IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. The plan was in place. All Alicia had to do was let Victor drive her and Diego to the airport. His wife and son should have phoned to say they’d arrived at the villa in Côte d’Azur this morning, but their call never came.
Juan’s heart writhed inside his chest as he pulled up the security camera images from his home, only to find an empty, ransacked house. His calls to Alicia went unanswered, as did his calls to Victor.
Where are they?
He glanced down at his phone again, the trembling in his fingers growing uncontrollable with every passing minute. What had Señor done? How had he gotten to her and Diego so fast? Juan should’ve known better. After Javier was killed, he should’ve reacted quicker. He turned and looked at Pecca. This was not what he wanted. He had tried to avoid it, but his delay—his temporary compassion for her—may have cost him his family.
A small groan escaped her lips. Pecca would be waking up soon. Juan paced, grinding his teeth. It shouldn’t have come to this. Before his plane landed at the Savannah airport, he had already created David Turner. It wasn’t hard. Identity theft wasn’t nearly as hard anymore. And since Juan wasn’t actually stealing anything but the Army sergeant’s name, military record, and injury, there was no crime to make anyone suspicious enough to look into him.
Arriving early enough to build up David’s life in Savannah and Walton had been vital. He’d been worried that the local residents would question his sudden presence, but they were so wrapped up with the Watcher case and the death of some newspaper owner that they barely noticed him.
Fitting into the community wasn’t hard. Everyone loves a volunteer, and most people only look for the boxes marked for a criminal record when they run a background check. Sergeant David Turner was an exemplary citizen. Not even a parking ticket.
Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Pecca’s head hung forward against her chest but was slowly moving side to side. Juan had been prepared for a lot of scenarios, but not for the way Pecca Gallegos and her son, Maceo, had reminded him of Alicia and Diego.
Señor’s wrath did not discriminate against mothers or children. Juan’s breath caught in his throat, emotion burning. He looked at his phone and tried calling Alicia’s number again. He cursed when she did not answer. He tried Victor’s, vowing to kill him first if something happened to his wife and son.
The phone came to life in his hand, and Juan almost dropped it. He answered.
“Alicia?”
“No.”
Juan shoved his fist between his teeth and bit down, fighting the scream he wanted to release. His heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. “Wh-where is she? Diego?”
“They are safe for now.”
“I want to speak to them.”
“You do not give me orders!”
Removing the phone from his ear, Juan took a breath. He needed to stay calm. Alicia and Diego were alive. He needed to keep them that way.
“Why have you involved them?”
“You involved them the second you told them to run. You think I wouldn’t find out that my niece was going on a trip?” Señor gave a short, derisive laugh. “I know everything that happens in my family. That is my job now that Hector is gone.”
Juan balled his hand into a fist and slammed it against his thigh. The physical pain was not even worth recognizing compared to what lay ahead emotionally if something happened to Alicia and Diego. Señor took it upon himself to lead the Perez family, but shared bloodlines did not guarantee their safety.
“Please let me talk to them. I’ll do whatever you ask of me. Por favor.”
“You will do what I ask, because I have found the proper incentive. Their lives rest in your hands, Juan. Now, I assume my little acquisition has spurred you into action, yes?”
“I have her sister.” Juan turned to Pecca, who was stirring more. “Claudia will be here soon.”
“How do you know this?”
Anger boiled beneath his skin. Because I have a plan, he wanted to scream. Bringing Manuel Lopez to Walton had been his ace. A disposable decoy he knew Claudia wouldn’t be able to resist. All he had to do was wait for her to show up, and he would deliver the precious asset to Señor.
But when he couldn’t get hold of Alicia—time had run out.
“Unlike you, Claudia is loyal to only two things in this world—her government and her family. She will come to save her sister.”
“You better pray she values one of those things more than the other.” Juan could hear Señor’s lips smacking over a cigar. “For your sake and for the sake of your family, Juan. I hope you are right.”
The line went dead and Juan screamed his curses into the air, the angry vulgarities echoing against the walls. He went to Pecca. For her sake, Claudia had better not fail to show up.