His Son. Her Secret.

Chapter 12

The plan was to walk into the lobby, get the elevator up to the top floor, where Santiago’s office was located. As soon as the elevator opened, she would then release Kaleth onto the floor and then race back down with the elevator and run. She was sure someone would find him within seconds, but by the time they did and figured out what was happening, she should have gotten away, and with Belle assuring her that the cameras in the fourth elevator were down for repairs, they would never know it was her who brought him back.

Yeah, the plan didn’t sound convincing, even to her. There were several problems with that plan, starting with the fact that she hadn’t accounted for the security personnel who looked like actors auditioning for Men in Black.

Trying not to look too obvious about what she was doing, her eyes flicked to the entrance again, taking in the major miscalculation. Tall, broad men in dark suits stood posted like statues along the walls, eyes scanning every face that passed, their hands resting just a little too close to concealed weapons.

Her stomach tightened. Maybe Mal had been right. Maybe she should’ve just left the kid on a park bench and prayed that the right person stumbled upon him.

She immediately dismissed the idea, but before she could think of something better, one of the elevator doors she could see through the glass of the building slid open, and a ripple moved through the guards. It was subtle, but there, and impossible to miss even from a distance. Postures straightened. Attention sharpened.

Everything in Beth stilled. Whoever was coming out of the elevator had to be important, and she had a feeling she knew who it was. She wasn’t wrong. A second later, she saw him. Santiago Burns.

Beth suddenly felt her throat go dry. Damn. She realized pictures she’d seen of him on the internet hadn’t done him justice. Not even close.

Of course, the pictures had captured his strong jaw and dark hair, the same shade as his son’s. The man hadn’t been named the city’s most illegible bachelor just for his money, after all. He was handsome in an intense way, but what froze Beth was more than his looks. It was the way he carried himself as he moved.

Controlled. Severe. He didn’t smile. His presence was electric, and it rolled off him in waves she felt from across the street.

He moved like the world made space for him before he even asked. He wore a dark suit, similar to the one she’d seen in the picture with his son. Beth stared, unable to look away. The man didn’t walk, he glided. There was no wasted motion. No hesitations. It was like watching power wrapped in skin and bone flowing through the foyer.

Beth’s lungs suddenly burned, and she realized she was holding her breath. “s**t!” she hissed, sucking in lungfuls.

That was Kaleth’s father. Her chest tightened. For a second, pure madness went through her head, and she imagined it… Walking straight up to him. Handing over the child. Watching that hard face c***k with relief and gratitude. Maybe even a smile.

Yeah, right.

Santiago approached the glass doors. Beth realized whatever she planned to do, she had to do it now or miss the opportunity. Then she noticed one of the security men shift his posture. His gaze swept the street and landed just a little too close to her.

Beth’s pulse spiked. No. She fought the urge to immediately step back, which would have only drawn attention to her, which was the last thing she wanted. If she were caught, Beth doubted any questions would be asked. She would only be seen as a threat. A suspect. A problem.

And she highly doubted that men like Santiago Burns dealt with problems gently.

So, as soon as the man turned to scan the rest of the street, her feet moved. Back. Away from Santiago and his entourage.

She moved slowly, muttering under her breath the whole time. “Don’t run. Don’t run. Don-”

A horn suddenly blared behind her, and Beth yelped, jumped, and tightened her arms around Kaleth. When she turned, it was to see that she’d accidentally stepped onto the road. A car swerved hard, tires screaming against asphalt as it hooked sharply to avoid her.

“WATCH IT!” the angry driver shouted, already leaving the scene.

Suddenly, the worst thing that could have happened at that moment happened. Heads turned her way. Beth stumbled back, heart slamming against her ribs. Kaleth shifted, looking more awake now after being jolted by the car horn. He let out a small whimper.

“Shh. Shh, it’s okay,” she whispered quickly, her hand cradling the back of his head, both to comfort and hide his face from onlookers.

But it wasn’t okay. Because now she was visible. Against her better judgment, she turned to see what was happening across the street, hoping like hell Santiago and his men didn’t pay attention to mundane things that happened on the road between angry drivers and pedestrians.

Of course, that wasn’t her luck. One of the guards took a step forward, attention locked in her direction. And he wasn’t the only one. Santiago Burns was paused near the open door of a sleek black car. His head turned slightly toward the commotion. Toward her.

Beth’s breath hitched. Her stomach dropped. Not giving it another thought, she turned sharply, slipping between two parked cars, forcing her legs to stay steady even as panic clawed up her spine like a deadly vine.

With every step, she expected someone to shout for her to stop or a hand to grab her arm. Hell, Beth expected to hear sirens of the police coming to arrest her. But none happened, and soon she reached a corner. Only then did she dare to stop and glance over her shoulder.

She was just in time to see the convoy of black sleek vehicles pull out smoothly, and then they were gone as though nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t been standing there, holding his son, two seconds away from changing everything.

Beth stood frozen for half a breath. She was safe. She hadn’t been caught, but for some reason it didn’t feel like a victory. It probably didn’t help that she still felt fear. So, she turned and moved fast.

Down the sidewalk. Past strangers who didn’t matter. Around another corner that led into an alley. The noise of the street dulled instantly, swallowed by brick walls and shadow, like they were sucking the very life out of the city. The air felt cooler here. Tighter. But Safer.

Beth bent slightly, finally allowing herself to catch her breath, her hand still pressed protectively against Kaleth. “Okay…” she whispered, more to herself than him. “Okay. That was…” What was the right word? A mistake? A stupid, dangerous mistake. Yeah, she would go with that. Beth could already imagine her friends voicing the I-told-you-sos. Arg!

She took another deep breath, but little good it did her. Her pulse wouldn’t slow. Her thoughts tripped over each other. Then, just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, something prickled at the back of her neck.

Beth stilled. She suddenly had a feeling she was being watched. Had she been followed after all? Oh, God.