Page 49 of Benjamin and the Thief

“I’m scared, Lina,” he whispered, using the nickname he’d given her when he was a little boy. “Every day, something awful happens in here.”

She could feel how close he was to tears, and she had to fight her own tears from overwhelming her. She had to be strong for both of them.

“I’ll take care of it, Santiago, I promise you. I’ll fix this.”

How, she didn’t know. But she had to do something. She hated the fact that she had to ask Benjamin for another favor when he was already doing so much. But she couldn’t let her brother get hurt even more.

“I love you, sis.”

“I love you too,” she murmured, before the call was disconnected.

What if Benjamin couldn’t help her with this? What if his friends at the police had no influence over what happened at the prison?

She dropped down on a chair and put her head into her hands. It was time to admit it to herself: she’d been in over her head from the start. It was a wonder nothing terrible had happened to her yet.

A loud knock at the door startled her, making her jump up from her chair. She rushed to the door and looked through the peephole. The man standing outside her door looked familiar, yet she knew he was a stranger. His black hair reached his shoulders, and his blue eyes stared straight at her as if he knew she was looking at him through the peephole.

“I’m Benjamin’s father. I need to talk to you.”

His voice was booming, sending an odd shiver down her spine. Catalina hesitated. The man had to be lying. He couldn’t be Benjamin’s father. By her estimate, he couldn’t be older than forty, and she knew that Benjamin was thirty-seven.

“Open the door,” the man demanded.

There was something compelling in his command, almost beseeching, and against her better judgment, she unlocked the door and opened it. She stepped aside to let him enter, and he strode in. She watched as he cast a quick glance around the room before he faced her.

“So you’re Catalina Vargas,” he started, looking her up and down as if inspecting her, and she didn’t pass muster.

“Yes,” she managed to say. “Mr. LeSang?”

He raised an eyebrow. “That sounded like a question. Let me assure you I’m Benjamin’s father, and I’m older than I look. I believe you met my wife, Nina.”

She nodded. Nina had seemed a lot nicer than this man, but there was no denying that he and Benjamin had a very strong physical resemblance.

“Mr. LeSang, what’s the reason for your visit?” She felt her voice tremble.

“Coming straight to the point. Good.” He gave a nod before continuing, “What nefarious plans are you dragging my son into?”

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry all of a sudden.

“I’m not… he offered to help me⁠—”

“By brushing under the rug that you broke into the Prestons’ bedroom to steal from them?”

How did he know about this? Had Benjamin told his father, if this was indeed his father?

“I didn’t steal anything⁠—”

“Because he stopped you! And now he’s risking his and Scanguards’ reputation to hide what you’ve done.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to.” She sniffled and lowered her gaze. “All I wanted was to prove that Santiago was framed by the Prestons. I never intended⁠—”

“Santiago?”

He grabbed her forearm, forcing her to look straight at him. An expression of comprehension washed over his face.

“Santiago Vargas, who was convicted of burglarizing the Prestons’ home?” His eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion. “Who is he to you?”

“My brother,” she choked out.