Page 30 of Blood Spilled
“Gabriel said you were planning to kill your little pet soon, but I can tell by the look in your eyes there’s been a change of heart.”
“What were you going to show me?”
“Diego said some of your men recovered some videos and letters from Santiago's car. It wasn't Santiago hurting our father, it was ... it was Uncle Bobby.”
“Uncle Bobby? But he died when we were kids, Dad said so himself.”
“Dad lied or was wrong. I'm not sure which exactly. Turns out Dad isn't really our dad either. He's our uncle. The only one of us he actually fathered is Gabriel, when he tried to give his marriage of convenience a chance.” He puases before continuing. “He married our mother, because Bobby fled the country when she got pregnant the second time. I was only five then, too young to even remember them being together in that way. Apparently, they weren’t even really together. Bobby only came around when he needed something, and mom fell for it too many times. It was only love for her and something else for him.”
Carlos sucks in a breath and slowly releases it. “He was selfish and reckless. He couldn't handle the responsibility of being a father and was in trouble with a well-known mob around here and was always on the run. He didn't stay gone though.”
“He came back for us?”
“He came back for mom, but found out she died in the fire all because of something Marcus did. Because of whom Dad fell in love with.”
“Dad's been alive this whole time?”
Carlos nods, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, but I'm not sure how or where he has been hiding. Maybe he escaped the fire. Maybe he was never in the fire to begin with. But at some point, Bobby had him trapped in some warehouse somewhere and it shows in the videos I found. Turns out, in exchange for protection from the mob who wanted him dead, he promised to deliver our father's head after he suffered brutally for all those years he stole from Julia.”
“So, Mateo’s mom was behind this.” It's a statement, not a question.
“I think so, but Dad must have gotten away before the wedding and—”
“Gave Mateo his gun ... he knew what was going to happen. Why didn't he stick around? Why did he leave?”
“Maybe he thought his presence would only make things worse or maybe—”
“Bobby found him.”
“That's another theory.”
“If Bobby found him then where the hell is Bobby, and who planted those videos in Santiago's car? Then there were those letters.”
“Someone was framing him, and I don't think it was Bobby. We found other letters written by Santiago and the handwriting doesn't match.” He pulls out a few worn pieces of paper and hands them to me. They all begin with ‘My Dearest Andy.’ My heart squeezes in my chest when I recognize the name.
Santiago was telling the truth.
“Who do you think it could be?”
“Santiago's brothers.”
I shake my head, and my eyes grow smaller from confusion. “He doesn't have brothers. He's an only child.”
“Wrong. He is Jose's only child. Santiago's mother had twin boys from another man. Leila had an affair and since Jose had formed an alliance with her father, he couldn't kill her. But he could kill the man she loved, and get rid of her sons.” He shoves a picture in my hand of Delia holding two babies in her arms.
“Where are the twins now?”
“After she gave birth to them, Jose sold them. I'm not really sure to whom or where they've been this whole time. But one of Miguel's men said some guy kept showing up at one of the clubs asking about the Morales family. Last time the man came around, he left his prints behind on a glass and, well, they are similar to Santiago’s.”
“What do you think they want?”
“I'm assuming the same as everyone else. Revenge. To take back what they thought should have always been theirs.”
“Where are they now?”
Carlos shrugs and pulls another picture from his jacket. “I'm not sure, but this is a picture of the guy that kept going back to club Roja.”
I nearly drop the photo when he slips it in my hand and my jaw clenches. “I know this man.” Then my mind falls back to the man I left alone in my house. “Santiago.”
