40. Her ChoiceMine?
her choice or mine?
Deirdre
T he party has dwindled down, and I’m thinking it’s time we go home, too.
That thought is interrupted when I feel a warm palm on my shoulder, and I turn around to find Angie wearing a look of concern.
“Hey, can we talk for a moment alone?” he asks.
“Of course. Let’s go to my office.”
I lead the way and punch in the keypad into the door. We step inside, and he shuts the door behind him.
“So, what’s up?” I ask, crossing my arms as I lean against my desk.
He sighs, grabbing a seat on the sofa. “How well do you know your date? I knew I recognized him from somewhere.”
My brows knit. “César? What about him?” I ask, maintaining a calm tone while my stomach drops to my feet.
“He ever tell you what he does for a living?”
“Yeah, he called himself a finder. Said it’s his job to know things,” I answer, my voice quivering with uncertainty.
“The fuck does that mean? That was good enough for you?”
“Get to the fucking point, Angie,” I grit.
“You ever see a job application for a fucking finder ? The guy is a private investigator,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Why is that a problem?”
“He’s a fucking PI who does occasional work for the Cartel, but he’s not in it,” he snaps, as if the reason for his anger is obvious.
“Okay? A PI isn’t a fucking Fed,” I say flatly.
“Not a fucking Fed, but he works for the Hales and has for a long time,” he blurts, his eyes on the ceiling as if he can’t witness my reaction.
I shake my head in confusion, unable to stop my heart from pounding. “For how long?” My question comes out in a whisper.
“Eight years. After Theo opened up shop down here. He’s supposed to blackmail you into conceding the bid. When he couldn’t find shit on you , he started looking into Regina.” He finally meets my watery gaze once more.
“How do you know this?
“Not too long after you called me talking about some mystery guy, someone accessed surveillance footage of the distillery and our on-site computers. This raised suspicion, causing me to look further into it. I found it odd that the only computer they wanted access to in the entire company was yours,” he informs me, pinning me with his stare that makes me stiffen.
“But you already know about that,” he adds, goading me.
“I left it alone because you didn’t ask for help, but when you called Regina talking about the bid, she asked me to look into it, and I found shit about César working for them.
Imagine my surprise when you arrived on his fucking arm,” he spits out, shaking his head once he’s through.
“I’m such a fucking idiot,” I mutter, swallowing the rising bile in my throat, my eyes to the floor as I will away the impending tears.
“You promised you wouldn’t do anything stupid, Dee. How much have you told him?”
I want to scream.
“Is this really true, Angie? You’re not fucking with me?”
“You know I wouldn’t do that,” he says with a shake of his head. “If I mentioned it to Gi or Uncle El, he’d be dead right now. There’s obviously something going on, so talk to the guy. The ball’s in your court, though, okay?”
“Okay,” I breathe.
“I’m sorry, Dee, but I can’t let you look like a fucking fool,” he mutters, sincerity in his stare.
I sniffle. “It’s fine. I needed to know. Thanks for telling me.”
“You can’t catch a fucking break, kid. I’m sorry,” he adds, making his way to the door.
“So…what happens to him? Is it up to me or her ?” I ask, stopping him in his tracks.
He turns to me with a calm expression. “The choice is yours.”
“As long as she doesn’t find out, right?” I ask with an unamused laugh.
He confirms with a nod. “I’m going to make sure the twins are packed up to fly back home tonight. I love you, cousin,” he says, shutting the door behind him.
I need to hear this from César, but I cannot trust myself not to lose it if I leave this room. The last thing I need is to be seen crying over a man when my family is here. César wouldn’t make it out of here alive.
He doesn’t deserve to walk into a burning building that he won’t exit. My earlier words replay on a loop in my mind.
Hey. Can you meet me in my office?
César
Of course, baby. Be right there.
The lion wins, leaving me to choose his fate. And I can’t bring myself to decide.