7. Seven

Isaiah

I stare at Joey"s picture on the dash and my heart squeezes tight. "I will find you, if it"s the last thing I do," I whisper to the photo, ready to see his smile again.

It was taken the day Joey had begged me to take him to the ocean, wanting to lay out in the sand and watch the sun go down. It"s what we'd spent half the time doing. The rest of it was spent making love on the balcony hammock and every piece of furniture in the hotel suite.

I swallow hard, basking in our last memories together, holding on to every kiss and touch we'd shared before he disappeared, hoping they won't be the last. The day is almost over and I"m already beginning to worry I"ve failed him.

Carlos is the best guy for the job and there is no one else who could do it better. I believe that more than anything. Me going after Joey myself would only get us both killed. These people more than likely know who I am and they would expect it, but they won"t see Carlos coming—no one ever does.

I pull over to the side of the road when my father"s house comes into view. I park only feet away from the front gate. Is he inside this very moment? Is he sitting behind his desk and barking orders, or is Mateo now sitting in his place? I didn"t want to waste any more time by bombarding Carlos with tons of questions earlier. Not when I could find the answers myself. I know my father did business with Santana in the past and I bet he still does, if only to keep the peace.

Sometimes you are forced to make peace with your enemies in order to keep them in your good graces, and not be considered their next problem. I need to know why Santana would be after Joey and if this means someone will be coming for me next. Maybe my father or brother could help put me in contact with the man people claim is impossible to find. If he saw us as a threat to his cartel business then he would have taken all three of us down and not just Joey.

One of the bushes near the fence shakes. On high alert, I slide my hand over my gun. My shoulders relax and a soft chuckle escapes my lips when a gray cat jumps out, running across the road. My dark and small car helps me blend in more with the night sky. Carlos was probably right, and I shouldn"t have come alone, but it's hard to trust anyone. What if the men who were supposed to protect Joey were the ones who took him? What if they had been a part of the plan all along? It's better I do this alone.

I keep staring at the house, not sure what I"m hoping to see from this distance. I doubt I"d even recognize Mateo if I saw him now. He was only a kid when I randomly disappeared. Would I even recognize my own father? People typically change drastically in this life, both mentally and physically.

A loud banging has me jumping in my seat and when I roll down the window, a gun is being pointed at my head and a pair of familiar green eyes are staring back at me. "Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?"

My hands freeze on the steering wheel the more the man in front of me resembles my own reflection. "I didn"t think it would be this easy to get you outside your castle. I was more than sure I"d be face to face with one of your men"s guns first."

His nose flares. "Answer my questions or I will put a bullet in your head. Last time I checked; I didn"t need my guards for that."

"You wouldn"t dare kill your own flesh and blood, would you? Is that the kind of man you"ve grown to be?"

He takes a step back and his eyes grow wide. "What are you talking about?"

"I think you know." I pull my necklace free from my shirt. My father had bought me and Mateo matching ones long ago with a built in compass and a J engraved on the outside. He had told us if we were ever lost to let them help guide us the way back home.

"Looks like this finally served its purpose. I"m finally back home."

"Isaiah?" he gasps. "It can"t be. You"re dead and that necklace was supposed to be buried with you."

"I think you and I both know by now people who die in this life don"t always stay dead. So are you going to keep pointing your gun at my head or are you going to invite me inside for a drink?"

He sighs, sliding his hand through his hair and his gun is now pointing to the ground. "Are you alone?"

I nod. "Yes. It's better this way. I can't trust anyone these days."

"And you think you can trust me? Why show up now? Where have you been all this time? All this time …"

"I know and I'm sorry. I never intended to be gone this long. I never wanted to leave to begin with, but if I didn't leave when I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation today. I would be a rotting corpse, buried six feet under and there would have been no coming back for me. Someone wanted me dead ten years ago and I can't help but feel they are involved with my boyfriend"s disappearance."

"What is it you want? I'm guessing you're not here for a family reunion."

"I need some information on a man named Santana and I think you can help me."

He tilts his head to the side, folding his arms. "And you expect me to help a complete stranger who claims to be my dead brother?"

"Please, Mateo. I know you don"t owe me anything and I can"t expect you to even want anything to do with me after I left you here...I swear I never thought she"d hurt her own son. I would have never left if I did, but who knows what would happen if I stayed, how much worse it would have been—"

"I probably would have never been engaged to Santiago and spent years feeling like nothing but a disappointment to our grandfather and being our father's only hope for staying at the top. But I also would have never met Gabriel Castaneda and Julia probably would have never gotten what she deserved. Things happened how they needed to happen. I know that now. I also know we can"t change the past, but we can plan the future and I"d rather have one with my older brother in it."

"And Father?"

He stares at the house and back at me laughing. "Honestly, I think he will be happy to know there"s another Juventino alive."

"I guess only time will tell. After spending years running and hiding, I"d hate to have done it all just to be killed by my own father when returning home."

"Then maybe you should get out of the damn car already and stop hiding out like some fucking spy."

Behind my brother, my father Miguel Juventino stands tall in one of his suits with his lips formed into a thin line. "Welcome home, mijo. It"s about time you"ve decided to come back up to join the living."

I shove open the car door and stand between Mateo and my father, staring them up and down. We were never the hugging family or the type to throw "I love you's" around either. A few simple nods of respect from my brother and my father would be the closest I get to any kind of affection or welcome home. "We should go inside before we draw too much attention. No one needs to know you"re here. Not yet."

I nod, following my brother and father down a long concrete path through a gate, leading to a large mansion made of mostly glass windows. The way it"s decorated inside tells me Julia had never stepped foot in this place or if she did, every last bit of her had been erased.

Nothing in here is of her taste. It"s simple and less materialistic. My father has always been a simple man and I can tell by looking at my brother, he has followed in his footsteps in more ways than one.

"Let"s go to the back room where we can talk more privately," my father says, waving off his security.

Once inside the small room, Mateo closes the door behind us, locking it while clearing his throat. "I know you didn"t come here for family movie night. So go ahead and get on with it, hermano. What is the real reason you"re here?"

I take a seat in one of the beige chairs. "I told you before. I need some information."

My father shakes his head, sighing loudly. "No hijo, what"s the reason you"re here?"

I lean back in the chair, gripping onto the arms. "I"m here, because of Joey."

"Ahh, the real reason you ran away from your family."

I shake my head. "I would have had to run anyway, and you know it. Getting hit on the way back to my car was not an accident. The very night still haunts me. I think about it every day, and I think about how angry Veronica was that night. Her eyes were full of anger and rage. She was a woman in love, ready to go to war and claim what was hers."

"What are you saying?"

"I"m saying, I think Veronica tried to kill me all those years ago. What if she"s trying to hurt Joey? What if the man with the scar who attacked us two years ago works for him or her father?"

"We looked into it, mijo. It wasn"t her car and her parents claimed she never left her house that night. Trust me, I wanted a reason to go after the Trevinos. I never did like those people. Besides, she"s moved on. She probably hasn"t given Joey a single thought these last few years."

"How can you be so sure?"

Mateo sighs heavily. "She"s married and with child. The baby is due any day now."

My eyes grow wide and I scoot closer to the edge of my chair. "Married to whom?"

"Some rich lawyer. She moved out to the country with him years ago. Supposedly she wanted out of this life after her parents got in a car crash a year ago."

"A car crash? So the Trejos are dead?"

"Yes. At least it was made to look like a car crash. Their bodies were found inside the smashed car. They had many enemies just like the rest of us, so who"s to know what really happened. All I know is it was one less enemy I had to worry about. Julia was probably working with them the whole time too. Apparently she was fucking Jose Morales. I wanted to remain blind to it all. I knew she was seeing someone else, but never knew who. I didn"t care, because it kept her away from me. I should have cared more. I underestimated her. She always said she was never like her father, but she was much worse. At least her father admitted to being a monster."

"So, you never found out who the driver was?"

"No," Miguel says, rubbing his chin. "I think it may have been Julia or maybe a Morales. The weaker they made me, the more I would need them to help me stay afloat. Maybe what happened to Joey has nothing to do with you or him. Maybe it was pure coincidence."

I laugh, rolling my eyes. "I think we both know better. Nothing in this life is a coincidence."

"I agree," Mateo finally chimes in. "Why do you think Santana is involved?"

"Because the only thing found in Joey"s car was a bag of product with Santana"s logo on it. One of his men must have left it behind. Either being careless or as some kind of signature. Maybe they want me to go after Joey."

"Perhaps. If you do go after him, you will need to be smart about it. Do you know of anyone else involved?" Mateo, leans against the mahogany desk.

"I"m not one hundred percent sure on this one, but I"m thinking the Mendez brothers are involved somehow. The man who tried to take us down two years ago has been sneaking around our clubs the last few days and is a known member of a large sex trafficking ring the Mendez brothers help run. I believe Santana has a deal with them. When these men responsible get taken down, they won"t know it"s coming. I knew better than to go myself and sent someone else. Someone I trust more than anything. If anyone can find Joey and bring him home it"s Carlos Castaneda."

My father and Mateo both go silent with widening eyes. The room is still and nothing moves, but the flicker of flames from the fire.

"You sent Carlos Casteneda? I guess it makes sense why he all of a sudden dropped off the face of the earth and hasn"t been answering Gabriel"s phone calls," Mateo says, scratching his chin. "Do you have a way you"ve been in contact with Carlos?"

I nod, patting the burner phone in the pocket of my black jacket. "I do. I"m trying my best to limit the calls as much as possible."

"Good," my father says. "You may have to call him here in a bit. He will need all the help he can get while alone out there. I have friends all over who may be able to lend a hand. Where did you say he went?"

"I didn't. It's only a guess and I'm hoping it's right. The Mendez brothers are attending two auctions in Florida which is known to be one of their main locations. I believe somewhere near Palm Beach, but once again this is all a guess."

"We better find out for sure then, huh? Do you have a picture of this man with a scar on his face?"

I nod, pulling it from my pocket. My father"s eyes go wide when they land on the spider tattoo. "That man goes by the name El Potero. He has represented Santana before. He helps to ensure the drugs and the merchandise get safely across the border. He is known as Santana's gatekeeper. He makes sure the Mendez brothers are doing what they're supposed to do and are holding up their end of the bargain. Looks like you're right. Joey was taken and it won't be easy getting him back. These men are smarter than you think they are."

"Carlos is smarter. I have complete faith in him."

"Yes, but now that he has help and leverage, he can be a lot smarter. You get him to mess up dealings between Santana and the Mendez brothers, he has fewer men to worry about killing. Let's say something goes wrong with the next drug and merchandise delivery. Since there are two auctions this week, they will need to make sure they have plenty of merchandise and ways to keep merchandise maintained. We find the next delivery truck and stop it from getting to its location then you would have helped Carlos without even needing to be in Florida."

"How exactly do we find the next delivery truck?"

"I'll call up a few friends who will know the people who work some of the truck driving jobs. There's a main truck stop they have been known to use for transportation in Texas, just outside the border. Once the truck is located, we will make sure it never makes it to Florida. It"s usually surrounded by trucks full of meat and fresh produce, disguising itself as a regular food truck. I know this, because Santana wasn't the one who always did dealings with the Mendez brothers. Before him, it was Julia's father. I put an end to it the minute the old man kicked the bucket, and that was where my dealings with Santana came in. I let him control the depot and he left what was mine alone, including mi familia."

"Until now."

My father sighs heavily. "Until now. He fucked up. He will soon know what happens when he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain and tries to screw over the Juventinos."

My father recognizing Joey as one of us isn't something I thought I would ever be alive to see. Things have changed since I was last home. Julia and her father are gone. There are no more threats being held above my father"s head within his own home. He is free and hopefully soon I will be too. As long as Joey is held captive and suffering, I will be right there beside him with shackles around my heart.