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“Another moment, please,” Santiago said with a smile. “I’m sure my friend will be here shortly.”
The waitress nodded and walked off to attend another table. Santiago glanced at his watch. Ace Colton was late.
He added a packet of sugar and a dollop of cream to his coffee, then stirred gently. Just as he brought the mug to his lips the door to the diner opened, setting a string of bells jingling.
Ace walked inside and stopped just past the threshold. Santiago threw up his arm and gave him a little wave, and Ace nodded.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said as he slid into the booth across from Santiago. “I had a rough night.”
He looked it, too, with his tousled hair, stubbled cheeks and red-rimmed eyes.
“I understand,” Santiago said, offering his hand. It was the truth—he hadn’t slept well either, but for different reasons. Seeing Ainsley again had been a shock to his system. He’d assumed the passage of time would have dulled his body’s response to her, but he’d been wrong. He’d spent last night tossing and turning, wanting nothing more than to go back to her office and lay her back on that wide desk of hers. Or the coffee table he’d spied in the sitting area. Or any flat surface, really. He wasn’t picky. He just ached to feel her again, to have her in his arms once more.
Ace shook his hand, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I remember you.” His gaze turned assessing. “You dumped my sister to chase your career.” He tilted his head to the side. “How’d that work out for you?”
Guilt speared Santiago’s heart, but he ignored the uncomfortable sensation. “Depends on your perspective,” he said, deliberately keeping his tone light. He wasn’t about to get into the details of his past with Ainsley with her brother, and especially not here.
Ace studied him a moment, and Santiago got the impression the other man was debating on staying or going. “Ainsley says you’re the best,” he said finally.
Pleasure bloomed in Santiago’s chest. It meant a lot to know that despite their past, Ainsley still thought highly of his professional skills and trusted him to defend her brother. “I’m glad she called me.” For more reasons than one. “I think I can help you.”
A look of relief flashed across Ace’s face. “I trust my sister’s judgment. If she thinks you’re good, I do, too.”
Smart man. Santiago knew from experience Ainsley had a brilliant legal mind. She’d had her pick of firms, but her loyalty to her family had led her to choose corporate law and Colton Oil.
“Ainsley told me about your situation. But I’d like to hear the details from you, if you don’t mind.” Santiago liked to hear his clients tell their stories firsthand, as often their body language and facial expressions told him just as much as their words.
Ace nodded, then started talking, pausing only to place an order for food and coffee when the waitress stopped by the table again. He told Santiago about the initial email and the board’s reaction, the DNA test and Payne Colton’s response to finding out Ace wasn’t his biological son. Ace tried to hide it, but it was clear from the anguish in his eyes that Payne’s actions had hurt him deeply.
He expressed shock over Payne’s shooting, and even more disbelief at the fact the police had found a gun in his condo yesterday.
“It’s not mine, I swear it,” Ace said, leaning forward for emphasis. “I don’t know where it came from, but someone must have planted it.”
Santiago nodded, jotting down notes on a small pad. “Does anyone else have a key to your condo?”
Ace shook his head, but then stopped and frowned. “The cleaning lady,” he said. “And maybe the property management company?” He sounded uncertain about the last possibility.
“Let’s start with the cleaning lady first,” Santiago replied. “What’s her name?”
Ace rattled off the information, and Santiago dutifully recorded her name and number. “Any security tapes?” he asked.
“I do have some cameras installed inside,” Ace said. “And I know the building has some security cameras.”
“All right. I’ll want to see the footage from your cameras,” Santiago said.
“I can email the files to you, but the police already looked at everything,” Ace said. He sounded discouraged. “They said they didn’t find anything.”
Santiago smiled. “They may not have found evidence of a crime, but I have a different set of criteria for evaluation.”
Ace considered that for a second. “I like it,” he said, nodding slowly.
“What about this source? What did the police say her name was again?”
“Destiny Jones.” Ace practically spat the name. “I have no idea who she is.”
“The police told you she said she’d seen the gun during an intimate encounter?”
“Yeah. Except I’ve never seen the woman, much less slept with her!”
