Page 14 of Deadly Lies

“Mama!”

“Hi, mijo! I miss you so much. Are you having fun with Gabriel and Cherie and Pat and Annie?”

“Yup. Mama, when can I have a baby sister?”

I laughed. Grant and I would love more children. Neither of us had experience with a baby since we didn’t find out that Julián was alive until he was a toddler. But I wanted to settle into my role as an NCIS agent before I took on any more responsibilities.

“I’m not sure, baby. But I love you. Mommy will be home in a few days. Be good.”

“Love you, Mama.”

We hung up, and I called Grant.

“Hey, babe.” His deep voice always made me melt.

“Hey. Guess where I am?”

“Well, you already told me—Marin. The Lodge?”

“Good guess! Wish you were with me. I just talked to Julián, and he asked for a baby sister.”

Grant laughed. “Well, let’s give him one.”

I smiled. I was so grateful that Grant loved children. He was the best father.

But so was Mitch. My heart sank. “Soon. Any news about Sienna?”

“No. The investigation in Disney is winding down. They told Mitch to go home. But he won’t leave.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame him. Leaving is so final. He went to Disney with her; now she’s gone.” I flashed back to the hospital the night my baby was born. Walking out of that place without my newborn was the worst feeling in the world. “Why don’t you both come up here?”

“That’s a big fat no.”

Breathe, Mia. “Well, why not? Julián is with Pat and Annie. We’re following a lead up here.”

Grant loudly exhaled. “A lead to what, Mia? Sienna? Because those are the only leads worth following right now. She vanished from Disneyland, not the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Now, it was my turn to exhale. I needed to tread lightly, or Grant would lose it. “Of course, I know that. Finding Sienna is the only goal.” And I meant that. With all my heart. But I couldn’t push aside the belief that discovering what Joaquín was hiding would lead me to Sienna. After all, Joaquín had supposedly been involved in hiding Julián. It wasn’t a far stretch. Two Navy SEAL kids, both linked by the Team.

I was still figuring out how exactly to bring up my plan to Grant when he spoke. “This better have nothing to do with Joaquín. Tell me, Mia. Tell me you are not going down another rabbit hole with your brother.”

Should I lie. I decided to remain silent.

“Mia?”

“Fine. I am. But it’s not what you think. We went to visit him to see if he could shed any light on this case,” I lied. I hated lying to my husband, but sometimes it was necessary. “And Ashley saw a girl that she thought looked like Tiffany. Can you believe it?”

“Angelita Mia Cruz Carrion! What the fuck are you doing? And now you have Ashley roped into your delusions? Tiffany is fucking dead. Sienna could be alive. Now get your ass back down to San Diego so we can help Mitch.”

I seethed. He had no right to talk to me like this, no right at all. “Look, I know you’re stressed out, we are all. But I think I’m on to something, and I’m not just going to let it go. This could save Sienna. I’m not going to just ignore my gut and listen to you and then miss the one clue that might save her. You are welcome to come up here with me, but I’m an NCIS agent now. Ashley and I are on it.” I paused, wondering if I should throw in this last zinger. “And by Ashley, I mean Autumn.”

“Autumn?! Is she going undercover again? Are you about to become Ksenya? Should I be speaking in Russian?”

“Whatever, Grant. I’m not going to get into this with you now. I love you. But you need to trust me. I’m going to see Joaquín tomorrow. And the minute we wrap things up in Marin, we’ll come down to San Diego. Call me the second you hear anything about Sienna. Good night.”

Grant didn’t even bother to say good night. The dead phone line told me exactly what he was feeling—rage.

And I got it. But I was going to see my brother tomorrow and get answers.