Total Meltdown (Hellfire Series Book 7)

by Elle James

  Ava left with Michael, and Nash left with Trevor.

  Which left only Robbie, his father and Lola.

  “Holy smokes, Lily.” Lola leaned close to her ear. “Where’d you find him?”

  Lily frowned at Lola. “I didn’t find him. And he’s standing right here. He can hear every word you say.”

  The man chuckled. “Allow me to start over. I’m Antonio Delossantos, Roberto’s father. My friends call me Tony.”

  Lily bit down hard on her tongue to keep from telling the man how she really felt about meeting him. Instead, she couched her anger in a sweet smile. “So nice to meet you, Mr. Delossantos, especially on the last day of school. I’m always surprised at the level of commitment parents have toward their children’s education.”

  “Ouch,” Lola murmured. “Look out, Lily’s got a bone to pick.”

  Lily ignored Lola’s comment and raised her brows at Mr. Delossantos, daring him to explain his lack of concern over his son’s education, much less feelings.

  Chapter 2

  “See, Papi?” Robbie said before Tony could respond to Miss Grayson’s accusing tone. “I told you Miss Grayson was awesome. Did you see the way she tackled Michael’s daddy? Did you?”

  “Yes, son, I did.” He frowned, entirely too aware of Robbie’s auburn-haired, green-eyed teacher who’d just thrown a man onto the ground and rendered him helpless. “We should be going. I have to pack for my trip.”

  “Where is Senora Rosa? Why isn’t she here?”

  “She isn’t feeling well,” Tony said with a sigh.

  “If she’s sick, how can she care for us?”

  “We’ll figure it out.” He took his son’s hand. “Come on. Your sister’s in the truck.”

  “If Senora Rosa can’t take care of us, Miss Grayson can. She doesn’t have a job during the summer.” Robbie turned to his kindergarten teacher. “Can you, Miss Grayson? Can you watch me and Mari while Senora Rosa is sick?”

  “I think it’s a perfect opportunity for your father to spend time with you.” She smiled. “In fact, he could take you to the Memorial Day celebration at the fairgrounds on Monday. There will be games, prizes and fireworks. And the carnival is set up. You could ride the Ferris wheel.”

  “Can we, Papi? Will you take us to the fairgrounds?”

  Tony frowned. He had a lot to do on the ranch before he flew back to Costa Rica to check on his other holdings. “We’ll see.”

  Robbie’s smile fell. “That means no.”

  “What means no?” Tony asked.

  “Every time you say, we’ll see, it means no.” His son’s shoulders slumped. He looked up at Miss Grayson. “Will you be there?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I will.”

  “I hope you have fun watching the fireworks.” Robbie looked up at his father. “I’m ready to go.”

  The abject misery in his son’s face made him rethink his schedule. He’d planned on leaving Sunday, but he could put it off until Tuesday. “Fine,” he said, making a decision. “We’ll go to the celebration on Monday.” He ruffled his son’s hair. “You’ll have to help me keep up with your sister.”

  “Really? We get to go?” Robbie hugged him around the knees. “I’ll help with Mari. I promise.” He turned to Miss Grayson. “We get to go. Did you hear? We’ll be there and get to see you again.”

  “Go get in the truck,” Tony said. “I’ll be right there.”

  “Yes, Papi.” Robbie ran toward the truck parked against the curb. “Mari! Mari, we get to go to the fairgrounds.” He had to climb up on the running board to reach the door handle, but he managed and pulled open the door.

  Tony faced Miss Grayson, maintaining a smile but letting his eyes narrow a fraction. “Thanks. That will delay my trip by a couple days.”

  The teacher lifted her chin. “But think of the quality time you’ll spend with your children. I’m sure they would appreciate any time they could spend with their father.”

  He frowned. “I get the feeling you’re judging me.”

  She shook her head, her face a picture of innocence. “He’s your son. You have to raise him how you see fit. Just so you realize… He loves you and his sister. Look through his backpack.”

  She turned away and hooked her arm through the arm of the other woman standing beside her in ridiculously high heels.

  “Lily, aren’t you going to introduce me to Robbie’s father?” the other woman said.

  “He’s not worth it,” Lily replied, loud enough Tony heard.

  Anger bubbled up inside. He wanted to go after the teacher and tell her she didn’t know anything about him. Therefore, she had no basis on which to judge him. He had a ranch that didn’t run itself, and businesses in the home of his parents’ birth, Costa Rica. He couldn’t always be there for Robbie and Mari.

  Which left them with his housekeeper, Rosa, for the majority of the time, although Rosa was more than a housekeeper. She had been with Tony since Tony was a little boy. She’d been there for Marisol when she’d given birth. Rosa had been there to help Tony pick up the pieces after Marisol’s death.

  That didn’t excuse him as a parent. Without their mother, Roberto and Mari needed their other parent to give them the love, affection and nurturing they so desperately needed.

  Okay, so little Miss Perfect Grayson had struck a nerve.

  He’d spend more time with his children—after he returned from Costa Rica.

  He climbed into his truck and glanced into the rearview mirror at Mari, his four-year-old daughter, who looked so much like him with her dark hair and big brown eyes. And Robbie who reminded him every day of his mother, who’d been killed by the drug cartel leader, El Patron. Had she still been alive, she would have been the one raising their children while Tony worked. And he’d still be missing out on getting to know them and spending time with them.

  As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Miss Grayson was right.

  Not only was she right, she could take care of herself, unlike Marisol. Tony was sure that if El Patron had tried to hurt Miss Grayson, she’d have given him a helluva a fight.

  He was glad to know Robbie had had the benefit of a teacher like Miss Grayson, who could protect him.

  With the two children excited by the prospect of going to the Memorial Day celebration at the fairgrounds on Monday, they talked all the way out to the Double Diamond Ranch. Once there, they entered the house and ran to the kitchen where Rosa usually had a nutritious dinner prepared for them.

  With Rosa laid up in bed, the kitchen was empty.

  Tony looked around, at a loss for what to feed the children for an afternoon snack, and beyond that, what they’d eat for dinner.

  Rosa had always been there to take care of all of them, even before Marisol had been killed. Now that his housekeeper-nanny was sick, he had to fend for himself, as well as for the two children.

  Thankfully, Rosa’s niece was there to take care of Rosa. Tony was hopeless as a nurse.

  Tony found a leftover roast in the refrigerator and sliced it up for sandwiches. Mari turned up her nose at that idea, forcing him to resort to peanut butter and jelly for her.

  Once they’d finished their meal, he took them outside to check with the foreman about several of the animals Tony was concerned about.

  Robbie ran ahead to the barn.

  Tony kept a tight grip on Mari’s hand. The little girl could get away faster than a cat with its tail on fire.

  Inside the barn, he met with Caleb Johnson, his young foreman, a man who’d started working for him while he’d been in high school and stayed on after Tony’s older foreman retired and moved to Florida to be closer to his sister.

  Robbie was busy brushing Diego, Tony’s horse, the bay gelding he’d raised from a colt. The boy easily walked under the horse’s belly, and the animal didn’t flinch.

  At six years old, Robbie already knew how to ride. Caleb had taken the time to teach the boy. A flash of guilt niggled at the back of Tony’s mind. He should have been the one to introduc
e his son to the joy and purpose of riding.

  When he got back to Texas, he would take both of his children riding. They needed to see the land and ranch they would eventually inherit.

  Then why not take them to Costa Rica where their grandparents had been raised?

  He’d thought about it over the past year. El Patron was safely in prison. Tony hadn’t had trouble with the cartels since he’d been instrumental in the capture of the Costa Rican cartel kingpin.

  Still, he couldn’t forget he’d left Costa Rica and brought his children to Texas after their mother had been murdered by El Patron. A lot had changed in Costa Rica. It had become a mecca for tourists and US ex-patriots and seemed to be safer.

  On the surface.

  The cartels used Costa Rica as a warehouse to stage drugs traveling from South America to Mexico, then on to US consumers. The Mexican Sinaloa Cartel had a firm hold on the drug trade, and they weren’t letting go anytime soon. When El Patron had been incarcerated, they’d found someone else to warehouse the drugs in transit.

  So far, his hotel in Manuel Antonio had been spared any problems. The tourism trade was strong on the west coast, and the cartels pretty much left the tourists alone.

  If he had someone who could take care of the children while he conducted business, he might consider taking them with him to Costa Rica.

  Mari tugged on his hand. “Papi, puedo montar el caballo?” When he didn’t respond right away, she tugged again. “Por favor, Papi.”

  Tony looked down at his dark-haired daughter. She had a habit of speaking in Spanish, which would make it more difficult for her when she started kindergarten in the fall. Rosa spoke in Spanish much of the time with the children, whereas Tony only spoke English. He would have to make a concentrated effort over the summer to immerse her in English so that she was better prepared when school started in August.

  “Do you want to ride Diego?” he asked in English.

  She smiled and nodded. “Si, Papi.”

  “Yes,” he gently reminded her.

  “Yes, Papi,” she mimicked.

  He lifted her up and placed her on Diego’s back.

  “Would you like to ride, Robbie?” he asked his young son.

  “Please,” the boy said with a grin.

  Tony swung his son up onto the back of the animal behind his sister.

  Taking the lead rope, he led Diego out of the barn and around the barn yard for several laps.

  The smile on his daughter and son’s faces tugged at his heart. He missed them when he was away. Perhaps he really should consider taking them to Costa Rica this time. He wondered if Rosa would be up to traveling so soon after her illness. He’d check with her after he put the children to bed that night. He wouldn’t mention anything to them until he was certain he had someone to care for them while he conducted business.

  If Rosa wasn’t well by the time he planned to leave, he couldn’t leave with or without them. If he took them with him, he had to have someone to care for them when he was busy, and as a backup, in case something happened. Someone he trusted.

  His thoughts went to the little teacher who’d taken down a big man as if it had been child’s play. That’s the kind of caregiver his children needed if they were to go to Costa Rica with him. He wondered if he could hire someone from a bodyguard firm. Preferably, one who was good with children.

  He’d check around and see what he could find. He had the number of a mercenary firm where he could hire trained military men to protect the perimeter of his holdings. He’d gotten the number from an ex-patriot in Costa Rica who’d hired the firm to help him protect his bar from cartel members bent on putting him out of business.

  Tony wondered if the mercenary group had female mercenaries. Then again, maybe mercenaries weren’t what he needed to watch over his children.

  After the horseback ride, Tony took Mari and Robbie to visit the mare that had foaled that week. By the time they returned to the house, the sun was setting, and the children were tired from an exciting day.

  Tony saw to it they were bathed and tucked into bed, enjoying the little things like getting splashed by Mari and being enveloped in a wet hug from Robbie. He had missed a lot since Marisol died. Perhaps he’d been running from reminders of her.

  Tony kissed both children goodnight and was blessed with still more hugs. His heart swelled with love and pride. They were good children. Marisol would be so proud of them.

  After he left their rooms, he descended to the kitchen where he found Ariana, Rosa’s niece stirring a pot of soup for her aunt. “I’ll be here all night if you’d like me to watch the children,” she offered.

  “I hadn’t planned on going anywhere but thank you.” He looked inside the refrigerator, not sure what he wanted. He wasn’t hungry, and the beer he kept chilling didn’t appeal to him. Closing the door, he left the kitchen and walked down the hallway to his study. He could work on the books for the ranch or check his emails for a status report concerning his holdings in Costa Rica. When he walked around his desk to take a seat, he paused, the starlight spilling through the French doors drawing him away from his desk and computer.

  He strode through the French doors, pushed them open and walked out on the porch that surrounded the sprawling ranch house.

  The night sky was clear, the stars shining brightly like so many diamonds.

  What should have calmed him made him even more edgy. He couldn’t sit, couldn’t turn on the television and lounge in his living room. He needed to keep moving.

  Tony returned to the kitchen.

  Ariana glanced up from pouring soup into a bowl. “Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Delossantos?”

  “If the offer still stands, would you mind keeping an eye out for Mari and Robbie?”

  She smiled. “I don’t mind at all, since I’ll be here all night. Don’t feel like you have to hurry home.”

  “Thank you, Ariana. I’ll gladly pay you for babysitting.”

  She shook her head. “I wouldn’t think of it. You’ve done so much for Tia Rosa, it’s the least I can do for you.”

  “Still, I know you’re going to college next fall, and every college student needs extra cash for books, rent and food.” He held up his hand when Ariana opened her mouth to protest. “Please. Let me.”

  Smiling again, she nodded. “As you wish. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Tia Rosa is waiting. I’ll check on los ninos when we’ve had our dinner.”

  Tony left the house, locking the door behind him.

  Once in his truck, he drove toward Hellfire, not sure where he was going, only knowing he couldn’t sit still. On his way there, he passed a building with trucks, cars and motorcycles crowded around it and music blaring loud enough he could hear it through the closed windows of his truck.

  He passed the Ugly Stick Saloon every time he drove into Hellfire without giving it a second thought. Mostly because he passed it during the day, and it wasn’t open. But it was nighttime, and the bar was hopping with people and music. He’d gone less than a tenth of a mile past the saloon when he slowed, pulled off the road and, finally, turned around.

  Tony parked in the back of the saloon in the only empty spot he could find. Being a Friday night, the place was packed. He hadn’t been inside since he’d been single and full of himself. He understood the Ugly Stick had since changed hands and was run by a woman, a retired stripper.

  Not wanting to spend the evening alone, Tony entered the saloon, passing a large female bouncer who looked him over and checked his ID before she allowed him to proceed.

  He found a stool at the bar and ordered whiskey on the rocks. After the first sip burned a path down his throat, he turned toward the room full of people. As if his eyes were drawn to her, he found the woman who’d occupied much of his thoughts since he’d picked up Robbie at school.

  Miss Lily Grayson sat with the woman who’d been with her that afternoon and several men he recognized as either firemen or fellow ranchers. He knew the Grayson brothers but hadn’t re
alized they had a younger sister until he’d met her that afternoon at Robbie’s school.

  It struck him that he knew so little about her, and she’d taught Robbie all year.

  He had some catching up to do. Without making a conscious decision, he’d started down the path to making changes that afternoon with Robbie and Mari. Perhaps he could learn more from Robbie’s teacher.

  The music switched to a slower country western song. The music softened, and he could actually hear himself think. Tony set his glass on the bar, stood and started across the floor.

  He hadn’t gone three steps before another man leaned over Lily’s shoulder and held out his hand.

  She smiled up at him and took that hand, letting him draw her to her feet and into his arms. They two-stepped across the dance floor, smiling and laughing.

  Tony turned back to his barstool only to discover a cowboy had taken up residence on it.

  “You look like a man who missed his chance. You wanna dance?” a woman with strawberry-blonde hair and red cowboy boots stepped in front of him.

  He shrugged. “Not particularly.”

  She frowned. “I take pride in my saloon. I don’t like it when I see a customer looking so down in the mouth. Come on. Show me you know how to two-step.” She waved at a tall, dark-haired man in the corner.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, eyeing the frowning man. “That man doesn’t look too happy about you dancing with me.” Tony hadn’t come to the Ugly Stick Saloon to get into a barroom fight.

  “Don’t worry about Jackson. He knows I love him. And he knows I love to dance, and I’ll always go home with the man who brought me.” She winked. “Come on. These boots haven’t danced in a while. They’re forgetting how. By the way, I’m Audrey Anderson Graywolf. I own the joint.” She took his hand and dragged him toward the dance floor.

  Lily and her partner sailed past them in a full twirl. Her eyes were bright, and her smile lit up the room.

  Audrey placed one of his hands on her waist, the other in her palm. “Do you know how to two-step?”

  “I’m rusty.” He hadn’t danced since he and Marisol got pregnant with their first child over six years ago. Having a strange woman in his arms was…unsettling.