His Son. Her Secret.

Chapter 17

Surprised was an understatement. Heck, at this point, Santiago wasn’t sure there was a word in existence that would correctly reflect his emotions or state of mind.

Of course, he was relieved and grateful to finally have his son back, but that didn’t scratch the surface. Never in a thousand years would he have predicted that someone would break into his house again, only to return his son.

No ransom had been paid. No demands. It was as though the kidnappers had just borrowed his son for a few days before returning him. That didn't make sense, and frankly speaking, it raised concerns.

Had they realized their plan was doomed after the press briefing and just decided to give him up? Or… And this was where Santiago’s thoughts went dark. Had they done something to Kaleth? Infected his son with a deadly virus before returning him like a Trojan horse? Santiago needed to know, which was why he hadn’t wasted a second and rushed Kaleth to the hospital for a thorough examination.

The hospital room was large and looked more like a clean presidential suite at a hotel with clean white walls than a room meant to cater to the sick.

Even the bed was too big for Kaleth’s small frame, looking more like something that would comfortably contain a rugby player. A very comfortable couch sat in front of a wall of glass with a spectacular view of the city’s skyscrapers. Not that Santiago had tested it.

A fifty-five-inch television was mounted on the wall. Muted on the news channel. However, breaking the illusion of luxurious comfort was the number of medical equipment and monitors that lined the wall above the bed and on either side. Thankfully, none of them was currently connected to his sleeping son.

Santiago stood in front of the glass wall, arms folded tightly across his chest, staring out at nothing in particular. The city lights blinked below, indifferent, alive, moving on, unaware of his wandering thoughts.

“Excuse me, Mr. Burns?”

The doctor’s voice pulled him back. He turned, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. For her part, the doctor, a beautiful, dark-skinned woman with dimples, looked calm and collected. She looked professional in a way that almost irritated him.

Santiago had no idea what time she’d entered the room, but she stood at the foot of the bed, tablet in hand. For some reason, his glance switched to Kaleth, making sure the boy was still asleep and peaceful before he listened to whatever the doctor had found.

“What do the tests say?” he finally asked, shoulders braced.

The doctor cleared her throat, the first hint of a smile softening her features. “Your son is in surprisingly good condition.”

Santiago’s brow furrowed. “Surprisingly?”

She nodded once. “Yes. Given the circumstances… We expected dehydration, malnutrition, possibly signs of trauma or prolonged distress.” She glanced briefly at Kaleth before looking back at Santiago. “But there’s nothing significant in his results to raise concern. He’s well-fed. Clean. No bruising. Not even a diaper rash. In short, there are no signs of physical harm of any kind. His vitamins are a little low, but that isn’t a shock. He’s a growing boy and just needs a little boost. So, yes… Kaleth is in good health.”

That didn’t make sense. Not even a little. Not that he wasn’t grateful, but still... Santiago’s jaw tightened. His gaze shifted to his son again, taking in the peacefulness of his face, the absence of nightmares, the absence of anything that should have been there after what he’d been through.

“Are you saying…” Santiago began slowly, his voice lower now, more controlled, “That whoever had him… Took care of him?”

The doctor hesitated, just for a fraction of a second. “Yes,” she said finally. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

The room seemed to grow quieter. Santiago’s mind didn’t like that answer. It didn’t fit. It didn’t align with anything he knew about people who kidn*pped children. There was always a motive. Always damage. Consequences for calling the police. But then again, kidnappers never broke into houses to return their victims.

Right then, a sharp knock came at the door, cutting through the silence before Santiago could respond. He gritted his teeth and watched as the doctor walked over and opened it to reveal two men. They were the police detectives assigned to his case. Santiago vaguely remembered meeting them before and immediately hating them.

The doctor stepped aside and then left as the two Detectives entered the room, their presence immediately shifting the air. They looked around quickly, taking in everything with an appreciative eye for what money could buy before they settled their attention on Santiago.

“Mr. Burns,” one of them said, already pulling out a small notepad from the inside pocket of his jacket as they moved to the end of the bed where the doctor had been standing. “I’m sure you remember us. I’m Detective Goud, and this is my partner, Detective Walter. I must say, we’re glad to see your son is safe.”

Santiago gave a tight nod. “So am I.” He didn’t add the ‘no thanks to you’ part, but he was sure the words were loud and clear for everyone in the room.

“Was the report correct? He was returned to your residence?” Walter asked, a heavy note of skepticism and suspicion evident in his voice.

“Yes.”

Detective Goud, who looked like he had an all too familiar relationship with alcohol and lack of sleep, given the shaggy hair and wrinkled shirt under the jacket, stepped forward slightly. “I’m sure the events were quite traumatizing, but could you walk us through what happened?”

And that was the reason Santiago hadn’t liked these men from the beginning. Detective Goud tried too hard to play good cop, every word out of his mouth saying, ‘I am your friend, and you can trust me,’ while his partner, Walter, tried to push buttons and get a reaction out of him. Dealing with the two, Santiago had felt like a suspect more than a victim.

Santiago exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts into order and his irritation down. He had to remind himself that he was the one who had called the police in the first place and was mandated to give them the details, even though all he wanted to do was throw them out of the room and shut the door in their faces.

“I was doing a last check of the house before heading to bed,” he began, voice steady despite the weight of confusion pressing against his chest. “I heard movement. When I checked, there was someone inside the house.”

The detectives exchanged a quick glance. It was an annoying habit they had that made Santiago think they didn’t believe him.

“And this person had your son?” Detective Walter, a short man clearly in love with steroids, asked.

Santiago’s eyes flickered to Kaleth. “Not exactly. They were not holding my son when I spotted them.”

He nodded. “So what happened next?”

Santiago hesitated. Just for a second. The whole thing played again in his mind. A figure in black. The chase. The fight. And then… The kiss. His jaw clenched. Hard.

“Mr. Burns?” the Detective prompted, sounding impatient.

Santiago blinked once, forcing the memory down into a box for examination later. Much later. Preferably, when he’d taken Kaleth home, and he wasn’t being interrogated by the police. “They tried to run,” he said flatly. “We struggled. They escaped.”

The detectives looked at each other again, nodded, and then Goud jotted something down before he asked, “Can you tell us anything about the suspect? Something that would help us identify them.”

And there it was. The question he had been dreading. Santiago went still. His mind replayed the moment again, slower this time. The size of the intruder. Their movements. The strength. It had to be a man. It had to be. And yet… His lips pressed into a thin line.

“No,” he said finally.

The detectives frowned slightly. “No?”

“It was dark,” Santiago added, his tone sharpening just enough to shut down further probing. “The person was masked. I didn’t see their face.”

The detectives exchanged another look, clearly unsatisfied, but before either of them could press further, the door opened again. This time without a knock.

“Gentlemen,” Derrick’s voice cut in smoothly. He stepped into the room, Oliver right behind him, both dressed in sharp dark suits that made them look like lawyers and not totally out of place in the sterile hospital setting.

Derrick offered the detectives a polite but firm smile. “Apologies, but we need a moment with my brother.”

There was a minute of tension. Clearly, the detectives didn’t appreciate just being interrupted. But then they nodded. “We’ll be right outside.” It sounded more like a threat than an assurance. The three other men in the room ignored it.

As the door closed behind the detectives, the air in the room shifted again. Santiago didn’t wait. “What is it?” he asked, already sensing something was wrong.