Suspicious Minds (Fate #3)

  Books by Elizabeth Reyes

  Moreno Brothers Series

  Forever Mine

  Forever Yours

  Sweet Sofie

  When You Were Mine

  Always Been Mine

  Romero

  Tangled—A Moreno Brothers novella

  Making You Mine

  5th Street Series

  Noah

  Gio

  Hector

  Abel

  Felix

  Fate Series

  Fate

  Breaking Brandon

  Suspicious Minds

  Desert Heat Series

  Desert Heat

  Suspicious Minds

  (Fate #3)

  Elizabeth Reyes

  Suspicious Minds

  (Fate #3)

  Copyright © 2015 Elizabeth Reyes

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please go to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Edited by Theresa Wegand

  Cover by Amanda Simpson of Pixel Mischief Design

  To my Papas

  Forget what hurt you, but never forget what it taught you.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Epilogue

  A Note to my Wonderful Readers

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Prologue

  It had to be a mistake. It was the only thing Lorenzo Moreno could think of that made sense. His fiancée, Linda, was out of town for the weekend, more than two hours away. She wasn’t due back until Sunday night. He’d just talked to her less than an hour ago, and she’d reiterated the fact that she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow night.

  “It is her, man,” Daniel said a bit too seriously. “I double-checked and she’s in bad shape.”

  Lorenzo squeezed the steering wheel as his stomach took a total nosedive. Nikki, Linda’s adorable three-year-old, suddenly came to mind. He didn’t even want to think it, but Daniel said the wreck Linda had been in was a bad one. There’d been a fatality. He pressed down on the accelerator, refusing to think that negatively.

  The second he turned his car off in the emergency room parking lot he jumped out. The terror had been squeezing at his throat the entire time. His buddy Daniel, who worked as an emergency room attendant, had just been getting off work when Linda was rushed in. If it weren’t for his friend, Lorenzo might have been out tonight throwing a few back without a clue that Linda had been in a wreck.

  He nearly stopped in his tracks when he saw his brother, Vincent, standing at the emergency room entrance, but then Lorenzo kept walking, speeding up with added concern. His sister-in-law, Vince’s wife Rose, was pregnant with their first child, and because of a medical condition, she was considered high risk.

  “Something wrong?” he asked as soon as he was close enough. “Is Rosie okay?”

  “She’s fine,” Vince said immediately. “She’s home. I’m not here for her.”

  “Why are you here then?”

  “Daniel called me,” he said, stepping in front of Lorenzo and blocking him from going into the emergency room.

  The grave expression on his brother’s face was even more alarming. It made his already thumping heart double in speed. “He called you about Linda? Why?”

  Lorenzo looked past Vincent, feeling the chill in his spine. Had Daniel called Vince to be here for him because it was that bad? Without waiting for an answer, Lorenzo tried to get around his brother, but Vincent stopped him, placing a hand on his chest.

  His eyes darted immediately down to Vince’s hand on his chest. “What the—?”

  “She’s gonna be fine, Enzo.” Vince tilted his head to the side. “She’s pretty banged up, but they don’t think it’s anything life-threatening, so relax.”

  Confused, Lorenzo reached down for Vincent’s hand still flat against his chest. “So why—?”

  “Who’s Patrick?” Vincent asked.

  Lorenzo peered at Vincent, even more confused. “Patrick?”

  Then it hit him. Nikki’s dad—Linda’s ex.

  “Yeah,” Vincent stared at him cautiously. “You know of any Patrick?”

  “Nikki’s dad is the only Patrick I know of. Why?”

  “He’s here,” Vincent explained but was clearly waiting for Lorenzo’s reaction.

  That only spiked his already angst-ridden heart. He nearly pushed Vincent out of the way, but to his surprise, his brother stood his ground and used both hands to hold him back now.

  “What the fuck, Vince? Is it Nikki? Did something happen to Nikki?”

  “Nikki wasn’t with them,” Vince said, pulling him off to the side so they wouldn’t be blocking or making a scene at the entrance. “It was just the two of them in the car—his car.”

  Lorenzo jerked his head back as it instantly became clear why Daniel had called Vince. His brother wasn’t asked to come to console Lorenzo. He was there to calm him down—keep things under control. “And?”

  “And he’s telling the staff she’s his girl.”

  “What?”

  Seeing red, Lorenzo attempted to push past Vincent again, but this time Vince grabbed the front of his shirt. “Calm your ass, okay? This is a hospital. You can’t just rush in there and attack the guy. Did you know she was with him tonight?”

  Lorenzo swallowed hard, shaking his head, but he knew there had to be a valid explanation. Then he remembered the conversation they’d had on the phone earlier. She’d already been gone one night, and she told him she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow night. Had she even gone to her mother’s?

  Once again he attempted to get past Vince, but his adamant brother wouldn’t budge.

  “Damn it, Vince, I need to talk to her!”

  “You need to calm down,” Vince said firmly as he stared him down. “She’s probably still out of it. Daniel said they loaded her with pain meds.”

  “What about him?” Lorenzo asked as the strange buzz in his ears started up. “Patrick?”

  “He’s in there,” Vince continued to watch Lorenzo vigilantly. “But he won’t be admitted like she was. His injuries were minor. And they let him in to see his girl just a few minutes ago.”

  This time Lorenzo got past Vince and rushed into the emergency room with his brother right behind him. “Be cool, Enzo,” Vincent urged as he caught up and hurried alongside him. “Don’t get your ass arrested. Where did she tell you she’d be tonight?”

  Lorenzo swallowed back the anger that Vince’s question gave him. His brother was already implying she’d lied to him.

  “Which way to h
er room?” Lorenzo asked through his teeth, ignoring the accusatory question.

  “Enzo, he’s gonna be in there with her.” Vince raised his voice now too and stepped in front of Lorenzo, forcing him to stop. “You need to calm yourself and think about this. He’s in there calling her his girl, and she was obviously out with him tonight and didn’t tell you about it. Is it really worth going after him—getting arrested? Because it’s what’s gonna happen.”

  “Get out of my way, Vince,” Lorenzo demanded, refraining from getting too loud.

  “No,” Vince said, standing tall and firm. “Answer the question. Is there even a remote chance this is explainable, or are you about to lose your shit over a chick who’s been lying to you?”

  “She’s my fiancée.” Lorenzo shoved Vince in the chest, but he didn’t budge.

  “And he’s calling her his girl,” Vince said the words right in his face. “Now before you go barging in there and getting yourself in a world of trouble, think about it. Is it even worth it?”

  Lorenzo could think of nothing more satisfying at that moment than to storm in there and tear Patrick apart. “You’re damn right it is!”

  “Really?” Vince asked without a flinch. “Where the fuck was she supposed to be tonight, Enzo?”

  Lorenzo brought his hands to his head and turned around. He knew his brother was right. He knew this looked bad, but he had to talk to her. There had to be some kind of explanation.

  “She said she was at her mom’s, okay? Two hours away.” Vince started to say something, but Lorenzo lifted his hand in the air. “Look. I know it looks bad. But I still have to talk to her. I won’t . . .” He took a deep breath in an attempt to sound convincing. “I won’t lose my shit. I won’t even say anything to him.”

  Vince stared at him, clearly unimpressed with Lorenzo’s promise of not saying anything to Patrick and especially about him not losing his shit. His brother pulled his phone from its holster and hit a few buttons on the screen but brought his eyes back up to Lorenzo. “Daniel,” he said almost as soon as he brought the phone to his ear. “He wants to talk to her, but I don’t think he should be in the same room with that guy. Any chance he can get in there for moment with her alone, and is she even able to talk?”

  Lorenzo watched him silently, the waiting killing him with every moment that passed. “Let’s go,” Vince said as soon as he hung up. “His ass nearly passed out, so they took him away to check for a possible concussion or something.”

  The disappointment Lorenzo felt that he wouldn’t get a chance to give that fucker a concussion himself confirmed that, as usual, Vince knew him too well. He’d been right on the money about him being in the same room with Patrick being a bad idea.

  Regardless, if Linda had lied and, in fact, had spent last night and was planning on spending the rest of the weekend with her ex, Lorenzo would still love nothing more than to knock the guy the fuck out. Already, he could feel his adrenaline picking up again.

  They made a few turns down some long-ass corridors; then Vince stopped and turned around, unsure.

  “C’mon man!” Lorenzo said, feeling completely exasperated.

  “Hey, I don’t work here!” Vince retorted. “This way.”

  They went off in the other direction, and by the time they’d gone up in the elevator and stalked down some other long-ass corridors, Lorenzo felt ready to explode. They were finally at her door, but Vince motioned for him to wait. He took a peek inside then nodded at Lorenzo. “I’ll be right outside,” he said. “Don’t lose it, man.”

  Lorenzo’s face soured. “I wouldn’t do anything to her!”

  “I mean no loud arguing or anything,” Vince clarified. “Remember where you’re at.”

  Obviously Vince’s expectation that there might still be a reasonable explanation for this was zero. Lorenzo ground his teeth as he walked past his brother and into the room.

  The male nurse checking the machines around Linda’s bed studied him a bit oddly when he explained who he was—her fiancé. Once again, Lorenzo clenched his jaw, knowing full well, if this was as bad as it looked, everyone would be thinking he was a clueless idiot. Still he was determined to keep an open mind. He had to. The alternative was to believe she’d been with Patrick all this time she said she had to be at her mom’s for the weekend. Something he’d believed so blindly. It never once crossed his mind she might be lying. Why would it? Things had been perfect, and while in the past he’d been with plenty of girls in relationships who’d gladly jump in bed with him despite their relationship status, Linda wasn’t anything like those girls.

  She was a good girl.

  “How is she?” he asked the nurse as he stared at his beautiful Linda’s bruised and bandaged face.

  “She was in a lot of pain, so they had to check for internal injuries,” the nurse explained. “She had none, but she was hysterical with pain, so they had to sedate her. She’s in and out.”

  While the thought of Linda in hysterical pain nearly ripped his heart out, thoughts of her and Patrick were far more grueling. Lorenzo managed to focus on something that should be more important. “So why is she in so much pain?”

  “Broken collar bone, broken nose.” The guy frowned, glancing back at Linda sympathetically. “She also has a few badly bruised ribs and some deep gashes, but aside from that, I think she’s gonna be okay.”

  Lorenzo stared at her, his adrenaline still pumping madly. Then he remembered and turned to the nurse again. “Who died?”

  “The guy in the other car that T-boned the car she was in.” The nurse shook his head. “Cops were chasing him and he ran a red light. No seat belt. He was ejected from his car and died instantly.”

  “No shit.” Lorenzo swallowed hard but didn’t feel the least bit of sympathy for the irresponsible idiot running from the law who could’ve killed Linda.

  The nurse nodded then excused himself and walked out. Lorenzo took the few steps to get closer to the side of her bed. As mad as he wanted to be at her, he couldn’t help reaching for her hand. His aching and hopeful heart begged for there to be a simple explanation. There had to be.

  She scrunched up her face a little and moaned. Immediately, he started to take his hand back, but she squeezed it. “I’m here, baby,” he whispered as if even his voice might hurt her. “You’re gonna be okay.”

  Linda moaned again softly, her eyes still closed tightly. Then her face scrunched up, and the tears ran down the side of her face. “Shh,” he said, feeling panicked as the ache continued to pummel his already agonized heart. “You need more pain killers?” She shook her head. “Okay,” he whispered. “Don’t move, baby. It’s only gonna make the pain worse.”

  She took a long breath then seemed to calm. Lorenzo stood there holding his breath. How the fuck was he supposed to ask her about Patrick in her condition?

  He waited for what felt like an eternity, and finally Linda tried to speak again, but Lorenzo couldn’t make out what she was saying. “What?” he whispered, leaning in.

  “Patrick,” she said, and Lorenzo pulled back, not sure how to respond to that but instinctively dropped her hand. “Patrick,” she said again.

  “No.” Lorenzo finally spoke up. “It’s me, Lorenzo.” The anger overwhelmed him suddenly, but he was mindful of Vince’s warning. Remember where you’re at. Still he clenched his jaw and couldn’t help adding “Your fiancé.”

  Her brows pinched again, and she shook her head, confused. Then her eyes went wide as if, through all the pain and confusion, it just dawned on her. She stared at him without saying a word, and the second Lorenzo saw the tears fill her eyes he knew.

  As painful as that moment was, it was the strangest phenomenon. Any love he’d felt for her up until that moment was snuffed out of him in an instant, and all he felt now was anger, disgust—hate.

  “Is that who’ve you’ve been with all weekend?”

  She stared at him blankly, blinking a few times. “We have to talk,” she finally whispered.

  Lorenzo star
ed at her, remembering their conversation no less than an hour ago. She had said she and Nikki were at her mom’s and that her mom, who was just out of surgery, needed her there until at least tomorrow maybe longer.

  Blatant fucking lies.

  “Have you been with him all weekend?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Did you sleep with him?” Lorenzo asked, his heart spiking despite the fact that he already knew the answer to that.

  “Baby—”

  “Don’t call me that!” he said loudly. “Just answer the fucking question! Did you sleep with him?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “No, it’s not!” He backed away from her bed, feeling the enormous ache in his heart mixed with the anger and disgust inundate him. “It’s simple enough, Linda. Either you did or you didn’t. Which is it?”

  She shook her head, squeezing her eyes in pain, but that still wasn’t a no. When she opened her eyes again, he saw the tears. The unforgiving boulder now lodged in his throat allowed only for feelings of disgust.

  “I’ve been so confused,” she whispered.

  “So you took off for the weekend with him.”

  It wasn’t a question; it was a fact. He was stating the obvious, and the clearer this became, the angrier it made him.

  “Nikki needs him in her life,” she whispered as Lorenzo brought his hands to his head and turned his back to her, unable to even look at her anymore. “And I just didn’t know . . . I wasn’t sure what to—”

  “Did you sleep with him?” he asked again, swallowing hard, peering up at the ceiling, and willing the hope to go away. The hope his shattered heart was still grasping at that she might actually say no. At this point, he knew it didn’t matter.

  “Yes, but . . .”

  He spun around, unbelievably stunned as if after admitting she’d been with him all this time, there might’ve actually been a chance she hadn’t slept with the guy. “You did?”

  She nodded, her face scrunching up as she began to cry. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I just . . . I’ve been so torn—”

  “Did you really think you’d have a decision to make once you fucked him?”