His Son. Her Secret.

Chapter 18

Santiago’s muscles were so tense he feared he would snap like a dry twig if he moved wrong.

He dared not allow his imagination free rein. Imagining the worst wouldn’t help him brace for whatever his brother and cousin had come to tell him, which had to be serious given they’d followed him to the hospital.

Although Santiago doubted anything they said would be worse than the news that his son had been kidn*pped, and that had already happened. Getting Kaleth back didn’t erase the anguish and anger he’d felt these last few days. So, whatever Derrick had to say, Santiago was sure it wouldn't be that bad.

Thankfully, Derrick didn’t allow Santiago’s mind to wander before he spoke. “It seems the person who broke into the house might have had another motive after all.”

Santiago’s expression darkened instantly. “What are you talking about?”

“Your office,” Oliver said quietly. “Someone broke in tonight. We suspect around the same time as Kaleth’s return. So unless we miraculously had two break-ins at the same time…” He didn’t finish.

Santiago’s frown only deepened. “What was taken?”

Derrick’s jaw tightened. “Your personal laptop was accessed. They left the laptop, but the internal drive is gone.”

For a moment, the words didn’t register. Then they did, and something cold settled deep in Santiago’s chest. He thought of the intruder and how hard they fought to get away from him, desperate even, to the point of kissing him just to get the upper hand. “This was planned,” he said slowly. “Returning Kaleth was…”

“A distraction to get their hands on my laptop?” Derrick finished. He nodded, lips thinned. “Probably.”

Silence fell over the room. Santiago’s mind moved fast, connecting pieces, rejecting others. Was it possible? Yes. While he would have paid anything to get Kaleth back, access to his personal files was an emerald mine. But what had been the plan? To distract them while they stole? It still didn’t add up.

Clearly, the distraction hadn’t worked, but they had still stolen the drive. Unless this had been a two-person job? Still, why distract them at all? It was obvious the security around the house was s**t. Whoever they were, they could have gotten in, stolen the drive, and left without his knowledge. There would have been no need to return Kaleth.

Arg! Santiago felt a headache brewing behind his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose hard. “This makes no sense,” he said after a moment, shaking his head once. “Absolutely none.”

Oliver grimaced. “Yeah, I thought so too.”

Derrick studied him for a second, then exhaled. “Well, while we are trying to figure that out, there’s another reason we are here.”

Santiago’s eyes snapped to him. “What now?” Honestly, Santiago wasn’t sure he could take any more issues tonight. He just wanted everyone to leave so he could sit with his son and reassure himself that he had him back and everything would be okay. All other matters could wait for tomorrow, including the theft of his computer’s drive and what that meant for his company and life.

Given how Derrick’s face twisted into a grimace as he lifted his hands in the air, palms out, Santiago was tempted to just throw his brother out of the room and do just that.

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Derrick said. “But father called.”

The parental title alone was enough to send his blood boiling. Santiago’s expression darkened instantly, jaw tight. “No,” he answered without hearing the rest of it. Whatever the man wanted, the answer wouldn’t change, and Derrick should have known that.

But of course, his brother ignored him. “He wants to see his grandson, now that he’s back.”

“I already said no.”

Oliver shifted on his feet, his expression sympathetic. “Santiago, maybe...”

“No,” he repeated, sharper this time. “He’s not coming anywhere near my son.”

Derrick sighed heavily, running a hand over the back of his neck. “He was concerned. He offered help when Kaleth was missing.”

“And I didn’t take it,” Santiago snapped. “For a reason.”

Still not giving up, Derrick held his gaze. “That doesn’t change the fact that he’s still the kid’s grandfather. He is blood and father always…”

“Don’t,” Santiago cut in, his voice dropping low, dangerous. “Don’t finish that sentence.”

A tense silence fell over the room. For a long beat, the brothers glared at each other, neither of them willing to back down.

Finally, Derrick exhaled slowly, breaking eye contact. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

Santiago snorted. “And you are trying to build a bridge that was washed away a decade ago. Give it up already, Derrick. I’m not going to change my mind.” His eyes flicked briefly to Kaleth. “Especially not with my son’s life at stake.”

There was another pause. Oliver wisely kept his opinion to himself on the matter. That little bit of wisdom must have finally rubbed off on his cousin because Derrick finally kept his mouth shut as well. Then Santiago straightened, every inch of him shifting back into control he hadn’t felt since he woke up to realize his son had been taken right from under his nose. Something he would never let happen again.

“Good. Now, since you are here, I have something more important for you to focus on,” he said, his tone now cold and precise. “ I need you to double the security at the house. I want steel bars installed on every window and glass door. Change the locks on all entry points. And get me a dog or two.”

Oliver blinked. “Dogs?” He shuddered. “That’s a bit… Excessive.”

“Make sure they are big. And vicious,” Santiago continued, ignoring him. “A Pit Bull or Rottweiler would do. Have them trained. I want the house locked down like a fortress. Have perimeter sensors installed in the trees as well. If anyone so much as breathes in the house’s direction, I want the alarms going off.”

Derrick and Oliver exchanged a look before turning back to him. “Anything else? Would you like a pit of fire also dug around the property?” Derrick asked. Deadpanned. “Or an alligator pond by the gate?”

Santiago’s eyes narrowed. His jaw clenched. Some part of him knew his brother was just being sarcastic to prove a point that he was going too far. If only he knew the lengths Santiago was willing to go. “I will have lava imported and your ass keeping it hot if it means I keep my son safe.”

That seemed to get his point across clearly because neither man spoke again. Good, because Santiago was done with the back and forth. He had other matters to focus his mind on, like his son.

Except, like a ghost determined to haunt him, his mind sent him back to the memory of the kiss. Just like that, something coursed through his blood and made his lips tingle. Santiago fought the urge to lick his lips as though he wanted to chase any lingering taste that might have been left behind.

Shit! Was he losing his mind? It was just a kiss. One that hadn’t even lasted a minute or had any tongue. For all he knew, he’d been kissed by a man. Kaleth’s kidnapper, no doubt. So why was he still thinking about it?

He didn’t have the answer to that question. One thing was for sure, though. Whoever they were, he needed to find them. To punish them, of course. Of course.