Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) by K. Victoria Chase Page B

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.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    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.
    “Did your neighbor, by any chance, get a
better look at the person?” Rafa asked.
    She faced him again. Her eye caught something
behind him and she began to head in that direction. Rafa closed his
eyes in frustration. Couldn’t she see how worried he was about her?
Breathing in a calming breath, he opened his eyes, pivoted, and
followed her into the kitchen.
    “Unfortunately, no, and I had just secured
the back door and closed the blinds so I didn’t see anything
either. I definitely heard the door being worked. Phelps, you got
anything?” She squatted down to peer at the door handle he
brushed.
    Phelps grunted. He placed the latent
fingerprint