Page 58 of Deadly Scandals

Mia exhaled. “No, he couldn’t. You’re unbelievable. Now you are blaming my brother for this? For Sienna? Joaquín made a mistake. He’s sick, and he’s sorry. He’s healed, and so have I. Why can’t we leave the past in the past?”

Because I could never, ever leave the past in the past, no matter what. I lived in the past. My entire life was built on rectifying the sins of the past and making sense of them to save the future.

“I just think there’s something there, that’s all.”

I knew I was pushing too hard. It was too close for comfort now. But I would not stop asking questions.

Mia scowled at me. I think I had pushed her too far. “What are you getting at, Ashley? You are always stirring shit up. We are here to find Sienna. This has nothing to do with Joaquín. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

So many things. I had been off-kilter for so long, I was a wreck. I was a legit fucking mess, but I owned it.

But even so, I was onto something. I felt it in my gut.

Sam had now finished his pizza. Grant downed his beer, and we all headed down Main Street. I checked my phone for a message from Mitch, but there was nothing.

Grant took Sam to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride as Mia and I stayed outside.

I put my hands on her shoulders. “Look Mia—I need to ask you something.”

“What now?”

“Can we go visit Joaquín?”

She shook her head. “What? No. Why?”

“When’s the last time you saw him?”

“A few months ago.”

“Did you go alone?”

“No, I took Grant.”

Yup. Something was off. So off. Why would no one listen to me?

“Grant still sees him?”

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t that strike you as odd? Why would he see him?”

“Because he’s his brother-in-law. They were friends. I forgave him. So did Grant.”

I laughed. “But he raped you and kidnapped your son! Grant’s son. And Grant doesn’t forgive anything. He specializes in revenge.”

“Look, I don’t get you, Ash. One second you think I’m the devil, and so is my brother and Mitch. You only ever liked and believed in Grant. Next thing you know, you’re fucking Mitch, being nice to me, and wanting to visit my brother. And you are peppering me with questions about Joaquín. What is your point?”

“My point is, something isn’t right at all, and it’s deep in the world of these SEALs. And I think it is connected to Julián’s disappearance. And Sienna’s. And my sister’s.”

Mia’s eyes bugged. “Your sister’s?”

“Yeah. She was kidnapped from the SEAL base twenty years ago.”

“What?”

I took a deep breath—I was going to tell her my suspicions.

“Yeah. And I think you may be her.”