Page 5 of For The Days We Can't Forget

“Lisa!” Fee shrieked and hugged my legs in greeting.

I kneeled beside her to hug her back. “Good morning, Ms. Delgado.” She giggled at my posed formality. “You look mighty pretty as usual.”

“Papidid my hair.” She ran her little hands over her bangs for effect, her dark hair and shiny dark eyes mirroring her father’s.

“And he did a great job.” I kissed her soft cheek and stood up to greet him. “Good morning, Danny.” As per his insistence, I never called him Mr. Delgado or anything formal like that.

“Lisa.” He nodded and leaned into me. I didn’t know if he planned to hug me, kiss my cheek, or hold my hand. We stumbled somewhere in the middle of it all, so he opted for tapping the top of my head twice. “Please, come in.”

Fee held my hand into the living room full of toys. Before I could sit down with her to play or go over what Danny expected of me for the day, Mrs. Delgado showed up. The woman was polite and clearly loved her son and granddaughter. But she intimidated me to no end.

“Mrs. Delgado.” I stretched my hand to greet her. She always seemed wary but never left me hanging.

“Lisa.”

“My mom’s staying for a while. So, if you need anything, you can ask her. Or you can call me at the company or on my phone.” He kneeled next to Sofia, who jumped into his arms. “I’m going to miss you, Princess. Be the good girl I know you are, okay? And have lots of fun with Grandma and Lisa.”

“I will,Papi.” She squeezed him. “Love you forever.”

“Love you beyond.” He kissed her cheek, stood up, kissed his mother on her cheek, then leaned into me to kiss mine. Containing my shiver was the hardest thing I’d ever done. When he realized what he’d done, he stepped back with wide eyes, glanced back at his mother, and scurried outside.

I watched as he left, despondent that he couldn’t spend the day with us. Which was stupid. I was therebecausehe couldn’t stay. When I turned around, Mrs. Delgado was observing me, her shrewd eyes were proof enough that she knew what I was thinking about her son.

Embarrassed for being caught, I called Sofia so we could play with her many toys and got on with our day.

The kid was beyond adorable. Even though I didn’t know the details about Danny’s ended marriage and ex-wife, I knew enough to confirm the woman was a jerk and stupid. You had to be to walk away from the charming Delgado Duo.

I was lost in our world of fantasy when Mrs. Delgado came to us with snacks.

“How is your father doing?” I appreciated her attempt to be cordial. I never thought she didn’t like me. She just seemed cautious—with good reason, based on what I’d heard about Andrea, Danny’s ex.

“He’s feeling better. Still recovering, though. He’s gaining strength after his stroke, but not as fast as he wished.”

“It can’t be easy for him. Or for you all.”

“It’s not. He was always so active, so it’s a slap in the face every time we see him so dependent. But he’s doing his part for his health now, and Mom is amazing. Even Drew, my baby brother, is participating.”

“And so are you, from what I heard. Isn’t that why you came back to Holy Water? The reason you accepted this job?”Why does this seem like an interview?

“After college, I was considering new ventures. But coming back was the right thing to do. I’m glad I’m here. I’m not happy with the reason that brought me, but this place is home, and my family is my priority. I can always try new things here or around when the time comes.” There was no telling what the woman was thinking. “As for this job, it was a lifesaver, and I’m loving it. Sofia is such a wonderful kid, and your son is an amazing man.”

She seemed satisfied with my answer. She even went as far as to tap my leg before getting up. “I’m going to be in the kitchen if you need me.”

As small as that seemed, it was huge in Mrs. Delgado’s book.

CHAPTER FOUR

Before our most painful tragedy, we were investigatingEl Rey Alacrán, a huge drug cartel that was also venturing into human trafficking. During our time at the DEA, Mia and I got close to putting a huge dent into their operation. Mia even managed to arrest Pablo “El Segador” Salazar, the head’s right hand. That’s what solidified her nickname as The Bryant Prodigy.

We had yet to arrest the boss—Carlos “La Sangre” Gomes—but we got close. Until she was fired and decided to start her own company.

Zach, Ben, and Mia started the company in a huge warehouse on the outskirts of Holy Water. It used to belong to a construction and decoration appliances store. The storage was left mostly untouched, and we worked around the space to accommodate our needs.

Each of us had our own office, we also had a kitchen, a gym, a conference room, a playroom for when Sofia, Gabe (Haley’s son), and Teddy (Ben’s son) stayed with us, a panic room (right under Haley’s desk, as per Zach’s demand), and a vault for our most sensitive information and to store our most lethal weapons.

We were deep into our investigation. We even found out Michael, Ben’s father, was involved with the cartel for some debt he owed. Our whole clan was at risk the closer we got.

And they got to us before we were ready.

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