Read Online Nowhere To Run (To Protect And Serve) by Mary Eason - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mary Eason
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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, E rnesto 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 mis taken? 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. H e’d never worn a suit in his life. She
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, E rnesto 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 mis taken? 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. H e’d never worn a suit in his life. She
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