Chapter 4 - The Safe House in the Woods
The revelation echoed in Santiago's mind like a physical blow.
Tomas had been his right-hand man for fifteen years.
Tomas was the one who had run the background check on Ruby.
Tomas was the only person who knew exactly where her apartment was located today.
Santiago tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
"Are you absolutely sure that is what she signed?" he asked, desperate for it to be a mistake.
"I am a certified specialist, Santiago," Ruby breathed heavily, leaning against the cold window.
"Sophia was very specific about the burn scar on his left wrist."
Santiago knew that distinct scar intimately.
Tomas claimed he got it pulling Santiago's father from the burning car seven years ago.
It was the ultimate lie used to cement his position of power within the family.
Santiago drove them out of the city limits, heading deep into the northern woods.
He had a private, off-the-books cabin that not even Tomas knew about.
They arrived just before dawn.
Santiago carried Ruby inside and placed her gently on the worn leather sofa.
He retrieved a medical kit and carefully removed her blood-soaked coat.
The bullet had only grazed her ribs, but she had lost a dangerous amount of blood.
He cleaned and stitched the wound in complete, tense silence.
Ruby watched his face, studying the hard, unforgiving lines of his jaw.
"Why did you lie about your identity and apply as a maid?" he finally asked, securing the bandage.
"Because your family destroyed mine," Ruby answered honestly.
"My father was blamed for the hit on your father, but he swore he was innocent."
"I wanted to get close to your sister to see if her trauma held the real truth."
Santiago stopped moving.
He looked deeply into her tired, beautiful eyes.
"You risked your life just to clear your father's name?"
"I risked my life because nobody deserves to be silenced, Santiago."
"Not me, not my father, and definitely not Sophia."
Santiago realized he had completely misjudged the incredible woman sitting in front of him.
He gently touched her cheek, feeling a strange, powerful connection pulling him toward her.
Suddenly, the screech of tires outside shattered the quiet morning.
Santiago lunged toward the window and peered carefully through the blinds.
May you like
Three black SUVs had just surrounded the cabin in the snow.
Tomas stepped out of the lead vehicle, holding Sophia with a gun pressed directly to her head.
