Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) (2 page)

Rafa’s jaw flexed. How could he explain the
gravity of the situation? Four people were dead by the hands of
assassins, and if Rafa had to take a guess, more would lose their
lives. “With all due respect, sir, we aren’t dealing with your
typical gang, or some sort of turf war. These people are highly
motivated and belong to an organization skilled at protecting its
people.”

Winters nodded. “Yes, I understand. That’s
why my best is going to stay a part of this investigation.” Winters
narrowed his eyes on his watch. “If my best would hurry up and get
here.”

“Sir—”

“If we don’t and something happens, I’ll have
Internal Affairs breathing down my neck and that’s the last thing I
need.”

Rafa clamped his mouth shut. Winters had no
intention of being convinced. Coaxing Genie to give up the case was
his only option.

“Plus, you’ll have no authority to act as an
officer of the law in my town unless I agree.”

No matter. He would act as a private citizen.
But he’d keep that fact to himself. He had no wish to alienate
local law enforcement, especially when he may need future
assistance. The only leverage he had was his knowledge… and
Springfield PD needed that knowledge.

Rafa shifted in his seat. “Sir, I’d
appreciate it if you’d reconsider.”

Winters sat back in his chair, his brows
coming together. Rafa held his breath and waited. He knew the
wheels in Winters’ brain were turning, and Rafa hoped the
lieutenant would agree to kick Genie off the case.

Winters let out a breath, his lips
fluttering. “I don’t know what to tell you, Santiago. This is her
case, and I really don’t see how I can convince her to let you go
it alone.”

“Then I’ll have to persuade her. I need to be
the only one on this investigation.”

Rafa turned at the sound of the door slamming
against the wall. Genie stood in the doorway, fixing him with a
hard stare. “Not happening.”

“
GREEN.
Nice of you to finally join us,” Winters grunted, his eyes on the
glass panes of his office door. They were still intact. “Take a
seat.”

Take a seat? So Winters wanted her to sit
down so he could hand her case over to someone else? Was he
kidding? Genie’s hands found her hips. She tried to count to ten
but only made it to three. “You called me in so you could reassign
my case?” Just hearing the words out loud sent an angry fire
whipping through her veins. “You could have done that at the scene,
or better yet, picked up the phone and called. Would’ve saved
yourself a trip.”

Winters held up a hand for her to stop.
“Green—”

“
Sir,
this is
my
case.”

“Green, we have a visitor.” He gestured
across his desk, indicating someone else was in the room with
them.

Her eyes focused on the man who sat opposite
her boss. Reclining in a chair, he sat legs spread wide, hands
locked behind his head. He looked as if he were enjoying the
view.

He had ten seconds to wipe that smirk off his
face… and get rid of the dimples, too.

Her anger, boiling over from what she had
just overheard, quickly ebbed away, replaced by something foreign.
The man who sat just two feet away from where she stood, the man
threatening to take away her investigation, was none other
than…

“Rafael Santiago,” she breathed.

This was an impossibility. An incredibly
tantalizing and inconvenient impossibility. She knew only one
Rafael Santiago. He was a well-known delinquent in high school and
on a first-name basis with the truant officer. A third of the
infamous Santiago brothers, Rafa was the lothario of the trio.
Although his older and younger brothers were equally good-looking,
most of the girls flocked to Rafa… even Genie — in her dreams.

He reminded her too much of Jeff Butler. Her
almost-fiancé from college. The man who broke her heart more than
five years ago. Genie blinked back a surprising rush of hot tears.
She hadn’t thought of Jeff in years. Her heart was healed. Wasn’t
it? The thought of being matched up with another philandering
Casanova — even if it was only business — was nothing, right?

Rafa stood, his grin broadening, his dimples
deepening. “Ms. Green—”

“Detective Green.” She crossed her arms over
her chest.

She refused to notice how well he filled out
his dark blazer. And had he always been this tall? It must be the
hair. It hadn’t changed in more than ten years. Still thick, dark,
and full of stretched ringlets. Genie faced the supervisory officer
for her precinct.

Winters flashed her a sheepish grin.
“Santiago, could you excuse us for a minute? I’m afraid my
detective feels I owe her an explanation.”

“That would be nice,” Genie muttered under
her breath. She caught the disapproving eye of her boss. “Sorry,
sir.”

“Not a problem,” Rafa said. “I’ll be waiting
in the hall.”

Genie didn’t watch him walk out. She waited
until the door clicked before launching into her offense. “Sir,
I’ve already done all the legwork for this case. After Franco
finishes up at the crime scene, I’m certain new leads will
develop.”

“Green—”

“From those leads I’m expecting to identify a
suspect.”

“Green, enough.” Winters held up both
palms.

He eyed her suspiciously. Heat burned the
back of her neck. Genie palmed her forehead, moisture wetting her
hand. Why did his appraisal make her feel guilty?

“I know how big this case is… how big it
could be. This is the kind of case that could make or break
someone’s career.”

Genie couldn’t deny the thought had crossed
her mind. She felt for the families of the victims. She would never
wish someone to die so her career could thrive, but she was a cop
and people died all the time. Sometimes under suspicious
circumstances. The victims needed an advocate and Genie enjoyed
filling that role. A by-product of her hard work was a promotion. A
natural progression.

“You’re gunnin’ for my job with this case,
aren’t you?”

Genie flushed. “Sir… I, ah—”

Winters
waved a hand to excuse her shock and sat back in his chair, an
amused smile on his face. Genie swallowed her embarrassment. She
didn’t necessarily want
his
job, but she did desire an accommodation that could one day
lead to her running her own shop. This was just the case to make it
happen.

“Sir, I’m not going to take your place.”

“Ha! Of course you’re not. You have a long
way to go.”

Genie’s embarrassment suddenly vanished. She
kept her lips tightly sealed to stop the rush of defensive
words.

“Genie, take a seat.”

She dropped into the chair previously
occupied by Rafa and flung her right leg over her left. She was in
for a lecture, no doubt, and would have to keep her temper in
check. Not only did it get her into trouble but it also meant she
wore her emotions on her sleeves. She hadn’t wanted her boss to
guess her ambitions for management… not yet.

“How’s the investigation of the Snake Murders
going?”

The Snake Murders. Pet name for her case of
now four unsolved murders. The victims were stabbed five times, the
wounds in the pattern of what seemed to be a snake. So far? Still
unsolved. But didn’t Winters say he had information that would
break the case?

“I have a few leads I’m working on, but
nothing concrete. I’m waiting on the results of the
interdepartmental agency search for leads on this type of modus
operandi.”

The chief sat back in his chair, a look of
mischief crossing his features. Genie’s spine hardened. If he had
planned a pop quiz on how to run an investigation, then bring it
on. She knew every detail of the case like the back of her hand.
Whatever challenge the lieutenant had she could meet it.

“Good. Sounds good.”

Wait, what?
Genie blinked.
No challenge?
Winters never backed down from an opportunity to pummel his
detectives with questions. She always thought it stemmed from an
issue with trust or maybe he missed running investigations himself.
Either way, they were grilled relentlessly and for the first time,
nothing. Genie decided to take his mercy in stride. She relaxed a
little, shifting in her chair until her rear and her back were
comfortable. Threading her fingers through her tight ponytail, she
waited for her boss to continue.

Winters casually picked up his coffee mug and
took a sip. He let out a satisfied “ah” before setting it back down
on his desk. “I’m assigning you a partner.”

Genie froze. She had hoped he was kidding.
Partner? She didn’t need a partner. Franco was already at the crime
scene ruining things. She didn’t need anyone else, and hadn’t for a
long time. Ever since college, she worked hard to graduate at the
top of her class in the police academy and then put on the rank of
detective in half the time it would have taken any other officer.
She was perfectly capable of handling her cases all on her own.

“Sir, I’m happy to work with whomever you
want, but I assure you, I have the case under control,” she stated
firmly.

“Oh, I know you do.”

“You do?”

“Sure. I don’t doubt your abilities,
Detective.” He smiled, genuine praise in his eyes.

“Okay…” That pleased her. No matter how
bristled her boss seemed, he always had the backs of his
officers.

“But you may need someone with intimate
knowledge of the case.”

“What?” Genie sat upright, her hands gripping
the armrests. “With all due respect, sir, as the lead detective,
I’m the only one with intimate knowledge of the case. Sure, the
Bureau is aware of the case, but they have yet to take the lead. I
don’t need any help.”

“You don’t?”

Genie detected a look of disbelief in her
boss’ eyes. But a smile played at the corners of his mouth. A chill
shot right through her. There was something he hadn’t mentioned
yet, something Genie was sure she wouldn’t like. Did he already
have someone in mind? She worked fairly well with the other
detectives in the squad. She wouldn’t have any serious personality
issues with any of them. Except Franco. But all of them, like her,
were bogged down with a heavy caseload. She could only imagine her
partner’s frustration when he or she discovered they'd have to
divide their time on yet another case. With few leads to go on, the
investigation left her dispirited; having to deal with tensions
from another officer would slow the quality and productivity of her
work. Her boss had to listen to reason.

He can’t mean Santiago…

“No,” Genie said emphatically. “Besides,” she
relaxed her tone, “it would take a while to bring a new detective
up to speed. I don’t have time to waste doing that. We could be
looking at a serial killer here and I need to spend my time solving
the case and not lecturing on it.” If Springfield did have a serial
killer, time would be short for the next victim. The previous four
were killed mere days apart. “Just allow me to work on the case my
way. A partner would slow me down and no one in this office has any
time to devote to another case.”

Throughout her entire monologue, Genie got the feeling her
boss was only half listening. The bored look in his eye as he
sipped his coffee, the glance at his computer screen when it chimed
indicating an incoming email. He even motioned to someone outside
the office to come in. She gave him his due respect, but what about
hers?
If I
said I could handle it, then I can handle it!

Lieutenant Winters cleared his throat. “Don’t
think of it as a partner per se, more like a consultant.”

Genie’s brows furrowed. “A consultant?” Who
else knew about her investigation? This was the first case of its
type in their district. Her boss wouldn’t discuss intimate details
of the case with someone not directly connected. Yet, if there was
someone who had fresh information about the crimes, she couldn’t
exactly refuse the assistance.

“You said you know everything about this
case, right?” He eyed her with uncertainty.

“Right.” Genie lifted her chin a degree
higher. “I’m the resident expert here. It’s my case.”

“And you mentioned it might have something to
do with the La Cocina Dulce restaurant chain which, correct me if
I’m wrong,” he repositioned his girth in the chair, “has a location
out in San Diego?”

Where was he going with this? He didn’t take
his eyes off her, leaning forward in his chair like a cat ready to
pounce on unsuspecting prey. Genie nodded but the baby hairs on her
neck stood up. “Yes, sir. The other location is being investigated
for possible money laundering. I’m having the financial unit look
into that as we speak. But like I said, I’m waiting on the results
of the agency search. I’ve been at the scene so I haven’t had time
to get an update on the search.”

“You’ve been to San Diego?”

Genie fought an eye roll. Of course not; he
knew that. If there was one thing Lieutenant Larry Winters didn’t
like, it was his people taking expensive trips anywhere. He'd
sooner call the department halfway around the country and have them
run the case there before he dipped into his budget to send one of
his own. State budget cuts did not afford them the luxury of
pursuing “frivolous trips,” as Winters described some of them.

“No, sir, I haven’t been.”

“Then you don’t know the case out there.”

Genie’s
lips thinned into a tight smile.
What case?
“Only that the initial hit I received before I
left last night mentioned an inquiry concerning money laundering
for a restaurant out there. No murders, yet. No clear connection.
Besides, two restaurants is not exactly a chain.”