Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) (26 page)

“She wasn’t? Funny. Did you know she was
mixed up with Miguel Trujillo?”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“He’s a major distributor on this side of the
border. And he’s dangerous.”

The way
Marshal Santiago said Trujillo’s name sent a chill through Audrey.
Drugs?
Not
Penny.
Audrey knew her
sister experimented with the stuff years ago, but Penny told her
she had quit. “Impossible. My sister knew better than to get
involved with drug dealers. Last time I spoke to her, she swore she
was clean.”

“Then she ignored her instincts, because I
have proof they were in a relationship. How deep it went is what
I’m investigating.” He uncrossed his arms and walked past her to a
table full of paperwork. He started sifting through the pile.

“Hey, wait a minute!” She grabbed an arm and
turned him around. His green eyes shadowed with anger. They were
mere inches apart and she wasn’t prepared for the jolt of
electricity that passed between them. She stumbled back, but his
arm around her waist set her upright — and fully aligned with his
body.

“Ah…” Audrey could have smacked herself for
the audible sound of — what exactly? — when the warmth of his touch
set her trembling against him. So this is what dozens of girls —
last count from high school — felt when pressed up against a
Santiago. An instantaneous current of high voltage had her
sweltering and immediately aware of feminine desires. She forced
her eyes to the papers in his other hand. “Those are my sister’s,”
she protested weakly.

“Don’t you want her killer to be brought to
justice? I need anything I can get on Trujillo.” Dropping his arm
from her waist, he continued his search into the pile until he
spotted a sheet of paper and picking it up, he began reading
softly.

Audrey
stood there, coolly stunned by the weight of his words. He had to
be mistaken. Officers usually show up at a person’s door to report
a family member’s death. Her mind flashed to the solemn faces of
the female officer and her male partner on the day her parents
died. Penny was in her room, chatting on the phone with a friend
from school while Audrey fixed dinner, thinking her mother was
running late from her church job. Now her sister was dead? Someone
named Miguel Trujillo had killed her? “She…” Audrey swallowed,
trying to find her voice.
God, please help me!
“She was murdered?”

The marshal turned his gaze on her, the sheet
floating from his hand and landing on the table. Hands on hips, his
brows furrowed. He let out a frustrated breath, followed by a word
in a language she didn’t understand. “No one told you,” he stated
softly.

Audrey
shook her head. “I… I got a letter from her. She said something
about being dead once I read it, but she’s always been a little
dramatic.” Audrey shrugged. “I just thought she was in some trouble
she couldn’t tell me about so I came here first, hoping she’d be
here. I… I didn’t know she was…” Her voice broke. She put both
hands to her eyes, the sudden onslaught of hot tears streaming down
her cheeks. A sob escaped her lips, and her body began to tremble.
Her sister was dead. Murdered.
How did she die? Was she alone? Did she
suffer?

She sniffed and dragged her hands, wet with
tears, through her hair. She opened her eyes and sucked in a
breath. Santiago stood before her, his eyes full of sympathy. He
cautiously put his hands on her upper arms, giving them a gentle
squeeze.

“I’m sorry. I thought you knew.” His rough
voice was heavy, even though he whispered.

He stood
too close, his spicy scent threatening to drag her thoughts away
from her sister. Her
dead
sister. Why didn’t he say something sooner? Why hadn’t she
been contacted by the police? His eyes, the color of forest fern,
caused her heart to warm. His large hands, quite gentle in his
touch — oddly — continued to knead her arms, summoning a dull heat
to her skin. Why didn’t he back up? Sudden anger swelled at the
dichotomy of her thoughts. “No, I didn’t,” she snapped.

Hands dropping, he backed away to a safe
distance where she could only barely breathe in his scent. “Again,
sorry.”

Audrey nodded, wiping away a lagging tear. “I
didn’t mean to bite your head off. I… You surprised me. I didn’t
expect…”

“No worries.”

Audrey snagged a couple of fingers in her
long hair, and continued to wrap a tendril around them as the
marshal awkwardly glanced around the room. “Um, how did she die?”
As soon as the question left her lips, she wished she hadn’t asked.
What if Penny had lingered in pain? Audrey didn’t think she could
handle any more upsetting news.

The marshal’s tone was clipped and
professional. “Gunshot to the head. Death was instantaneous.”

Audrey’s lower lip trembled. Her arms
instinctively wrapped around her body, eyes blinking away fresh
tears. The marshal watched her with veiled interest, stepping
towards her but halting when she backed into the mantel. “Why? Why
did he kill her?”

Santiago shook his head. “I don’t know.
That’s a question I’ll get answered, I promise you.”

His eyes burned with truth, and she believed
him. “Are you sure this Miguel killed her?”

Santiago smoothed the hair on top of his
head, his eyes straying to the piles of paper and books surrounding
them. “Yes, I’m sure.” He sounded dejected. What didn’t he want her
to know?

“
Look,”
she took a few steps toward him, “I can understand if this is an
active investigation and you can’t talk about it, but Penny
was
my
sister.” She
swallowed a lump of emotion threatening to choke the words in her
throat. “I think I deserve to know what’s going on.” If she were
firm, perhaps she could persuade the marshal to give her more
details, but her voice shook and it annoyed her.

Santiago held her gaze. Audrey lifted her
chin, knowing he weighed the forcefulness of her demand and
possibly the strength of her constitution.

The sound of something sharp zinged through
the air. Audrey turned her head toward the front window. Her eyes
narrowed on the swaying blinds, revealing a small hole behind them.
Then several more pops came, forming similar holes in the window.
Audrey opened her mouth to scream, but the breath died in her lungs
as something hard and heavy rammed into her chest, knocking her off
balance. She landed on the floor with a thud. Large hands gripped
the sides of her head. Spice and musk filled her nose and mouth
from the nearness of Santiago’s neck. He covered her, yelling for
her to stay down. She didn’t fight him, squeezing her eyes shut as
explosive sounds of gunfire, glass crashing, and papers tearing
surrounded them.

Then as quickly as it began, it ended.
Eyelids fluttering open, her foggy gaze focused on pieces of paper
floating slowly to the floor, her ears picking up the last sounds
of glass cracking. No light shone from the living room lamp.

“Are you hurt?” Warm breath brushed the skin
near her ear, and then moved to her cheek.

“What?” Audrey blinked, her head dizzy with
disorientation.

Alejandro’s face came into view, so near to
her own. “Are you okay?”

Hands threaded her hair, and the urgency in
his voice forced her to focus on the worry in his eyes. “Yes… yes,”
she forced out, her breathing slightly inhibited by the weight of
his torso.

Warm lips covered her mouth — his kiss full
of hunger and relief. Half shocked, half impassioned, a soft moan
escaped her lips. He answered with one of his own before abruptly
pulling back. She opened her eyes to see him propped above her, his
face contorted in either pain or displeasure, she wasn’t sure.
Embarrassment surged to her cheeks, the heat even more stifling
than his body weight. “Please, get off me.” She put her hands to
his chest and pushed. He rolled off to one side and she turned
away.

“Careful.” His hand on her back supported her
efforts to stand.

“I’m all right.” Her attempt to brush his
hand off failed as the other one grasped her waist and pulled her
up. “Please, I don’t need your help. I can stand on my own.”

He ignored her protests, his arm still locked
around her body, holding her close. “There’s glass everywhere. The
lamp got shot out so watch your step.” Only then did he release
her. “Wait here.” He pulled his weapon out from its hiding place
and moved quietly through the room, despite the floor being
littered with shards of glass from the front window and living room
table. He reached the side of the broken window and shifted the
blinds, peering out toward the street.

Audrey’s
lower lip trembled, and her teeth chattered as if cold.
You’re fine, alive…
don’t go into shock.
“Anything?”

“Nothing. The street is quiet.” He sheathed
the weapon in his back holster. His gaze narrowed on her, and in
two strides, he had her arms in a tight grip. Audrey winced at the
force. “Does anyone know you’re here?”

“What?”

“Who knew you were coming?” he whispered
harshly.

“I… no one!” She fought against his hold
until he released her. She rubbed her forearms. “Well, I told my
friend, Genie, but she’s a police officer. And she’s not connected
to the cartel,” she spat.

“Look, grab your stuff. We need to get out of
here. It isn’t safe.”

Audrey didn’t move from her spot. Shreds of
paper accented the broken glass scattered across the living room
rug. Puncture holes patterned the once smooth couches. The shade of
the lamp lay upturned on the carpet. “I don’t understand. Who was
shooting at us?”

“I’ll explain that later. Get moving.” He
gave her a little shove and then squatted and shifted through a few
of the files on the floor.

“I don’t get it.” Her heavy feet dragged her
to the spot where her purse sat. “If Penny is already dead, then
why would someone come here? Why would they be shooting at us?” She
knelt and grunted. The impact of Marshal Santiago’s tackle would
leave a few bruises on her legs and hips.

He didn’t answer. Slinging her purse over her
shoulder, she peered through the darkness until she spotted the
file labeled “Angel.” She picked it up and stuffed it into her bag.
A large hand circled her arm, and she was dragged back toward the
kitchen. Seeing the picture of her sister and her son on the
windowsill, she protested, yanking herself from his grip to snatch
the frame and stuff it in her bag.

When they reached the back door, Santiago
stopped. He faced her, so close she saw the green of his eyes even
in the dark. They stared at her for immeasurable moments. “Are you
going to be a problem for me?”

She barely heard his whisper. Opening her
mouth, but not understanding exactly what he meant, she didn’t
respond. He shook his head, his smirk forming deep dimples — the
Santiago dimples. Audrey’s breath caught in her throat. He took her
arm again, opened the door, and pulled her into the night.

From childhood, K. Victoria Chase enjoyed
writing stories and plays and reading Christian romance. She
received degrees in Criminal Justice and Diplomacy and worked as a
federal law enforcement officer for several years before deciding
to try her hand at writing a complete novel. Today, K. Victoria
Chase is an Amazon bestselling author both in the US and the UK.
She writes both clean and Christian interracial romance.

Visit K.
Victoria Chase at
http://www.kvictoriachase.com