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“Want the grand tour of the compound?”

“I’d love to see it,” Ana replied.

The garden stretching out before her in neat rows, the gentle California breeze caressing her skin, the robin’s-egg blue sky—all of it should have had a calming influence, but instead, nerves danced under Ana’s skin. Next to her, Gloria, the sister she hadn’t seen in seven years, seemed equally nervous, twirling her hair the way she used to as a kid, but her eyes shone bright and her mouth was soft.

Ana needed to find out more. Even let Gloria know that she could help her escape the clutches of the cult, if that’s what it was. First, she had to find out how deeply Gloria was embedded with Salvation’s Crossing.

They wandered away from the main house, down a dusty path under the oaks. After several minutes, Ana had the official story.

“Salvation’s Crossing functions as an advocacy group for those of Hispanic descent who can’t catch a break. People like you and me.”

“You’ve done okay, Gloria. So did I. Eventually.”

Her sister didn’t seem to want to hear about Ana’s past. Not yet anyway.

“Yeah, well, for those who are about to lose everything—or
have
lost everything—we offer a work program on the farm. They can stay in ranch houses and
we have an on-site school for the older kids and day care for the little ones. We provide training in a variety of fields for adults and then help them find a place to live and work. Help them assimilate into the community in a functional way. It’s like we’re their extended family.”

Ana nodded. “You provide for them. Protect them. Just like the gang did for me. For us.” She didn’t pose that last part as a question, but she held her breath as if she had. She’d told Gloria she wanted out of the gang and her sister had resisted. Maybe she shouldn’t have made that comparison.

Gloria visibly started, then seemed to take Ana’s comment in stride. “We are like a gang in some ways.”

An awkward few seconds passed. Ana wasn’t sure how to reply. “Well, you turned your life around. I really respect that. I’m so proud of you.”

At her heartfelt statement, Gloria turned and smiled. “I’m glad you see it that way. It was easier to turn my life around, as you called it, once I became a vampire.”

She spoke so easily about having been turned. Ana figured she should ask more questions, but she was afraid doing so about this particular topic might appear suspicious. Instead, all she said was, “Oh?”

“We built Salvation’s Crossing, and we want to expand. For that we need money. Lots of money.”

“I’m sure Ty will do what he can to help,” Ana said. “But he’s just one person.”

“Everyone counts. So do we. Too many Hispanic women have allowed themselves to be in the position of the downtrodden,” Gloria snapped out.

Ana stopped, surprised by the sudden vehemence in her sister’s tone. “Is that what you think you and I did? Allowed ourselves to be treated like dirt?”

Gloria snapped the blossom of a calendula off its stalk. She breathed hard for a moment, as if calming herself, then pushed her way through the field of flowers,
letting her hands drift across the petals. “We were just kids. But our mother was an adult. She should have protected us. She bought into the whole women-are-worthless thing. Plus the belief that because you speak Spanish, or have an accent, that you’re somehow subpar.”

“And the work you do with Salvation’s Crossing stops that?” Ana asked.

Gloria turned around, opening her arms wide in a sweeping gesture. Ana took in the acre of edible flowers they stood in, the rows of corn and tomatoes and eggplant that lined the valley. As the hill rose to the west, an orchard of fruit and nut trees marched in lines like good little soldiers. Down at the compound, children ran and played in a large playground, the younger ones smacking a tetherball around a pole, skipping rope, or shooting hoops, the older ones crowded around some kind of touch-screen device. Women worked the fields, but none seemed overwhelmed by heat. Instead, the sound of their happy chatter rose to reach Ana—just not the words.

Everything was tranquil. Everyone seemed happy. Was this what cult life was like? Salvation’s Crossing seemed more like a commune than a cult. Surely if these people weren’t being allowed to leave, if they were being victimized by the cult leaders and sold off to vampires, she wouldn’t be seeing joyful kids and women who found dignity in the hard work they did.

What wasn’t she understanding here? What couldn’t she see?

“Are you happy here?” she asked Gloria. “Even now that …”

Now that she was a vampire, Ana meant, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud. Her sister looked the same. Maybe a little paler.

Gloria reached out to take Ana’s hand. “More than
I’ve ever been. I have a purpose in life, finally. And I’m a lot stronger. Not just physically.”

Ana was more curious than ever. “Gloria—I have to know: Why didn’t you want to see me? Why did you send me that letter saying you didn’t want anything to do with me?”

Gloria let go of Ana’s hand. “After the shoot-out, when they took you away, I blamed you for trying to leave the gang and for not being strong enough to protect me.” She shrugged. “I was just a kid. I’ve grown up.”

“I’m so sorry.” Ana hesitated for a moment. Had Gloria’s words been chosen carefully? Because she hadn’t said she
no longer
blamed Ana for anything.

“I don’t want to talk about that night.” Gloria moved away from her, headed back through the flower field to the compound. “As I got older, after you got out of prison, I was already involved with Salvation’s Crossing. I needed to find my own path. And then after I was turned, it was glorious, Ana. I felt powerful and I still do, more powerful than you can ever imagine.” There was a fanatical glint in Gloria’s eyes as she repeated the word
powerful
. Then the glint faded and a softer look replaced it. “But there were times I did miss you …”

Unease rippled up Ana’s spine, but she forced it away. “Same here,” Ana said. “More than you’ll ever know.”

“Don’t go away too soon,” Gloria said, pulling her tight and holding her close. “Even if Ty leaves this place, I’d like for you to stay.”

Ana breathed in deep, again wondering if Gloria’s words had hidden meaning.
If
Ty left? Of course he was going to leave eventually. And did Gloria want her to join Salvation’s Crossing … as a vampire? That might not be so bad, if it meant being reunited forever with Gloria and becoming Ty’s equal in every way.

Gloria seemed content with her life here at Salvation’s
Crossing and passionate about its mission, even if she hadn’t been able to explain it too well.

Was it because her sister had truly found peace and helped to build a wonderful community that helped others? Or because she was powerful and could do whatever she wanted, even sell humans to vampires in some kind of misguided attempt to empower her people?

Ana wanted to believe the former, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that had started to grow ever since she’d first seen Gloria again, the feeling that maybe she’d never truly known her sister after all.

Gloria continued to lead the way on their tour. Ana suddenly realized something. There were plenty of women and children milling around, but there were very few men. Where were they? And was their absence one more way in which Gloria had assured her own safety?

Ty gulped down a large glass of blood and wiped his mouth. It was animal blood, thankfully. Not that Miguel had told him so, but he recognized the taste now. Human blood had a smoother and saltier taste. Far more addictive.

He placed the glass back on the mahogany desk in the inner office and met Miguel’s curious stare.

The other man spoke first. “I’ve stayed away from Ana all this time because I feared she’d never be able to handle the fact that vampires exist or that Gloria and I have been turned. Guess I misjudged her. She’s stronger than I gave her credit for.”

“She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met,” Ty said, deliberately letting his admiration for Ana come through.

“She knows what our mission is?”

“I’ve told her your goal is to strengthen the Hispanic
population by turning them into vampires. I wasn’t sure how you … select … who is to be turned.”

Miguel laughed. “Everyone who is turned volunteers. They do it so they can better the lives of their families. In exchange, they get something even more wonderful in return. Purpose. Wholeness. Power.”

“Sounds almost too good to be true. But then you and I know what being a vampire is like, right?”

Next, they went over the financials for Salvation’s Crossing. They discussed how the “nonprofit,” as Miguel insisted it be called, had been formed when the Devil’s Crew and Primos Sangre joined forces. He showed Ty spreadsheets and income/expenses documentation from countless files on his computer, all of which looked legitimate. It wasn’t so much numbers Miguel was concerned with, however, as it was the land upon which Salvation’s Crossing sat.

Salvation’s Crossing had bought out the farmer who was the last in his family to run it. The fruit and nut orchards were mature and well tended, bearing heavy crops. The fields were rotated to maximize yields and conserve the soil. It was water that seemed to be the problem.

They went over blueprints of the existing irrigation system. Fortunately, Miguel didn’t seem to know much more about the subject than Ty did. But then Ty, as a philanthropist, was mostly expected to hand out money.

Ty had a sneaking feeling that Miguel understood that the compound’s need for a new irrigation system was merely a pretext, a way of getting Ana inside the compound. And the reason Miguel understood this was because he didn’t give a shit about Ty’s money or what it could do for the land, but because he’d cared a great deal about seeing Ana again. Because he actually thought, despite Ty’s and Gloria’s presence, that something was going to happen between them?

Only over Ty’s dead vampire body.

Still, they played the game and talked shop. When they’d covered the business at hand in detail, Miguel offered him more blood.

Ty politely declined.

“I’ve made sure the fridge in your suite is well stocked. But if you’re in need of more, please let me know.” He tilted his head. “I wasn’t sure … do you drink from Ana?”

Ty looked away as memories of his night with Ana flashed before him. “Yes. But it would be easy to deplete her. She can’t fulfill all my feeding needs. I believe you have connections to human donors?” In other words, tell me if you’re dealing in illegal blood slaves, you asshole.

Miguel looked slightly envious before his expression evened out. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you born, or turned?” Miguel asked.

“Turned,” Ty said automatically. “Why?”

“You made a face when you swigged the blood. I thought maybe, hombre, you find animal blood disgusting. Most natural-born vampires have an aversion to nonhuman blood.”

No, he simply had an aversion to drinking blood, in any form. He gave Miguel a sly smile and said, “Nothing like that, believe me. The bottled blood was fine. I’ve just been spoiled by drinking Ana’s blood. Now about those donors …”

“I can only imagine how wonderful Ana’s blood tastes,” Miguel said. “You are a lucky man.” His gaze drifted away and his angular features seemed younger.

Memories, Ty figured. The man was lost in memories. And the way his pupils had dilated, those memories were pleasant ones, at least for him. Fucker. How dare he remember raping Ana as something that gave him pleasure?

Then Miguel’s expression shifted. He turned to Ty. “You didn’t know the connection between the sisters before you met Eliana?”

“Her name’s Ana,” Ty said. “And I—” He choked and fell silent. The question made sense, because if he’d known about the connection between the two females when he’d first contacted Salvation’s Crossing, before he’d actually met Ana, it would of course make his current relationship with Ana suspect. Unfortunately, the question had also been too direct. He had no time to deflect, to work around an answer.

Miguel’s expression hardened as he shifted position.

Fuck. Ty racked his brains.

“I only wish I’d known earlier. I could have brought them together sooner.” There. Not a lie. A sidestep. Maybe Miguel wouldn’t notice.

Miguel’s gaze was shadowed. Ty couldn’t read him at all.

“Speaking of those two, I guess we should get back to them,” Ty added.

“Fine with me.”

As they rose, Ty couldn’t help wondering—had he succeeded in maintaining their cover, or had he blown it somehow? Had he inadvertently put Ana in danger?

They spent the rest of the afternoon touring the compound with Gloria and Ana. Miguel explained that most of the men were serving as migrant laborers, and were traveling up and down California and Oregon, picking fruit. In the fall, after harvest, they’d return to their families, having saved enough by then to start a life of their own, off the compound. By then, the women and children would know basic English, enough to get by.

Ty and Ana had also met more of the staff. Besides Mrs. Tobia, the housekeeper who’d opened the door for
them earlier in the day, there were the brothers Esteban and Gustav Gutierez, both hulking ranch hands, and some of the teachers, Tessie Fuentes among them.

Ramona Montes and her daughter, Becky, their original reason for visiting Salvation’s Crossing, were nowhere to be found. Even so, Gloria had mentioned the woman, saying she taught the preteen kids and teenagers. He knew Ana would keep her eyes open for the teacher. See if she could pull her aside and talk to her.

Gloria eventually brought them back to the main house and took them to their suite. The bed was the first thing they noticed. It was gigantic, heaped with pure white comforters against the chill of California nights, snowy pillows mounded against the antique headboard. A vase of heavy red roses had been placed on each nightstand, their natural fragrance filling the room. The simple decor was utterly romantic and sensual—and a marked contrast to the cinder-block practicality of the rest of the compound.

Their luggage was already there, the suitcases unlocked and left open on a long, low table.