Santiago’s eyebrows rise high on his forehead. “You threw them away? When I told you to put them in Ivy’s room?”

“I didn’t want a reminder of that night. Is that what this is about? Is that why you tore apart my bedroom? What the fuck, Santi?”

I don’t know if it’s the nickname that has him softening or the fact that what she’s saying makes sense.

“You almost died,” she says, her voice passionate as tears spring to her eyes. “Can you blame me for wanting to erase that night?”

Santiago turns away, wraps his hand around the back of his neck, takes two steps, and then faces her again.

“Get cleaned up. I want you in my office in twenty minutes,” he tells her, then walks out.

“What about my room?” she calls after him.

“We have about two dozen others. Pick one.” He doesn’t bother to turn around, and I wonder what is going on in his head. What I don’t know. Because there’s something.

Mercedes turns to give me a nasty look. I want to tell her I just defended her, but I keep my mouth shut.

“Don’t look so smug,” she tells me.

She doesn’t even give me time for a comeback before she spins on her heel and disappears in the direction of her bedroom.

22

Santiago

"Santi?" Mercedes lingers in the doorway, watching me carefully with her hands clasped together in front of her.

She is the picture of contrition, confirmation enough that she was involved in this somehow. The problem is, I'm not certain I want to know the extent.

"Come sit down," I tell her.

She enters the office on wooden legs, forcing herself into the chair opposite my desk. Although she has done as I instructed and cleaned herself up, there is still something chaotic about her appearance. Her normally polished, smooth black hair is wild, falling around her face almost as a shield when she dips her head. The shadows beneath her eyes are evidence she did not sleep much last night either, and I can only speculate on the reasons.

"I'm offering you one chance." My sharp tone slices through the heavy silence between us. "To clear your conscience and come clean. It will be the only chance you have, Mercedes. If you don’t take this opportunity now, I will never forgive you for whatever it is you’ve done."

She peers up at me, eyes glassy, her lip trembling as she tries to hold it together. "Don't freeze me out, Santi. I can't bear it. Please."

"Tell me." I glower. "Tell me what your involvement in this scheme is. The poison. The lipstick. Why did you do it?"

Horror washes over her features as she shakes her head fiercely. "I didn't poison you, brother. I would never do that!"