Page 4 of Desperate Justice
Diana glanced at her cell phone. “They can’t prove anything or Hector would be behind bars by now. Besides, Paul isn’t like his uncle Hector. He barely knows him. He had little to do with him while growing up.”
“Then why hold your wedding on Hector’s estate?”
“Because Hector offered. He’s trying to reconnect with his younger sister’s only son after she cut off all communication with him. After she died, Hector reached out to Paul. He is Paul’s godfather. It’s his way of trying to make up for the past. Family means a lot to Paul. He has so little family left now. Why do you have a problem with that?”
I have a problem with his uncle, not Paul. Paul Davis owned a modest furniture store in Miami and was slowly expanding. Recently he bought a warehouse in North Carolina and hired artisans to make handcrafted furniture. Paul was head over heels in love with her sister.
Oh, she liked Paul. It was this shady side of his family she didn’t like.
“Diana, I wish you’d consider postponing the wedding. You’ve only known him six months. It’s one thing to have Hector Hernandez as a relative, I mean you can’t choose your blood relations. It’s another to have him pay for almost everything!”
Diana studied the modest diamond on her left hand. “Paul hadn’t even seen him in years until Hector heard we were marrying, and offering to pay for the wedding and host it is a way of reconciling. And you still can’t convince me Hector Hernandez is as much of a criminal as the press says he is.”
“Diana...” She glanced up. Thank goodness it was a slow night tonight in the ER. “Honey, please think about this. Postpone the wedding.”
Diana’s eyes widened. “Four hundred guests, most of whom already responded, the flowers, cake... Paul’s uncle footing the entire bill as a gift to him and you want me to postpone. He knows Paul and I don’t have much money, and Mom and Dad...”
Mom and dad would do anything you ask. Anything for their darling little girl. Allison bit her lip. Forget about her parents, who adored Paul as much as Diana did. They didn’t have much sense when it came to the real world and how tough life could be out there.
“Listen, I overheard one of the cops say the man who owns the salon is tied to Hernandez. The feds had a warrant. The agent in charge showed it to everyone there.”
Diana’s expression shifted to mischievous. “Was he cute? Some cops are... Oh! You’re blushing!”
To her horror, heat crept up her cheeks. Allison scowled. “This is about you, not me.”
She’d never told her family about being a confidential informant for Rafael and the FBI last year. One reason was because she didn’t want them chastising her for going undercover for a dangerous biker gang. Now she was relieved Diana never found out about Rafe.
“It’s about time someone caught your interest. Even a cop. I swear, Ally, you need to settle down more than I do. Mom and Dad think you only care about your motorcycle.”
Mom and Dad wouldn’t care, or notice, if I married my bike.Allison bit back a sigh. Diana mattered. Not their parents, who barely remembered Allison’s existence.
Diana glanced at her phone again. “Wish I could chat more but I have tons to do before the wedding, Ally. Please don’t worry about me.”
This time, Allison sighed. She loved Diana, but some days her sister tried her patience. Even though she was thirty years old to Diana’s twenty-five, times like this she felt as if she were eighty and Diana a teenager.
Diana glanced at a lower shelf where Allison stored her purse. “I left you a little gift to get you through the night. The sugar in the candy should help, Ally, but promise you’ll find time to eat, too. I worry about you working these long shifts.”
Allison laughed. “I’ll be fine, jellybean.”
“You always are, angel.” Diana’s dark eyes twinkled. “Though I think you are in love... I can see it on your face.”
“With my motorcycle. And my profession, speaking of which...” She watched the ambulance lights flashing in the bay. “I’ve got work. I’ll talk to you later.”
Diana’s smile dropped. “Ally, I didn’t mean to tease. You know how I feel about you... You’re my big sis.”
She hooked her pinkie finger around Allison’s. “Cradle to grave, and thanks to you, I got to postpone that grave for a few years.”
“More than a few years.” Allison’s throat tightened. “Please, think about what I said.”
“For you, I will consider it.” Diana hugged her tightly. “Stay safe.”
Allison headed for the double doors leading to the ambulance bay. Red lights, the screaming siren now silenced at the hospital, everything reminded her of that horrible day when Diana almost died.
She would do anything for her beloved, naive little sister.
Right now all she could do was hope Diana would change her mind about the wedding venue.
Maybe Rafael Rodriguez would find evidence to arrest Hector Hernandez and put him behind bars for good...before her sister’s life was ruined.
