Page 126 of The Protégé

“Send me the details of what you have. Okay. Thank you.” He hung up,tapped his phone to check something, and placed it down on the table.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Carlos was found dead in an alley downtown.”

“Like The Condor?”

Orion nodded. “Carlos was supposed to give me a list of people’s names, but someone got to him quickly.”

My phone rang, and my body jerked. A knot formed in my stomach. “Hi,Mamá.”

“Elena, there’s been a fire at the house.”

Nausea rose in me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Shaken, but I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

How could I not worry? With Uncle Carlos’s recent death, I wondered if the fire was related to his death. What if the people who had killed him went after my mom, thinking she was important to him? Thinking she had what they wanted?

My mind raced with a hundred awful scenarios.

Mom’s house was old, but everything was to code. She was usually careful with the stove, so what could have caused the fire?

I looked over at Orion, who wore an impassive expression.

“I’ll be on my way,” I said, trying not to let fear blind me from thinking clearly. “You can stay here with me.”

“No, sweetie. Reid has a furnished apartment I can use until the house is repaired. It’s on the same street as Wild Roots, which will make it easier to volunteer. I’ll stay there until repairs are done. The entire back porch and storage are gone. The family albums in storage are gone...,” she choked.

“I have copies of some pictures stored on my computer. Don’t worry, I’ll make you new albums.” I could only imagine the fear and sense of loss my mother was experiencing.

“Okay. Thank you, sweetie. I’ve got to go now. The detective wants to speak to me.”

“I’m heading over.” I rose from the chair and looked at Orion who was already standing beside me.

“Everything okay?” His calm voice comforted me immediately.

“There’s been a fire at my mom’s house.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

ORION

We parkedon the street and walked over to Mrs. Sanchez’s house. Two fire trucks, an ambulance, and three police cars occupied the street in front of the house. Smoke still lingered in the air, but the danger had already been subdued.

I tightened the grip on Elena’s hand. “Your mom is fine.”

Nodding, she looked at me with tears brimming in her eyes.

I wished I hadn’t told her about Carlos’s death because it made the situation worse. A wary person like her would assume there was a connection.

Anita Sanchez stood with a group of friends. When she spotted her daughter, she rushed over and embraced her. “I’m okay.”

I glanced around, taking in the people that stood nearby. Then I saw him, and the entire situation changed. What the hell was The Raven doing here? I thought he’d retired? Was he responsible for the fire? It made no sense.

He wore denim overalls, a completely different look than the man who had sat with me at the Wellness Center. That man I’d encountered had danger written all over him, but this man . . .this man was a fucking farmer. The Raven had some explaining to do.

“So glad you’re here,” Mrs. Sanchez said.

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