Ricardo (The Santiago Brothers Book Three) (25 page)

“You don’t think it was at all strange that your father was gone for extended periods of time?”

Dolf’s eyes narrowed into slits. His hands went to his hips. He angled himself forward and matched Ric’s stance. “Why should I? When you’re working for the agency, you’re often gone for
extended periods of time.
” Shock must have registered on Ric’s face because Dolf continued his mocking accusation. “What? Didn’t
you
know your old man was in the agency? It’s probably the reason you got accepted in the first place. A few dim bulbs have obviously slipped through the cracks of the hiring process.”

Ric loved using his fists to do the talking, especially when words couldn’t express the right — punch — he was looking for. He suppressed the urge because Dolf was his half-brother and although Ric had gotten into plenty of fist matches with his other two full-blooded brothers, he figured a half one couldn’t handle the impact. He softened his voice as well as his demeanor. “I’m not angry with you. My…our father left our mother in a bad place.”

“Well, my mother was without her husband for most of my childhood.”

“Yeah? So, I guess that makes us even. We got him when we were little and you got him for the rest of your lives.”

Dolf frowned at the comparison. “No, no, it’s not even. I didn’t mean for it to sound quite like that.”

“He had a whole ’nother family?” Ric asked in rhetorical disbelief. Wasn’t that illegal in this state? Two wives? Or had he married Dolf’s mother? Did he divorce his own mother? The pounding in Ric’s head begged him to ponder a subject far less complex. Ric glanced at his watch. He had to get on to the interstate before the daily jam. “I gotta go,” he said absentmindedly, and brushed past Dolf on his way to the door.

“Wait! What’s your number? You have two more brothers and a sister to meet and I’d…I don’t know. Maybe we can all meet each other and…talk.”

Ric nodded and gave him his number, but didn’t promise a future meet and greet. For now, he wanted to think about nothing but seeing
his
brothers. And of course Melody.

****

“Why in the world wouldn’t he have said anything? You mean this entire time, Papa has been living with another family and that he had started that one while still married to Mama?” Rafa’s questions had plagued Ric the entire drive to his mother’s house. Thoughts about the man’s infidelity, the deceit, and the audacity had preoccupied his attention to the point where he had several near-miss accidents. His father leaving their family had left Ric with no regard for the man’s principles — if Ric could ever remember a single one taught — but Ric didn’t believe he could despise the man more. Meeting his half-brother rattled his brain and endeared him to protect his mother’s emotional health.

“Basically, he traded one for the other,” Ale said in a grave voice. “I could’ve forgiven him for leaving Mama — well, not really — but this…this is… Don’t ask me to forgive him, because I can’t.”

The reunion between the brothers had been short-lived as both Rafa and Ale had sensed something troubled Ric. As soon as he was able, Ric pulled away from his happy, clingy mother and motioned for Ale and Rafa to join him in the living room while their mother and the women cooked dinner in the kitchen.

“Whatever you do, don’t say anything to Mama,” Ric begged his older brothers.

“Are you kidding?” Ale asked with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “There’s no way Mama can know about this.” He folded his thick arms across his equally hardened chest. “What kind of man… Does he realize he’s been lying to
two
women all this time?”

Deep frown lines etched into Rafa’s brows. His hands slipped to his thin hips. He shook his head, his eyes cast downward in contemplation. “And we have three half-brothers and a sister we’ve never met. All these years, an extended family was out there.”

“Dolf is interested in meeting you two and will pitch the idea to his siblings.”

“Do you think Papa knew the both of you were working for the agency?” Rafa asked.

Ric shrugged. His voice was hard. “I don’t know. But thanks to the hearing loss I have, it looks like I’m permanently out of the field so I’ll have plenty of time to track him down and ask him some questions.”

“How do you feel about that?” Ale asked with a worried look in his eyes. “Are you going to miss it?”

Ric heard the laughter of the women in the kitchen. His eyes strayed toward the opening that led toward the kitchen and Mel appeared. She offered him a broad smile, full of life and love for him. His insides warmed at the thought of her becoming his wife. She was his greatest adventure and even if he were to return to the field tomorrow, nothing that life could offer him could compare to the love of this woman. And in a few short weeks, she would be
his
woman in every sense of the word. He kept his eyes on her flushed face when he answered his brother. “I’m sure I’ll get over it somehow.”

Rafa slapped him on the shoulder. “I know that look. There’s no way he’s missing the field anytime soon.”

The three of them chuckled.

“Are you boys done with your powwow? Dinner is ready,” Mel called to them.

Alejandro blocked Ric’s path as he attempted to rush toward his fiancée. “Just one minute, little brother.” Alejandro placed a large palm on Ric’s chest. “Mel is one of my best friends. I’ve worked with her in dangerous situations for a long time.”

Ric flicked his brother’s hand off his chest and replaced it with the crossing of his arms. He smirked. “Go on.”

“She’s like my sister.”

“She will be your sister — our sister,” Rafa said.

“I just want to let you know that if you hurt her…”

Ric arched a brow at the less than serious threat. “You’ll what? Come after me? Chase me down like I’m some sort of fugitive?”

“You’ll be a fugitive of my justice.”

Rafa chortled. “And Ale is one of the best hunters in the US Marshals. You can bet he’ll be on your tracks in no time, little brother.”

“I’m not at all bothered,” Ric said with a smile.

“Are you sure about that?” Ale asked. His eyes strayed to one side of Ric’s head. “I don’t think you’ll hear me coming.”

Ric looked away and nodded his head. “Wow. You’re gonna go there.”

Rafa, the peacemaker, stepped between them. “Save it for later ’cause it wouldn’t be a fair fight.”

“I don’t need to hear him to knock him out.” Ric’s deep voice was laced with danger and mixed with humor.

“Yeah, but your back is injured, isn’t it?” Rafa asked. “I’ve seen you touch it often.”

Ric rolled his eyes. “You are incredibly observant. Thanks,” he said dryly.

“I am a detective…well, agent now.”

“Do I have your blessing, brother?” Ric asked Ale.

Ale sported an easy grin. “Of course you do. Congratulations.”

Ric rolled his eyes. “Thank you.”

Ric led the way into the kitchen, where his mother and the women had prepared fajitas, rice, refried beans, fresh guacamole and salsa, and his mother’s fried corn chips. Maria Santiago touched the arm of her son to get his attention. Her round, cherry-colored face brought a smile to Ric’s. They’d spent hours on the phone while he was in the hospital. It was then when he had the courage to ask the one question he never had an answer to. Why? Why didn’t she leave their father? Why did she put up with the abuse?
Because it was either me or you,
she had told him through her tears.
I didn’t know why he was so angry, but I thought if I could keep him focused on me, he would never harm you. I wasn’t strong enough to leave him, mi hijo. I wish I were. I prayed to God to make me strong, but I held on to my fear and didn’t walk away.

His mother’s story broke his heart. The new appreciation for her position as a shield for him and his brothers eradicated the last trace of his own anger against her. She did the best she could: what she thought was right in a seemingly impossible situation. She was the wife of a man whose heart belonged to another and she was in the dark about everything. Papa was angry because there was another family he was forced to spend time away from because of Maria Santiago and her three sons. It would be easy to hate the other woman and his half-brothers and half-sister, but apparently his father had hidden the truth about his other family as well.

“Ricardo.”

“
Sí, mamá?
”

“
Hijo
, I have missed you so much.” Her eyes welled with tears for maybe the fifth time since he’d stepped through the door of his childhood home.

“I know, Mama. I’ve missed you too.” He wrapped his arms around the petite woman, and ignored the pain in his back and hugged her fiercely. “I’m sorry I was such a punk kid.”

“Oh, no
hijo
.”

“I’ve known for a long time that you did the right thing.”

Her tearstained cheeks rose with the loving smile she gave him. “I knew you would grow into the fine man you’ve become. I knew God would answer my prayers for each of you boys.”

Ric kissed his mother’s glistening forehead. “Thank you for praying for us, Mama. I know how much you love us by how you talk to God about us.” When his mother’s eyes welled with fresh tears, he groaned. “No, no, no.
No mas lágrimas.
Let’s eat, okay?”

Hours later, when their stomachs were full, Ric led Mel out of the backdoor to sit on the bench near the small creek at the end of their yard. Mel nestled into his arms and they watched the golden hue of the setting sun soften into a pastel-like arrangement of orange, purple, and blue.

On their plane trip back to the United States, Ric and Melody had spent most of the nearly nine-hour ride discussing the future and their plans to live it together. Mel loved her job as a Deputy US Marshal and was distressed over the possibility of not being able to leave her duty station and find another position closer to Langley. Ric assured her that he would leave the agency if she had to stay in Texas and he wasn’t concerned about finding employment.

“What would you do after the agency?” she had asked, surprised he would resign his position for her.

Ric had shrugged off her concern. “I’ll do some type of consulting. Trust me, with my skill set, I won’t have any problems finding a job.”

Now that their engagement was official, doubts about her happiness plagued him. “You talked to Ale, right? What did he say?”

Mel’s fingers entwined with his. “He leads his own team now and has the authority to bring in whoever he wants. My boss isn’t too happy that I’m leaving the unit, but he understands.”

Ric heard the smile in her voice. He squeezed her hand. Mel and Ale were great friends and it pleased Ric that she could transfer to a unit with a familiar face. Yet, her family lived in Texas. After the ordeal they’d endured in the desert, he wouldn’t blame them for the objection they mounted when she gave them notice just a few weeks ago that she was moving out of the state. “Do you think you’ll be happy here in Virginia, away from your family?”

“I’ll get to visit them, won’t I?”

Ric chuckled. “Of course.”

Mel angled her head to see his eyes. “I’ll be happy anywhere as long as I’m with you.” With pursed lips, she invited his kiss. He captured her lips and didn’t relinquish them until he heard her sigh in his mouth. Her soft moans of passion fueled his inner fire. “I love you without the beard.” She stroked the smooth, caramel skin and fingered a dimple as he smiled. “I liked the beard too, but I love seeing your face.”

Ric rubbed his jaw. “I’ll remember to keep it clean then.” He kissed her softly.

“Is your back okay sitting here on this bench? It’s kinda hard…”

He shifted his position to draw her deeper into his embrace. “It only hurts when you stop kissing me,” he said against her mouth. She giggled against his mouth.

“I love you, Ricardo Santiago, and I can’t wait to be your wife.” She sighed, her eyes full of happiness and pleasure.

He wasn’t sure what the future held for him at the agency, or how his family could possibly blend with his father’s, but he knew with God’s protection and Mel’s love, he didn’t need to take on the world alone. “I love you, too.” He gently kissed her lips.

The End?

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Chapter One

If it isn’t a game, then why do you say you’re losing?

The words of FBI profiler and Special Agent Margaret Weston’s mother echoed in her head. The previous evening, they had another heart-to-heart phone call. All of them ended the same: you are not in competition with your sister.

Maggie shoved the thought from her head. She needed to concentrate on work. She could win at work. Maggie pulled the daily paper from underneath a pile of notes for a case due to the Richmond office. The headline caught her eye.

“Suspect in Gruesome Murder of Four Surrenders”

Maggie bit her lip as she unfolded the paper to continue reading. For the last week, a small community in western Virginia had been held hostage over the discovery of four bodies found in the backyard of an ex-cop. The officer married four times; after two to five years of marital bliss, he would report his wife missing and move on to the next.

Maggie shuddered. The suspect reminded her of the profile she completed on another monster: a man obsessed with women who possessed certain features. Nine women went missing from his hometown and were never heard from again.

Burrows
…

Maggie’s fingers shook as she refolded the newspaper. She could only imagine the suffering those women endured at his hands: their worst nightmares realized. Maggie whispered a silent prayer of thanks. Every day Burrows remained off the streets was a day the people of Culpeper, Virginia would be grateful for. Maggie expelled a breath of relief. Each day offered her an opportunity to identify and catch the bad guys. Maggie lived for it.