Chapter 46
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
ORION
We parked on the street and walked over to Mrs. Sanchez’s house. Two fire trucks, an ambulance, and three police cars occupied the street in front of the house. Smoke still lingered in the air, but the danger had already been subdued.
I tightened the grip on Elena’s hand. “Your mom is fine.”
Nodding, she looked at me with tears brimming in her eyes.
I wished I hadn’t told her about Carlos’s death because it made the situation worse. A wary person like her would assume there was a connection.
Anita Sanchez stood with a group of friends. When she spotted her daughter, she rushed over and embraced her. “I’m okay.”
I glanced around, taking in the people that stood nearby. Then I saw him, and the entire situation changed. What the hell was The Raven doing here? I thought he’d retired? Was he responsible for the fire? It made no sense.
He wore denim overalls, a completely different look than the man who had sat with me at the Wellness Center. That man I’d encountered had danger written all over him, but this man . . . this man was a fucking farmer. The Raven had some explaining to do.
“So glad you’re here,” Mrs. Sanchez said.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Mrs. Sanchez.” I smiled. “Who’s the guy in overalls?”
“That’s Reid Lanaro. I’ve been working for him for years at Wild Roots. The best boss I’ve had. He offered to let me stay at his apartment until the damages are repaired.”
I turned to Elena. “I’m going to speak to the officers.”
She nodded and joined her mom’s group of friends.
Who the fuck was Reid Lanaro? To be fair, I hadn’t researched my brother-in-arms because I’d never dealt with him. I’d only heard about him through my teacher. Apparently, I missed an important detail.
He met my eyes and walked over. “Hey.”
“We need to talk.”
Reid and I walked across the street and stood by his truck that was filled with garden tools and three shrubberies.
“Is Reid your real name or another alias?” I studied him with the grown beard. The dark hair was still there, but was loose and messy.
Tucking his handsinto his overalls’ pockets, he smiled. “It’s my real name. When I retired, I tried to make life as normal as possible for Charlotte and the kids.”
“How many kids do you have?”
“Two.”
“Does she know about your history?”
“Oh, she sure does.” His eyes warmed with love. “She was an assassin sent to kill me, but I charmed her instead.”
I laughed. “I should’ve researched you. Are you completely off the grid?”
“Eighty percent of my life is off the grid. The other twenty percent is a promise to The Condor.”
“What do you mean?” I envied him for knowing something about my mentor that I didn’t. But then again, Reid was his first student.
“Did you know The Condor had a lover?”
“No. We never spoke about his personal relationships. He told me his family had passed away in Peru.”
“His parents and siblings did. He fell in love in the States, and her name is Anita Sanchez.”
We both looked over at Anita and Elena as they spoke to the police officer and firefighter.
Revelation hit me. “Is Elena his daughter?”
Reid nodded. “Anita thought Pablo had died in an ambush. He didn’t know she was pregnant. Pablo was injured and took several months to heal. When he discovered he had a child, he feared Anita and Elena would be endangered if he were near them.” He kicked a pebble across the sidewalk. “Our teacher has been watching over them all these years. Which is why he had an apartment in Providence. Keeping an eye on them from a distance.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. All the tiny pieces were falling into place. Now I knew why I’d been attracted to her on a different level. We had a unique connection. Her biological father had been my teacher. Now I was in love with his daughter.
The Condor saved me back then, and now his daughter healed me.
“Did he ever contact Anita? Does she know he was alive?”
“He visited her once when Elena was born. Anita had remarried, thinking Pablo was dead. Her husband treated her and Elena well, so Pablo stayed in the shadows. He didn’t want his enemies hurting them because of him. But then her husband developed a gambling addiction, and Carlos was an asshole. I’m glad he’s dead.”
I had to inform Elena of this new revelation. How would she react? The father she’d known wasn’t her biological father. Regardless, today wasn’t the day for that. She was already an emotional mess.
“Do you know who caused the fire?”
He took out his phone and showed me a dead body. I recognized the man who had attacked me at Carlos’s convenience store, the one with the cross tattoo.
“He was sent to torch the house. I stopped by to drop off some plants for her and saw him light up a trash can and place it on the back porch. We got into a scuffle. I retrieved information from him before I killed him.”
“What info?”
“He had orders to kill Carlos and torch this house.”
My eyebrows climbed. “Why the house?”
“Apparently, Carlos’s brother hid evidence of him working with an elite member of The Trogyn. Not sure how he got it. But the drive is destroyed.” He dug into his pocket and waved a melted flash drive. “It was inside the wall of the back room.”
“The laundry room?” I asked.
Reid nodded.
That was why Carlos had stopped by to visit Anita, trying to give her a washer and dryer.
“Carlos also killed his brother because he wouldn’t use his wife’s savings to pay off his debt.”
“What a loving family,” I said.
I had to be careful in how I delivered this newsto Elena. She’d be crushed.
“You can let her know when you think the time is right.”
“Do you enjoy working at Wild Roots? Or is it just a ploy?”
“I love it. It wouldn’t have succeeded if I didn’t love it. You should stop by sometime. I’ll introduce you to my wife Charlotte and my kids, Ava and Logan. She’s going to work in the office soon. Our business is growing.”
“Is there anything else you’d like me to know?” I eyed him.
“No. The Condor only asked me to watch over his ex-wife and daughter to make sure they’re safe.” He placed the hand on my shoulder. “They’re in excellent hands because of you. You love her.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I can tell,” he said. “Because I had that look when I met Charlotte.”
“I wondered if Pablo knew I had a connection with his daughter early on.”
“Not sure.” Reid shrugged. “But I remember him being thrilled when you showed him the first item you’d stolen. He said he knew the item and the person it belonged to. What did you take?”
“A brooch that belonged to Elena.”
I wasn’t comfortable about having Elena’s mom stay at Reid’s apartment. It was best for her to be away for at least a month or until things settled down. What if The Trogyn sent more because they thought there was still evidence hidden in the house? I didn’t want to risk it.
After discussing it with Reid, we both agreed she’d be safer in mycondo in Cancun. She could go with two friends. “There’s a nursery there that teaches about bonsai and other exotic plants. We can use that as an excuse for her to stay there to learn and bring back to Wild Roots.”
“I’ll send two of my workers to join her. The ladies will be thrilled.”
“Excellent,” I said.
By the time we got back to Elena’s house, she was exhausted. My mind was crammed with so many things. Danger was here, and I had to shift gears to ensure the woman I love was safe.
She dropped onto the couch, closed her eyes, and released a slow sigh.
“You need a break.” I sat beside her, gathering her into my arms. “There’s a restaurant that just opened up in town. Let’s go on a date.”
She opened her eyes and smiled. “Sounds good.”
“Your mom is going to be in Cancun at my place, learning about new plants. She’ll be safe. I’ll have a team renovate her house. No need to worry about that.”
After she fell asleep, I had an urgent conference call with the boys and updated them on the recent events, my suspicion of the banks being tied to The Trogyn, and what I planned to do about it.
They agreedto help with whatever I needed.