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“Who?”
I laughed, uncertain I was prepared to tell her the truth. “Have you ever heard of a man by the name of Emmanuel Santiago?”
“The brutal dictator out of South America?”
“That’s the one.”
“An enemy?”
I threw back the rest of the drink, wanting nothing more than to crush the glass in my hand. “He’s my birth father, something I only learned a few years ago.”
“What? You’re kidding me? I thought you were Xavier Santos’ son.”
“So did I. However, it would seem every family has a dark secret. From what I learned from Emmanuel himself, my mother had an affair with him, giving birth to twins that she allowed Xavier Santos to believe were his. Somehow, Xavier found out and made her choose to take one of her children away with her while he raised the other to become a monster or both her children would be killed.”
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry, Diego. That’s terrible. The horrors the three of you must have gone through are unimaginable.”
“As I said. Don’t feel sorry for me. I was born and raised in brutality. You weren’t. It’s my understanding that you lost your mother to violence, a tragic murder.”
“My God. There isn’t any aspect about my life you won’t dig your way into. Is there?”
I took a deep breath, reaching to stroke her face. When she pulled back, I curled my fingers. “As I told you hours before, it is necessary in my world to learn what I’m dealing with. And who I’m dealing with. Often our pasts are what create the paths of the future.”
“Just when I think I could actually care about you I’m reminded of what kind of man you are.”
“I never told you anything about me but the truth. Now, did I?”
Sabrina sighed. “No, you did not. That means we still share no trust between us.”
“Quite the contrary. I do trust you, Sabrina, but we have people out to kill us and there’s a reason. It could be your past or mine or perhaps a combination. Whatever the case, we can’t allow details of what we’d been through to remain secret. Was your mother’s killer ever found?”
“No, but I’m certain it had something to do with my brother and his connection to whatever gang he was in. And the drugs. At least that’s what I’ve told myself all these years.”
“It’s entirely possible. However, what if her death was for another reason?” I was surmising but it was an avenue I’d yet to check.
“I don’t know what that could be. She wasn’t even from America. After my idiot of a father left, she was forced to work two and three jobs to try and keep a roof over our head. She was innocent and sweet, a hard worker dealt a bad hand by falling in love with the wrong man. A mistake I promised myself I’d never make.” The moonlight allowed me to see the glare on her face, even though it softened a few seconds later. “You also know where we lived. She couldn’t get out of the situation because she didn’t have a green card. I have no idea how she got into the country, but she was terrified of the police and immigration. Because of that, there was no aid, no money for child support from our father.”
“Interesting. Where was she from?” I was surprised at hearing the news. It also added another element to the mystery that I would need to look into. Was it possible her mother was from South America or perhaps Mexico?
“I honestly don’t know for certain. She never talked about where she came from, but she was Spanish in descent. Her accent was lovely, something she didn’t want for me, or so she’d told me several times.”
Why hadn’t I been told about her heritage? It was another coincidence that I couldn’t ignore. Although it was possible her mother had done everything to hide it. Still, my people could discover anything when necessary.
“I’m sorry, so very sorry, Sabrina. No child should be forced to grow up the way you did.”
She brushed hair from her face, shaking her head several times. “We don’t get to choose who gives birth to us. It was all I ever knew, including pretending I was older when she was murdered. I was only seventeen, but no one cared about the girl living in poverty. So I worked to pull myself out of the horrific situation I was in because a boy suggested I do so, the man who saved my life one night in a dark warehouse full of monsters.”
As she closed the distance, the desire to wrap her up in protection hit me even more strongly than before. “You’ve changed me, Sabrina. That night was something that I could never forget, although I had no business intervening. I think you opened a door in my blackened soul all those years ago. Much to the anger of the man I’d believed to be my father.”
“I did, huh?” Her playful tone had returned.
“You did. Somehow you managed to crack the armor I’d built around myself as a boy. I didn’t think it was possible.”
She tipped her head, studying me so intently as if she was able to look right through me, the darkness unable to hide the concern or worry. “Which is something you don’t want.”
“I never said that. But as you mentioned, we don’t get to choose who births us or how we’re forced to grow up. I wouldn’t wish my upbringing on anyone, no matter how privileged you might think I was. I was forced from my brother and mother, taught to be a killer with no conscience.” I wasn’t certain why I was sharing the personal aspects of my life with her, but I hadn’t been lying about how she’d changed me more than I’d been able to admit before. Where to go from here I wasn’t certain, but I would burn down the world if it meant keeping her safe.
“Then what do you want in your future, Diego? You’re lucky in that you now have a choice of how you want the rest of your life to go.” She turned her full attention toward me. Everything about her made me want to change and grow as a man.
