Page 12 of Thorns of Blood

I sighed.

“It might not be if she’s wrong.” He shot me a look that demanded an explanation. “She’s convinced that Santiago’s wife—her twin—is alive.”

“And you don’t think so?” he asked quietly. “Or are you worried she’s alive and will demand the reins of the Tijuana Cartel?”

I grimaced. A woman controlling the cartel wouldn’t be perceived well and might lure too many power-hungry men to seize power for themselves. Santiago succeeded in remaining in power because he was ruthless and didn’t hesitate to kill the wives and children of his enemies. Of course, his alliance with Perez Cortes aided him too.

“No,” I said harshly. “But I find it hard to believe her twin would have survived SantiagoandPerez.”

He gave me a look. “Unless someone helped her.”

“But who?”

Mateo raised his glass, pensive expression on his face. “Maybe his brother, Kian?”

“I didn’t think the two were in contact back then,” I remarked. “Kian surely wasn’t part of the cartel business during his brother’s reign. It’s a known fact that Kian didn’t agree with Perez’s methods and involvement in flesh trade.”

It was only after Perez’s death that Kian took over.

“From what I gather, Kian wasn’t involved, but he always had a hand in the criminal organizations. With Perez dead, Kian took over the cartel. It made him quite the powerhouse.”

“Maybe he’ll be willing to give me answers,” I pondered. “Or at least point me in the right direction.”

“I met Kian once. He’s my age, you know. Old,” Mateo said quietly. Much like him, Kian kept to himself, although I wouldn’t call either of them old. Just because they had silver hair didn’tmean their minds were any less sharp or they were any less lethal. “The rumor was that he and Gio DiLustro’s wife had a thing.”

“A thing?”

He inclined his head. “An affair.”

“That must have gone over well,” I remarked dryly, knowing full well the implications of extramarital affairs among the ruthless families of the underworld. Put an illegitimate child in the mix and shit always turned ugly.

He shrugged. “As well as you can imagine. Although I always wondered.”

I frowned. “About what?”

“Not long after Emory DiLustro was born, Gio’s wife tried to run. It always puzzled me why she took the baby girl but left her son behind. Unless…”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. The meaning was clear as day.

“Unless?” I encouraged him to finish the sentence. “You think Emory isn’t a DiLustro?”

He nodded. “Possibly.”

I frowned, alarms blaring in my head. “What does any of it have to do with Liana?”

“Gio handed over his granddaughter to Santiago to settle a debt five years ago.” Shock vibrated through me, preventing me from finding the right words as realization sunk in. “That child was then handed over to Perez. It wouldn’t be unfathomable for Kian to save that child along with the only mother she’d ever known. Especially if he knew she was his grandchild.”

I gave a terse nod, my mind reeling with all these theories. Maybe Louisa was right and her twin was alive and well, hiding somewhere in this world thanks to the one man who’d always flown under the radar.

“It’s time I pay Kian a visit.”

Mateo nodded. “That would be a good place to start.”

That night I found myself at the Stanford Club that belonged to my brother-in-law, who happened to be the head of the Boston Irish mafia. The highly controversial club that he’d purchased for my sister was situated in the industrial part of Boston and it attracted all sorts: the kind that came for a dance, good times, and an occasional voyeur show. And then there were the kind of men that came to get handsy.

Like this little fucker that stood in front of me.

Grateful that my brother-in-law kept an office and spare room especially for this kind of shit, I didn’t bother holding back. Power rippled through my arm as I slammed my fist into the moron’s nose, his bones shattering under my knuckles. Served him right for thinking it was a good idea to grab my sister’s ass.