Her Heart

Chapter 27

Carter's POV

"Where do you want me to start?"

I eye her down; she's in her tank top after our session. Her tattoo is on full display.

I look back up at her, "The beginning obviously."

She reaches for my hand, but I pull back. She looks sad but doesn't say anything.

"My sister used to work with my uncle before she met her husband. My uncle has always been a very bad person. He didn't really give her a choice in joining the business. He's always wanted to be better."

"Who's your uncle?"

She sighs, "He's the rival of your mafia. Generations of his family have had run-ins with your family. I've heard stories of one of them kidnapping Kai Xaveri's wife and the consigliere... your mom."

Mom sometimes talks about this. It wasn't a good time for anyone.

"Keep going."

"She had a child with her husband, Maya. And she wanted out, but my uncle wasn't letting her. My sister was really good at security and he needed her so I made a deal with my him. I kill you guys, and she walks."

I frown, "What happened to them?"

Her eyes are glossy, "The day you guys were at the airport, I had a lot of mixed-up emotions. Then I saw the way you guys fought for each other, and I couldn't do it. So I made it look like I killed one of you."

I go to reach for her hand, but I hesitate and pull my hand back, "Garrett—you shot at Garrett and Sofia, which is why my sister is being hard-headed."

She stares at me with nothing but affection, "He had already killed them before the mission, but I had no idea. Emily and Nadia were able to get to Maya beforehand. So I took Maya and ran away with my best friends, changed my name, changed everything. We've been moving from cities to cities after a few months goes by."

"Your name isn't Riley?" I ask, shocked.

She laughs a little, "It is. When we moved here, I decided to keep my actual name. My last name isn't Valdez, though."

I scoot closer to her without really realizing it, "What is it then?"

"Castillo. My family's from Spain. So anyway, my uncle has been trying to find me ever since. Maya and I are the only heirs left to the Castillo family besides him. I thought finding you guys and killing you would solve my problems, but I was wrong."

"Did you know who I was?" I ask her.

"I didn't, Mi Vida. I didn't when we slept together all those years ago, and I didn't when we saw each other again."

I squint my eyes, "So you're saying it was just luck you met me?"

"Or fate." She says.

My heart skips a beat, but I ignore it, "What does the tattoo mean?"

"Every member of the Castillo family has them. It's like a family heirloom. What do you guys have?"

I scoot away from her, reality setting in, "Love. We have love. This whole family runs on loyalty and love."

Her face drops a little, "Well then, do you want to tell me a bit about your family?"

"That depends. Are you going to use it to kill us?"

She shakes her head, "No."

"Mmm, well, some things you already know, but I'll tell you from the beginning. Mama and Aunt Kai were best friends. They ran the mafia business together using the law firm as their backup, Aunt Kai obviously being the leader. She met Aunt Hazel, her wife; they had Sofia. Mama met my mom; Mom had a child when they started dating, Olivia. They fell in love; they had me. Sofia and Olivia grew up together and also fell in love. The end."