"A guy? Go on." She leaned in excitedly, letting me know I had her full attention. I gave her the very edited version of how I met Brando, his nights at the restaurant, and the sketches—some of them I had brought with me.
"He's good." She studied the drawing of me, her gaze shifting from me to the paper. "This kind of detail doesn't come from one night of staring at you." She twisted the paper around and squinted her eyes. "No, he has your face saved in his memory." Her words took me by surprise. My face had been stored in his memory? I'd never given much thought into how he'd been able to draw such an accurate image. I never once caught him looking at me.
"Carina"—Carmen waved the drawing in front of her and quirked an eyebrow—"I think this is significant. There might be something here."
"Yes, but it's not the right time. I have to think about what's best for Bash..." My voice trailed off; even I'd grown tired of my excuses. Carmen tossed the drawing aside.
"You already know what's best for Bash. You. You are what's best." She sat up in the lounge chair and swung her legs to the floor. "How much longer are you willing to let Miguel intimidate you? Aren't you tired of being unhappy? I remember when he was a skinny kid who was afraid of spiders. Show him there is nothing scarier than a mama fighting for her baby. Don't let him control your future anymore. Take back your life, Carina." Carmen had a way of making me believe anything was possible. If she told me I could fly, I might have tried.
"Okay." I reached over and squeezed her hand before offering encouraging words of my own. "You have to do the same. Talk to Ritchie." I shot a pointed look at her stomach. "A mama fighting for her baby, right?"
Carmen gave me a soft smile and squeezed my hand in response.
That night I retraced Brando's name on my wrist. The idea of it disappearing completely had terrified me. I realized then that I didn't want to run from him anymore.
She was right. It was time for all of it to be over. I had to take back my life. I just needed to figure out how.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Brando
I made the drive up the Silverwood. I wasn't a detective, but I knew how to find people. Madelyn had asked me to locate a guy in Guadalajara, Mexico. A private detective. I'd given him an address and asked him to gather some information about the people living there. He didn't need names. Two days later he emailed a large file. I didn't read it because it was none of my business.
Madelyn looked over the report and didn't mask her surprise. She crumpled several papers in her hand and tossed them in the trash.
"Damn him." She hissed under her breath, then turned her face away. Several moments later she stood from the antique chair in what she called the sitting room and reached for the crystal decanter on the wooden bar top. "Drink?" she asked, her back to me.
"No," I replied, struggling to get to my feet after sitting in the low chair. I wasn't sure what reaction I'd expected, but something told me Madelyn wasn't happy with the news over her long-lost friend. "I'm going to leave."
"You did good work." She lifted the glass to her lips, ignoring my attempt to exit. The smell of gin was unmistakable, though it wasn't the cheap stuff my mother drank. "I owe you something." She tapped a polished fingernail against her cheek. "Here's a freebie. Carina is in Mexico because her father lives there now. Apparently, he has gotten his maid pregnant." Her lip curled in disgust.
"What? Carmen is pregnant?" Jamie asked as he entered the room. "How do you know that?" Madelyn didn't answer as she sipped her gin, then her gaze slid over me. Then it all clicked.
"You had me find someone to spy on your ex-husband?"
"Madelyn." Jamie frowned at his mother. "Please tell me that's not true."
"James." She sighed. "Do you know I named you after my favorite uncle?" Her legs were a little unsteady as she resumed her pacing. "I had the perfect life. Perfect family. Perfect man. Handsome. Oh, he was so rich"—Madelyn gulped more gin—"and sexy, too."
I was long past uncomfortable, but I didn't think I would be able to get out of there without making a sprint for the door.
"Why don't you sit down, Madelyn." Jamie moved forward and grabbed her arm. "You can't keep spying on Dad like that. We've talked about this."
"Oh, right." Madelyn gave an unladylike snort. "He's Dad and I'm Madelyn. He could never do wrong as far as both of you were concerned. I tried to be a good mother. I kept my mouth shut, shielded my children from his lies, and I still lost. Maggie was my best friend, you know."
"I know. I know. Let's not get into that right now. You're making Brando uncomfortable."
"No, he's here because of Carina." She narrowed her icy blue eyes on me. "The daughter who says terrible, nasty things to me. She calls me a thief, then moves two thousand miles away to live with her father. Who does she call when she gets in trouble? Her mother the thief."
"It goes both ways. It's not all her fault."
"Listen to my son. Forever defending his sister. He only sticks around here because he feels sorry for me. Otherwise, he would be in Mexico, too."
"Not true," Jamie replied.
"Carina was in trouble? What happened?" I asked, still stuck on that part of her rant. I really felt for Jamie. Madelyn was starting to sound a lot like my own mother.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Madelyn grinned. "The fool," she added, then staggered slightly from the room.