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Will sighed and gave up the fight. When Carlos was in the mood to be stubborn, there was no way around him. Plus, he couldn’t deny that he needed to know what was going on. He pulled the cushioned chair on wheels closer and sat at Carlos’s bedside. “I’m sorry about Santino. I haven’t heard from Francisco. Is he okay?”
The old man grunted and settled against his pillows. His eyes fluttered shut and he took a few ragged breaths. Will waited. Carlos was just gathering his strength. When he seemed settled, Carlos’s dark-brown eyes flicked up with startling intensity.
Carlos might be seventy-seven, but Will could clearly see that he still had the fire and passion of a guy in his twenties. The Grim Reaper would need to drag Carlos kicking and screaming from this life.
“Francisco is good. Spent only two nights in the hospital. He’s gone to stay with some family in Córdoba. He says you patched him up, but that some unexpected friends grabbed him off the street.” Carlos’s gaze slid over to the door and narrowed on Charlie.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get there in time to help Santino,” Charlie murmured.
Carlos grunted. “You’re looking after the doctor now?”
“We are.” There was a soft shuffle of shoes across the tile, and then a hand landed on Will’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “We’re not going to let anything happen to him.”
Will refused to think about the weight of that hand on him, about how it felt so good and reassuring, as if he’d picked up a giant shield to protect him from the world.
“I take it that it was your wife who was searching for her lost niece,” Charlie continued.
Carlos made a noise of agreement. “Emilia passed away about ten years ago. She searched for decades for that child but had no luck. About three years after she died, we finally got a lead that pointed straight at Catalina Perez, Benicio’s mother. Before my wife passed, she made sure to have her DNA all…all…what’s the word?”
Will twisted in his chair to gaze up at Charlie. “Emilia was part of a group of mothers and grandmothers working to locate people who were stolen as well as their children. As they aged, many had their DNA professionally taken and mapped so that it could be compared later if they passed on prior to locating the family they were searching for. The information is stored away. All we need is a sample of DNA from either Catalina or her son, Benicio, to prove that they are related to Emilia’s sister.”
“Benicio is a real asshole, just like his father. We’ve had no luck with him,” Carlos grumbled.
“I’m assuming Catalina has passed away,” Charlie interjected.
Carlos shrugged and gave a little huff as he settled deeper into his pillows.
“Unknown,” Will murmured. “No one has seen Catalina Perez in the flesh in at least five years. Some people believe she is dead. Others think her husband is keeping her locked away so she can’t fuck up his chances of becoming president.”
“Don’t worry, sir. Will has hired the best. We will help him get to the truth and keep him safe while we’re doing it,” Charlie declared in a firm, authoritative voice.
Carlos stared at Charlie for a second and then looked down at Will, a smirk lifting one corner of his mouth. “You trust this guy, Dr. Monroe?”
Will sighed heavily. “Charlie and I don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but I have always trusted him. If he says he can help, I believe him. We’ll get what we need from Benicio.”
Carlos snorted. “I may not be too keen on the idea of Benicio Perez being my great-nephew, but I’d like to at least be able to carry the truth to Emilia when I meet up with her in the next life. I gave her all the love and support I could in our years together. This was the one thing I’ve never been able to fix for her while she was alive.”
They lingered a while longer, chatting about lighter topics, Charlie making Carlos laugh so much that Will had to give the man oxygen. Charlie was instantly contrite, but Carlos waved off his apologies. Even Will couldn’t chastise him too much. Carlos was dying. There was no way around it. No avoiding it. And Will firmly believed that it was more important to go out with a smile and a laugh than wrapped in fear and anger.
As they left the hospice, Will was sure of one thing—there was no getting rid of Charlie until he had this matter settled with Benicio Perez. The man had made a promise to Carlos, and Charlie would see it through. Will appreciated the help, but he seriously doubted his heart was going to remain intact over the next few days. He could only pray that they’d figure this out quickly.
