Nowhere To Run (To Protect And Serve)

by Mary Eason

  Riley struggled to appear casual. “No. Nothing yet. But it’s very early in the investigation and we’re still shifting through the evidence.”

  Santiago nodded noncommittal. “How can I help, detective? Needless to say this has been quite a shock to Jeremy’s sister.”

  Riley studied the man’s polite demeanor. Something flashed in those dark eyes for a moment. Enough to make Riley believe he’d stepped into the presence of pure evil.

  “But not to you.” Riley confirmed the obvious.

  Santiago gave a brief nod. “No. Not a surprise. Jeremy has been drifting for a while. His sister refused to accept the boy had problems. Jordan is smart. But she practically raised the boy. When it comes to her brother, she has an enormous blind spot.”

  Pictures of Jordan taken at various social functions along with her fiancé decorated the credenza behind Santiago’s desk.

  Santiago caught the direction of Riley’s gaze. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she? By looking at her, you’d never guess the atrocious family life she survived growing up.”

  Somehow, Riley managed to conceal his contempt for the man. The very thought of this monster touching her was enough to send him ballistic.

  “Both parents are deceased?” Riley knew a few brief details of the Scott siblings past.

  “Yes, thank God. The father was a lowlife addict who took his frustrations out on anyone in his way. His wife mostly. Sometimes Jeremy. He never touched Jordan though. She’s strong, you see. Her brother, alas, was nothing like his sister. He took after the mom.”

  “Any idea what the kid might’ve gotten himself mixed up in?”

  Santiago smiled at Riley’s polite line of questioning. Damn, the guy was good. He’d perfected the part of the caring fiancé. “I think we both know what Jeremy was involved in, detective. And, I’m guessing that since you know about the drugs, you’re obligated to ask me about my family’s involvement. I’d expect nothing less from the NYPD.”

  Riley inclined his head. “Thank you. I realize some of these questions might be delicate, but as you’ve said, I have to ask.”

  Caesar Santiago lifted both hands, palms skyward in a gesture of acceptance. “Please, I’m here to help.”

  “Thank you. When was the last time you spoke to your family, Mr. Santiago?”

  Only the tiniest amount of annoyance distorted the Columbian’s polished demeanor. “Please, call me Caesar.” He corrected with only a hint of his previous smile. “My family and I, well we are no longer close.” Caesar got to his feet and moved to the windows overlooking the congested Manhattan business district, his demean pensive. “I speak with my mother each week and my youngest brother attends university here in the states. But ‘my family’ – and by that you mean my father and brother, have not spoken to each other since I left home. I was disowned by them for abandoning the family business my father expected me to one day control.”

  In spite of the urgency for answers, Riley found himself intrigued by the man’s story. “You walked away from the family fortune?” Riley’s gaze drifted around the plush office. Even if the story weren’t pure bullshit, it didn’t appear as if Caesar Santiago had suffered any lasting financial effects from leaving the family. Unless he wasn’t as clean as he wanted Riley to believe. Riley made a mental note to check out the details of Santiago’s story later. “That must have been hard.”

  Riley met the Columbian’s gaze without hesitation. His gut instinct told him this man could be as formidable as his old man when necessary.

  “You’re wondering how I managed to accomplish all this without my father’s money.” Santiago’s hand swept the room. “My father paid for my education. In return, he expected I would take over for him as the second oldest son. I refused. He kicked me out. That was the end of my family’s assistance.

  “I struggled and worked for every penny that I earned. In the beginning, there were times when it would have been so easy to return to the life my father wanted for me, but you see, I couldn’t accept that type of destructiveness anymore. I wanted a future. A family of my own. I wanted my life to amount to more.

  “So, I repaid my father’s generosity -- every penny spent on my education as well as my privileged upbringing. I made sure I owed nothing of my future success to the sale of drugs.”

  It was hard for Riley not to show his opinion of this. Something Santiago just said didn’t add up. “You said you would take over for your father as the second oldest son. You have an older brother—“

  He nodded. “Yes, Ernesto was five years my senior. He is deceased. There were four of us. Ernesto, myself, Sebastian and Alain who is the baby of the family.” The pain in Santiago’s dark gaze burned into Riley. “Ernesto was like a god to me. I adored him. But my brother was an addict . He wasn’t a god. He wasn’t even strong enough to overcome something as base as a drug addiction. I watched him slowly kill himself and there was nothing I could do to save him.”

  “That must have been hard.”

  “Yes. It was the ultimate deciding factor in my leaving the business. With me out of the picture, my younger brother Sebastian was eager to take my place.” The bitterness in his tone was evident. There was bad blood between Caesar Santiago and his brother Sebastian.

  “So you see, I know how difficult Jeremy’s death will be for Jordan. I, myself have been there.”

  Santiago returned to his seat. “Is there anything else I can answer for you?” Riley sensed the interview along with Santiago’s good humor was coming to an end.

  “Just one more question if I may and then I’ll leave you alone. I know you must be busy and I appreciate your time.” Santiago held up his hands in a familiar gesture of humility. Riley wasn’t buying it for a minute.

  “Of course. How ever I can help.”

  “Do you have any idea what Jeremy Scott was doing outside that building in South Bronx?”

  Caesar Santiago steepled his hands as if considering the question. “I would think that would be obvious. Once an addict – always an addict.”

  ***

  Jordan didn’t dare leave a message for Riley. Instead, she spent the rest of the afternoon while waiting for his call, trying to find something that would give her a clue as to who might have wanted her brother dead. She’d turned over every piece of furniture in her brother’s room, stripped the bedding. Searched every shoebox, every pocket. Every drawer. And found nothing.

  Had Riley been mistaken? Could Jeremy’s death have been just a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Coming on top of everything else and coupled with the things she’d begun to suspect about Caesar made that premise hard to accept.

  She found Jeremy’s favorite shirt and jeans. He’d never worn a suit in his life. She wouldn’t bury him in one now.

  Jordan folded the clothes and put them into a bag. Tonight would be the first time she’d seen Jeremy since his death.

  How did she find the strength to bury her brother?

  Jordan tried Riley’s cell one last time only to reach his voicemail again. With a final look around at the apartment that had been her home for so long, she closed the door and left the apartment. If she couldn’t find any connection between Jeremy’s death and Caesar here, there was only one place left to look.

  Caesar’s town home.

  Night came early in the city at this time of year. Even though it was barely six, the streetlights were on. Heavy traffic chugged along congested streets. New York crackled with an electrical vitality you could almost feel. Somehow, Jordan found this comforting.

  She stopped for a moment to listen to the bells of Manhattan Presbyterian chime out a familiar old hymn. She and Jeremy had attended that church as children. She barely remembered that girl anymore. She’d been so innocent back then. Before she realized how truly evil the human nature could be.

  Someone bumped her arm, jarring the bag from her hand. Jordan glanced around. The sidewalk was crowded. People passed by in a hurry giving her little more than a curious glanc
e. The bag containing Jeremy’s clothing landed some distance from her. Jordan hurriedly moved toward it only to have someone brush up against her once more.

  “Excuse me, Senorita.”A dark, swarthy man dressed all in black invaded her personal space. Unexpectedly, he clasped her arm, pinning her there. Jordan froze. Tried to pull away. His fingers tightened on her arm a moment longer before he smiled then released her and bent to retrieve her bag. When he straightened, deep-set eyes pierced hers. In the fading light of day, they appeared almost as black as night. There was something strangely familiar about him. And infinitely sinister.

  “Thank you.” Jordan added as an afterthought, wanting only to put space between herself and this very disturbing man. In spite of the warmth of the day, Jordan shivered. The man’s sharp gaze caught it. He seemed pleased by her reaction. Hard eyes shifted from Jordan’s frightened expression to the dark limo parked close by. Two men dressed similarly in dark clothing stood, arms crossed as if waiting for the man’s command.

  He smiled once more, then turned his full attention to Jordan. “No problem.” He spoke with a thick accent. His tone appeared pleasant until he added, “But you should be careful, Senorita. Tell your fiancé this city is a cesspool. Very dangerous.” He paused for a lengthy moment. “People die here all the time. I’d suggest, if he knows what’s good for him, he’d better watch his back. We know what he’s been up to, you see. Tell Caesar anything could happen to a young woman such as yourself out alone…Doctor Scott.”

  His calloused fingers touched her cheek. “And it would be a pity if anything were to happen to such a pretty face.” Jordan jerked away from his touch. His only reaction was a chilling laugh. He enjoyed her fear. She couldn’t move. She stood frozen in place, her heart pounding in her chest.

  With a curt nod, the man moved away and Jordan could breathe again. He said something to the two men that she barely caught. While she didn’t understand all the words, she recognized the language immediately. She’d heard Caesar use that same language on the few occasions he’d spoken to his Columbian family in recent years.

  The same family that he’d claimed disowned him when he turned his back on the powerful Santiago Cartel.

  Chapter Seven

  Riley waited until he’d gotten out of Santiago’s hearing range before calling Jordan back.

  “I’m sorry that I couldn’t take your call earlier—“

  “Riley— thank God!” This sound of her panic came through loud and clear.

  “Jordan, what it is? Tell me what’s happened.”

  She took a few much needed breaths before answering.

  “I think someone just tried to kidnap me.”

  “What? Where are you?” He reached for the police light he kept for emergencies and kicked the truck’s speed up as high as he dared in the heavy traffic.

  “I’m at my apartment--” Her next words were broken up with static.

  “Jordan? Are you there? Jordan. Dammit!” Riley swerved seconds before hitting a cab that’d cut in front of him. “I’m on my way.”

  “No. You can’t.” She drew in a breath. “I’m okay.”

  “You’re not. Let me come get you.” He floored the gas peddle, hit the horn, then sped through the yellow light two blocks from her neighborhood.

  “I’m two minutes away. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Riley dropped the phone in the passenger seat and parked the truck as close as he could get to her building and headed for the second-story apartment Jordan shared with her brother.

  “I’m okay,” She repeated as she unlocked the door and threw her arms around him. She was in shock, unaware of what she was doing.

  Especially to him.

  After a second’s hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her body and drew her against him. “You’re trembling.” He whispered against her ear and held her tighter.

  “I know, but I’m okay. “

  Riley released her then gripped her chin searching her face.

  “He didn’t hurt you—“

  She shook her head. “No. No. He scared the hell out of me, but he didn’t hurt me.”

  “Come sit down and tell me exactly what he said to you.”

  Before she could do either of those things, her cell phone rang.

  She took the phone from her pocket. “It’s Caesar again. He knows something’s wrong. I didn’t answer his last call. I have to take this one.”

  Riley watched her turn away. He could no longer see her expression, but the brittleness in her tone made it clear she didn’t trust her fiancé.

  “Yes-yes, I’m fine. No, nothing’s wrong.” She glanced hesitantly over her shoulder in Riley’s direction. “Of course I’m alone.”

  Riley didn’t bother to pretend he wasn’t listening to ever word of their conversation. Jordan’s body language alone made it easy to see she was terrified of Santiago.

  “No, I haven’t spoken to Detective Donovan at all.” She shot Riley a worried frown. “Look, Caesar, I-I’ll be leaving soon. I just want to spend a little more time here, okay. I’ll call you when I’m on my way.” She snapped the phone shut without waiting for Santiago’s response and turned to Riley. “He won’t settle for that answer. He’ll come soon. You need to leave before he finds you here.”

  Riley’s gaze settled on her. “Jordan, I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to you tonight. You sounded…terrified.“

  She dropped to the sofa, shuddering as she remembered the ordeal. “I was.” She recounted the details of the unsettling exchange.

  “And he mentioned Caesar by name?”

  “No. Not exactly. He said, ‘Tell your fiancé this city is a cesspool. People die here all the time. I’d suggest, if he knows what’s good for him, he’d better watch his back—‘“. She stopped and glanced at Riley. “What is it?”

  He shook his head. He didn’t want to tell her his suspicions yet. “Nothing. Go ahead. What else did he say to you?”

  Jordan drew a deep breath before continuing. “He said ‘anything could happen to a young woman such as yourself out alone…Doctor Scott.’ This has something to do with Jeremy’s death, doesn’t it?” When he didn’t answer she added, “Do you think this has something to do with Caesar’s family?”

  “I don’t know,” Riley said. He couldn’t be certain, but he did plan to check on the family’s whereabouts. See if someone connected to the Cartel might have been in the city. If so, had they been here at the same time as Jeremy’s death?

  “Who else would know I’m-I’m Caesar’s fiancé?” She couldn’t quite meet his gaze as she stumbled over the admission.

  Riley didn’t answer. “Did you recognize the man? Perhaps he’s someone you’ve met in the past. ”

  “No, I’ve never seen him before, I’m sure of it. But there was something familiar about him. When he brushed against me, it gave me the creeps. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me go.”

  “Would you recognize him again if you saw him?”

  She hesitated then shook her head. “Yes, I think so.”

  “What happened after he let you go?”

  “There were two men other with him. Standing next to a dark limo parked just a little ways from us. The man spoke to the others – not in English but Spanish.”

  “Did you understand what he said?”

  Jordan hesitated long enough for the detective in him to become suspicious. “No,” she said at last. “Not really, but I did get the license plate on the limo.”

  “You did? That’s good. “He jotted the number down. “I’ll check it out. Hopefully I’ll be able to find out something about the man, but don’t get your hopes up.” He warned.

  “Why? You think he wouldn’t have used his real name to reserve the limo?”

  “I think there’s a very good chance of it, yes.”

  “There’s something else. The man spoke Spanish to the others. But it wasn’t so much the language that bothered me, but some of the terminology he used. I’ve heard Caesar
say the same things when he’s spoken to his family.”

  “It’s not that uncommon, you know. Lots of people in New York come from Columbia.”

  “Yes. But how many of them would know our names. And not everyone has Caesar’s family…”

  “His family history?” He finished for her.

  ***

  Riley’s sultry gaze slipped over her. Blocking him out was impossible. She couldn’t concentrate with him near. His presence seemed to fill every spare inch of space around her.

  He’d seen something in her that troubled him. He stepped closer, invading her personal space.

  “I need to get you out of here.” He’d moved closer. His nearness caught her off guard. Her breath stopped as did the protest she’d been about to make.

  After Caesar’s indiscretions – the callous disregard he’d showed for her feelings, Jordan thought she’d lost the ability to feel anything for another man. Much less desire. But she’d been wrong.

  Her ribcage tightened and adrenaline rushed through her body when Riley’s warm breath fanned her cheek.

  She closed her eyes, her stomach plummeted and she fought to appear unshaken. “No. I’m fine. I will be fine.” She amended

  “No, you won’t,” he insisted. “Your life’s in danger every second that you’re with him. You’ve seen what he’s capable of doing--”

  “He won’t hurt me.” A tiny fissure of apprehension moved along her spine. She wasn’t sure of that. She squared her shoulders and tried to appear strong. “He wouldn’t risk the public scandal that would cause.”

  “Are you willing to bet your life on it?” He slid his hand around her wrist holding her there when she tried to move away. “Because I’m not. And unless we can come up with some hard evidence proving Santiago responsible, he’s going to walk away from Jeremy’s death scot-free.”

  “What do you mean?” Suddenly, she dreaded his next words.

  “What I mean is, so far, nothing about your brother’s life or death adds up.”

  While her thoughts still reeled with implication, he continued in a voice so low she almost didn’t catch the words.