Page 80 of Corrupted Deception

Oh well. Too late to undo it now.

“Take a look,” I said, holding my phone out to Raven.

She leaned forward in her seat, and her eyes narrowed. And then they widened.

“Whoa,” she said. “Is that…?”

Cait took the phone to get a look, and her lips parted on a quiet gasp. “Is that Nacio’s wife?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

I nodded. I didn’t need to see the picture on my phone to envision the dark-haired, soft-spoken woman on her wedding day. “It was Isabella’s favorite place in the world, so… Nacio bought it,” I said, remembering the cascading waterfalls that had served as a backdrop that day.

Raven’s brow furrowed. “Then, I couldn’t…”

“Isabella wouldn’t have wanted that place to stay empty,” I said, knowing it was true. And knowing that, Nacio wouldn’t want that either. What better purpose for Isabella’s sanctuary than a wedding?

“You knew her?” Raven asked.

I nodded. “Her and Emilio—their son—were like family,” I said, regretting this conversation as an old ache rose up, the edges dulled from frequent wear but painful nonetheless.

The women were silent. Not even Cait had met Isabella and Emilio—they’d been murdered just days after Nacio had found Cait—in a fire in a whorehouse with burns over half her body—and she’d been in critical care during that time.

“It really is a beautiful place,” I pressed on. “It’s where I’d want—” I closed my mouth, no more deluded by ‘one fine days, once upon a times, or happily ever afters’ now than I’d been a decade ago.

“What about whales?” Nic cried, hurtling over the ornamental bush nearest us and coming to a stop—sort of—right in front of us.

“What about whales?” Cait asked him.

“If I can’t ride a shark, what about a whale?” he asked very reasonably.

Cait opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, not quite sure how to respond tothat,it seemed.

But I’ve got this.

“I think Ray would be awfully jealous if he heard you went for a ride on a whale,chiquito.”

“Ray!” he squealed with equal enthusiasm, then turned to Cait. “Mamá, I want to go for a ride,” he said, looking around like Ray might materialize out of thin air at any moment.

Cait chuckled and ruffled his hair. “I think you might be too big now.”

“Nuh uh,” he objected, shaking his head adamantly.

“Ray’s hanging out with Aiden today,” I explained. “But I’ll bring him next time, and we’ll see what he thinks, okay?” Because I was pretty sure Ray could carrymearound if I’d felt so inclined.

Nic nodded and took off again, into the house this time.

I watched Cait as she watched him go.

“You look happy,” I said, thrilled for my friend but feeling that tiny ball of envy rolling around inside me, nevertheless.

“I am,” she said with a smile of contentment that grew brighter as her fiancé approached the patio doors from inside.

The tiny ball got bigger. It could have been that biological clock people loved to yammer on about, but I had a feeling it was something else. Or more aptly,someoneelse—the god damned, too-handsome, stubborn asshole who had the audacity to bitch about me and my high horse.

The stubborn asshole who’s planning to go up against a whole lot of unknown psychotic assholes tonight.

Shit.

“I have to go,” I said, shooting to my feet.

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