Page 21 of Iced Out

Rodriguez smiled weakly. “I know.”

Cruz exited the car, walked along the brick path to the mansion, and entered through the front door. Sanchez met him in the entry hall.

“Where’s Rodriguez?” A look of concern strained his face.

“In the car,” Cruz said. “He’s just… taking a moment for himself.”

“Is he all right?”

Cruz didn’t know how to answer that.

“Are you all right?” Sanchez asked. “You look like you’ve been crying. What happened?”

“Nothing,” Cruz assured him. “Everything went fine. Well, not for the guests, but…”

“Then what is it?”

Cruz started to answer when he heard the car door close outside. “We’ll talk later.”

Rodriguez entered a couple of minutes later, eyes still red and damp.

Sanchez frowned. “You okay, kid?”

The young man nodded without looking him in the eye.

“Papá!” The little five-year-old boy appeared, raced down the hall, and threw his arms around Rodriguez’s legs. “I missed you.”

The young man picked up the child and held him close, his face buried in the boy’s dark hair. “I missed you, too, bub,” he whispered, his voice cracking.

Darío leaned back and flattened his small hands on Rodriguez’s cheeks. “Where did you go?”

“He was out there making the world safer for you.” Cruz ran his hand over the boy’s head.

The boy blinked. “Did you see monsters?”

“A couple,” Rodriguez mumbled. “But they’re gone now.”

“They won’t get me?”

Rodriguez’s chin trembled slightly, and he hugged the boy close again. “No, little man. I won’t ever let anything hurt you. I promise.” He moved past the other two men, carrying the child into another room.

“He was crying,” Sanchez murmured. “He hasn’t cried since the trip. I mean, in front of anyone.”

Cruz sighed. “He’s still hurting bad,” he whispered. “But I think he’s finally starting to let it out. He actually talked about Greco.”

“That’s good.” Sanchez hung his head. “My heart fucking breaks for him. If I’d lost you on that trip…” He shook his head. “I don’t know if I would’ve made it this far. The kid is stronger than he knows.”

“He’ll get through this,” Cruz said quietly. “It won’t be easy, but he’ll make it.”

“He will.” Sanchez nodded. “We’ll make sure of it.” He slid his hand across his mouth and stared thoughtfully at the floor.

“What is it?”

Sanchez let out a slow breath. “Shane called.”

“He did?” Cruz couldn’t hide his shock. “I thought he might have forgotten…”

“He hasn’t,” Sanchez said, raising his eyes. “He wasn’t asking for anything. He didn’t even ask me to tell him that he called. He just… wanted to see if he was okay, how he was coping.”