His Son. Her Secret.

Chapter 14

‘You’re impulsive, Beth, and it’s going to get us all caught one day.’ Avi’s words echoed mercilessly in Beth’s head. She grimaced behind the ski mask, suddenly feeling hot and cold at the same time.

Okay, so it seemed Avi had a point. Beth didn’t always think before she acted, and sometimes, like now, the consequences seriously bit her on the ass.

Santiago hadn’t moved, and neither had the gun shifted an inch since he asked his question. A question he seemed to be waiting for her to answer.

Beth didn’t answer. It wasn’t as though she could tell him who she was. What she was doing in his house was another matter, and under calmer circumstances, she imagined the man might be grateful. Her gaze dropped to the barrel of the gun. These were not calmer circumstances.

Shit. She was going to get shot. And then Avi would bring her back to life just to have the pleasure of killing her herself for being so stupid.

Not willing for this to be her end, Beth knew she had to do something, but what? Run? The basement exit was too far. Fight? She took in the man’s toned figure. Yeah, bad idea. Talk? Beth actually shuddered at that thought. Nope. If there was even a chance she would get out of there, she had to keep her mouth shut.

A voice was as good as a fingerprint. She knew that. Moreover, Beth doubted the man would hesitate to pounce on her if he realized she was female. Not that she would go down easily, but still, it would only complicate things for her further.

Her muscles coiled. She had to run. It was her only choice. Her fate would be worse than a bullet if she let him capture her. And not only hers. There were four other lives to consider. Maybe she could get to the basement and then…

“Don’t even think about it,” he warned, his teeth clenched. “I will shoot you before you can take a step.”

What the hell? Was he a mind reader? His words made her hesitate. But only for a beat. Then Beth moved. Fast. She darted back into the study, boots barely touching the ground.

“Damn it!” He came after her immediately. Of course he did.

That didn’t stop Beth, though. She zigzagged around the furniture, her body moving on instinct now. The room blurred. Her mind assessed everything at rapid speed. Distance. Angles. Exit points. The glass doors. They were her only hope.

Except they were closed, and the red light on the keypad told her they were most definitely locked by some fancy security system, forcing her to stop in front of them, clueless about what to do next.

Santiago’s footsteps stopped behind her. Beth turned and came face to face with the barrel of the gun again.

Santiago raised his gun higher. “Hands where I can see them.”

She didn’t move. Beth glanced over his shoulder. Kaleth was still sleeping on the couch. For a second, she thought about screaming at him to turn around and see his son. Surely that would be enough of a distraction for her to get away.

But would he let her get away? Taking in the determined look in his eyes, she doubted it. His upper lip curled. Another sign the man was beyond pissed. Understandable she guessed, but that assessment didn’t fix her problem.

He was so close now, and Beth couldn’t help but take in his features again. From the stubbled jaw to his piercing eyes. Then there was his mouth. His lips. The bottom one just a little fuller than the top. Were they soft? Beth blinked, shocked at her own line of thought.

“Do it,” he snarled, stepping even closer. “Or I swear to God…”

Fuck it! Beth made another impulsive decision. In truth, she hadn’t even thought about it. She just did it. Threw herself at him.

For a second, the gun going off was enough to freeze her blood in her veins, but it didn’t stop her momentum, and she crashed into him, knocking the weapon from his hand and sending it clattering across the floor.

Still operating on instincts and experience gathered from years of growing up in a rough neighborhood, Beth fought him with everything she had. A fist to his perfect jaw. Elbow to his ribs. A knee to his crotch. It was dirty. It was about survival.

But then Santiago was no simple pushover. He blocked many of her hits and landed a few of his own, which she knew would bruise tomorrow. When he grabbed a wrist, she twisted free and drove a boot into his thigh.

Santiago grunted and shoved back. A few more missed blows and then he grabbed for her again, his fingers wrapping around her black hoodie and arm like a vice. She aimed another kick at his side.

Santiago grunted, but instead of letting go, he tightened his hold, spinning them around, and then he had Beth pinned hard against the wall of glass.

“Stop!” he growled, his forearm pressed against her chest. “Where is my son?”

Beth opened her mouth to speak, all reasons of why that was a bad idea swatted out of her head, but then she heard the footsteps coming in the distance, accompanied by shouts from what she was sure was his security team. Beth stiffened. Oh, hell no. Beth refused to be captured. This was not how she was going to land herself in jail.

Panicking, she tried to shove Santiago away, but the man was like an ancient boulder. Unmoving. Desperate, Beth’s eyes scanned his face. Her gaze landed on his lips again, and then she did the last thing she would have thought she’d be doing tonight.

Beth surged forward, and before he could react, her hand fisted in his jacket, yanking him down. Then she kissed him. Oh! Beth’s heart skipped a beat. It was just a hard press of their lips together, but she still felt the zap right down to her bones.

For a split second, he froze. So did she. Both from shock at her own actions and the second zap of electricity she felt when his lips twitched against hers. But then her need to escape overrode the rest of her brain. She could contemplate the fact that she had kissed Santiago Burns, the billionaire, later. Preferably, when she was safe back on her single bed at the apartment.

Right then, the need to get away was far greater. And that was what she did when the man’s hold on her loosened. Beth didn’t waste a beat. She shoved him back, twisting out of his grip, her body already moving before his brain could catch up.

Moving fast, Beth went for the vase but saw the gun right there, under the desk. She went for it, and then a second shot rang out, hers this time. She shot the glass, shattering the doors. Cold air rushed in. Beth dropped the gun and took off.

She didn’t stop running until the house disappeared behind her. Grass crunched under her boots as she sprinted toward the tree line that bordered the property, lungs burning, heart slamming against her ribs.

Don’t stop. Don’t look back. Just go.

The blood rushing through her ears was so loud she could hardly hear anything else. Branches scratched at her arms as she pushed through, the shadows swallowing her whole. She was

Almost there. Safe.

A sound behind her pierced the air. Footsteps. Beth’s blood turned to ice. No! No, no, no. They were already on her. The security. Or him. Her chest tightened. Still running on pure instinct, she bent and picked up a fallen branch before she spun around, raising it like a weapon, ready to fight… And froze.