His Son. Her Secret.

Chapter 27

Fury didn't begin to describe the emotion Santiago felt swirl in his chest. Any lingering spurts of confusion and desire he’d felt from the dream he had were long gone.

It only took him a second to recognize the person standing by his son's bed, and in that second, Santiago’s entire body went rigid even as his blood went cold and then hot with blinding rage. His gun appeared in his hand almost instantly.

Across the room, clearly having heard his entrance, Eduard Burns slowly turned from the crib and stared at his son. With light coming from the tall lamp beside Kaleth’s crib and more spilling in from the hallway behind Santiago, it was easy to read every expression on the man’s face. And what Santiago saw only fueled his anger.

Because for a man caught creepily standing over a child’s crib in the middle of the night and now faced with the possibility of a bullet to the head, Eduard looked calm and unsurprised. As though to prove the point, the older man casually stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark slacks. He didn’t reach for a weapon, and Santiago could tell from the cashmere sweater he wore that there was none hidden on the man. At least, not ones as large as a handgun.

That didn’t make Santiago lower his weapon, though. If anything, he pointed the gun directly at his father’s chest, making sure the man knew he meant to use it.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Santiago demanded through gritted teeth.

Eduard sighed softly. “Good evening to you, too, son.”

He sounded like a parent disappointed in his child’s lack of manners. The word ‘son’ only sent another wave of anger through Santiago. “Answer the question.” His voice came out deadly sharp. And loud. So it was no surprise when Kaleth shifted slightly in the crib. Immediately, both men froze.

Eduard glanced down at his grandson briefly before looking back at Santiago, his tone still calm and low. “I came to see my grandson, of course.”

“You broke into my house to see my son?” Santiago emphasized the last part because he needed the man to understand that Kaleth was his son. He refused to acknowledge any relation between the man standing in front of him and his child, regardless of what biology said.

Not surprisingly, Eduard just glided over that like it was background noise. “I don’t have to break in. I have access to this house.”

Oh, Santiago was starting to see that, and he hated it. Clearly, firing one or two guards wasn’t solving this particular problem. His nostrils flared. “Not anymore.”

The older man’s expression barely changed. “I see that you continue to mistake distance for control.”

Santiago’s grip tightened around the gun. God, he hated this man and his condescending tone. He hated the calm superiority. And the constant feeling that Eduard was always three steps ahead in conversations, Santiago never wanted to have.

“You need to leave,” Santiago said coldly. There was no point in listening to whatever the man had to say. Santiago would never agree out of principle, and the man would only try to play his games of manipulation and mind f***s.

Case in point: Eduard ignored his words completely and looked toward Kaleth again. “He seems well.”

Santiago’s molars were in danger of cracking. Seriously, he was getting a migraine, and he’d only been in the man’s presence for five minutes. “He is, not that it’s any of your concern.”

The corners of his lips twitched, but he only responded with a single word, “Good.”

Something about the simple word unsettled Santiago more than anything else would have. But finally, Eduard stepped away from the crib slowly. Though he wasn’t done talking. “I didn’t appreciate hearing the news from a third party. You should have called me after you got him back. ”

A snort escaped him. Was that a joke? “We both know I would never call you for anything. Especially anything that concerns my son.”

Eduard arched his brow. “You still believe I had something to do with it.”

It wasn’t a question. Santiago laughed once without humor. “It still stands on the list of possibilities.”

For the first time, a flicker of irritation crossed Eduard’s face. “You think too emotionally when it comes to family.”

“And you don’t think emotionally at all.”

The older man smiled faintly. He shrugged. “Emotion clouds judgment.”

Santiago almost pulled the trigger right there simply to wipe that expression off his father’s face. Instead, he said tightly, “Get out. Now. Unless you want a bullet in the heart. Not that you have one.”

For a long moment, Eduard studied him quietly, as though debating whether to call his bluff. Santiago thought the man should have known better. After all, he was the one who made sure both his sons were familiar with a variety of weapons.

The thought must have finally occurred to the man because his cold, assessing gaze dropped briefly toward the gun in Santiago’s hand. “You carry that thing around your own house now,” he observed.

Santiago bristled immediately, feeling defensive. “You don’t get to comment on my life and what I choose to carry around.”

“No?” Eduard tilted his head slightly. “Everything about your life comments on mine.” Eduard’s eyes narrowed as he added, “You can’t run from your blood forever, Santiago.”

“I can try.”

The older man stepped closer. Not enough to threaten. Just enough to remind Santiago that fear used to live in his bones whenever this man approached him.

“Sooner or later,” Eduard said softly, “Duty catches up with all of us.”

Santiago stared back coldly, refusing to give anything away. Maybe another man would have lowered the gun by now. He didn’t.

Finally, Eduard sighed once more and walked toward the door. But before leaving, he paused beside Santiago. “You should be careful,” he said quietly.

Every muscle in Santiago’s body tightened. “Meaning?”

Eduard glanced toward the sleeping child. “You can’t protect that child by pretending to be something you are not. You are only a fool if you think otherwise.” Then he walked out.

Leaving Santiago standing in the nursery with his gun still raised and a fresh wave of dread slowly crawling beneath his skin. f**k!