42. After The Blue Lights
After The Blue Lights
Three weeks later, there were no sirens.No screaming radios.No tires burning across asphalt.No gunshots.No Chris Walker behind the wheel of an FBI Charger doing speeds Camila had decided she never wanted to know about.Just fluorescent lights.Concrete walls.Locked doors.And her brother sitting on the other side of reinforced glass.Camila hadn’t been sure she would come.For three weeks, she’d found reasons not to.Doctor appointments.FBI interviews.Meetings with prosecutors.Moving.Sleeping.Throwing up.Throwing up some more.And Chris.Always Chris.He hadn’t pushed her.When she’d finally told him she wanted to see Mateo, he’d simply asked one question.
“Do you want me there?”She’d thought about it.Then shaken her head.
“No.”Chris had nodded.“Okay.”That was it.No argument.No warning about Mateo manipulating her.No reminder of what her brother had done.He drove her to the federal detention center anyway.
Of course he did.And now he was somewhere outside waiting for her.Not Special Agent Walker.Not today.Just Chris.Camila stared through the glass.Mateo looked different.Not physically, exactly.He was still Mateo Vargas.Dark hair.Strong jaw.Expensive confidence that prison-issued clothing couldn’t entirely erase.But something was missing.Power.For as long as Camila could remember, Mateo had entered rooms knowing everyone inside belonged to him somehow.Employees.Security.Business partners.
Men who feared him.Men who needed him.Men who wanted something from him.Now the door behind Mateo locked.A guard removed his cuffs.And Mateo sat where he was told.Camila swallowed.Her brother looked at her.Neither reached for the phone.For several seconds, they simply stared.Then Mateo slowly picked his up.
Camila did the same.“Hi.”Mateo’s mouth moved slightly.Not quite a smile.
“Hi, Mila.”That nearly destroyed her.Nobody called her that anymore.
Not since they were children.She looked down.Mateo noticed.“You look tired.”
Camila laughed once.“That’s what you have to say?”
“What should I say?”
“I don’t know.”Neither did she.Mateo leaned back.“How’s Walker?”There was something bitter in the name.Camila noticed.“Alive.”
“Obviously.”
“He needed stitches.”Mateo shrugged.“He’ll survive.”
“He did.”Silence again.Camila studied him.“You gave them the location.”
Mateo’s expression didn’t change.“Mercer told me.”Nothing.“You told the FBI where Diego would take me.”Mateo looked away.“You’re my sister.”Camila’s throat tightened.
“That didn’t answer me.”
“It answered enough.”
“You saved us.”Mateo’s eyes returned to hers.“I gave them an address.”
“That address saved our lives.”
“Don’t make me a hero, Mila.”She went quiet.Mateo’s voice hardened.
“I’m not one.”
“I know.”He flinched.Barely.But she saw it.Camila hated that saying it hurt.
She hated even more that it was true.Mateo looked toward the wall.
“You always did have a talent for saying exactly what you shouldn’t.”
“You taught me.”That almost made him smile.Almost.Then he looked at her again.
“You chose him.”There it was.Camila closed her eyes.She’d known this was coming.
When she opened them, Mateo was still watching her.“You chose Walker.”
“No.”Mateo laughed bitterly.“No?”
“No.”
“He infiltrated my organization.”
“Yes.”
“Lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“Lied to you.”
“Yes.”
“Built the case that put me here.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re still with him.”Camila nodded.“Yes.”Mateo’s expression hardened.“So you chose him.”
“No, Mateo.”Her voice remained quiet.“You made choices that forced me to choose myself.”He stared at her.Camila continued.“I didn’t ask you to build a cartel.”
His jaw tightened.“I didn’t ask you to traffic drugs.”Nothing.“I didn’t ask you to surround our lives with men carrying guns.”
“Mila—”
“I didn’t ask for any of it.”
“You benefited from it.”That hurt.Because there was truth in it.Camila nodded.“Yes.”
Mateo hadn’t expected that.“I lived in your house. I rode in your cars. I wore clothes bought with money I didn’t ask enough questions about.”Her eyes filled.“I should have asked.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I knew enough to know I didn’t want to know.”Mateo went silent.“And I have to live with that.”Camila swallowed.“But what I won’t do is take responsibility for the choices you made.”
“I was protecting you.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You were controlling everything around me and calling it protection.”Mateo’s face changed.“You have no idea what I protected you from.”
“That’s exactly the problem.”She leaned closer to the glass.“You decided I was better off knowing nothing.”
“You were.”
“No, I wasn’t.”Her voice broke.“Because when everything collapsed, I had to discover that my brother wasn’t who I thought he was.
”Mateo looked down.“And then I discovered the man I loved wasn’t who I thought he was either.
”That got his attention.Camila laughed through tears.
“Do you have any idea what that felt like?”Mateo said nothing.
“Two men I trusted.”Her eyes filled.“Both lying to me.”
“Mila—”
“One lied because he was committing crimes.”Mateo’s face hardened.“And the other lied because he was trying to stop them.”Silence.“That matters.”
“You’ve forgiven him.”
“I’m working on it.”Mateo looked surprised.Camila wiped her cheek.“You thought I just ran into his arms and forgot everything?”
“You usually seemed pretty comfortable in his arms.”Camila’s mouth fell open.
“Seriously?”For the first time, Mateo almost looked like her brother again.
“I’m in prison, not dead.”
“Oh my God.”
“I had eyes.”Camila covered her face.“This was a terrible idea.”Mateo actually smiled.
A tiny one.And somehow that made everything worse.Because there he was.Her brother.The man who used to steal food from her plate.The man who taught her how to swim.The man who threatened her first boyfriend when she was seventeen.The man who had built an empire she now understood had been poisoning everything around them.
She lowered her hands.“I missed you.”Mateo’s smile disappeared.He looked down.
Camila’s voice cracked.“I hate that I miss you.”Mateo swallowed.“You’re allowed.”
“Am I?”
“I’m still your brother.”
“You’re also the reason half of this happened.”
“I know.”That was the first time he’d said it.No defense.No explanation.
Just—I know.Camila cried silently.Mateo looked at her.“Did he know?”
“What?”
“Walker.”He almost spat the name.“That Diego had you?”
“Yes.”
“And he came anyway.”
“Yes.”Mateo looked away.“Fucking idiot.”Camila laughed through tears.
“Basically.”
“He always was too confident.”
“You liked him.”
“I tolerated him.”
“You promoted him.”
“He was useful.”
“You laughed with him.”
“I was manipulating him.”Camila raised an eyebrow.Mateo sighed.
“Fine. He was funny occasionally.”She smiled.“I’m telling him you said that.”
“You do and I’ll deny it.”
“You’re literally in federal custody because of him.”
“Which is another reason I don’t like him.”Fair.Then Camila remembered why she’d really come.Her stomach turned.Not nausea this time.Nerves.She placed her free hand against her abdomen.Still no obvious bump.But Chris noticed every time she did it now.
Apparently Mateo did too.His eyes dropped.Camila froze.Mateo’s expression changed.
Not realization.Not yet.Suspicion.“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Mila.”She almost smiled.Even in federal custody, he still had that older-brother tone.
Camila took a breath.“I have to tell you something.”Mateo’s eyebrows drew together.
“What?”She suddenly wished Chris were beside her.Not because she needed him to protect her.She just wanted his hand.She swallowed.“I’m pregnant.”Mateo stared.
No reaction.Nothing.Camila waited.Mateo blinked.Once.Twice.“What?”
“I’m pregnant.”He continued staring.Then his eyes slowly dropped toward her stomach.
Back to her face.“Pregnant.”
“Yes.”His mouth opened.Closed.Camila almost laughed.Apparently pregnancy rendered dangerous men incapable of speech.Chris had done exactly the same thing.Mateo finally managed:“His?”Camila stared.Then laughed.Actually laughed.
“Yes, Mateo.”She wiped beneath her eyes.
“The FBI agent’s.”Mateo closed his eyes.
“I’m going to fucking kill him”Camila laughed harder. “I knew you’d take this well.”
“My sister is pregnant by the federal agent who infiltrated my organization.”
“When you say it like that, it sounds complicated.”Mateo opened his eyes.
“It is complicated.”
“A little.”
“A little?”
“Okay. A lot.”Mateo leaned back.He rubbed both hands over his face.
“Walker.”
“Yes.”
“Chris fucking Walker.”
“That’s generally what I call him.”Mateo glared.“Don’t be cute.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Were you two ever careful?”Camila’s mouth fell open.“Oh my God.”
“It’s a legitimate question.”
“You’re my brother!”
“Exactly!”
“I am not discussing my sex life with you in federal prison.”
“Good. Because I don’t want to hear it.”
“You literally asked!”Mateo shook his head.Then—something changed.
He went quiet.His eyes returned to her stomach.Camila watched.
The cartel king disappeared.The defendant disappeared.For a moment, Mateo was simply her older brother.“I’m going to be an uncle.”Camila’s throat tightened.“Yes.”
Mateo stared.“I’m actually going to be an uncle.”“Yes.”He looked down.
His eyes glistened.Camila hadn’t expected that.Neither had he.Mateo cleared his throat.
“When?”
“Spring.”
“You’ve seen a doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Everything okay?”
“So far.”
“Are you eating?”Camila smiled.“Barely.”
“What does that mean?”
“Morning sickness.”
“How bad?”
“Mateo.”
“What?”
“Chris already interrogates me about food every six minutes. I don’t need you doing it from prison.”Mateo’s eyes narrowed.“He better take care of you.”
“He does.”
“I mean it.”
“I know.”
“If he doesn’t—”
“What?”Camila leaned closer.“You’ll send him a strongly worded letter?”Mateo glared.
She laughed.He almost did too.Then his expression became serious.“Does he want the baby?”Camila’s smile disappeared.“Yes.”
“You sure?”
“Completely.”