“Your sister was important to you, and that’s something I understand,” he said, not wanting to let the subject go. “Sometimes death is the only way to release the pain.”

“Kim was my only family, and she died at Casey’s order, but it was Nunzio’s stupidity that got her killed. Letting go of that is the price I’m willing to pay to be with you.” She kissed him again and put her hand over his crotch. “I’m not leaving.”

“Good, but don’t make promises that might be hard to keep.”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. I’m loyal to you, and I understand what you need from me. I’ll never ask you to give more than you can.” Tracy squeezed him enough to get his attention, then let him go.

“Don’t you want a family of your own?” She was too young to realize the ramifications of what she was saying, and he was too old to start over with an infant.

“Like I said, Kim was my family, and I never thought about children. Don’t worry, I’m not going to trap you with another person you don’t want.” She laughed and kissed his chin, leaning back when the woman from the jewelry store walked toward them. “Are you done?”

“Sí, señora. We gift wrap for you.”

They went back to the store to pay for everything, and Tracy smiled when he added a bracelet to his purchases and put it on her himself. “Never be afraid to ask for the things you want. I might surprise you.”

The driver headed out of town, and the ocean side road was beautiful. After a few miles the beach was no longer visible, and on the right side of the road were endless tall walls topped with either broken glass or razor wire. Their driver started to slow at the upcoming gate, and Hector tried to remember the house itself. He’d only been here once, and he’d walked away with a deal that he and Rodolfo would stay out of each other’s way.

“Hola, Señor Delarosa,” Carlos Luis said as he waited at the bottom of the steps that led up to a wide porch. The gardens were spectacular, and there was an older woman sitting in one of the rockers admiring the view, but really she seemed to be studying him and Tracy.

Carlos held his hand out, and Hector gripped it between his. The one thing he wanted to get across was the desire to become friends. “Thank you for having us,” he said in Spanish. “This is my associate, Tracy Stegal.”

“I met your sister,” Carlos said, then stopped before taking Tracy’s hand. “I am sorry, do you speak Spanish?”

“I do,” Tracy said with that accent Americans never seemed to lose when learning another language. “You have a beautiful home.”