Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) (3 page)

“Not exactly. Ah, come in!” Winters motioned
for someone to take a seat. “Sorry about that, Santiago.”

“You can just call me ‘Rafa.’”

Genie
sucked in a breath.
Santiago!
Genie
turned her head slightly, her mouth agape. Did he have something to
do with the restaurant in California? Rafa took the seat beside
her. Genie continued to stare at him. His obsidian-colored eyes
laughed at her as if he were privy to some private joke. It had
been such a long time since she’d last seen him. He looked… and
those dimples… no warm-blooded woman could
ever
forget those dimples.

Genie swallowed thickly, her mind
involuntarily flashing to images of Jeff Butler. He, too, was
incredibly handsome, although he did lack dimples. She had to stop
thinking about Butler, and she wouldn’t even consider Rafael
Santiago. Besides, her schedule left her too busy solving murder
cases to be bothered by any distractions.

Genie forced the banned images from her mind
and focused on yet another man who disrespected women — Rafael
Santiago. She’d have to be on her guard. This was her case and
she’d solve it on her own.

She could see he struggled to hide a smirk.
His eyes boldly traveled up and down her form. Recognition flashed
in his gaze. His long, dark lashes gave her a quick wink. Ignoring
the heat creeping up her neck and into her cheeks, Genie turned,
her eyes locked on the lieutenant’s chair.

He remembered her.

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it,
Genie?”

“What’s this? You two know each other?”
Winter’s voice sounded a bit too pleased with that knowledge. He
gave her a toothy grin.

“That’s right. We were in the same high
school class. Hung in different crowds, of course.”

Genie
swallowed a gasp. She didn’t want to discuss high school. With four
unsolved murders, there wasn’t time to travel down memory
lane.
Wait,
what is he doing here?
Were there murders in California linking the La Cocina
Dulce restaurant in Virginia to the one in California? She racked
her brain for answers, not hearing her boss calling her
name.

“Green!”

Genie jolted. “Sir?”

“You’re being a bit rude to a former
classmate.” He gestured towards Rafa. “Aren’t you even going to say
hello?”

Genie swallowed. Her neck stiff, she adjusted
her position to view the man seated next to her. Rafa reclined
easily in the chair, his elbows resting on the armrests, fingers
intertwined. Their knees close enough for her to feel his heat. She
crossed her legs away from his body. Her gaze drifted slowly up
and, when her eyes met his, she read pure, unadulterated enjoyment
in them. The smirk, fully visible now, added a unique angle to his
already handsome square jaw.

Genie didn’t like any surprises. Not for a
few years now. She used to love them; especially ones she prayed
for but God chose to answer ten times more than expected. Not
anymore. She had prayed for protection — for her heart — and it
broke.

Here at work, she had control. But even now
that was slipping. Like Jeff’s betrayal, Rafa was definitely
unexpected and definitely not an answer to anything she had prayed
for. Prayer. She hadn’t prayed recently… not really.

Genie tried not to recall the secret crush
she had on one of Springfield’s resident bad boys. In high school,
every girl wanted him, but he only chose the most beautiful, the
most popular. Not a jock, but built like one due to all the fights
he was in, and he never lost one. Rafa formed a small gang
including his older brother Alejandro and his younger brother
Ricardo, and all were habitually arrested. Why was she always
attracted to the ones with questionable reputations? In fact, Jeff
wasn’t bad to begin with, but later on? Irredeemable. Rafael
Santiago was mischievous to the core, and it shouldn’t surprise her
he'd have knowledge of criminal activities. Genie raised her head a
little, giving him a tight smile.

“
Mr.
Santiago,
nice to see you again.”

His humorous smile was devastating. “Good to
see you. Again.”

Genie’s head snapped back to her boss. Hands
clasped over his wide stomach, Winters sat back in his chair,
amused at the exchange. Genie bristled. “Mind filling me in?” Genie
asked. Winters’ eyes switched to Rafa’s.

“The Snakes.”

Rafa’s smooth baritone had her eyeing him.
“I’m sorry?” she asked. “The who? What?”

A grin spread across Rafa’s features. It took
all her willpower not to let her gaze linger on his full lips.

Twice now
his smile caused an involuntary physical reaction from her.
Is it hot in
here?
Genie fought the
need to suck in life-saving air in the stifling office. High school
ended more than a decade ago and yet the years seemed to only
intensify his good looks.
Focus, Genie. Focus on what he’s saying, not on
how he looks.

His smile disappeared. “The Snakes,” his
voice dropped a decibel more, causing goose bumps to mark her
flesh.

“What about snakes?” she pressed.

Rafa’s gaze moved from her to Winters and
back. His expression darkened. “From what Lieutenant Winters told
me over the phone, it sounds as if these murders are being
performed by members of the Snakes. A mid-sized organization
operating in San Diego, and one I’m very familiar with. They don’t
actually call themselves the Snakes. It’s more of a symbol they go
by.”

“We don’t have any such group here in
Springfield or the greater Fairfax County,” Genie protested.

“Maybe not, but the autopsy findings could
conclude we’re dealing with killings similar to those carried out
by the outfit in my district.”

“Oh, have you seen our autopsy records?”
Genie couldn’t help the veiled accusation that he hadn’t been privy
to the records. She caught a flicker of annoyance in Rafa’s eyes.
She smiled, pleased at his reaction. He may have some knowledge of
who these Snakes were, but this was still her case, and she aimed
to keep it that way.

“No, he hasn’t, and that’s why he’s here,”
Winters interrupted. “He phoned as soon as his department got wind
of the search you were conducting in the national database for more
information into the killings here in Virginia. Santiago is on loan
from his department to assist on this case. He’ll be shadowing you
on this investigation and will give you insight into this Snakes
something or another.” Winters stood up quickly for a man his size
and moved towards his door.

Genie’s lower jaw slacked. She didn’t know
which was worse: Franco overseeing the crime scene or having Rafa
as a partner. The case could last for months… well, technically her
average record from open to closure was six weeks. So she could
have this arrogant, smirking, incredibly gorgeous and dimpled man
for… weeks? “What? But sir…”

“Green, this case takes precedence over all
others. I want this before the district attorney before the week is
out.”

Before the end of the week! Jaw already on
the floor, Genie could do nothing but raise her palms to the sky in
utter amazement. She barely had any leads, no trace evidence, no
suspects in the murders, and it was already Tuesday. Even with
Rafa’s help, she doubted the culprits could be caught in the next
few days. Her boss paused at his door. Genie detected a look
passing between him and Rafa.

“Oh, and Green,” Winters flashed another
amused grin, “I want you to give Rafa all the courtesy and respect
a Springfield officer would give a fellow law-enforcement officer.
Now get out of here and solve that case.” He opened the door,
waiting for their departure.

Rafa
smiled triumphantly. Genie’s eyes saucered. “
Fellow law-enforcement
officer?
”

RAFA
chuckled
softly as he trailed Genie in and around workstations in the
building’s main office area.

Eugenia Green.

He remembered her well from high school. Shy,
soft-spoken, bookish. They barely spoke ten words to each other in
all four years, rarely passed one another in the hallways, but even
then she had left an impression on him. She was always dressed in
floral prints and cardigans buttoned to the neck that threatened to
choke her at any moment. The epitome of guarded virtue: something
that never appealed to him.

Well, not until recently.

More than ten years ago, he was in the thick
of a life of juvenile delinquency. Smoking, drinking, partying hard
every night and even harder on the weekends. Whatever his body
cried out to do, he did, including enjoying himself with the women
who crossed his path and turned his head. His mother, unable to
handle his wayward behavior, banished him to California to his
cousin’s family. But life there was no better. More of the same,
and temptations ruled.

Rafa
sighed as he watched Genie’s hips shift and slide through and past
the never-ending rows of desks. He forced his eyes to scan the
room.
Guess
some things never change
. But then again, some things did. He didn’t remember hips
underneath those awful corduroy skirts she wore in school. And that
attitude… Granted, he never gave her the time of day, but he
doubted she possessed
that
much fire in school.

She glanced back at him. It struck him how
beautiful of a woman she had become. Her dark tresses were pulled
back into a tight ponytail, accenting her high cheekbones. Her
mocha eyes simmered with contempt and a healthy dose of
annoyance.

Rafa couldn’t help the smile that came to his
face. He understood why she loathed him. She remembered the bad boy
— someone she'd never have associated with — a person who offended
her moral sensibilities and now thought of nothing but invading her
life, and her job. Rafa rubbed away the grin. He didn’t know how
often they would interact outside of work. If his mother still
attended Genie’s church, then it'd be a fair amount. He planned to
attend church with his mother in an effort to make up for lost
time. The thought of irritating Genie further suddenly held great
appeal to him.

Genie opened the door to the glass conference
room and entered, allowing the door to swing back. It nearly hit
him in the face. Rafa expelled a breath of air. It was going to be
a long night. If the two of them were going to work together, they
needed to get along. Waves of irritation rolled off Genie, proving
their partnership would be difficult. He moved to the long table in
the back of the room where a fancy coffee machine dripped the last
of freshly brewed coffee into a pot. After pouring himself a cup,
he leaned against the edge of the table — away from the coffee
maker — and sipped his coffee. Genie walked to the other end of the
conference room and flipped over the dry erase board. His eyes
narrowed on her. He could handle difficult.

Genie whirled around to face him, hands
cinched to her hips and her plump lips curved in a confident smile.
“Let’s get one thing straight.” With an authoritative toss of her
head, she whipped her dark brown ponytail behind her. Rafa had a
feeling nothing in her life was allowed out of place without her
permission. “This is my case.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I don’t have any intention of handing it
over.”

“Oh, no?”

“So, if you have plans to use this as some
sort of stepping-stone for your career—”

“And there it is,” Rafa interrupted. Genie’s
lips clamped shut as if she’d said too much. “When I work a case,
it’s for the victim, not my career.”

Genie took a slight step back, pink tinting
her caramel cheeks. She recovered quickly, clearing her throat.
“And how would I know that? By taking your word for it?”

Rafa bit his tongue to keep from uttering
words he shouldn’t. Although they never interacted in high school,
his reputation was known throughout the school. Was she recalling
the boy he once was? Would he always have to answer for past
mistakes? He wasn’t a liar … he just couldn’t be trusted to keep
the law. A huge difference, especially now that he was the law. But
being a police officer never seemed enough. The crimes of his youth
always seemed to color the judgment of others. He was tired of the
prejudice.

“Didn’t your boss tell you to give me some
respect?” He was only half kidding, but by the look on Genie’s
face, she didn’t care for sarcasm.

The pretty color in her cheeks deepened into
red, her eyes glowing with contempt. Her upper lip twitched and
Rafa thought for certain he’d heard a soft groan. Her heels clunked
heavily on the tile floor as she took deliberate steps in his
direction. Genie seemed ready to clock him one over the head. If he
were any other man, he’d be intimidated. But he wasn’t any other
man; he enjoyed the fierce look in his new partner, the aggressive
energy emanating from her smaller frame. Rafa worked hard to keep
his lips tight, but all he wanted to do was smile.

She stood toe to toe with him. A good head
shorter than him, she tilted her head back to hold his gaze. She
didn’t hold it for long as his gaze couldn’t resist straying to her
lips.

“Respect is earned.”

His eyes darted back up. “So I take it you
have a hard time earning respect? Being a female police officer and
all?”

“I’m the best detective in this precinct.
Every man here knows it.”

“I’m sure.”

“And I’m sure you’re used to working for
it.”

She didn’t have to remind him. He would be
laboring for respect for the rest of his life. All at once, Rafa
wished he could erase his past. The heavy look of distrust in her
eyes slammed into him like a fist to his gut. “I’m here to stop
whoever’s doing the killing. If closing this case is the only way I
can earn your respect, then I’ll close the case.”