Page 17 of Fighting for Mallory

“Are you hungry?” Luca asked. She hadn’t spoken much since they left Marysville, and he assumed her lack of conversation had to do with what he’d said earlier. He hadn’t meant to sound gruff or curt.

“Yes. The trail mix only whet my appetite.”

“I’ll make soup and sandwiches.”

“Okay. Look, here’s a laptop on the table, and a couple of manila envelopes.” Mallory opened one of the envelopes and removed a pair of gold stud earrings. A typed note from Tex instructed her to wear them so he could keep tabs on her. She put them in her ears. “There’s a belt buckle for you, Luca.”

He set two bowls of broccoli and cheddar soup and a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches on the table and held out a chair for Mallory. He laid a hand on her neck and pressed a kiss against her cheek. “I’ll change out the buckle later.”

After Mallory ate a sandwich and some of the soup, she began in a strong, determined voice, “Luca, I don’t want to wait to discuss our past. I’m free, and now I can tell you the truth.”

“I’m listening.”

“I don’t have any reasons you would understand to explain why I ended our relationship and started dating Bentley. I was young and foolish and blinded by Bentley’s promises of an exciting future. The first few months of our marriage were like every woman’s dream. Bentley was loving and attentive until he changed into someone I no longer recognized. As he gained more power and wealth through his questionable business dealings, he hated our connection and our friendship. Bentley became controlling and suspicious. You know this. You’ve seen it firsthand.” She paused to take a breath and to compose herself. Unshed tears glistened in her deep brown eyes. “He hated you, Luca. Hated you enough to threaten you.”

Luca frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Bentley kept me chained to him by threatening to ruin you. He planned to frame you for bribery, extortion, even sexual misconduct. He had the means to do it and proved it to me. That’s why I stayed with him all these years.”

Her desire to protect him at the expense of her freedom and their happiness touched his heart, and it exploded with fierce love. “Baby, I wish you would have told me the truth sooner. I would have brought him down if he had tried to destroy me.”

“I know this now. But at the time, Bentley had me completely under his control, even forcing me to overlook shady deals. Once, he tried to convince me to help a business partner avoid prosecution for money laundering, but I refused. He never forgave me.”

“I’m not sorry he’s dead, Mallory.”

“Right now, I’m too confused and scared to feel anything for his loss. If I grieve at all, it will be for the man he could have been, not the one he was.”

Luca nodded. “Let’s finish eating. Then, we can begin our own investigation into Bentley’s murder.”

CHAPTER SIX

Curious about why the crime organization responsible for Bentley’s murder chose fanged copperheads as a common tattoo, Luca and Mallory researched the history of the snake. The least venomous of pit vipers, there wasn’t anything remarkable about it except its secretive nature. Copperheads could hide in plain sight using camouflage techniques and strike when unsuspecting humans got too close to avoid being bitten. Bites were generally not fatal, though an overload of venom could cause death.

“So, these men hide in the shadows and strike when they want?” Mallory asked.

“That’s my guess, too. But what do they want?”

“To cause chaos and fear as you suggested? It doesn’t make sense, Luca. Why remain hidden?”

“Perhaps they’re planning something on a large scale and biding their time. Were you able to learn anything about Mercado or Tino?”

“No. We rushed them to trial with little preparation. Judd considered it an open and shut case. Whoever murdered them in prison went undiscovered, and honestly, not much effort was put into finding out.”

“I’m going to touch base with Tex. In the meantime, see if you can glean any information on anyone with Mercado’s and Tino’s last names. We might just locate a relative.”

Mallory searched Gill Tino’s name on Google. She couldn’t remember his address, but figured his surname wasn’t as common as Mercado’s. Articles published about the murder of LAPD Captain Yeniel Valentin mentioned Tino’s involvement but little else. No one had been able to locate any family members, nor determine where he’d been born, grew up, or attended school. He was like a phantom, a wraith, swirling with fog and mist.

She pulled up the white pages for LA on the internet and made a few calls to people whose last name was Tino, pretending to be a representative from Gill Tino’s car insurance company. Mallory didn’t have any success. Nowadays, most people declined calls that appeared on their cell phones as possible scams or ignored those from numbers they didn’t recognize. Those that responded to her call said that she’d reached the wrong number. They didn’t know anyone named Gill Tino.

There were thousands of Mercados living in LA. She made twenty-five inquiries before she gave up and tried another possible avenue. Snake cults.

Snake cults shared a long and fascinating history beginning with ancient cultures throughout the Middle East and Europe, and even into the modern era with religious groups in the Appalachian Mountains and southern states. Some dealt mainly with the handling of snakes while others worshipped a certain kind of snake for its ability to shed its skin, therefore creating the idea of perpetual youth or eternal life. One of the oldest cultures of snake worship demanded human sacrifice. This revelation made Mallory’s blood run cold, and she shivered. What if Captain Yeniel Valentin and Bentley were sacrifices?

Luca saw her shiver. “You cold?”

“Yes. With fear.”

He filled a kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. “I’ll make you a cup of hot tea. It will help calm your fear. What were you reading just now?”

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