Page 53 of Hidden Memories

“I wish I knew,” she mutters.

“Tell me straight.” I cross my arms. “Is your dad messing with you?”

She’s caught off guard. “No. Why would you think that?”

I don’t want to tell her Callum tipped me off. The last thing I need is for her to double down on keeping things from me.

So instead, I say, “I know how your dad is.”

She stiffens.

Yeah, I know that man. Maybe even better than she thinks I do. Her father has no place in this town.

“I called him,” she says, voice tight. “Asked him if he had anything to do with the break-in at the farmhouse, and he said he didn’t. I believe him. Why would he lie?” She lets out a slow breath. “He’d tell me the truth because he knows there are no repercussions for Paul Castellanos.”

Her back hits the door, and for a second, we’re young again, under our tree, talking about her shitty dad.

Her lips press together. That same lost expression tugs at her features. The same one that used to make me want to steal her away back then.

It makes me want to steal her away now.

I shove that thought down but I can’t help my gaze falling to her chest. Her long, dark hair paints over the curve of her breasts, breasts that challenge the stretch of her shirt.

Coming in here was a bad idea.

I grind my molars and refocus. “If it wasn’t your father, is it something to do with the FBI and your car being taken?”

“I doubt it.” She huffs, crossing her arms. “There’s a fraud investigation. Apparently, my late husband was cooking the books, so all our assets are frozen.”

Then, something shifts in her expression. A thought clicks into place.

“My dad did accuse me of blowing the whistle, though…”

I frown. “Why would he say that?”

She stares at the wall behind me, deep in thought, unraveling something I can’t see.

“It was weird,” she says slowly. “But maybe… I don’t know. Maybe someone at the company thinks I know something I shouldn’t?”

Fuck.

This could be big. Ava and Enzo need to be looped in. Callum’s team is stretched thin, and I trust them, but this? This is the kind of thing that needs resources. Intel. Strategy.

Kat shakes her head, as if trying to clear it, and changes the subject. “Thank you for watching Theo. He seems likehe’s having a good time with Owen. Julia mentioned there would be another boy here. I didn’t know you had a son.”

“He’s not my son,” I say automatically. Then the truth slips out before I can stop it. “I’m trying to become his foster parent.”

She blinks, startled. “That’s… wow. I don’t even know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say,” I mutter, shifting my stance. Because that’s not why I brought her in here. A rough sigh leaves my lips. “I’m staying over at Julia’s tonight.”

Her brows knit together. “Santi?—”

“Something’s not right about what happened today. We don’t know what the hell is going on, and you could have been seriously hurt.”

“I don’t need you looking after me.”

But this time, she doesn’t mean it. I see it in her eyes, fear still lingering from earlier.

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