Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) (11 page)

“Agent Compton, isn’t that your area? The FBI
in San Diego has been working on that case for some time.” Genie
sat down across from the agent.

“I haven’t been in the office today so I
don’t know much about their investigation. As for businesses here,
we have a joint effort with the Internal Revenue Service and
receive monthly reports on local businesses that might be operating
illegally. If they fall within our purview, then we investigate. La
Cocina Dolce isn't on our radar and may be clean.”

Rafa wasn’t convinced. The only connection
couldn’t just be family. “This restaurant has to be linked to the
San Diego operation.”

“Not necessarily. But again, I haven’t been
to the office so I'll make a request for an inquiry into the
restaurant.” Drake checked his watch. “Speaking of the office, I
better check in. I’ll give my contact at the IRS a call and let you
know what he finds out. Deal?”

Rafa didn’t appreciate the agent’s nonchalant
attitude. This case might not be all that sexy to the Bureau, but
nevertheless, it was important. Something told Rafa he wasn’t going
to like the way Drake did business.

****

Genie’s porch light shone bright in the
fading glow of the sun. Mrs. Jennings, her elderly neighbor, sat on
Genie’s white swing with a baseball bat in hand. Genie exited her
vehicle quickly and sprinted to her front door. “Mrs. Jennings? Why
are you sitting here?”

Her neighbor rose from the seat, her eyes
wide with concern. “I saw something, or someone sneaking around
here, so I decided to sit here on your porch and keep watch.”

“Mrs. Jennings,” Genie moved towards her,
taking a seat beside her on the bench, “how many times have I told
you to call the police if something doesn’t seem right? It’s too
dangerous for you to sit out here. You could get hurt.”

“I have my bat.” She tapped it in her hand a
few times. “If anyone tries anything, they’ll get a whack across
the head.”

Genie chuckled. “Mrs. Jennings, I appreciate
you keeping watch, but let the police do their job. They’re trained
to handle these situations.”

“I can handle myself just fine, as can
you.”

She was right about that. Mrs. Jennings
played softball in her youth and held the record for the most
homeruns in her college women’s team’s history. She could swing a
bat and hit her mark. “I know you can, Mrs. Jennings, but I’d feel
better if an officer was out here with you. Plus, you have my cell
number. You know you can call me.”

One hand still holding the bat, she used the
other to adjust her nightcap. “I know I can. It didn’t happen that
long ago, and I didn’t want your house broken into while I was
trying to dial your number. My bat is next to the front door, so I
just came out. And you have that big case you’re working on. I can
certainly do my part in the neighborhood watch.”

“Yes, you can, Mrs. Jennings. Thank you for
looking after my place. I appreciate it.” She gave the old lady an
awkward pat on the forearm. “Now, let me walk you back home and you
can tell me about what you saw.”

Shadows. Mrs. Jennings could only make out a
shadow of something or someone along the side of Genie’s house.
Mrs. Jennings was a sprightly woman in her seventies, and although
Genie didn’t doubt she saw something, she couldn’t eliminate the
possibility the woman’s eyes were playing tricks on her. After
walking Mrs. Jennings home, Genie returned to her own home and
checked the locks on all her doors and windows. Nothing seemed out
of the ordinary.

Then she heard the unmistakable jiggle of the
screen door on her back porch. Genie froze. She slipped her gun
from the holster and silently moved towards her kitchen. She
pressed her back to the wall, out of the view of the back door.
Closing her eyes, she slowed her breathing, straining to hear any
other sound. Nothing. The door shook again. Genie opened her eyes,
and rounded the corner.

****

Rafa chewed gingerly on his medium rare steak
and listened as his mother chatted about everything and everyone.
Not much had changed in the lives of the people she knew. The old
neighborhood remained the same; even this steak restaurant — one of
his mother’s favorites — was still as packed as he’d always
remembered. Truth was, he had returned several times to the East
Coast over the last decade but never stayed longer than a day or
two. Usually he was passing by, either traveling with friends or
attending specialized training. He never mustered the courage to
see his mother, though. Couldn’t stomach the rejection he knew
she'd reap on him when she saw his face. She laughed while
retelling a story about something a friend of hers from church had
said. Rafa smiled. No rejection: just love, peace, and
acceptance.

“
Have I
told you how happy I am to have you home,
hijo
?”

“Many times, Mamá. But you don’t have to stop
saying it.”

His mother glowed with pride. Emotion choked
in his throat. The pride was for him. Despite all he had done
wrong, he still made her proud. “Mamá, I’m sorry,” he
whispered.

“
For
what,
hijo
?” She
placed a tiny, chilled hand on his, worry lines creasing her
brow.

“For everything. Everything I ever did,
everything I ever said or didn’t say.”

Tears lined the lids of his mother’s eyes.
“No, my son.”

“I was awful to you. I was—” He dropped his
gaze to the table, blinking away the hot sting in the back of his
eyes. “Can you please forgive me?” He had agonized over his
mother’s denial. Despite the warm reception the other day, she
still might remember his dismissal of her and decide to change her
mind. His stomach knotted at the thought.

She called often enough when he first moved
out to California. In the beginning, he wouldn’t answer the phone
or return her calls. Being forced to leave home at eighteen angered
him. Then he considered his older brother Alejandro. Ale decided to
live with their mother’s father in Texas. In the first year after
Ale left, he had contacted Rafa, saying he enjoyed life. It was
freedom. No parents, no rules. So when their mother had told Rafa
it was time for him to move out, he chose California, but he and
his mother didn't part well.

Did she remember his words to her? He
wouldn’t repeat them now. He had hurled hate, spewed curses, and
promised to never return. He gazed up, searching his mother’s eyes.
They showed neither sadness nor regret. No anger or resentment
laced her tone. Instead, she grinned widely at him, her hands
warming as they gripped his, her voice as cheerful and as loving as
he had always remembered.

She wiped
a tear off her round cheek. “Oh,
mi hijo
, I forgave you so long ago. I knew God would bring you
back to me and He has.” Her smile was filled with gratitude and
love. “Nothing you did could ever take away the love I have for
you.”

Tears of joy continued to well in her eyes
and stream down her cheeks. Those tears caused his throat to
thicken, the muscles in his jaw to tremble, and his heart to swell
with love for the woman who’d endured more than her fair share of
pain from the men in her life. She laughed joyously, as she patted
her eyes dry with a napkin.

“How do you do it?”

Her brows
bunched in confusion. “Do what,
hijo
?”

Rafa took a sip of his soda, loosening the
rigid walls of his throat. “Survive. What me and my brother
Alejandro did… and Ricardo—”

“
Enough,”
she stated firmly, but her eyes still smiled. “I’m still praying
for Alejandro —
Dios
help that
boy — and little Ricardo, but I have so much joy, more joy over you
now than the day you were born, and I never thought anything than
the birth of you three could be better. But now that you have come
home, my heart is so full.”

Rafa chuckled. “You might have to wait awhile
for Ale and Ric.”

Alejandro was older than Rafa by two years
and equally rebellious. Nearly fifteen years later, Ale remained
away. Soon after Rafa began walking a better path, he attempted to
reach out to his older brother, but Alejandro’s phone had been
disconnected. The family knew little of his location and
profession. He left their grandfather’s residence not long after
arriving in Texas and didn't make it a habit to keep in regular
contact.

Ricardo. At almost two years younger than
Rafa, on Ric’s eighteenth birthday, he was shipped to Florida. A
few years back, the family heard Ric had entered the service,
possibly with the Marines. A solid choice for the younger and
impressionable brother. At least two out of three Santiago men
turned out okay, even though no one had heard from Ricardo in a few
years.

His
mother sighed and sat back in the booth, her eyes revealing the
weariness of years of pain and prayers. “I know, I know. Sometimes
I
feel
they will
not return to me, but I must
believe
they will. So many are praying for your
brothers.”

“As am I.” But he didn’t possess her level of
confidence. Although he had more hope for Ricardo, Rafa never knew
anyone more bullheaded than Alejandro… except maybe Genie.

Rafa smiled at the way his mother rubbed her
round belly. She pulled a compact out of her purse, reapplied her
signature red lipstick, and puffed her head of curls. She snapped
the compact shut and placed it back in her purse. She folded her
small hands on her belly. Rafa’s grin grew.

“Did you know Eugenia Green is single?”

Rafa blinked. “What?”

“She’s single.” His mother’s eyes twinkled
with mischief.

“What a shock.”

“Very smart, that girl,” his mother continued
as if she hadn’t heard his sarcasm. “And she’s active in the
church. Or at least she was. I know she’s busy with work. Oh! You
should see her with the children!”

Rafa bit back a smile. Genie with children?
Now that was a sight he’d like to see. His mind began playing
tricks on him, and he could imagine her having children, a little
girl with as much will to match her mother. His cheeks heated from
the mental picture, and he filed it away. He took a sip of his
ice-packed soda to cool the burn. His mother would notice and then
ask whether he was thinking of Genie. He didn’t want to lie.

Instead, he focused on his mother. Never
before had he seen her as a matchmaker. She popped a forgotten
French fry in her mouth and smiled innocently. Didn’t she remember
the number of girls he used to bring home? She caught him more than
once with one in his bedroom. And now here she sat, her grin
revealing her secret wish. “What are you saying, Mamá?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just talking. I know you
two are working together. How is that going?”

“Couldn’t be better,” he said dryly. Well,
their relationship had begun to improve. For a brief moment in the
car earlier at Diego Cera’s house, Rafa and Genie had connected. He
knew she harbored some secret pain and she hadn’t lashed out when
he mentioned it. She promised to handle it. Whatever it was, she
needed help, and as her partner he'd support her. If she wanted him
to. But that required trust, and Genie had made it clear she didn’t
trust him.

“There should be no reason for the two of you
not to get along. You have so much in common.” She wagged her
brows. “Take it from your mamá, you shouldn’t let a woman like that
get away.”

Rafa
playfully rolled his eyes. He took a long sip of water to avoid
participating in this present line of conversation when his phone
vibrated in his pocket. He had a text from the department.
Thank God.
Work was a safer topic of
discussion
and
thought.
Then he read the text. His stomach flipped. He needed to get over
to Genie’s house, immediately.

THE
blue and red
lights of the police cruisers at Genie’s house caused a chill to
run through Rafa. He pulled in behind one of the cruisers and
quickly exited the car. He did a quick scan of the area. No
ambulances. But that didn’t mean one hadn’t been there before he
arrived. Had Genie been hurt? Rafa expelled a slow breath to calm
his increasing heart rate. He didn’t know anything yet.

He darted up the driveway and burst through
the front door. A couple of officers talking in the living room
stopped when they saw him. “Where’s Genie?” Before they could
answer, Genie rounded the corner with another officer. A hasty
once-over told him she was unharmed, but why were officers here? He
covered the distance between them in two long strides. She looked
up at him when he touched her elbow and gently pulled her towards
him. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” But her gaze wavered
slightly. She thanked the officer and turned back to him.

“What happened?”

Genie let out a heavy breath. “When I arrived
home, a neighbor was sitting on my front porch. She claimed
something or someone was lurking around the property. Nothing
seemed strange. All my doors and windows were secure, but then when
I was inside, someone tried to break into my back door.”

“Tried?”

“Whoever it was left before I could identify
him. A couple of officers are in the back, fingerprinting the
door.” She moved past him toward the living room and the two
officers. “Marks, Esposito. Did you two finish canvassing the
neighborhood?” They sputtered and mumbled and Genie cut them off by
holding up a hand. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get on it!”
Both men rushed out of the house and Genie put a hand on her
forehead. She drew it slowly down the side of her face, releasing a
groan.