Page 77 of Bitter Spirits

There was no missing the tremor that ran through her, but she kept her voice steady. “Whenever you want, Papá. Just let me know what works.”

Armando gave a short nod. “It shouldn’t take long,” he told Locke.

With a nod, Locke pulled Isa away from her family.

Chapter 23

Isa

Isa sat in the passenger seat as they waited for her father’s text and wondered if she was dreaming. “That happened, right?”

“It did.”

Hope and disbelief swirled in her mind, shoving aside the more worrisome thoughts of Angel. The fact that her father had offered to come see her meant there was a very real chance she might get him back. As for Pilar, Isa wasn’t sure if that damage would ever be repaired. Angel’s ability to convince his mother that he was the victim had eroded the bonds between the two women to such an extent there was a time Isa feared Pilar would call a hit on her.

“Hey, you okay?” Locke asked.

“I don’t know.”

On the dash charger, Locke’s phone vibrated with an incoming text. He picked it up, a frown forming as he read.

“What?”

He looked up, his expression grim. “Carter’s apartment was buried under a shit ton of shell companies that all end with the Forge Foundation.”

The name sounded familiar. It took a second to realize he’d mentioned it when he was questioning Kelly. “You asked about them before. Who are they?”

“A group Zev’s been chasing. We think they might be funding the drug’s production.”

He hadn’t even tried to dodge her question. “And they’re paying for Carter’s place?”

Locke nodded. “Not only that, but it seems that Streetwise Talent has come into an influx of cash.”

“Investors, you mean.” She did not like the picture he was painting. “Let me guess—this foundation is one of them.”

“Along with Healy’s Signature Enterprises.”

That would explain what they’d walked into at the Den. “And that Beto guy? Is he in it too?”

“Not yet. He and Angel had just started talking about a deal.”

“So him being at the Den the other night—that was Angel currying favor?”

“Looks like it.” He glanced at her. “What?”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Normally, she wouldn’t be so blunt—not when she was trying to navigate the precarious minefield of a possible relationship—but after dealing with Pilar and her dad, she felt an insulating numbness that made her less cautious.

His eyebrows rose. “You’d rather I didn’t?”

She grimaced. “Just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

That got her a flash of a grin. “Nothing’s going to drop, reinita.” The grin faded fast, replaced by a look of somber resignation. “This drug was the Council’s Pandora’s Box.”

“Yeah, supercharging magic isn’t going to end well for anyone.”

“Especially those not used to wielding it.”

Shock rocked through her as she grappled with that bombshell. “Wait! Are you saying…?”