42. Attila
42
ATTILA
L una won’t eat. She curls up into a little ball on the sofa until she falls into a fitful sleep and I’m thankful for the pills the doctor left behind. She cried until her voice was hoarse, with no respite in sight no matter what I said to her.
Her idea that Maria might know where her brothers are proves fruitless. No one has seen nor heard from the Castillo boys in months. As if they fell off the face of the earth.
“Will she be okay?” Gabriel asks, coming to stand beside me in the doorway. She’s been asleep for hours, her soft breaths filling the room as darkness descended upon it. I glance up at him; his concern is endearing, and I’m glad she has him. Even if she doesn’t know yet who he is.
“She’ll be fine. She managed to stay alive this long in this life; I’m sure she’ll continue to do so.”
“I think I want to tell her.”
I slide my eyes toward him. They’re so different, yet there’s something about the eyes that makes their connection undeniable. I understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t agree that overwhelming her with too much in so little time is what’s best for her.
“Can you put it off a little longer?” I ask him. “She’s not in the best mental state at the moment. You can see that.”
His eyes find Luna in the darkened room, resting there momentarily before he nods, agreeing to wait until the time is right, before he turns and walks away. I don’t know how we’re going to tell her that Gabriel is her half brother, fathered by her biological father. The moment he’d found out that Coyin Castillo was his father’s killer, he had planted himself in the Castillo camp, waiting for his chance to take vengeance for his father’s murder. It was purely by chance that we found such an ally amongst Castillo’s staff, and as with Maria, Gabriel’s help had proved invaluable to us.
Luna looks so peaceful curled up on the sofa, I’m almost too afraid to approach her, so I stand watch over her, listening as her steady breaths hitch then rest as she exhales softly.
I’ll be the first to put my hand up and say I didn’t think this one through. I’ve let a woman get to me. And I may have freed her of her father’s control over her, but in doing so, I don’t know how many more enemies I have added to my list. The fact that we can’t find the Castillo boys is cause for concern; they could show up at the most inopportune time and lay claim to their sister, picking up where their father left off.
“Attila.”
Dante’s voice rasps behind me and I turn, follow his eyes to the patio door then join him outside. Caleph is waiting for us in one of the chairs around the table that serves as an outdoor dining area.
“How is she?” Caleph asks.
“She’s sleeping. She’s been through enough for today.”
Caleph looks at me carefully, trying to decipher the meaning behind my words. I’ve never so much as cared about any woman; that I would even sympathize with what she’s been through makes him pause. It makes me pause; I’ve never found myself in a position where all I think about is protecting someone. Because that’s exactly how I feel about Luna right now. Protective.
“We’re leaving for the US tomorrow,” Dante says, going for the gut punch. I know he’s telling me this to gauge a reaction from me. To maybe see where my head is at. We’ll be leaving, so where will that leave Luna?
“Even without knowing where the Castillo boys are?”
“We can’t live in limbo,” Caleph says. “We’ll deal with them if and when they’re found.”
I have no idea where Luna’s head is at. And it may be too early to ask her. She fled Mexico because she was trying to get away from an arranged marriage to Nestor Gamboa. Now that that is no longer on the table, would she stay, or would she want to leave? And why does the thought of leaving her behind tear slowly at the edges of my sanity?
Telling me we’re going back to the States means all of us. They don’t have any intention of leaving me behind. We’ve always worked as one unit, and we’ve always been on the same page; that’s not about to change now.
“What do you intend to do about the girl, Attila?” Dante asks.
I hadn’t given it much thought. Our return is moving much quicker than I anticipated.
“I won’t leave her here defenseless,” I tell them. Loosely translated to mean that she’s coming with us. It does not mean I’ll desert them and stay behind, and they know this well. They know this as well as they know me.
“What if she decides to stay?” Caleph asks, obviously interested in my answer. By now, he’s probably gauged that I have no intention of leaving her behind.
“I have a plan to get her on that plane.”
I do. It may be unethical. Perhaps even a little conniving. But it’s a plan, nonetheless.
“What about The Jekyll?” Caleph asks.
“I know you have your history with him, but I think he’s proved himself as an asset.”
“What are you saying?”
“I agree with Attila,” Dante steps in. “The man is very capable and I believe he deserves a seat at the table.”
Caleph’s face is hard when he looks from me to Dante. I know that we have always trusted each other’s judgment, and that’s not going to change now. Caleph may have had his issues with Cesar in the past, but he would never let that stand in the way of a good business decision. We all know this.
“We need a solid man on our team. If he’s interested, give it to him. But just so you know… he’d better stay away from my wife.”