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SHE WAS SPEECHLESS. Santana couldn't even bother to argue with the people who kidnapped her anymore, the girl as silent as she's ever been. She was dragged into a mansion, a house decorated in gold and filled with staff. It didn't quite look like the torture house she was expecting.
A man grabbed her seconds after being released, leading her upstairs into a bedroom, "What is this?"
"Dinner at eight, I'd clean up," Was all he said, locking the door shut. Her eyes landed onto red gowns on a hanger, her mind instantly brought back to the photo on Jimmy Portis' dashboard. In any other case she'd be convinced she was drawing connections that weren't here but... The red dress mirrored the glimpse of the photo she saw.
Uncomfortably, she slipped it on. She peered out of the window, armed guards and staff filling the empty space. It felt like a couple hours had passed until a bell rung and she was let out of the room.
Santana stepped into a doorway, her mind filling with rage as she saw the back of Rafe Cameron, "If I wasn't already going to kill you, I fucking am now! What the hell is this?"
He nearly dropped his glass of bourbon at the sound. Rafe turned around slowly, he gulped, "No, no, no, no. Now I've fucking lost it. You're not here. No-"
"I'm as real as your body count," She retorted, Rafe Cameron charging toward her. Santana shoved him when he got closest to her, "The fuck is wrong with you? You better tell me what the hell is going on-"
"You're dead," He shook his head, "No, we saw you. Selah said you-"
And that's when she couldn't control herself, Santana had bursted into a fit of laughter — so much so her stomach hurt. She'd even held onto the chair closest for support, "What'd she say? I drowned?"
"She said... She said you jumped," Rafe's eyes were flickering, the boy scratching the back of his neck, "Dad's lost his mind over it. He's been sick in a damn hospital bed and you're fucking alive!"
Santana didn't care for Rafe's meltdown, "I don't care. You guys kidnapped me. And you fucking did it again!"
"Woah," A man had started to slow clap, appearing from the hallway, "I can take credit for the second kidnapping, my... This reunion was sure more than I hoped for. And, I apologise Miss Diaz for the rough tactics in bringing you here but the ends justify the means."
"I can't deal with more mystery family members please tell me you're not an evil uncle," She shut her eyes, "Please."
He let out a chuckle, "No, no. Just a friend of the family."
"You said rough tactics..." Rafe furrowed his brows, "What about me?"
"Ah yes, Mr Cameron. False pretences..." The man replied, "Both of you, sit down. We have a lot to talk about."
"No thanks," Santana smiled, "Who are you?"
"How rude of me not to introduce myself? Mr Singh," He announced, his eyes steady on Santana for a reaction.
"Does it ring a bell?" Rafe looked to his half-sister who shook her head, swiping the bourbon from his hands, "Not a single bell has been rung."
He went on and on about El Dorado, Santana listening all while Rafe zoned out. Mr Singh cleared his throat, "Miss Diaz, Mr Cameron... we share certain interests. Objectives."
Rafe rubbed his eyes, "Yeah, I didn't listen to a word you said. How much are you gonna keep philosophizing?
"You are direct, aren't you Mr Cameron?" Silence broke through the room, Santana the only one to break it, "Why did your goon squad grab me?"
"Two birds with one stone really," He sat back, amused, "I believe you and your friends have something I want. A manuscript, a diary actually."
Shit.
He then sat forward, "And your mother... The woman that is Marisol Diaz thought she fooled me. The woman has a debt."
"She's got a habit of that," Santana rolled her eyes, "But guess what bucko? We're not even close, she didn't tell me jack shit about anything."
She added, "And to whatever she did, I am in fact not my mothers daughter. At this point, I'd be surprised if I even came from her womb, so please, leave me outta this one Mr Singh?"
Rafe was trying not to laugh, Santana elbowing his stomach at his glee. Mr Singh squinted his eyes, "When I learned Marisol had burned quite a few bridges, I was afraid her own daughter would be included too. Well, in any other case I'll still be needing the manuscript. Your mother's debt can just go on till she comes out of hiding."
Santana's eyes went wide, "Yes, I know about that one Miss Diaz. And I know about Big John too, I know their little games-"
"I'm sorry, did you just say Big John?" Santana held her hand out to shush Rafe who tried to speak, "Big John like John Routledge."
Singh was intrigued, "Have you ever considered acting as a profession for how dedicated you are to your lies?"
"So what do you know about Ward Cameron?" Rafe tried to butt in, but Santana was in control, "Big John Routledge is dead, sure, I can't say the same for my mom but she wouldn't have lied about that. She would've said-"
"So, are you and your mother close or not?" Mr Singh poked, "Because if you are, then you've already lied to me once. We're really getting off on the wrong foot, Little Diaz."
Little Diaz. Santana felt a panic, her breathing unsteady as she bolted to stand up. Rafe coughed, "Woah, San. You good?"
"I know you," Santana mumbled, pointing her finger at the man's face, "I've seen you before."
"Ah, a lasting memory," He cracked his knuckles, "I didn't think you would, I remember the night we'd broken into your little Freeridge home. Your brothers fast asleep, mother sitting on the couch with your father... er, touchy subject I assume?"
"What is he talking about?" Rafe gulped as Singh went on, "And just in passing, I was headed out the door with what I thought was your mother's journal and you'd stumbled in the door..."
"You called me Little Diaz, you told me my eyes were red and told me I had to be careful," She recounted, "You walked out that door and my mom was frazzled. Dad was screaming."
Rafe became uncomfortable the second he saw tears roll down Santana's cheek, her jaw was shakey while she stared Singh down, "You caused some fucking chaos in my house that night. I bet you didn't care for that."
"I wasn't trying to talk about your events, Miss Diaz," He shook his head, unfazed by her tears, "Really, I was leading up to your mom's final straw. The journal she gave me was fake, a bunch of lies and misdirections. I followed that for-"
"The 2 months till she went missing," Santana filled in her blanks, "She told my dad... I mean, well she told Ray that 'he' was following her again. They had a number one suspect who got crossed out on day one, that was you wasn't it?"
"Money's a good thing, y'know."
Santana thought back to the night of terror that had ensued in her house when Singh had left, then she thought about all the sleepless nights after her mom had disappeared.
How could she not have lunged for the man's throat?
