Page 57 of Deadly Sins

33Grant

IARRIVED AT THE ADDRESS Autumn had given me. The neighborhood contained a bunch of tract homes, uniform manicured lawns, and proud American flags. Julián’s house seemed less vibrant than the rest on the street: the paint was chipped and faded, the grass was patchy, and there was a crack in the sidewalk. There was no vehicle in the driveway, and the lights were out in the house, so I assumed no one was at home.

The sun was still bright, and I didn’t want to be conspicuous, so I drove slowly around the neighborhood, grabbed a real estate flyer, and took Hero down to a local park that had a view of the house. And waited.

After a few hours of playing with Hero, running through one of those stupid park exercise obstacle courses, and screwing around on my phone, I finally saw a car pull into the driveway.

I walked Hero up the street, pacing myself, praying I would get there in time to see Julián before his grandma hustled him into the house.

The lady was holding a few plastic grocery bags and attempting to get the young boy out of his car seat.

I commanded Hero to sit and approached her. “Can I help you with those, ma’am?”

She turned and looked at me, her skin wrinkled, her brow furrowed. “I’m fine, thank you.”

I wasn’t going to give up that easily. “It’s no problem, really. I’m Grant, my fiancée and I are looking to purchase a home in this neighborhood. Do you like living here?”

She let out a huff and shoved a plastic bag in my hand. “Yeah, it’s a nice community. Very safe, perfect for raising my grandson.”

I grabbed the rest of her bags, and she wriggled Julián out of the car.

My eyes fell on this little boy, the cutest kid I’d ever seen. Thick, dark hair, almond-shaped hazel eyes, tanned skin.

He looked like a perfect blend of Mia and me.

My hands shook, and my heart pounded. I wanted to rip him out of her hands and take him away from her. But I had no proof, only a haunting suspicion. Kidnapping a kid, even if he could potentially be mine, was definitely out of the question.

I took the bags to her doorstep. She fumbled behind me, clutching Julián’s hand. The little boy looked up at me, blinking rapidly, and all I could focus on was his long eyelashes, Mia’s eyelashes.

Did Joaquín know? Is this why he’d killed Tiffany? Had she kidnapped my child? What the fuck was going on?

The lady didn’t open the front door. She probably thought I was some rapist. I was glad she was safety conscious, considering she could be raising my child.

“Well, thanks for helping. I think there is one for sale down the street. And now that you mention it, I may put our home on the market. I’m thinking of moving out of the state. I have no family here anymore, and it’s too expensive.”

No! Fuck! The adrenaline rush flooded through my blood like I was on a time-sensitive mission with my Team. I had to act fast, or the opportunity to see if Julián was mine—and if he was, to gain custody—would vanish.

I scanned Julián, taking a mental picture of his face. I focused on the cleft in his chin and touched my own.

“Doggie?” Julián pointed at Hero.

“Yes.” I knelt down to the boy. “He’s friendly, you can pet him.”

The lady eyed me suspiciously but motioned that it was okay. Julián slowly tapped the top of Hero’s head, as if he were dribbling a basketball.

Julián dropped his apple juice box on the ground.

“Julián. Pick that up and throw it in the trash.”

I swooped in and retrieved it from the ground. “It’s okay, ma’am. I’m leaving now. I’ll take it with me. It was nice to meet you.”

I turned away, a lump in my throat. I clutched to that juice box like it was incredibly sensitive and urgent intel, which it was. When I returned to my truck, I placed the box in a plastic bag I had in my glove box. Luckily, the straw was chewed, which would increase my chances of finding DNA.

I picked up my phone and called a friend of mine in forensics. He agreed to meet me, and I raced out of the town. Leaving Julián, a boy I believed to be my son, behind.