Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) (15 page)

The curls she drew back slowly fell around
her shoulders like a wave of dark chocolate. Her bright yellow
blouse complemented her honey-toned skin. What was she to him? More
than his partner? “Are we on for the surveillance tonight? The
sooner, the better. I’m free, as you know.” He searched her eyes
for any hint she’d be eager to join him, but what gazed back were
the eyes of a seasoned detective, adept at controlling her
emotions. “We can start tonight if you want.”

“Sounds like a plan. I just have to run home
and pick up a few things,” she answered in a businesslike tone.
Genie stood, pushing her chair underneath the table.

Rafa shot to his feet as well. “Alright.
Mamá? We’re leaving.”

Mrs. Santiago bustled in from the next room,
her eyes wide with surprise and — disappointment? “So soon? Did you
two talk? Is everything okay?”

“Mamá…” Rafa struggled to hold in his
exasperation.

“Everything is fine, Mrs. Santiago.” Genie
moved to lay a reassuring hand on the older woman’s shoulder and
then leaned in for a hug. “Lunch was fantastic. You make it
difficult to go to a restaurant.”

Mrs.
Santiago smiled and took Genie’s hands between her own. “You know
you are always welcome here. Isn’t she,
hijo
?”

Rafa caught his mother’s knowing look and
gave her a smirk. “Of course, Mamá.” He allowed Genie to step in
front of him as they walked toward the front door.

When they reached the vehicle, he opened her
door. He braced himself for a rebuke, but received a shy smile
instead.

“Thank you,” Genie said softly. Her caramel
cheeks warmed and appreciation shone from her eyes.

The words nearly stuck in his throat, but he
managed to release them. “You’re welcome.”

After he secured her door, he walked around
the back of the car so she couldn’t see his grin.

GENIE
told Rafa
to keep the engine running while she ran inside the house to pack a
bag. Surveillance had no script. She might be sitting in a cold car
one minute and then walking into a library the next, depending on
the mark. She packed a heavy coat, a book bag, and her old college
pullover.

Her phone chimed. Genie sprinted from her
closet to her bed where she had placed her phone. A text
message.

Hurry up
.

Genie chuckled. She enjoyed herself during
lunch. Aside from the uneasy moment between her and Rafa when they
were alone, she wouldn’t hesitate to have lunch with them again.
Genie paused, an additional shirt in hand. It had been a long time
since she’d felt at ease around a man of whom she was so attracted
to. Until his mother left the room. Then she didn’t know what to
do, say, or even where to look. If Rafa hadn’t mentioned work, she
would’ve sat there mute, staring at her plate. Thankfully, he
had.

A distraction wasn't the plan. Genie let out
a quick breath. She couldn’t wait until this case was over and Rafa
was on a plane back to California. Genie stuffed the shirt in her
bag and made her way to her front door.

“Genie?”

She jumped, placing a hand over her heart.
Rafa stood in the doorway, his concerned gaze taking her in.
“Rafael, you scared me.”

“Sorry, but we have to go.”

She smiled at the serious look he gave her.
“I wasn’t five minutes.”

He didn’t pick up on her teasing mood. “The
station just called. We have a message.”

****

“Stop looking for me,” Lieutenant Winters
read the note aloud. “It’s addressed to you, Genie.”

“Guess we know who it's from,” Genie said.
She plucked the note from her boss’ hands. “The secretary at the
front said Diego had called not long ago, insisting on his
innocence?”

“He must be in contact with his sister if he
knows we’re looking for him.” Rafa crossed his arms, staring
intently at the note in Genie’s hand.

“Are you two any closer to finding this Diego
Cera?” Winters asked.

Rafa and Genie exchanged hesitant glances.
“No, sir,” Genie answered.

“And you’re hanging out here because? You’re
not getting out of work that easily. Hit the streets,” Winters said
in a gruff tone and started for his office.

Arching a brow at the retreating back of her
boss, Genie sat down and woke her computer up. When Rafa didn’t
take a seat, she set her questioning gaze on him. “What?” she
asked.

“You know we’ll have to assume Diego is a
suspect now that he’s made contact with us.”

Genie breathed out, her lips fluttering.
“Normally I would agree with you, but something tells me this is
more of a warning than an actual threat.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, how did he know to address it to me?
Any number of detectives could have been assigned to his
girlfriend’s case. But,” she insisted, “I gave his sister my card.
Like you said, he’s probably in contact with her.”

Rafa nodded. The explanation made sense, but
he wasn’t satisfied. “That doesn’t absolve him.”

Genie crossed her arms over her chest, her
pose stubborn. “No, no, it doesn’t.”

He raised a brow. She didn’t argue with him.
They were actually collaborating. He couldn’t help but smile.

Her brows bushed. “What are you smiling
at?”

Rafa took a seat at his desk, interlocking
his fingers behind his head. “I’m glad we’re actually a team on
this.”

“A team?”

“You know, not going in opposite directions
this time.”

The shy smile was back. A faint touch of pink
graced her tawny cheeks. She fingered her hair, which she wore
loose quite frequently, a welcome change from the harsh ponytail.
Soft waves graced proud shoulders. Even donned head to toe in black
for their surveillance, her feminine appeal could not be
concealed.

His jaw hardened. Genie may be right. Diego
might have zero connection to the Snakes, but if he did… if the
note wasn’t a warning. This was one of the reasons he became a cop:
to stop the violence.

Rafa glanced down at the stack of papers on
his borrowed desk. He spotted a pink message note, indicating he
had missed a call. He tweaked it from the top of the pile. Taking a
seat and reading the message, he said, “I have a message here. The
FBI called while we were out.”

“What do they have for us?” Genie had taken
out a box of ballpoint ammunition and began loading a magazine.

“Looks like this investigation is about more
than money.”

The space between Genie’s brows bunched. “Did
they say drugs were involved?”

“Not exactly.”

Genie’s face scrunched as she expended energy
to slide the last bullet into a magazine, tight with other rounds.
“Well, what are we looking at?”

Rafa picked up a legal pad and tossed it onto
her desk. “Human trafficking.”

Genie snatched up the pad. “Human
trafficking?”

“I’m still waiting for the fax on the
details, but a basic overview of La Cocina Dulce’s financials
reveal a pattern of just under ten grand being transferred into
their account at First State Bank over a series of months. The IRS
has been notified and will launch an official investigation as soon
as the FBI sends over a formal request for a joint operation.”

“How does human trafficking fit into
this?”

“Well, I did a little digging into their
employee records. For a restaurant barely a few years old, they’ve
gone through over one hundred employees in the last year
alone.”

Genie’s brows rose. “One hundred? Why is the
turnover rate so high?”

“I compared the lengths of employments. There
seems to be a core workforce that has been employed at the
restaurant for a substantial period of time and then a large
percentage of employees are listed as lasting only two weeks at the
restaurant.”

“And so, after those two weeks?”

“A couple of name checks later and nothing.
Either they’re here under assumed names or every single one of them
has disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“Males and females?”

“I had an officer run a check on a few of
both. Look, it’s not exactly verified, but…”

“But it’s a theory, and a good one,” she
finished.

Her sincerity caused him to pause. She
continued to read his notes, her mouth forming a few of the words
on the page.

“There’s just one thing I’m not exactly sure
about.” Genie looked up.

“What’s that?”

“What do our four victims have to do with
either money laundering or human trafficking? I mean, it must have
been extremely important to call in two assassins from across the
country.”

“Don’t forget Diego Cera.”

“I haven’t,” she sighed, tossing the pad back
to him. “Do you have any other theories?”

“Perhaps our vics interfered with the
operation at the restaurant in some way. The Snakes would kill for
that reason.”

An officer approached their desks. “Green, we
have a report here for you.” He handed Genie a short stack of
papers. “Long story short, Consuela Cruz used a credit card at the
restaurant two nights before she was killed.”

Rafa frowned at the news. “And there’s our
connection.”

“Right before closing,” Genie murmured as she
continued to read the document. “But that’s it?” Genie looked up
from the paper at him, confusion whirling in her eyes. “She orders
some takeout and gets killed for it?”

Rafa dragged a hand through his hair. He
mouthed a thank-you to the officer who stood uncomfortably by their
desks. The officer departed. “At least we can place her at the
restaurant. Maybe she saw something, or overheard something she
shouldn’t have…”

“About the human trafficking?”

Rafa shrugged his shoulders, asking himself
the exact same question. He tapped his pen on the desk, the rhythm
of the beat allowing him to channel his energy into deciphering why
the Snakes killed Consuela Cruz. It had to be related to the
restaurant’s criminal activity.

“We need to re-interview Consuela’s children
and associates, see if anyone knew whether she had a habit to order
food from the restaurant that late.”

Rafa nodded at the idea Genie vocalized.
They'd have to eliminate the option that perhaps she’d been at the
wrong place at definitely the wrong time. Rafa shoved a few pages
aside and picked up his copy of the case folder. He flipped the
pages over the top of the folder until he came to the interviews
regarding Consuela Cruz. Just as he remembered, no one mentioned
anything about a late-night visit to La Cocina Dulce. Now they knew
she had been seen at the restaurant, they’d have to re-interview
everyone with that perspective in mind.

Genie looked at her watch. “Well, I think
it’s getting late enough. Want to relieve the team watching Flores
Cera’s house? I’ll see if I can’t get Franco to start the
re-interviews.” Her gaze darted around the office and settled on
Franco. Instead of grimacing, she smiled. “You know, I’m loving
this new outlook I’m having about my coworkers.”

Rafa cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

Genie rolled her eyes. “It was your idea. Not
seeing Franco as the enemy, but working with him — getting him to
work with — or for — me.” Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction and
perhaps a little bit of impishness.

Rafa laughed, his heart warming. She was
taking his advice. Did that mean she trusted him? Or did she still
see him as the teenager he’d like to forget, but didn’t have the
luxury? Rafa stood, putting on his jacket. Genie followed suit. He
wouldn’t overanalyze her behavior. He was just happy to be in her
good graces, especially as they had a long night ahead — just the
two of them — in a small confined space.

The sway of her hips led him right out of the
precinct and to the awaiting surveillance vehicle. He wanted to
build on their fragile working relationship. But how far should he
go? After they solved the case, he'd leave for Quantico and
then…

Genie slammed the trunk and walked around to
the passenger side. She opened her door and flashed him a smile.
“You ready?”

He wasn’t sure, but he was all in.

****

“Argh, we have been out here for hours.”
Genie switched her weight for the umpteenth time, desperate to keep
her rear end from falling asleep.

Rafa chuckled. “I take it you’re not a fan of
surveillance.”

“Not boring ones,” she muttered.

He laughed. It resonated in the small space
of their car and now ranked as one of the most pleasant sounds her
ears had ever heard. A side glimpse at his profile showed the
humorous curve of his strong jaw, the slight upward tilt of his
full lips, and a five o’clock shadow complimenting his tan skin.
The previous team reported no change. Flores Cera was last seen
entering the residence around five p.m. and hadn’t been seen since.
No visitors. Genie glanced down at her watch. Ten p.m.

“Rafa?” She looked at him fully.

“Yeah?” he answered softly, adjusting his
glasses before picking up the night-vision goggles and scanning the
area around Flores Cera’s residence. “I really need to get LASIK,”
he muttered.

“Tell me about your life. In California.”

She could hear his breath hitch before
answering. “You don’t want to know about that,” he said, his eyes
still on the house.

“Yes, I do. No judgments, I promise.”

He faced her with searching eyes. When his
gleamed with approval, Genie knew Audrey was right. The years had
changed him. Every time they were together, he’d proved that. His
eyes held hers and deep within her, she felt her soul stirring…
responding to him. She wanted to know everything: what he did, what
had influenced him to turn his life around. When had he become so
important to her? Genie felt her cheeks warming, as their gazes
remained locked.