Page 159 of Seeking Shadows

“They won’t take care of you there.”

“I survived most of my life there, Charlie,” Mia says softly, the weight of her words hanging in the air.

“Trapped in a cell, suffering. You can just walk away from it!” Charlie says, exasperated. I can feel Mia tensing at the conversation.

“Don’t push her, Charlie,” I warn, my tone sharp.

Charlie glares at me but turns back to Mia.

“He knows you didn’t kill Carter. He knows everything, but he won’t tell you because he treats you like a baby—too afraid to do anything about it.”

“God forbid I’m just trying to give her a fucking break after everything she’s been through,” I snap.

“And I don’t treat her like a baby,” I bite out, heat rising in my voice.

Mia exhales softly, her gaze steady. “It’s okay, Charlie. We already had that talk.”

Charlie blinks caught off guard. “Wait—he actually told you?”

I don’t say anything. I don’t have to.

I don’t need to tell her everything the second I do it.

To my surprise, Mia laughs. “Yes, and Lara also told me about it when she kidnapped me. She also let you believe I did it. Well, I never corrected you, because I believe I was partly responsible for it.”

Lara did what?

“You are not responsible for that idiot making deals with the Cartel for drugs. We are still investigating if he leaked any information,” I reply, trying to calm things down.

“I don’t think he’s gone that far,” Mia murmurs, still gently petting Figaro, who purrs in response.

“Mia, if you have any feelings for Nico Riviera, I need to tell you—he’s evil. He hurt you, and life doesn’t have to be—”

“I know,” she interrupts softly, her voice almost a whisper. “I understand the horrors I went through there. I suffer through them every day, having a fucked-up head, basically fighting against myself. He’s not the one I need to stay for.”

“You have to let us in,” Charlie whispers, her voice full of concern. Mia looks at me, as if she doesn’t want to continue this conversation with Charlie.

“Why don’t you let me deal with my wife, and you deal with the information I gave you?” I say, trying to take control of the situation.

“I’m dealing with it, but with Cole Ross down, there’s not much to do other than wait for Paulina to get back to the States. Whatever she’s doing in Mexico must be big if she’s been there for a year. I’ll send this to your sister to look into.”

“Taylor?”

“Yeah, she’s been working more actively with us,” Charlie’s tone darkens, as if there’s something she’s not saying. I don’t press her for more. Whatever Taylor is doing is her business.

“I’ve never met your sister.”

“She’s like Seth,” I shrug.

“Then she must be nice.”

“If aggressive and impulsive are synonyms for nice, then maybe,” I mutter.

I press my lips together, refusing to let the frustration spill out. Charlie smiles, but I can tell it's masking something deeper. She thought we'd have Mia back by now. But I know there's someone Mia refuses to let go of, and I’m still trying to make sense of it all.

Katie.

Her mother.

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