Miguel looked at the bitch who had betrayed him. “How fast did it take you to spread your legs for my cousin?”
Before Merle could answer, he hit her in the face and her eyes began to swell.
“That’s for the years you fucked the bastard while I was in prison.” He hit her again. “You were just as guilty as me.”
Merle had refused to testify on his b
ehalf at his murder trial, which enraged him. So fucking weak and worthless.
“Our little girl has a nice home here, doesn’t she?” He glanced around the kitchen. “We did a great job raising her, didn’t we?”
He slapped Merle across the face again, enjoying the look of panic in her eyes.
Blood colored her lips. “Miguel, do what you want to me, but please, don’t hurt Danielle.”
Kidnapping her had been easy with Soliz’s help. After she’d learned that Danielle was still alive, Merle had crept out of Ricardo’s bed and house. Soliz had found her trying to start one of the cartel’s cars. His old friend had promised to help her but instead had brought her straight to Miguel. Besides handing over the bitch, Soliz also had given him Danielle’s address in Wilde, Nevada.
But now Soliz was dead. The four hundred thousand was back in Ricardo’s chickenshit hands. Miguel’s chance of overthrowing his cousin seemed distant. He needed money. Now.
“Where the fuck did your daughter put my book?” he screamed at his ex-wife.
The whore sat in the kitchen chair he’d tied her to. “I don’t know, Miguel. I swear. I haven’t seen her since she ran away. You know that.”
He’d emptied every drawer, looked in every closet, turned over every inch of Danielle’s house. Nothing.
He looked at Danielle’s waitress uniform. The name embroidered on the top was where he needed to go.
Someone at Norma’s Diner had to know where the little bitch had slunk off to hide. All he had to do was find out who and follow them to his stepdaughter.
Chapter Eleven
Danielle walked into Michael and Harry’s living room. The warm bath Chuck had put her in had helped ease some of the tension in her shoulders, but not all of it. How could water wash away all that had happened?
She found Lance and Chuck sitting with Carlotta.
Her boss wore her white turban. “My dear, come sit vith us.”
She moved to the sofa and sat between Lance and Chuck. “I’m sorry about my shift, Carlotta. I hope I didn’t leave you in a mess.”
“Not at all.” Carlotta spread out her blue silk scarf on the coffee table and placed her tarot cards and crystal ball on it. “Da spirits are anxious for me to read all dhree of you togdher. I dhought I vould be using da cards tonight, but the crystal ball says ‘no.’ I am to use it instead.”
Lance grinned. “I’m game.”
“Me, too.” Chuck was clearly open to whatever Carlotta wanted.
Danielle understood. It was hard to resist the dear woman. “I guess I am, too.”
“Hold hands.” Carlotta pulled out a red candle and a lighter from her purse. She lit the wick. “Did you know that crystals have been used for scrying for dhousands of years? It takes years of practice, gazing at da reflective surface to see into da spirit vorld.” The sweet fortune-teller stared at the ball. “I see Lance’s parents. Dhey are still among da living, yes?”
“Yes,” Lance answered in a quiet tone of awe.
“Dhey are svimming in a large beautiful pool, enjoying dhemselves.”
“They have a pool.”
“A pool dhat you gave dhem, yes? Wait. Your fadher is getting out of da pool. He’s grabbing his cell. Da spirits tell me he’s about to call you.”
“Really?” Lance’s eyes were wide. His cell rang and they all jumped, except Carlotta of course. He looked at the screen. “It is my dad.”