“So how’d you like the Lexington?” Alex asked as he and Misty walked hand in hand out to the parking lot.
“I loved it.” Her eyes sparkled as she got into the car. “I can’t believe how huge it is. It was fascinating.” She looked at her watch and grinned. “We still have time to try for the beach before we have to go back and get ready.”
“Sure. I know a spot a few blocks down we can access pretty easily. We can hang out there. What about a suit?”
In response she pulled her blouse collar aside to reveal a thin black strap. “You okay in those shorts?”
“I’m good to go.”
Alex got in the car and pulled out onto the main drag of the North Shore, the area of Corpus Christi across the bridge where most of the beach access was located. The traffic was maddeningly slow, the streets clogged with both cars and pedestrians out to enjoy the last weekend of spring break.
But for once Alex didn’t mind.
He was having fun for the first time in a long time. He was actually enjoying everything they had done together, starting with a poolside breakfast in the sunshine. After, he’d indulged Misty’s desire to play tourist, first at the Texas State Aquarium then on the Lexington. And now he was going to take her to his favorite beach, the one where he and Leigh Anne had spent countless hours dashing in and out of the surf and building sand castles.
A part of him felt guilty for that, guilty for taking Misty to Leigh Anne’s favorite beach and having fun when Leigh Anne would never have fun again. But, surprisingly, another part of him wanted—no, needed—the day and the fun.
And the sex, if he could manage to seduce Misty.
The tension between them had ramped up to almost unbearable, starting with waking at the same time and staring across the narrow space between their beds for a loaded moment. If she’d given him the slightest bit of encouragement… But she bolted to the bathroom, leaving him chuckling and hard as a rock.
They got out of the car and carried their beach towels and a small cooler of drinks to the crowded beach filled mostly with college kids.
“God, I feel like Methuselah.” She grumbled as she spread out her towel with a dramatic flourish and pulled off her blouse, revealing a black bikini top that hugged her curves to perfection.
Next came the shorts, and he felt himself go hard at the sight of her shapely backside lovingly encased in the briefest of bottoms. Every college boy in the immediate vicinity stopped what they were doing and stared at Misty’s near-naked body. He glared at the boys before putting a possessive hand on her waist.
Alex leaned in and grinned at her wickedly. “You might feel like Methuselah but you sure as hell don’t look like him. You’re giving every boy on this beach a hard-on. And at least one horny man I know of.”
Misty glanced down at the bulge in his shorts and blushed. “Should I cover back up?” she whispered.
“Hell no.” He spread out his towel and they sat down and stared out at the water for a couple of minutes before she pointed to his T-shirt. “Are you going to swim in that?”
Alex shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “Why not? I don’t look so great these days.”
Misty’s expression softened. “You look fine, Alex. Enjoy the sun.”
He whipped off his shirt and threw it on the towel. “Race ya.”
They spent an hour in the water, chasing and splashing one another like the carefree college kids sharing the beach with them. Misty swam like a fish and was ruthless when she wanted to dunk him.
Alex was able to shed his grief and his sorrow and just take pleasure in the moment. He didn’t miss the look of wonder on Misty’s face when he let loose with an honest belly laugh.
When they’d finally worn themselves out, they sat on their towels and made up stories about the people walking by while the sun dried their bodies. Alex was tempted to lean over and lick off the tangy salt from Misty’s throat. He let his eyes do the touching instead, deliberately sharing his appreciation as his gaze lingered on her high, firm breasts then slowly travelled lower as he took in her smooth, flat belly, and lower still, concentrating on the narrow swath of fabric that barely covered where he wanted to be.
He was pleased and surprised when, rather than blushing and turning away, she returned the favor, boldly examining his body as he had hers and deliberately licking her lips as she stared at his bare chest and stomach, touching her lips with her tongue as she stared into his eyes.
Sighing, he pointed to his watch. “We better get a move on.”
“But not without some ice cream.” Misty pointed to a kiosk at the edge of the beach. “I love ice cream cones.”
“Ice cream cones it is.” They waited patiently in the short line until they faced a rather embarrassed-looking vendor. “Folks, I’m afraid I only have one cone left. Are cups all right?”
Alex looked at Misty staring at the cone. “We can share a big one. Whatever flavors the lady wants.”
“Vanilla, pineapple and butter pecan. And lots of napkins.”
“Coming right up.”
Alex dug out his card while the vendor put together the oversized ice cream cone. He handed it to Misty, who took a swipe from the top and held it out to him. “Your turn.”
He watched her as he took a swipe the cone. “Delicious.”
“Oh yeah, delicious.”
*****
Dios, he looks handsome, Misty thought as Alex stood at the mirror adjusting the knot in his tie. He was wearing an expensive gray suit, a new one if the flawless tailoring was any indication, with a white shirt and red tie that set off his olive complexion to perfection. Gold cufflinks winked at his wrists and a perfectly folded handkerchief peeked out of his suit pocket.
Even with the weight loss and the gauntness in his face, Alex Navarro was still a striking man who could pull off expensive clothing that would look out of place on a lesser man.
And with his clothes off? Sure, he was too thin, but his shoulders were broad and his chest was covered with an appealing sprinkle of dark hair that arrowed down his stomach to… Her imagination couldn’t help but fill in the rest. She quickly turned her head back to her own mirror and made a pretense of examining her makeup.
Alex gave a low whistle through his teeth. “Damn, that new charro suit looks good on you,” he said, taking in the snow-white jacket and long skirt with gold piping, and a gold tie under the collar of the snow-white shirt. “New?”
Misty turned to face him. “Rush job for the poor tailor. Your aunt was insistent we wear white tonight.”
“Sorry about that. Tia Elena can be a bit obsessive.”
“Oh, don’t be,” Misty laughed. “She paid for them.” She glanced down at her watch. “We need to get over there. Are you ready?”
Once in the church, the band kept the crowd entertained as guests packed themselves into the pews. Alex was sitting with his father, Lalo and Gina in the front, and his mother and aunt were together in the back with the young couples; the girls in evening clothes and the boys dashingly attired in black tuxedos. Alicia appeared at the last minute attired in the traditional white dress and tiara, carrying a scepter, and stood nervously beside her tuxedoed father as they waited for the ceremony to begin.
Since there was a full Mass, communion was offered to the entire congregation, and as Misty made her way to the front with the rest of the band she noticed that Alex ignored his father’s obvious exasperation and remained in the pew rather than receiving communion with the rest of the family. As devout as the Navarro family was, she couldn’t help but wonder why.
After playing the recessional, the band went on to the hotel to set up for the reception while Misty waited impatiently by Alex’s BMW. He came out of the church with the car keys in his hand. “Here, they want me for the family group shot,” he said as he handed her the keys. “Have fun in her.”
“Wow, for a whole five blocks,” she teased as she whipped the door open. She started the powerful engine and swung the Beamer out onto the street and towards the hotel
“Sorry. I forgot Alex had to stay for pictures,” she explained as she joined her bandmates. Looking over at Ren, she asked, “Why aren’t you getting your picture taken?”
“Cousin of a cousin. This is a Palacios shindig, not Navarro.”
The band tuned up, then played the traditional march as the court of honor and Alicia, still on her father’s arm, presented themselves to the guests.
The next hour or so was taken up with treasured traditions of the quinceañera. Alicia was toasted by her parents and padrinos before she took the microphone and addressed her guests. Misty watched with a touch of wistful envy as the event was celebrated. She’d neglected to tell Alex she would have loved to have had a quinceañera.
Finally the traditional activities were finished. “This concludes our part in the program,” Chito said over blaring rock music. “But Alicia’s parents insisted that we stay as their guests.”
Soon Misty was beside Alex in the buffet line making a heaping plate of delicious Tex-Mex cuisine then she found herself sitting at a table with the rest of his immediate family.
The margarita-fueled conversation at the dinner table was lively, and now that she was finished performing and knew she wouldn’t be driving, Misty let her guard down. She allowed Alex to refill her margarita glass, topping it off every so often as she made her way through the huge plate of food, and then the flan.
The waiter had replaced the pitcher a couple of times and the entire table was getting beyond tipsy, if Gina and Clarissa’s giggling and Lalo’s snarky zingers were anything to go by. Strangely, Alex seemed the most sober person at the table, but he had consumed every bit as much as the rest of them, if not more.
When the DJ put on a traditional Mexican polka, the older guests flooded the dance floor. Gina and Lalo jumped up and Clarissa looked pointedly at Alex. “I’ll bet Misty would like to dance,” she said as she took Ernest’s hand and practically pulled him from his chair.
Surprisingly in synch for two people who had never danced together before, Alex grabbed Misty’s hand when a slow, steamy torch song started. He pulled her close, holding her body tight as the moody strains of an old Julio Iglesias ballad reverberated through the ballroom.
Plastered together from neck to knees, she could feel his erection pressing against her lower stomach as they swayed together on the crowded dance floor. Her breasts beaded into tight knots of desire as her reservations began to melt away.
When the DJ announced a break they returned to their abandoned table. “Guess the rest of the clan’s left already,” Alex said sardonically as he poured the last of the pitcher of margaritas into their glasses.
Misty giggled. “I can only imagine what Gina and Lalo are up to.”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “We could be doing the same thing, if you’d only say yes.”
She looked up at him. “We could, couldn’t we?”
*****
Alex pulled Misty into their hotel room, slamming the door behind him as he backed her up against it, locking his mouth on hers.
God, this feels good. She clung to him and gave in to the passion that had simmered between them from the moment they’d laid eyes on one another months ago. She opened her mouth to his insistent and talented tongue, giving him access as she ran her fingers through his soft hair, savoring the closeness of their bodies.
He tasted of cake and margaritas and smelled of the tantalizing essence that was Alex. She never wanted to stop, and couldn’t remember why she’d waited all these weeks to give in.
He lifted his mouth from hers and began to trail kisses down her throat. “I want you,” he said roughly. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you in my office that afternoon.”
“Me too,” she admitted as she tilted her head to give him better access. “I want you now, naked, nothing between us but the night.”
Alex laughed, stepped away from the door and quickly shucked his expensive coat, kicked off his shoes and socks, jerked off his tie, ripped out his cufflinks and pulled off his shirt. He unsnapped his belt and in a single motion removed his pants and boxers, freeing his jutting cock and leaving himself bare for her appreciative gaze.
“As requested.” Apparently, he was no longer feeling self-conscious about the weight loss because he let her study his body, clearly enjoying her blatant appreciation of his broad shoulders, the sexy smattering of dark hair on his chest that arrowed down his stomach and surrounded his erect and shining penis.
She licked her lips as he let her look her fill for a moment longer before moving to her, resting his lips against hers as he pushed the white jacket off her shoulders. “Nothing between us but the night, remember?” he whispered against her mouth.
Misty stumbled, her knees no longer cooperative. The back of her legs hit the bed and she sank down, never taking her eyes off Alex as she removed her boots then made quick work of the rest of the charro outfit.
Humming with anticipation but wanting to savor the moment, she slowly pushed down the straps of her lacy white bra, unhooking the back and letting it fall forward before wriggling out of the matching scrap of panties, finally baring herself completely to Alex’s avid gaze.
“Christ, you’re beautiful,” he murmured as he moved forward to stand between her legs.
Gently, he pushed her back and covered her lips with his. She opened her mouth, her tongue meeting his in a sensual duel as her arms went around his neck, pulling him closer as their naked bodies entwined.
His soft chest hair brushed tantalizingly against her bare breasts, teasing them into hard little points of want and need, and the hard thrust of his desire pushed against her thighs as he maneuvered them into the middle of the bed.
Instinctively she opened her thighs, expecting him to enter her, but he broke off the kiss and started trailing his lips down her neck. “Oh, no, no, no,” he said as he nibbled and teased the sensitive skin under her ear. “That would be too easy, don’t you think?” he continued as his lips traveled downward, brushing the sensitive tip of her breast. “I intend to have you screaming before we get there.”
All reasonable thought was swallowed up in a desperate gasp as she felt his lips lock onto her breast, drawing her tender nipple deep into his mouth, tugging just hard enough to trigger a spasm in her womb. After torturing one breast he switched to the other, treating it to the same delight until she was squirming beneath him.
Each suck, each tug made her wetter, and when Alex’s fingers drifted lower she opened her thighs wider, ready to beg for his exploration. He feathered his fingers down her stomach and onto the patch of hair covering her core, stopping only when he found her sensitive nub.
She moaned when his fingers squeezed, and she felt his smile press against her breast. “You like that,” he whispered. She nodded helplessly, too far in his thrall to speak as he drew her closer and closer to ecstasy.
A small yelp escaped her throat as she tumbled over the precipice, tremors of pleasure shaking her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes as she disappeared in a sensual haze like none she’d ever experienced.
She took a breath, expecting a minor reprieve, but Alex had other ideas. He kissed his way down her body, stopping to linger on her navel for a moment before traveling lower, feathering his way down to and then past her triangle as he pushed her legs even further apart.
Misty’s head swam and her body trembled as he wrapped an amazingly agile tongue around the tip of her core and gave it a little tug. She gasped as all sensation drew down to his lips and teeth. The pressure built swiftly as a second, more powerful orgasm overtook her. She cried out his name as tremor after tremor shook her body, leaving her exhausted and trembling.
Alex raised his head and grinned at her smugly. “Told you I’d have you screaming.” He lowered his lips and began again, taking his time, making her writhe and scream his name before leaving her boneless.
Her mind in a fog, she felt him move up her body and cover her lips with kisses that tasted of her.
With a single powerful thrust, he entered her wet and welcoming body. Certain she had nothing left, that this would be for Alex alone, the powerful thrusts of his body in and out of hers brought a new pleasure, and he must have felt it; he pumped harder as her world exploded.
He followed her over the edge, stiffening, and with a powerful thrust he exploded as he pumped himself into her body. His orgasm went on and on and on, but with a final thrust he collapsed on top of her, whispering softly as he rolled to his side, taking her with him. “Leigh Anne,” he breathed as Misty stiffened beside him. “I always could make you scream.”
Her blood ran cold as Alex snuggled down beside her, his soft snores coming within seconds.
Her face hot with anger and shame, she waited until she was sure he was asleep before easing out from under him and slipping out of the bed. What had probably been the best sex of her life had just turned to ash.
*****
Alex stirred. He kept his eyes shut as he turned over, his body unusually relaxed. Even the tight hangover he experienced on a daily basis was not as painful as usual.
He snuggled into the pillow, ignoring his morning wood, hoping he could get a few more minutes of sleep before the alarm rang. But the bed felt different and the pillow seemed wrong. Hadn’t there been a woman beside him last night when he went to sleep?
No, she hadn’t been beside him; she had been beneath him, screaming his name while he’d been buried deep inside her. Leigh Anne? No, not Leigh Anne. Misty. It’d been Misty who had been screaming his name. She had finally given in.
His eyes snapped open and he reached across the bed to find cold, empty sheets. In the early morning gloom he could make out Misty’s shape curled up in the other bed. Why had she left his side? Why wasn’t she curled up in his arms this morning, warm and willing? He could feel himself hardening even more. He was certainly ready for round two.
He slid out of bed and made a quick trip to the bathroom. Misty was stirring when he returned to the room and he leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Morning, cariña,” he said softly.
Her eyes snapped open and immediately frosted over. “I’m not your cariña. Get the hell off my bed.”
What the hell?
She moved away from him, threw off the covers and swung her gowned body out of the bed. “I’ll take the first shower then we can get out of here.” She looked down at Alex’s nude body with disdain. “Put something on and call room service for some damned coffee. My head’s killing me.”
“Actually, no.” He climbed off the bed and stood with his hands folded across his chest. “Get back in bed cariña. We’re not done yet.”
“All three of us?” Misty threw open her suitcase and started pawing through her clothes. “You want all three of us back in bed?”
“Explain.” Alex was confused and his head was beginning to pound.
“Actually, no,” Misty mumbled. She made a production of unearthing a pair of black jeans.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Alex crossed the room and leaned into her face. “You make a statement like that, you better damn well explain it.”
Misty whirled around. “All right, pendejo. There were three of us in that bed last night. You, me and the dead wife whose name you called out when you were still inside of me.”
Alex shuddered. Shit. “I’m sorry. Really. I didn’t mean to insult you. Can’t we just chalk it up to too much to drink?”
“No, we can’t,” she said sharply. “I was just as drunk as you were and I knew exactly who I was in the bed with.” She nailed him with a vicious glare. “You used me. You used my body while you pretended I was Leigh Anne.”
“Bullshit. I knew damned well it was you.”
She put one fist on her hip. “You honestly expect me to believe you weren’t pretending it was Leigh Anne and not me?”
“I wasn’t pretending anything,” he ground out. “Look, I said I was sorry. Damn it, until last night she was the only woman I’d made love with in ten years, so yeah, shoot me, I tend to associate sex with her.” He lowered his voice. “I still love her. We’re”—he motioned between them—“supposed to be sex and nothing more. You knew that going in. I don’t get why you’re so pissed off.”
Her eyes widened as her arms flew out in a wide gesture. “Why am I pissed off? Why am I pissed off? You stand there trying to get me back in your bed and in the next breath tell me you love your dead wife and you can’t understand why I’m pissed off?” Her hands went up near her head and back out in front of her then she shook them.
“How about I don’t like being fucking used, that’s why,” she roared. “There is a difference between just sex and out and out using somebody. And I know the difference even if you don’t.” She touched her forehead with her fingers. “Enough. You’ll never understand and I’m dying for some coffee.” She pulled a pink sweater out of the suitcase.
“Oh, and as for the sex and nothing more you think you want from me? You can shove that up your ass, Alex. Go back to your pity party and I’ll find a man who will call out my name when he comes inside me.”
“Pity party?” he snapped. “What kind of pinche puta are you?”
Misty cut him a withering look. “The kind who likes to hear her own name when she has someone’s cock inside her. The kind who expects her lover to have her on his mind, not his dead wife, when he’s inside her body. The kind who… Never mind. You’ll never get it. Never. Just get me the damned coffee.” She unearthed lacy underwear and disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Well, fuck me. Alex sat down on the side of the bed and dialed room service. Misty accused him of not understanding, but he understood all too well. She expected more than just sex and was now hurt and furious that he didn’t deliver. But she was the one who didn’t understand. She’d never loved and lost like he had. If she had, she’d understand that except for the great sex, he had absolutely nothing else to offer.
He ordered up the coffee and pulled on last night’s pants to answer the sharp knock on the door. But rather than a steward with the expected coffee, Alex found a grim-looking Lalo, his arms leaning on the doorframe. “You and Misty need to get dressed and over to the hospital. Yesenia O-D’d. El Jefe insists you and Misty need to come now.”
Alex knew exactly why El Jefe wanted them there. And even though they were at each other’s throats, Alex wouldn’t abandon Misty. He might have fucked up, but he wasn’t an asshole.
*****
Misty sat beside Alex in the busy emergency waiting room of County General, her back tense and stiff as she tried to distract herself by watching the parade of humanity coming through the doors.
Her hangover had been allayed in part by the pot of coffee she and Alex had hastily shared while they hurried to get ready, but now a tension headache was taking its place, triggered by their argument and aggravated by worry for Yesenia.
They had been waiting with the rest of the Palacios clan for the better part of two nail-biting hours with no word yet on Yesenia’s condition. Alicia and her parents were becoming more upset by the minute, and Mr. and Mrs. Navarro were sitting with them, trying in vain to calm them down. For some reason Mr. Navarro was sending an occasional glare her and Alex’s way. There were a couple of police waiting to talk to Yesenia if and when she came to, presumably to find out where she had obtained the drugs.
Bet Alex and I could help them with that. It wasn’t a given, but the fact that the band she and Alex were investigating just happened to be playing the same quinceañera that Yesenia was attending? After everything else they’d learned, coincidence was out the window, suspicion taking its place. She wanted Alex’s take on it; they hadn’t said two words since they learned about the overdose.
She turned around and elbowed him. “We need to go down and grab something to eat. We didn’t get breakfast,” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Alex may have been angry with her, but he was also quick on the uptake. “Can we bring anything for anybody?” He looked around at the rest of the family.
They all declined. When they were out of sight, Alex pointed her toward an exit door. “We can be overheard in the cafeteria.”
Misty nodded. She followed him out to the Beamer and they got inside. “It has to be somebody in the band,” he said baldly.
“Probably is,” she agreed. “Unless Yesenia brought the drugs with her from San Antonio.”
“I doubt that. Yesenia may look a little out there, but I talked to both Tia Elena and Alicia when you were in the restroom and they both swear that Yesenia’s never dabbled in drugs. Maybe she could fool Tia Elena but Alicia would know.”
“But who is it? We’ve been up close and personal for the last month, and except for Ren’s shitty attitude toward us, we haven’t seen a damn thing to implicate a single one of them.”
“How the hell would I know?” Alex asked crossly. “Look, we’ve known for the last month that somebody in that band is dealing and I see no point in sitting here and beating this dead horse. We’ll get Yesenia to tell us when she wakes up, but there’s no point discussing it until she does. Got that?”
“Loud and clear, asshole.” She met his glare.
“Look, I’m hungry for real, and when I get hungry I get… cranky. Hospital cafeteria or coffee shop across the street?”
“I’m going to the cafeteria. You can go wherever the hell you want.”
*****
Hijole, he was still in the doghouse. He got out of the car and crossed the busy street, dodging traffic. He found a booth in the back of the coffee shop and told the waitress he wanted whatever was quick. He wanted to be there when Yesenia awoke and was able to talk. He didn’t know if he could get any more information out of her than anyone else could, but he damn well wanted he and Misty to try.
That is, if she didn’t kill him first.
The waitress brought him a passable tuna salad sandwich and potato chips. He swallowed down the meal and was just returning to the hospital when he spied El Jefe striding toward him with a grim and angry expression on his face. “Hijo de puta! What the hell is taking you and Misty so long?” his father demanded. “Why haven’t you caught the assholes yet?”
“Maybe because they don’t have a sign on their foreheads,” Alex snapped back in a tone he seldom used with his father. “You think we don’t want to find out what’s going on? You think we’re not trying?”
“I don’t think you’re trying hard enough,” Ernest shot back. “Dios, Alex. Yesenia could die.”
“Yes, she could. But Papa, whose bright idea was it to hire Los Muchachos Ochos in the first place, especially when you already knew we suspected the band of something?”
“Your mother’s. And I did try to talk her out of it but nooo, she wanted to throw some business the band’s way and get you and Misty down here for a romantic weekend. I couldn’t tell her the truth without giving you away.”
“Fine.” Alex let out the breath he’d been holding. “We’re doing all we know how to do, Papa, and that’s going to have to be enough. All right?”
El Jefe nodded. “Come on back inside.”
They returned to the waiting room, where the family, Misty included, was clustered anxiously around a doctor. Alex felt the spring inside of him release when the doctor smiled and his Tia Elena burst into happy tears; Yesenia was going to be all right.
*****
It was almost four before the doctor returned to the waiting room with the news that Yesenia was awake. Once she knew Yesenia was going to be all right, Misty had purchased a paperback in the gift shop and spent the afternoon with her favorite ghouls, Sookie Stackhouse and her gang. Pretty much immersing herself in the story, she looked up occasionally to give Alex the evil eye. For his part he seemed content to lean his head against the wall and doze.
Mrs. Navarro suggested more than once that since they knew Yesenia was going to be all right, she and Alex could go on back to San Antonio, but with a snow job worthy of Santa Claus, Alex convinced both his mother and his aunt that he had a much better chance of getting Yesenia to talk than her folks would. Misty hoped Alex was right.
Yesenia’s parents were the first ones at her bedside, but they came out a few minutes later looking frustrated. “She won’t say a word,” Alex’s Tia Elena said. “Not about any of it.”
“Did she say anything to the cops?” Alex asked.
“They got a call and left a couple of hours ago,” Clarissa piped up.
“They what?” Alex and Misty said in unison.
“They left. Said their bosses called them off. Something about it not being in their jurisdiction and that the San Antonio department could handle it.”
Misty and Alex exchanged a look. An overdose occurring in the city limits of Corpus Christi would most certainly be in their jurisdiction. So what was really going on? Misty couldn’t help but think of Detective Ellison’s certainty of Kirby’s guilt without an investigation to back up the supposition.
“We’re going to talk to Yesenia,” Alex told his aunt and uncle.
Misty followed Alex down the hall, and a helpful orderly pointed out Yesenia’s cubicle. They stepped behind the curtain and Misty stifled a gasp. Yesenia was ashen, almost as white as the sheets behind her, and deep circles rode under her glazed eyes. “Wh—what are you doing here?” she whispered as she looked at Alex, completely focused on her cousin.
“You were there for me when I needed you, weren’t you, mijita?” Alex asked gently. “So now I’m here for you.”
Tears welled in the girl’s eyes. “I ruined it for Alicia, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to.”
“I think Alicia will survive,” Misty said. “So what happened last night?”
Yesenia looked from Alex to Misty. “I wasn’t trying to create a problem, I was just curious about the stuff. That’s all. S—They said—” Her eyes got round and she clamped her lips shut.
“Who said?” Alex prompted.
“They said what?” Misty added.
Yesenia shook her head. “I promised I’d keep my mouth shut. I can’t go back on that.”
Alex’s lips firmed. “Yo-Yo…”
Misty shot a quelling glance toward Alex. “Did they promise you something or threaten you in any way?”
Yesenia shook her head. “No. They just said I’d be in trouble if I told. But it looks like I’m in trouble anyway.”
“Yesenia, wouldn’t it be better if you told someone who supplied you the drugs? Their next recruit might not be as lucky as you were,” Alex said coaxingly. He held the silence for a beat. “At least tell us this much. Was it someone in the band?”
Yesenia’s eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. “No, of course not. Absolutely not. No way. It—it was just some guy out on the sidewalk.”
Some guy on the sidewalk, my ass. Misty and Alex exchanged a swift, knowing look.
They talked for a few more minutes but Yesenia stuck to her story. “Okay, Yo-Yo, we’re going to leave you alone to rest.” Alex leaned down at kissed her cheek. “Get better, primita. And no more satisfying your curiosity.”
Yesenia nodded. “Love you, Alex.”
“Love you, Yo-Yo.”
Alex and Misty were halfway down the hall before either of them spoke. “Think the lady doth protest a little too much?” Alex asked dryly.
“A lot too much. Now we know for sure it’s somebody in the band.”
“So what do we do? Confront them all and see what happens?”
Misty shook her head. “That’s the worst thing we could do. Whoever’s dealing will just lay low until you and I disappear and Kirby goes to jail, and then start it right back up.”
“And what’s all that shit about the Corpus Christi cops not investigating? Have you ever heard of a department refusing to look into an overdose in their jurisdiction?”
“Mystery to me,” Misty admitted.
“So what do we do next?”
“Just what we’re doing. We keep on keeping on.”
“Shit.”
“Amen to that.”
They reported their lack of success to Yesenia’s parents and the Navarros and went back to the hotel to pack.
They were carrying their luggage through the lobby when they spotted Ren and the Saucedas waiting beside a pile of gig bags. “Y’all still here?” Alex asked.
“We played tourist for another day,” Chito said cheerfully. “You do the same?”
“I wish,” Alex said glumly. “We’ve spent most of the day at the hospital. Alicia’s older sister overdosed last night and it took most of the day for her to come around.”
“Oh, no,” Haley said as the adults looked appropriately distressed. “Is she going to be all right?”
“This time, thankfully,” Misty said more tartly than she’d intended.
Chito and Linda shook their heads. “I swear, I don’t know what makes young people do what they do,” Chito said as he ran his fingers through his gray hair.
“Fools come in all ages, Chito,” Ren said briskly as he snagged an empty luggage cart from a passing bellboy. “You go on with the wheeled suitcases and Alex can help me load the gig bags and get them to the van.”
“Sure,” Alex said.
Chito smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Alex. Some of those bags are heavy.”
Alex put down his own suitcase to help Ren load the bags while the Saucedas wheeled their suitcases out the door. Misty watched as the bags went on the cart with the feeling that something was off. Hadn’t there been one more bag in the pile yesterday? She counted the seven bags on the cart and tried to remember just how many had been behind the stage in the ballroom last night. Even subtracting her gig bag and those of the Morales family, there weren’t as many bags as there had been yesterday.
They were one bag short.
“Ren, did everybody check their room carefully?” she asked. “I think there was at least one more bag yesterday.”
“No, this is all the bags,” Ren said dismissively.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Ren said patiently. Too patiently, somehow. “I counted them before I brought them down here.”
Misty opened her mouth to argue but caught a look from Alex and quickly changed her mind. “If you say so. It was a pleasure playing with you this weekend, Ren.”
“Likewise.”
Alex followed Ren and the cart out the door and returned momentarily. “There was another bag,” he said without preamble as he took his suitcase from her.
“How do you know?”
“I was bored waiting for the service to start and I counted them. Y’all had them all lined up against the side wall of the church. There’s definitely a bag missing.”
“Well, hell. And Ren insisted that they were all there.”
Alex looked at Misty and his lips tightened. “Shit. You know what that means.”
Misty nodded.