Expecting to see something shocking, Audrey frowned when her eyes saw a hobo, not unlike her own. She pulled the bag out and shut the locker. “Not another envelope,” she breathed after opening the bag and spotting the white letter carrier. But this one was stamped and addressed to her. Audrey opened the envelope and slowly read her sister’s words.
Penny needed her help. I shouldn’t even be writing you; Alejandro would be furious. Her sister had been involved with a man named Trujillo, and unfortunately, she had to renew her relationship at the request of the marshals. “Alejandro, how could you,” Audrey whispered furiously, tears stinging the back of her eyes.
Her sister’s fear was clear in her words. Did you receive my other letter? I’m sorry for being so much trouble after our parents died, but if you forgive me, I’m begging you, please come to Texas. I need help.
Ale had sent her to her death. That much was clear. Audrey turned to make her way back to the cab and stopped short. Two swarthy-looking men eyed her curiously. The hairs on the back of her neck went vertical. The men broke into a sprint in her direction. Letting out a cry, Audrey maneuvered around the lockers, unsure exactly her direction. Just keep moving. She screamed when she slammed into something tall, warm, and hard.
“Quiet!”
Alejandro! He took her hand and pulled her into the throng of people herding to the doors leading to awaiting buses. She returned his firm grip. Thank you, God! Once outside, they moved past the buses. Audrey bent low, following Ale’s lead, ducking between cars before stopping at a black Camino. With the click of the locks, Ale opened the door and practically shoved her into the seat.
“Do you know who those men were?” Ale yelled as they tore out of the lot. “Trujillo’s men! They’d been sent to that station on his orders.”
Audrey shook her head, not comprehending his meaning. “How’d they know I’d be there?”
“They didn’t. Today I overheard one of his men discussing your sister. He’d been assigned to tail her right before her abduction. She’d made a stop at the bus station. Trujillo thought she might have been trying to run. She was abducted two nights later.”
Fury and grief bubbled over into screaming. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just found out myself!” Ale answered with equal rage. “I haven’t had a chance to investigate. Just how did you know to come here? You keeping something from me?”
Audrey huffed in indignation, crossing her arms over her chest before crying out as Ale took a sharp turn. Gripping the doorframe, she cut him an annoyed glance. “You’re accusing me of keeping secrets? Penny wanted out — away from Trujillo — and you forced her back in. You killed her!”
“What!” Ale slammed on the breaks, sending Audrey forward, her hands crashing into the dashboard.
“You shouldn’t be driving.”
Flinging off his seatbelt, Ale pushed open the car door. Audrey looked up. They were back behind marshal headquarters. She quickly exited the car and squeaked when Ale gripped her arm and dragged her into the back stairwell. He blocked the stairs, hands on hips. Audrey stood her ground — when she felt the door at her back.
“You think I forced your sister to go back to Trujillo.”
Audrey’s hand slammed into the bag, yanking her sister’s letter out, waving it around. “She practically said as much! She wanted out, but you—”
In one long stride he was in front of her, eyes blazing. “If you say I forced her one more time.”
Audrey trembled, but not because he stood so near. Green eyes flaming, she feared for her safety. He must have sensed her panic, for his rigid jaw loosened and he took a slight step back. Breathing deeply, his emotions seemed to calm.
“I blame myself for your sister’s death.”
Could she trust him? If the regret in his eyes was genuine…
A shaky hand threaded his hair. “I didn’t — I wasn’t—” He inhaled and forced a frustrated breath out. After dipping his head, he raised his eyes, full of dismay. “I should have known Trujillo was targeting her. I’ve been undercover for years. I thought I had his trust.” He licked his lips, his breath rapid. “I was wrong.”
Audrey’s bottom lip dropped. She didn’t expect an apology. He was actually admitting culpability in her sister’s death. Unable to find her voice, she stared at the letter in her hand until her vocal cords loosened. “Penny wanted me to come to Texas, to help her get out. She said you didn’t understand.” Warm fingers closed over hers and the letter slipped from her hand. Audrey waited for him to finish reading. “I went to the bus station to see what she’d left behind. You said she was keeping something from you. You implied she’d betrayed you to Trujillo. I wanted the truth.”
Ale’s voice was low and calm. “How did you know to go to the bus station?”
Audrey opened her bag and retrieved the other letter. “She’d penned another letter that was given to me at the reading of her will. I confess, I didn’t remember it until an hour ago.”
“And what did that letter say?”
His compliant tone melted her anger. “She said she’d hidden a bag at the bus station where she’d planned to get two tickets. One for herself and one for Angel. I guess she couldn’t wait for me to come—”
“She knew Trujillo wanted her dead. It must have only been a short time later that Trujillo dispatched men to her house and… you know the rest.”
His quiet voice faded into the silence of the stairwell. Audrey wasn’t aware a tear had slipped down her cheek until she felt the rough pad of Ale’s thumb gently brush it away. She lifted her eyes to his. The warmth in them enveloped her, and she involuntarily leaned forward.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
His hands gripped her arms. “Audrey, if anything had happened to you out there. If I didn’t know where you were…” His head dipped down.
Lashes fluttering closed, Audrey parted her lips. When the expectation of his kiss reached boiling point, she opened her eyes and gulped at the hard, black stare.
He was still angry with her.
She wasn’t getting kissed.
“You mind telling me why you abandoned your nephew on this foolish quest for answers? Again, if you had questions about your sister — about the mission — you should have asked me.”
His hands remained on her arms, directing heat to her central core, keeping her unable to form a coherent thought. She struggled against his hold, embarrassed she’d practically stood with her mouth hanging open, begging for his kiss. His hands tightened. “How dare you accuse me of abandoning Angel. Nothing is more important to me right now than his safety.”
“And yet you left him alone to follow a lead that should’ve been handled by trained investigators.”
His accusatory tone stiffened her spine. She shook him free and moved around him to the stairs. Finally, air that didn’t have traces of Alejandro Santiago in it. She took a deep breath before facing him. “He was in the safest place he could be. Besides, I only needed thirty minutes. I told Mel that much when I phoned her from the cab.”
Incredulous eyes took her in. He shook his head. “You don’t seem to grasp the level of risk you took for that bag.” He pointed at Penny’s hobo slung over Audrey’s shoulder. “Well, in that way, I guess you are like your sister. She took some pretty big risks getting involved with Trujillo in the first place, but she wised up. When are you going to?”
The elation she felt at being compared to her prettier, edgier sister died quickly. “I needed to know what really happened to Angel’s mother. One day he’s going to ask questions. He’s going to want to know if she tried to leave — to get him away from the danger. He deserves the truth.” He opened his mouth to respond, but she continued. “If I could trust you, I’d have asked.”
Chapter Nine
FEET rooted to the floor, Ale watched Audrey’s retreating back as she raced up the stairs. As soon as the words were out of Mel’s mouth, Ale had raced out of the building an
d to the bus station. It’d been mere seconds from the time he’d hung up from talking to Trujillo about the bus station to hearing how Audrey had left to retrieve something of Lana’s and would return in a few minutes. Angel was safe in the lounge, snacking and watching television.
Ale didn’t have time to be furious at the woman who continued to take unnecessary risks. If Trujillo had sent those men ahead of him, they’d run right into Audrey. And that’s exactly what had happened. He saw the men enter the station the minute he drove into the parking lot. The sight of them evoked Ale to rocket prayers to Heaven.
His father hated church. When his mother suggested they attend when Ale and his brothers were young, the elder Santiago laughed. After prodding, he’d hurl profanities at her, and on one occasion, he’d launched a vase at her head.
Ale recalled his mother’s tears after that particular incident. Alone in her bedroom, she cried over a book in her hand. Later, she’d shown Ale the book — The Holy Scriptures. If his father didn’t want to read that book or go to church, Ale didn’t either. But his mother dragged him, Rafa, and Ric to church anyway. Only after his father left did Ale’s imperious attitude, a facsimile of his father’s, turn resentful. He idolized his father — the man who’d deserted him.
You abandoned your nephew. Ale groaned, remembering the unfair words he hurled. He was lashing out in part because of his unresolved feelings toward his parents and also because her doubts of him injured his pride.
If I could trust you…
He hadn’t given her many reasons to. The implications about Lana’s duplicity, details of the investigation he assumed Audrey was too sensitive to handle, their kisses…
Ale couldn’t help the grin easing the tense muscles of his jaw. He nearly kissed her a few minutes ago. The fear in her eyes — at his anger — had dissolved into unabashed need. It took everything in him to refuse her inviting full lips, open and ready for his passion. She hadn’t sought a way of escape. Despite their argument, she would’ve yielded to him.
If only she knew how her indigo eyes bewitched him. How the tenderness of her skin beneath his hand ignited a yearning for his lips to follow suit. What if he hadn’t reached her in time? Failing one sister was distressing enough. But two? Losing Audrey? His heart clenched in consuming fear. The misery she would cause him. He wasn’t sure how he’d survive if he lost her.
Not that he’d ever truly have her. Ever since his mother had tossed him out of the house, family held no real meaning for him other than rejection. The prayer he uttered at the bus station was out of desperation for the life of a woman who possessed him heart and soul. If God could answer his prayer…
He did. And I’m grateful. His mother believed in prayer. When his father walked out of the house for the last time, she turned to God for comfort. She’d relied on her husband and now God is my fulfillment, she’d say. Perhaps the same held true for Audrey. Did she really need to worry about her own life with the God of the universe on her side?
Ale chuckled while jogging up the steps. The burden of her safety resting solely on his shoulders suddenly lifted. He’d never forgive himself if any harm came to her or Angel, but they had help. At a time when he’d often felt he carried this case singlehandedly, he took comfort from the idea that God was on their side — or on Audrey’s at least.
Crossing the office, he entered the lounge. Audrey and Mel were conversing in the kitchen while Angel napped on the couch. As if on cue, Mel excused herself and left the room. “We didn’t finish our conversation.”
Audrey busied herself with a rag, wiping down the counter. “I thought my leaving was a sign I was done talking.”
Ale moved to intercept the rag. She resisted his attempts to drag it out of her hands. Smiling at her resistance, Ale gave the cloth a slight tug, catching Audrey unexpectedly. With a soft cry, she stumbled forward, landing flush against his chest. Instantly she was red. Ale wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her to him. “You may walk away from me, but you won’t get very far. I want you to trust me, Aud.”
“Aud?” Her nose wrinkled in distaste. “Only my friends call me that.” She wiggled against his grip.
“I’d like to think we’re friends.” Her glaring eyes didn’t intimidate him, nor did his conscience suggest he release her.
She ceased struggling. An uneasy feeling stole over him at the sudden gleam in her eyes. “I imagine that goes both ways? Trust, that is.”
Ale swallowed. “I suppose.”
“You mind explaining what you meant earlier when you were talking to Angel?”
Ale’s brows came together as he racked his brain as to what she was referring to.
“When you told him you had to leave home.”
Dropping his arm, Ale walked out of the kitchen and sat in the loveseat, opposite Angel. He bit his lip, his eyes remaining on the boy.
“I trust you, Ale, despite everything,” she ended wryly.
He looked up and watched her tentatively approach. “Everything?”
“You encouraging my sister to go undercover. Your stubbornness. Your unprovoked kisses.”
He laughed softly as his eyes narrowed on her. His heart thudded with pleasure when a soft pink color filled her cheeks. “I’d hardly call them unprovoked. You can be very…” He willed his eyes away from the vision he could spend the rest of his life watching. “Never mind.” Thankfully, she let the matter drop.
“You don’t put your faith in anything, do you?”
And picked up another one. “After my father left and my mother kicked me out of the house? You’re right. Trust is difficult for me,” he ended bitterly. The seat cushion shifted as Audrey took a seat next to him. The heat of her hand warmed his bicep. “To be fair, I was a punk. My mother couldn’t handle three delinquent boys all at once.”
She squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry to hear that — about your father. That explains a lot.”
“Really? Like what?” he asked sarcastically.
Audrey’s voice was soft. “Calling Angel ‘kid,’ as though you’re warding off any attempt at becoming attached. And you’re not married. Right?”
He set teasing eyes on her. “Remember, I’m undercover.” His gaze lingered on her face, taking in the contours of her cheeks, her eyes, her mouth. “Perhaps I haven’t met the right woman,” he said in afterthought. Audrey’s hand, that lately seemed to become fused to his arm, slipped away as she cleared her throat. Leaning back against the couch and crossing his arms over his chest, Ale chuckled. “Now look who’s pulling away. Who said I was talking about you?”
Nose lifted, her indignant huff drew another laugh from Ale. “I didn’t say anything about me. Besides…” her voice trailed, her eyes on Angel, “I have a boy to raise.” She visibly swallowed. Defeat filled her eyes. “I can’t… I can’t fail again.”
Ale reached for her hand and held it between his own. “Then why do you look and sound as if you already have?” Was it his imagination or did her hand clutch his? In the next moment, she attempted to free herself. His fingers entangled hers. When was she going to learn she wasn’t going to get away unless he let her? After a moment of struggling, she ceased her fight with a sigh. “Ready to let me in?”
The suspicious glint in her eyes drew a smile from him. “Depends on how far.”
“How ’bout we talk about what’s bothering you? You think because your sister ended up the mother of a drug dealer’s child, you failed her — and your parents.”
Her bottom lip trembled as moisture filled her eyes. She nodded vigorously.
He continued. “I think Lana — sorry, I keep doing that. I think Penny made her own choices, for which she was sorry for in the end. You didn’t fail her.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Is it? I’ll admit, I wasn’t exactly the ‘good son.’”
“But you blame your parents for that.” Her pointed look stabbed the words in defense of his parents to the back of his throat. “Why shouldn’t some of the blame be on those w
ho played a major role in your upbringing?” She cocked questioning brows at him. “Why shouldn’t I shoulder some of the guilt — some of the responsibility for how my sister’s life turned out?”
Still shackling her hands, Ale eased closer to her on the sofa. “Because you don’t deserve it?”
Audrey’s lips twisted into a derisive grin. “Are you asking me?”
Ale released her hands to cup her face. Her grin slowly faded as her eyes grew wide with expectancy — and a bit of fear. He wasn’t going to kiss her — not yet. “Listen Audrey… sometimes, no matter how good the intentions of our parents, or our guardians, we still have a choice to make on how to live our lives.” Fear ebbing, acceptance filled her gaze. “Penny turned hers around. She must have had a solid foundation — and a sister who was praying for her.”
A ghost of a smile touched her lips, and her eyes warmed with emotion. “Just like you? You have a mother who loves you… prays for you.”
Grunting, Ale released her and settled back into the couch, his eyes on Audrey’s sleeping nephew. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“Too much time has passed.”
Feeling the soft touch of her fingers on his cheek, he instinctively turned his head to her. Audrey brought her other hand up to cradle his face. “My sister is dead, Alejandro. I have no more time to reconcile. You and your mother? It’s not too late.”
Her pleading blue eyes held fast his gaze. Hope mixed with fear and uncertainty clogged his throat as tears burned the back of his eyes. Has she been praying for me? She’d said his mother was — it wasn’t a stretch to believe Audrey had lobbed a few prayers to the big guy herself on his behalf. Might be why his attitude toward family had shifted in the past few days. Giving up the anger he harbored toward his father was a battle he’d reserve for another day and time but…
Ale glanced at Angel, who moaned while shifting his sleeping position on the couch. Even without a father, Penny had managed to raise a bright, well-mannered little man. The task of raising a son, or any child, wasn’t impossible.
Alejandro (The Santiago Brothers Book Two) Page 13
