“No. This was the only one I brought that day. I must’ve misplaced it—my memory is so hazy. I was a wreck after he died.”
Grant clenched his jaw. “Or . . . Joaquín could’ve taken them.”
“What? Please don’t start with me again. Why on earth would Joaquín take my paperwork? He didn’t even know I was pregnant. Maybe I left them at my old apartment.”
But I remembered bringing them here. I had sat in almost this exact spot and read the words: infant not compatible with life. I didn’t read them once or twice. No. I read them a thousand times through my tear-blurred eyes, clutching my belly, trying to convince myself to keep living a life without my son.
“Maybe whoever kidnapped my baby followed me here and took them? You picked the lock? If someone can kidnap a newborn, they would probably be capable of picking a lock, too.”
“You know who taught me to pick locks? Your brother.” Grant shook his head and grabbed another box. I was too spent to argue with him. But I was sick of him blaming Joaquín for every bad thing that had ever happened to me.
I quickly migrated to the old photo albums, losing myself in memories. Joaquín and I at the park, Joaquín and I holding hands on my first day of school, Joaquín and I posing near the Christmas tree. But then I focused on some older pictures. Pictures of my parents. I found one of my mom when she was pregnant with Joaquín and another of my father holding me as an infant. I couldn’t find any of my mom pregnant with me. Nor could I find any of my father holding Joaquín as a baby.
I grabbed an album and turned to Grant, who was knee deep in some old papers. “I can’t do this right now, I need a break. I’m going to run and get some coffee.”
He threw me the keys. “Okay. I’ll be here when you get back.”
I didn’t even kiss him goodbye. I jumped in the car and drove away from my past. I hoped Grant found whatever he was looking for. All I knew was that who I was looking for, our son, was nowhere in that storage unit full of memories.
I didn’t believe for a second that Mia had misplaced her hospital records. I agreed with her that they were stolen, just not by whom. Joaquín had taken leave after the murder, and I would put money on the idea that he went to the storage unit for something and found the papers.
I didn’t have any proof of that. Maybe I could find an old security camera. I’d put Kyle on it.
I was starting to get discouraged going through this junk: old tax returns, a few pieces of furniture, boxes of old toys. But I wasn’t going to give up until I scoured this place.
Thirty minutes passed, and Mia still wasn’t back, which was fine by me. I didn’t want her around in case I found something. I opened the last box and cringed. Their parents’ will, a funeral program, and a newspaper clipping about their accident were the first things I picked up.
I skimmed the article. Their parents had been driving home after visiting family in San Jose. A suspected drunk driver hit her parents’ car dead on when they were a few miles from home. The driver had never been caught, though witnesses saw two Hispanic men fleeing in a truck, which had later been reported stolen. The car had been registered to a Rafael Hernandez, but he had denied any involvement and had an alibi at the time of the crash.
Rafael? Joaquín’s drug dealer?
My mouth went dry as I pulled out my phone and unlocked the screen.
I googled “Rafael Hernandez, San Rafael”. But before my slow ass phone could load the page, the rental car came to stop outside the door.
Come on, dammit.
Mia walked toward the box as a photo finally loaded.
Holy shit.
I closed the window on my phone, my mind buzzing.
“Did you find anything?”
I stood. “Nah, babe. Just some old receipts. Let’s get out of here. I want to take you somewhere.”
I had to protect Mia from Joaquín. He knew the man accused of killing her parents. He was probably involved in kidnapping our son. She blindly trusted and loved her brother. She was in way over her head.
Hell, I was pretty sure I was in over my head, too.
Pushing every single thought about that picture out of my head, I drove toward Mt. Tam. Mia had brought me here once when we first started dating. I remembered hiking to the summit, finding a secluded place, and telling her for the first time that I loved her. That night, we’d made love under the stars. For the first time in my life, I’d allowed myself to truly become lost in her.
She figured out where I was headed the second I exited in Mill Valley. “Ah, you remembered.” She squeezed my thigh.
“Of course. Do you know how many times I thought about that night while I was deployed? I remembered every second of our time together. Wanting to come back here again with you was the reason I survived after the roadside bomb.” That was true. Every night I pushed through my pain, willing myself not to give up so I could see her again, kiss her again, make love to her again.
We drove up the mountain in silence, and I took in the view. After we reached our destination, I grabbed a few things from my seabag, took Mia’s hand, and led her to the top of the mountain.
We passed some hikers on the path but eventually veered off the trail. The scent of oak trees and sage intoxicated me. This spot was as breathtaking as I had remembered it. Shrouded by the towering redwoods, I took a deep breath, determined in the decision I was about to make.
I threw down two blankets and then knelt to the ground. Mia was about to crouch down beside me, but I stopped her, grabbed the small box out of my jacket, and took her hand.
“Angelita Mia Cruz. You’re the craziest woman I’ve ever met. But no matter how hard I try to deny it, I love you. After all these years, I still love you. I’ll never love another woman. Will you marry me?”
I expected her jaw to drop or maybe for her to let out a scream, but instead, her eyes welled with tears. “Are you sure? I thought you would never forgive me.”
“I’m sure. We have a son together, and we need to try to make our relationship work for him. But this isn’t just about him. I love you, and I’ll love you until the day I die. I think about you every minute of every day, no matter how many times I try to stop myself. Marry me, Mia.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Yes, yes!”
I placed the ring on her finger, and she showered me with kisses.
I returned her kisses, and this time, I didn’t hold myself back. My hands cupped her face as I claimed her for mine. For forever. My mouth took hers, and I could feel her come alive, her hands exploring my body, finally letting down her own guard.
I threw her on the blanket and pressed my chest on top of her, pulling the other blanket over us. We were isolated, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think we were completely alone on the mountain. No one would ever see what was mine ever again. No one other than me.
I pushed her jeans off her hips and kicked them to the ground, the soft earth melting under her body. I pulled my own pants off. I kissed her neck, rubbed her nipples until she moaned. She was writhing underneath me as I pulled down her panties, my fingers lingering on her slit for only a second before she was pulling me to her. I didn’t hesitate. I sank into her heat, feeling at home inside her.
I couldn’t control myself—not just my cock but my emotions as well. I pounded into her over and over as I kissed her. She met me move for move, rocking against each of my thrusts until her breath started to come in puffs and her whole body tightened around me.
“I love you, Mia. I fucking love you so much.”
She dug her fingers into my back. “I love you, too.”
The pressure built in my balls, and I exploded inside her as she gasped with her own release.
Afterward, we lay in silence. She cuddled on my chest, and I stroked her hair.
I did love her.
I would do anything to protect her.
I stared down at my ring. It was perfect—an oval diamond set on a rose-gold band. I was engaged. I couldn’t even believe it. Onl
y a few weeks ago, Grant would barely speak to me. It was a strange turn of events, but I embraced the joy of it all.
“Are we camping up here? Did you bring any equipment?”
“No, I have a reservation in Tiburon. I just wanted to propose here. It’s always where I wanted to propose. Beats the hospital.”
Ouch. I wished I had never broken up with him that day and let him propose to me. Our lives would be so different now. “I agree. This was the best proposal. Super romantic and meant even more to me because this is where you first told me you loved me. It was perfect. We should get married up here, too. But I want to wait until Joaquín gets exonerated so he can be here.”
He gave me a halfhearted smile and clenched his teeth. I was too happy to fight with him.
“Let’s get going.” Grant was already on his feet and grabbing blankets to fold them. I stood to help, and when everything was stashed back in his bag, we headed to the rental car and drove to the hotel. Grant didn’t let go of my hand once.
He treated me to a romantic dinner, before we retired to the room, made love, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Hours later, I woke to the sound of my phone beeping.
Mitch: We need to talk.
Fuck. Mitch? Grant still didn’t know that I had gone with Mitch to Rafael’s or that we had done drugs there. Or that Mitch had kissed me and I’d kissed him back. Or that he’d been the one who had driven me to Temecula to find Julián. Oh my god, Grant would freak. I never planned to keep it from him forever. I just hadn’t found the right time to drop that bomb on him. Seeing Mitch recently was different from seeing him at the club. I’d gone behind Grant’s back after Grant had found out who I really was.
Me: Stop texting me. If it’s important, you can tell Grant.
Mitch: This is urgent, Mia. Please call me. It’s about Joaquín.
I deleted his texts, my heart beating rapidly against my ribs. I would tell Grant tomorrow about going to Rafael’s with Mitch, and about Mitch driving me to Temecula. Then, after I had begged for his forgiveness for lying to him . . . yet again, we would find out what Mitch needed to tell me. And we would do it together.
I’d slept better than I had in years holding Mia. My fiancée. I would do anything to make this work. For her, for me, for our son.
We had an early morning breakfast in Tiburon before we met up with Beck, and he flew us home.
After we picked up Hero and Curry, we went back to my place. It was still early afternoon, so I texted Kyle letting him I needed to talk to him when he had a second. I wanted him to know everything he could about Mia’s parents and Rafael.
My phone rang, but it wasn’t Kyle, it was Paul.
“I need to see you right away. Meet me at the NCIS office downtown. And wear your dress whites.”
What the fuck? “May I ask why, sir?”
His voice switched from formal to angry. “No, Carrion, just get the fuck down here.”
Fuck. I tossed my phone on my bed and grabbed my uniform from the closet and quickly pressed it. I hated this fucking outfit. The bib, the bell bottoms, the neckerchief—I looked like I belonged on a fucking cracker jack box.
As I was polishing my boots, Mia walked into the bedroom.
“What’s happening, sailor? Your ass looks amazing in those bells.”
“Not now, woman. Paul called me down to NCIS.” I gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
Her face twisted. “Is this about Joaquín?”
“I don’t know. Got to go.” I left her standing there with her mouth open as I dashed out the door and jumped into my truck.
As I sped down the freeway, I convinced myself this had to be about Joaquín. I’d never been called in for anything. My record had always been stellar. And, God willing, it would remain so.
I arrived at the building, flashed my ID, and checked in at the front desk. An older lady led me to a room where I found Paul sitting in a chair.
“What’s this regarding, sir?”
Before he could answer me, a woman entered in a tight black suit, her bob grazing her shoulders. Her makeup was natural, her body was perfect, but one look at her face, and my breath stopped.
It was Autumn.
“Petty Officer Carrion, thank you for joining us today,” she said, sliding past me to take a seat at the table.
What the fuck? Gone was the stripper makeup and clothes. I’d seen her dancing in a thong with gold pasties on her tits.
“I’m Special Agent Ashley Pierce. I can assume you know who I am, correct?”
Stunned I looked to Paul, but he didn’t offer an explanation.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I’ve been undercover as Autumn while I’ve been investigating drug smuggling within the SEAL teams. Joaquín Cruz is currently being investigated for his suspected involvement with the Ramirez cartel. We need your help. In return, I will put all our resources toward getting your son back.”
Holy shit! What the fuck was Joaquín involved in? A gang was bad enough, but he was working with a cartel?
My mind replayed every encounter I’d ever had with Autumn. First at Paul’s party. How she had targeted me, teased the fuck out of me but never let things go too far. I’d next seen her at the first party I took Ksenya to. She’d cornered me there, offering to help me free Joaquín, and she’d told me that Tiffany had been involved in something shady. And Autumn had been the one who had shown me a picture of my son.
She was as great of an actress as Mia was.
Agent Pierce. It made perfect sense. How had I not suspected she was an agent?
I attempted to regain my composure. “Of course. I’ll do anything.”
“You are not to mention any part of this conversation to Mia Cruz. We believe she may be involved also.”
My mouth dropped open, and she gave me a small smile.
“Yes, we know who she is.”
“Mia is not involved. And I think you should know that we’re engaged now. So, you can stop yourself there. I’ve known her for years. Yes, she underwent this extreme makeover, but she did that because she loves Joaquín, not because they are in cahoots together.”
“Are you sure about that? How much do you trust her?”
If she had asked me that a month ago, I would have laughed in her face and said that I didn’t trust Mia at all. That had changed, though. I did trust Mia.
When Agent Pierce reached into a manila envelope and pulled out three black-and-white pictures, my eyes narrowed. My stomach lurched when they came into focus. One was Mia doing cocaine with Rafael. The next one was Mitch and Mia kissing as Rafael looked on, Mitch’s hand gripping her thigh. My throat burned, and I cringed at the sight of her straddled on his lap. And the last picture was of them sitting in Mitch’s truck—location tagged in Temecula. He had been the one who had given her a ride to Julián’s house. The pictures were date stamped three days ago. The day I’d found out that Julián was mine.
“While we were at the bar with Rafael, I had another agent set up surveillance at Rafael’s house. These pictures were taken the next day.”
Mia had gone behind my back even after she knew I knew who she really was. After we’d fucked. After we’d agreed that she would let me control the investigation. She’d done drugs . . . with Mitch. She’d kissed him.
Pathetically, I told myself that maybe she was still trying to get information about Joaquín, justifying her actions. But it didn’t matter. None of it did. She had promised that she wasn’t hiding anything else from me, yet irrefutable proof of her lies were spread out on the tabletop.
“You have my word.” My jaw clenched and I struggled with my anger.
I was going to fucking kill Mitch.
STAY TUNED FOR
Consume
Se7en Deadly SEALs are no longer the brothers I trusted
6ix months since Mia transformed into another woman
5ive minutes since I learned she’d betrayed me.
4our times I’ve seen Joaquín in jail<
br />
Thre3 years ago Mia and I conceived a child
2wo days since she agreed to be mine forever.
1ne week since I laid eyes on my son.
Zer0 chance I’ll rest until I find him.
He’s out there and once I locate him, I’ll never let him go. He’s my flesh, my blood, my son. No one will stop me, not even Mia, no matter how she consumes me.
Coming soon, early 2017.
Available soon: Consume
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading my book.
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About the Author
ALANA ALBERTSON IS the former President of RWA’s Contemporary Romance Chapter. She holds a M.Ed. from Harvard and a BA in English from Stanford. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, she lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and five dogs. When she’s not saving dogs from high kill shelters through her rescue Pugs N Roses, she can be found watching episodes of House Hunters, Homeland, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.
For More Information:
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