Of course even after all the trouble Melissa had caused she'd have the nerve to try and make him feel guilty, then top it off with an insult. He still wasn't sure he believed she was ever pregnant but at least now this part of his nightmare was over.

He walked through the motions of opening up the restaurant in the same mechanical way he'd done everything since Grace had left. As much lediv>< as he wanted to believe that somehow things would go back to the way they once were before she walked into his life. That he could go back to be being fired up about expanding his family's business. Deep inside he knew it just couldn't. There would forever be a void in his life. A huge part of him was gone now.

Sofia rushed in the kitchen where Sal made his final walk-through before opening the front doors. "Romero is on his way. He said he has some stuff on Melissa. He hasn't had any luck with the surveillance tapes but-"

"She's not pregnant anymore, Sof."

Sofia's usual big eyes got even bigger. "She's not?"

"She lost it yesterday."

His sister's expression went blank before turning into disgust. "I doubt she was ever pregnant."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Does it?" He walked past her and out of the kitchen.

Sofia followed him. "Yes, it does. Because if we can prove she never was then maybe we can prove nothing even happened that night. Think about it. If she'd lie about something this big then-"

"Sweetheart, I appreciate what your trying to do here. But I'm almost certain something did happen. I may not remember all the details but I remember being in bed with her." He stopped to unlock the front door and turned back to her. "It's not all clear but the parts I remember are pretty damning."

She glared at him arms crossed, then looked over his shoulder with a smirk. Sal turned to see Romero standing on the outside of the glass door, grinning.

"It's open," Sofia said.

Romero pushed the door open and walked in. "You have my burrito ready?"

"No," Sofia said, a hopeful smile spreading across her face. "But we'll get it started for you. First I want the scoop."

Sal began walking back towards the bar area, less enthused about what possible information Romero had. It's not that he didn't wish more than any of them that this whole situation could somehow be remedied but neither of them had heard or seen Grace the day she found out. Nothing short of a miracle would fix this. The facts still were, he'd been in bed with Melissa and one of the most vivid memories were of her unzipping his pants. It didn't get any worse than that.

"All right," Romero started. "So this Melissa bitch is a real whack job and is full of shit about a couple of things."

"I knew it!" Sofia almost jumped.

"According to all her medical insurance records she hasn't even made an appointment to see a doctor for any reason in months."

Romero finally had Sal's attention. "And this information is as of when?"

"I ran that report last night."

"So yesterday, she wasn't in the hospital at all?" Sal felt his insides heat. All this time he'd been e hlastso guilt ridden, he hadn't actually allowed himself to seriously consider that Melissa might actually have faked the pregnancy. If she had, she'd done it for one reason and one reason alone.

"Nah, that report is in real time. Why? Did she say she was?"

Both Romero and Sofia stared at him as he nodded but said nothing, still taking in what Romero had just dropped on him.

"If she'd been in the hospital yesterday it would've showed up. Besides I've been tracking a few of her credit cards. The girl is a shopper. She was at the courthouse most of yesterday, bought lunch there and a shit load of coffee all day. Then she headed to the mall and dropped some serious loot on clothes and shoes. Which brings me to the next thing she's full of shit about." Romero took a seat at the bar.

"Hold that thought," Sofia said then yelled Romero's order for the usual breakfast burrito he always had. "Okay. Go on." She stood across from him on the other side of the bar ready to hang on to his every word again.

Romero smirked, his eyes going from Sofia's to Sal's. "She ended her day at DJ's for a few drinks. I can't see what kind of drinks she bought but she was only there for an hour and she dropped over fifty bucks. Unless she was drinking some expensive ass non-alcoholic drinks this pregnant woman got a pretty significant buzz last night."

"I told you! I bet you anything nothing happened that night." Sofia leaned in and lowered her voice. "Let's be real here. If you were really that wasted that you don't even remember anything how likely is it that you'd actually be able to ... you know, perform?"

Melissa's words the morning after, suddenly slammed into Sal. You were amazing. Sofia had a point. How amazing could he have been? Even the few times in the past that he remembered being a little loaded it had somewhat impaired his performance. Not that he hadn't finished the job but it'd been far from amazing. As pushy as Melissa had been he just never thought that she, that anyone would go to these lengths. Maybe his sister was on to something. "What's going on with those surveillance tapes?" Allowing an infinitesimal bit of hope creep in, Sal would now be hanging on Romero's every word, too.

Romero frowned, shaking his head. "I've struck out twice now but I have one more guy looking into it. He's a little more expensive but I think he's worth it. The problem is," he paused when the server brought out his burrito and placed it in front of him. "Thanks, man."

Sofia poured him a soda.

"You see, without a court order," he continued. "The only way to get a copy of the tape is by breaking into their computer system. These casinos have top notch security. Not only that, they change their security codes all the time. This guy I have looking into it now actually got in, but halfway through searching it knocked him out and the security code was reset. The good thing is this guy is a fucking freak when it comes to his work. He's taking this as a personal challenge. He won't stop now until he gets it."

"I'll pay whatever it takes." The wheels were spinning in Sal's head now. Was it really possible that Melissa had planned the whole damn thing? The panties on the floor came to mind. They were the first thing he saw when he sat up that morning and that was when he was still in a complete hung over daze. How could Melissa have missed them right there in the middle of the mlloe room? Then something else came to him. He turned to Sofia. "Do we even serve a drink called Liquid Cocaine?"

Romero nearly spit out the food he was eating. Sal watched him grab for a napkin and wipe his mouth. "What?"

Romero glanced at Sofia, seemed as if he was about to say something, then shook his head. "I've never heard of the drink. But it sounds lethal. Is that what you were drinking that night?"

"Yeah, and they were being sent over by Melissa and the group of girls she was with-the bachelorette party. "

"Oh my God, Sal!" Sofia said completely exasperated. "She totally had this planned. How did you not see it?"

"Sof, she was in my room the next morning and I didn't remember a damn thing." He did feel pretty stupid now. "What was I supposed to think? I was in such a panic about the whole thing I never stopped to consider she'd go through all that trouble."

"I told you she was evil." She picked up her phone and started typing something.

"What are you doing?" Sal asked.

"Googling Liquid Cocaine. That doesn't even sound legal."

Romero chuckled again.

Sal's irritation levels had spiked. "What the hell is so funny?"

"I'll tell you later," Romero said. "Anyway, out of curiosity I did check out why she made quite a few visits to see a quack a few months ago. This chick is on some heavy meds. I'm surprised she was drinking at all. Most of the shit she's on you do not mix with alcohol."

Sal stared at him. "What kind of meds?"

"Xanax and lithium for starters." Romero shrugged. "I didn't read through her whole file; it's a fucking book. Those are the two main whacko meds I remember but there's more. The other ones just didn't jump out at me like those two."

"Well, that explains a lot." Sofia said, putting her phone down. "And the drink is legal but just a couple are supposed to knock you on your behind. How many did you have?"

He told them about losing count and the fact that the lethal concoctions came after a parade of tequila shots.

"Dude, I've been wasted plenty of times and let me tell you," Romero laughed. "there is no way anything happened that night. You'd have to be a super hero to get any kind of rise. Even a big fat blue pill wouldn't have helped with getting a wood after all you drank."

Sal shot him a look and glanced at Sofia. She laughed. "It's okay Sal, I'm twenty-two now, remember. If my ears didn't even bleed back when I was your baby sister and you and the other two thought they would if I was exposed to this kind of talk, they certainly won't now."

Sal didn't say all he normally would about her still being his baby sister, only because now his adrenaline was pumping through him so fast he could hardly think straight.

He hadn't asked Vincent anything about Grace or Rose since his mention of them being ofo fast h in Laughlin. Why torture himself? But in light of that morning's revelations, he could hardly wait for him to start his shift today.

CHAPTER 30.

On their way to see the fifth restaurant/home for sale Grace tried not to think about how lightheaded she'd begun to feel.

"Luckily this area has a lot of these restaurants with living quarters. So many of the families that come over the border are used to that. In Mexico, there are tons of families who make a living out of cooking and serving in their own kitchen. If their food is a hit, they usually start building onto their own homes and expanding it into a more restaurant like atmosphere." The real estate agent that was showing them around talked non stop. "Unfortunately, on this side of the border, there are regulations that need to be followed. So a lot of these restaurant slash homes are not permitted and you'd need a miracle worker and a ton of money to get them up to code. I won't even bother showing you those."

Grace leaned against Rose. She was as tall as Grace now so they were shoulder to shoulder in the back seat of the agents car. Their mom sat in the front with the agent.

"Are you okay?"

Grace nodded but didn't lift her head from Rose's shoulder. "I think I might be getting a little car sick. After this one, we should call it a day."

Rose stroked Grace's hair. "Okay."

As much as Grace had been playing the part of being back to normal now, she still wasn't feeling it. But for the sake of everyone not worrying about her anymore she'd told them all she was. She even agreed to partnering up with Frank to get her restaurant going. It was her mothers idea to find one where they could live as well. Her mother had always hated that tiny apartment of theirs.

Most importantly, Grace suspected that once settled in to their new place her mom was giving Ruben the boot. That was the only ray of light she'd come across in the sea of black she'd been swimming in these days.

After walking through another restaurant with a couple of rooms in the back and a tiny bathroom that doubled as a shower, they called it a day. The agent drove them back to his office where they all jumped into Frank's Cadillac-another thing that under normal circumstances Grace would have never agreed to. Since Frank had bought himself a sportier, more extravagant car, he'd offered to lend them his Cadillac until the restaurant was up and running and they could afford to purchase their own car.

Of course her mother had jumped on it the instant he offered it, explaining later when they were alone that he was only looking out for them because he was a good man. Grace wasn't nave. No man would be willing to offer so much in ex ofo couchange for nothing. She'd seen the way he looked at her when she extended her invitation of him and her mother joining them in the Jacuzzi. There was a definite expectation of something more than just shared profits of her restaurant.

The only reason she'd given in without much of a fight is because that was one thing even her mother had to know. There was no way that anyone would be persuading Grace to open up her heart to anyone for a very long time, if ever.

On top of everything that was happening now in her life she had yet another thing to worry about. Since Vincent's texts were the one thing that kept Rose so distracted she hardly noticed that Grace was far from being well, Grace had insisted she didn't have to cut him off on her account. Now that he was in a much closer proximity, Rose had begun to ask about the possibility of her hanging out with him. It was funny that Rose didn't bother to ask her mother. That woman had zero parental instincts. She'd say yes to Rose in a heartbeat, no questions asked, if it meant getting Rose out of her hair. But Grace was worried enough for the both of them. Sal had stressed about Rose keeping her distance from Vincent.

Grace lay on her bed now, fighting an incredible fatigue again while Rose pled her case. "Have you ever known me to be a bad judge of character? None of my friends are bad. I would never hang out with anyone I thought might be trouble."

Grace's eyelids were so heavy now she could barely keep them open, and the last few nights she'd finally slept like a rock. She rolled to her side in an effort to stay awake. "Rosie you have to understand-"

"He's under strict warning, Grace, that if he screws up even once, they send him back home. He really really wants to be here all summer. Do you honestly think he'd risk being sent home?"

Frustrated that she didn't have the energy to give Rose a good argument she was afraid she was losing this battle. "Where would you hang out?"

Rose smiled and sat down next to Grace, then her smile suddenly vanished. "You're still not feeling well are you?" Rose stroked Grace's hair again.

"No, I am. I'm just feeling a little tired." She sat up, unwilling to let Rose see just how lifeless she really felt. "So where would you hang out?"

The smile crept back onto Rose's face. "Well, if they even let him drive all the way out here-he's gonna ask today. But nowhere far. Outside in the playground area or I can make us sandwiches and we can have a picnic where the barbeques are at. It doesn't matter."

Her little sister's eyes sparkled, reminding her of how she once felt so excited to just be around Sal. Rose was too young to be feeling this. It scared Grace to death. What she was going through, she didn't wish on even her worst enemy, but especially not Rose. She reached over and took her hand. "Rosie, you know you're too young for a boyfriend right? You said he was just a friend. Promise me that that's all this is going to be. He's going back at the end of summer. I don't want you to be heartbroken when he leaves."

Rose smiled and hugged her. "Don't worry. We're just friends. I promise."

Grace prayed she wasn't making a mistake agreeing to this. When Rose pulled away, Grace looked at her very seriously. "If I get wind that it's become anything more than just a friendship, I'm gonna have to put a end to puvanished. it, okay? I don't want you to be angry with me. I'd only be doing it for your own good."

Rose nodded, grinning way too big for Grace's liking, then hugged her again in a near squeal, before jumping off the bed to grab her phone from the desk. Yeah, a teenage girl got that excited about being able to hang out with a boy who was just a friend.

The bad feeling she'd had in her stomach throughout the entire conversation just got worse. As if she needed this added to her plate right now. Grace made herself comfortable in her bed, lying back down again, and dozed off within minutes.

Romero was still there when Vincent arrived. Sal had agreed to let Vincent drive the Jetta to and from work. He walked out into the bar area still tying his busboy apron on. "Hey, Vince."

Vincent looked up at all of them and smiled.

"Is Rose still in Laughlin?" Sal asked, getting right to it.

"Nah, they got back a few days ago, but she's been busy packing for uh..." He glanced away from Sal, finishing tying on his apron and walked over to them. "You think maybe it's okay for me to drive out tonight and see her for a couple hours after my shift?"

Sal barely heard the second part of Vincent's response. He was still hung up on the first part. "You mean unpacking, right?" Sal eyed him until Vince's eyes met his again.

"Um yeah," Vince nodded. "Something like that. I guess."

"Well, which is it? Packing or unpacking?" Sal pushed.

Vince shrugged. "I dunno. Unpacking I guess. Point is, she was busy. So you think I can go?"

"You and Grace's sister, uh?" Romero asked, crumpling his napkin and throwing it on his now empty plate then burped. "She's straight jail bait, man." Romero shook his head. "I couldn't believe it when Grace said she was only fifteen."

Vince's face screwed up. "Jail bait? What the hell does that mean?"

Romero smirked, obviously amused at Vincent's annoyance. "Means you're gonna have your hands full, fighting off older guys who might mistake her for an eighteen-year-old."

Sal saw Vincent's eyes light up but not in a good way-one thing about his young cousin that had always reminded him of his brothers. "No I won't. 'Cause she's not like that."

Romero lifted his hands in the air, still smirking. "You wanted to know what I meant. I was just explaining."

Sal decided to play into Vincent's already ruffled feathers to try and get more out of him. "Romero is right. She did already get asked to that prom by an older boy." Sal smirked adding, "I dunno you really think she was busy for days unpacking? That's kind of odd. Isn't it? You sure maybe her prom date wasn't keeping her busy?"

The second Vincent turned to him, Sal saw it. Bingo-he hit just the right net tom datrve. "She was packing, okay? I wasn't supposed to say anything but they're moving."

The smug feeling from having Vincent fall right into his trap, was replaced with an icy panic down Sal's spine. "Moving where?"

"They're not sure yet. That's another thing that's kept her busy, Sal." If Sal wasn't so suddenly uptight he might of laughed at his cousin's irritation over his insinuation about Rose. "They've been busy looking for a new place, too. But all we do is text so she can't write it all down." He stopped a slow grin appearing across his lips and lifted an eyebrow. "If I see her tonight. I'll finally get to talk to her. I can get the whole scoop for you."

Normally Sal would've said hell no to his less than trust worthy, barely-old-enough-to-drive cousin about driving all the way to Chula Vista. But the morning's eye-opener had changed his outlook on more than a few things. "Sure you can go see Rose, Vin." Vincent's grin got even bigger. "But I have a few conditions."

His cousin's grin turned into a suspicious stare. "What kind of conditions?"