Page 100 of Chris

“They attacked our father’s home,” Abril whispered, coming to stand beside Valeria on the porch. She tried to follow along with the newest fight between Jorge, and Samuel, but her curiosity peaked about what Abril had just told her. At her raised brow, the woman nodded. “This morning—he’s in bad shape, unlikely to come out of it.”

“No one told me.”

“Jorge doesn’t care,” Abril murmured, “that’s what he planned to do when all this was said and done, anyway. Kill our father and take over. Samuel tried to go along with other parts of the plan, but it didn’t work out.”

She sounded so cold.

So … unbothered.

As though Abril expected this to happen.

It had only been a couple of days, but already, the García cartel was hitting them in every single place where it would hurt the most. Valeria had woken up the night before only to hear Jorge raging down the hall about the fact police raided one of the Lòpez businesses they used as a front to smuggle, but also to launder dirty money. According to what she understood, those weren’t things the Garcías should be aware of without someone on the inside helping them.

So, who was it?

And what did it mean for her?

Or for Maria?

“Mamá?”

Valeria turned to find her daughter stood on the threshold of the front door. Her wide, tearful eyes stared up at her mother. She rushed to soothe her girl, not wanting her to see the mess happening outside.

Not that it mattered.

Maria was not stupid.

Something was happening. Things weren’t right. Jorge didn’t care who listened to his fits, or his phone calls.

“It’s all right,” Valeria told her daughter, kneeling to open her arms so she could bring her child in for a hug. Once Maria was in her arms, she felt like she might hide her from the rest of the word, and the unknowns. It was a wish, though, and not at all real. “It’ll be okay. Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?”

It was a little early for bedtime, but it kept Maria out of trouble.

Her daughter shrugged. “I heard yelling.”

Valeria plastered on a smile. “They’re just having a disagreement, that’s all. Nothing to worry—”

“Open the gates! Open the fucking gates!”

At Jorge’s shouts, Valeria was quick to scoop her daughter up from the porch when she stood. Turning fast, she watched the whole group of gathered men head for the dirt road. Except Jorge, and his brother.

Abril, however, stayed on the porch.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

Her sister-in-law smiled. “Good things.”

“What?”

Abril glanced sideways, anticipation lighting up her gaze. “I said, good things are happening, Val.”

It terrified her to ask if Abril said thatbecause she might have had her hand in causing this chaos. Had she? Was that even possible?

“Who is at the gates?”

Abril shrugged. “Chris, they said. Your Canadian.”

Valeria would have noted the your Canadian comment, but she was a little busy with the fact Abril said it was Chris.