back. We would be committed until she yielded the answers—which was unlikely—or until she died an excruciating death, which left a bitter taste in my mouth.

With a silent nod, I set my drink on the table. “Alright. Let’s dig into this. I’ll handle Grace. Perhaps she’ll be more open to discussing them.”