Page 52 of Ruthless Rival

I hung up and turned to Alberto. “I have to go. My father is on the brink of death, and I refuse to let him die without finding out where my twins are.” I placed my hand on his chest. “I need to do this alone.”

“At least let me ride with you,” Alberto insisted.

I nodded then hurried out of the bedroom and house, climbing into the backseat of the SUV. I gave the driver the location and sat quietly throughout the ride, feeling Alberto’s eyes on me. His concern radiated off him, but I was too focused on the questions going around and around in my head. Finally, I would have the answers I needed.

“Iso has to be in the room you’ll be in,” Alberto told me as he nodded toward the man in the front seat. “That’s my only request.”

“Fine,” I said, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to have some backup since other Castillos would be around. I doubted they had the strength for another fight, but I wasn’t going to be careless, I had my baby to think of.

The moment the vehicle parked on the side of the street, I got out of the backseat and stormed into the door that led up the stairwell to the top unit.

Iso remained on my heels, trailing me.

I made my way up the stairs with a racing heart and sweat threatening the crown of my head. My palms grew damp as I faced the door.

“I’ll be right behind you, ma’am,” Iso said as he lingered on the top step.

“Thank you, Iso.” I nodded before drawing in a deep breath.

This was it.

I opened the door slowly, peering inside to see a small apartment unit. It couldn’t be any bigger than a studio, especially since I could see every room from the foyer. There was a kitchen to the left, a bathroom to the right, and the main space was in front of me. All I could see was a few Castillos lingering near a bed in the center of the room against the wall.

The Castillos turned to face me, narrowing their eyes while muttering to each other. They knew what side I was on now, but at the sight of Iso towering behind me, all they did was move to the side. Many of them looked bloody and broken, limping and swaying from dizziness.

I walked right up to my father’s bedside, staring down at his pale, weak body. He seemed to gasp for every breath, staring up at the ceiling with glassy eyes. He already looked dead, but his chest weakly moved up and down while his eyes blinked every so often.

“Santiago,” I spoke his actual name. I refused to acknowledge him as my father from now on.

Santiago studied me. His eyebrows shifted down into an angry slant, but he was too weak to maintain his glare. His expression settled back into a blank stare.

My throat tightened as I stared at him. For so much of my life, he frightened me to my core. Now, I could slap him and it would probably kill him. I flexed my fingers as temptation teased me. “All my life, I never understood why you hated me. Is it because I’m a woman? Because I didn’t amount to what you wanted? What is it?” I asked him.

Santiago kept staring at me. Air puffed out of his nose in an amused manner. It was all he could muster.

“You ruined my life.” I stared down at him. “You took away everyone I loved. You tried to take Alberto away from me,” I hissed at him. “Part of me wishes he had killed you, but I needed to talk to you one last time. I need answers!”

Santiago’s eyelids fluttered, his strength draining with each and every second.

“No! You’re not dying yet!” I shouted at him, wishing I could grab him and shake him without making him have another stroke.

Santiago breathed in shakily, bordering on wheezing.

“Fine. If you won’t answer that, youwillanswer this next question. Where are my twins? Are they alive?” I asked him.

A wheezy laugh left Santiago.

I grabbed the front of his shirt as I leaned down, getting into his face. “Where are my babies?” I yelled my tone laced with desperation.

Santiago spat in my face, managing a cruel smile before falling into a coughing fit. With each cough, his body grew heavier and heavier in my grip.

I let him go and wiped his spit off my face, watching his chest rise and fall less and less each and every time. I could only stare in shock as his lips parted and his head lolled to the side.

“No!” I gasped, grabbing his shoulders.

But it was too late. His eyes glazed over, and his last breath drifted from his open mouth.

I could only stare at him with tears in my eyes. My chance of ever seeing my twins again, died with him. I wanted to slam my fists against his chest and beat him until his ribs broke, but I forced myself to whip around and hurry out of the room, my stomach twisting and churning.

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