Buried (Hiding From Love #3) by Selena Laurence Read Free Book Online Page B

my life. Lies to save me, lies to save my mother, lies to make other people suffer.
    A couple of minutes later, I open the front door and stop dead. It’s not Beth standing there waiting for me, but Father Jorge, parish priest for Our Lady of Assumption and paid employee of the RH.
    I swallow and step out onto the front porch, tilting my chin at him. “Father,” I say in my best RH tone. “Long time no see.”
    He smiles, and it reminds me of a snake about to strike. “Juan. My son, it’s good to see you. You look well.”
    I briefly clasp his offered hand and follow him to the chairs on the porch he motions to. We each take a seat, and he leans forward, elbows on knees, and looks at me from under his bushy brows.
    “How are you, Juan? Are things here going well?” he asks.
    “Yeah, 1 Padre . Everything’s good. Just serving my last few weeks until I’m done here.” I don’t elaborate on what being done means next, but I hope he’ll assume I’m referring to returning to the RH.
    “A lot of people are waiting for you, Juan,” he tells me with that same smarmy smile on his face. “Your hermanos are anxious to hear from you. They’re wondering why you haven’t been in touch?”
    My heart races for a moment before it settles back down. I’m too good at this game to get caught up by Father Jorge. Stupid bastard.
    “I still got the cuff, Padre . I figured there’s not much point in calling until it’s off. Besides, I want to come see everyone in person, you know? As soon as the cuff’s off, I can get over to the old neighborhood, bring everyone some gifts. I’m just laying low now so I don’t draw no attention to anything. It’s better safe than sorry.”
    He nods. “It’s good to hear you’re thinking about when you can see your hermanos again. I know they’ll like that. You’ve got a few more weeks until it’s off, 2 verdad ?”
    “Yeah, that’s right.” Fuck, they’ve been watching closer than I thought.
    “Well, I’ll be back to help you celebrate, son. But until then, your friends sent this.” He hands me a small envelope. “They do searches here?” he asks quietly as he nonchalantly glances around.
    “No, man. Not without cause.”
    “Good.” He looks at me with a new hardness in his eyes. “Don’t give cause, no?”
    “Yeah, Padre . Whatever you say.”
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    1 Padre = father, either your actual father or a priest
    2 Verdad = true

D AVID makes me so mad I could spit nails.
    “What do you mean I don’t understand and there’s nothing more we can do?” I rail as we drive back to my house after we’ve visited Juan.
    “Exactly what I said. He’s up against stuff that you don’t get, Beth. It’s more complicated than just getting him a job and an apartment or something.”
    “So explain it to me. I’m not stupid, in case you hadn’t noticed.” I huff out an angry breath and look out the car window so I won’t have to face my asinine brother.
    David rubs his chin, exasperation spreading across his handsome face. He grips the steering wheel of his Volvo C70 until his knuckles turn white. “The RH will come after him,” he finally says, his voice low and sad.
    “What do you mean? Like they’ll force him to come back to them?”
    “Exactly.”
    I turn, my eyes wide, and stare at him, the low-lying buildings of central Austin blurring on either side of the car as we drive. His eyes are covered by Aviators, but I have a strong feeling that, if I could see them, they’d be misted over.
    “I’ve heard it’s not easy to leave a gang, but that’s when you’re still living in the neighborhood, right? Still trying to hang out at the same places? I mean, if he’s in a different town, doesn’t call anyone from his past, it’s not like they’re going to hunt him down in Laredo or whatever.” I squint at David, looking for confirmation of my rationality.
    “No. Actually, they will hunt him down. At least that’s what he says. He also says that, because of it,