Page 41 of Deadly Lust

Grant

IDIDN’T BELIEVE FOR A second that Mia had misplaced her hospital records. I agreed with her that they were stolen, just not by whom. Joaquín had taken leave after the murder, and I would put money on the idea that he went to the storage unit for something and found the papers.

I didn’t have any proof of that.

I was starting to get discouraged going through this junk: old tax returns, a few pieces of furniture, boxes of old toys. But I wasn’t going to give up until I scoured this place.

Thirty minutes passed, and Mia still wasn’t back, which was fine by me. I didn’t want her around in case I found something I didn’t want her to see.

I opened the last box and cringed. Their parents’ will, a funeral program, and a newspaper clipping about their accident were the first things I picked up.

I skimmed the article. Their parents had been driving home after visiting family in San Jose. A suspected drunk driver hit her parents’ car dead on when they were a few miles from home. The driver had never been caught, though witnesses saw two Hispanic men fleeing in a truck, which had later been reported stolen. The truck had been registered to a Rafael Hernandez, but he had denied any involvement and had an alibi at the time of the crash.

Rafael?Joaquín’s drug dealer?

My mouth went dry as I pulled out my phone and unlocked the screen.

I googled “Rafael Hernandez, San Rafael.” But before my slow-ass phone could load the page, the rental car came to stop outside the door.

Come on, dammit.

Mia walked toward the box as a photo finally loaded.

Holy shit.

I closed the window on my phone, my mind buzzing.

“Did you find anything?”

I stood. “Nah, babe. Just some old receipts. Let’s get out of here. I want to take you somewhere.”

I had to protect Mia from Joaquín.

He knew the man whose truck was used in the hit and run of her parents. He was probably involved in kidnapping our son. But she blindly trusted and loved her brother.

She was in way over her head.

Hell, I was pretty sure I was in over my head, too.