Page 8 of Dina's Favorite Mistake

“You think?” Dina asked sarcastically. “And now what? Diego is running loose in Mexico? With his old crew, I presume?”

“Possibly,” Morales admitted. “Which is why we’re here to warn you.”

“Oh, well, thank you so very much,” Dina all but snarled. “You know, this is exactly why we strenuously argued against allowing Diego to make any sort of deal with the United States.” Her fierce glare lit up every man in the room. “We specificallyoutlined in our legal complaint that we suspected Diego’s sudden interest in cooperation with the United States was part of a larger plan that would put our family and others in danger.”

“You did,” Agent Carson confirmed in the most conciliatory way. “It’s obvious that our risk assessment did not take into account all possibilities.”

Dina crossed her arms and huffed. “So—what’s the plan now?”

“PFM will be taking the lead on this,” Morales confirmed. “It’s our mistake. We own it. We’ll liaise with your private security to ensure you’re adequately covered when outside the perimeter of your estate.”

“What about these two?” Beto gestured at Carson and Steve.

“I’m the lead DEA agent in the Guadalajara office,” Agent Carson said, “and I wanted to personally come out and speak with your family to assure you that all of our resources will be available in this manhunt.”

“And him?” Beto pointed at Steve.

“I’m here to interview your daughter, Camila.” He cautiously dropped that bombshell and steeled himself for the inevitable explosion.

“Excuse me?” Dina asked, hackles raised like a cornered animal. “What could you possibly have to say to my daughter?”

“Before the attack on the convoy carrying her father, your daughter sent some rather ugly messages to our headquarters,” Steve explained.

“And?” Dina demanded rudely.

“And we’d like to know if she was aware of her father’s plans to escape and if she’s in contact with him,” Steve clarified.

“She didn’t know, and she’s not in contact with him!” Dina looked ready to spit fire, and he didn’t relish having to set her straight.

“We have call logs from the prison, Ms. Farias,” he respectfully said.

“There are recordings, señora,” Morales further explained. “Between your daughter and her father.”

Dina gritted her teeth and exhaled so roughly he expected smoke and flame to rumble out. She was furious, and when she stormed out of the library, both of her brothers looked panicked. The younger of the two—Beto—swore under his breath and raced after her shouting her name.

Steve winced as he heard Dina’s angry voice ricocheting off the tile floors and vaulted ceilings of the ornate mansion. He’d expected the family to live in luxury, but this place verged on outrageous. It was like someone had taken a Spanish palace and plopped it right down into the wilds of Mexico, complete with marble and gold and even a private chapel.

Rafael grimaced at the sounds coming from the other end of the house. He absentmindedly rubbed at his chest.

“How’s the recovery coming along?” Steve asked.

“Fine,” Rafael replied, his tone clipped. “I was very lucky.”

“You were,” Steve agreed. “That was a hell of a close shot to take protecting your family.”

“I’d do it again,” Rafael said, and Steve was certain he meant it. From the small interaction he’d seen between the patriarch of the family and his new wife and nephew, it was obvious Rafael loved his family.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” A young girl screeched. “You’re crazy!”

“Camila, listen to your mother!” Beto commanded sharply. “Get in there!”

“I want a lawyer!” The girl shrieked. “A real one! Not one of our family lawyers that does whatever mom or Tio Rafa tells them to do!”

“I’m going to need a lawyer if you don’t get in there and tell the police the truth!” Dina warned. “Now, Camila!”

Stomping like a petulant child, Camila entered the room with a scowl. She was playing the pissed off teenager well, but Steve could see she was nervous and scared. Her face was bright red, and she breathed like a panicked hummingbird. Her big eyes scanned the room, growing wider with each new face she saw. It wasn’t until she landed on Rafael that she looked honestly scared.

Huh. Apparently, he’s the one she respects most.

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