by Taylor Moore
When the hostess asked him if he was ready to be seated, he told her he needed to look around first. Other than a couple of farmers, too occupied with their steaming cheese enchiladas to even notice him, there was no one in sight. It wasn’t until he strode the full length of the restaurant that he found her in a secluded corner in a vacant room near the bar. As soon as Garrett walked up, Lacey jumped from her chair and gave him a hug. He was a little surprised by her sudden show of emotion, though by no means disappointed.
As if she could read his thoughts, Lacey explained, “Sorry if I was a little cold at the café earlier. I have to keep my distance with customers around there.” She was a little flushed herself. “If I show any attention at all, to anyone, it becomes kind of a thing.”
Garrett understood. Someone as pretty as Lacey working in a place with lonely cowboys and rig hands had to stay aloof. If she didn’t, more than a few would read her charm as a clanging dinner bell. Some of those types were fairly aggressive, others relentless.
“Just took you for a woman with her hands full. That’s all.” Garrett smiled. “Last thing I wanted to do was get between some old rancher and his fourth cup of coffee.”
Lacey laughed and pointed to their table. There was already a basket of chips and two iced teas waiting. “I got us kind of an out-of-the-way spot to avoid the crowd. Hope that’s okay?”
Now it was Garrett’s turn to look her over and he liked what he saw. Her faded Levi’s and a tight gray hoodie revealed every curvy inch of her bodacious figure. She’d lost the ponytail, letting her thick chestnut hair cascade over her shoulders.
Garrett sat and met her ice blue eyes. He could smell the hint of perfume for a moment. “Actually, I was hoping for some privacy.”
She looked at him curiously. “Any particular reason?”
“I tend to draw a few stares, I guess.” He displayed his forearms bearing the sleeve tattoos. “Some of these little old church ladies don’t know if I’m here to eat tacos or rob the place.”
Lacey let out a genuine heartfelt laugh. “Well, who cares about the little old ladies. I think it’s hot.” Her mouth curled into a playful smile. “And I’ve learned not to care too much about what anybody thinks. If I did, I would’ve ended up like my dad a long time ago.”
Garrett didn’t know exactly how to respond. She was clearly flirting with him, but the grim reference to her dad’s suicide threw him for a loop.
“Look, I know that sounds awful and I didn’t mean for it to sound like I don’t care. I loved my dad more than anything, but I guess, sometimes it’s just easier to kill the elephant in the room rather than pretend it isn’t there. Know what I mean?”
Before he could answer, she continued, “The reason I wanted to meet with you is because I wanted to apologize in person. I should’ve done it earlier at the café, but I was too embarrassed.” She corrected herself, “No. Ashamed. That’s a better word for it.”
“Ashamed?” Garrett assumed she was referring to the fact she had forgotten about his mother’s death but was surprised by her reaction. “Why? Because of my mom? I told you. That was a long time ago and I—”
“It’s not just that, Garrett. I should have been nicer to you back in high school. And I’m sorry I wasn’t.”
He paused, unsure how to respond to this sudden show of emotion. “You weren’t not nice. You just—”
“Didn’t care about anyone but myself. I know.”
Garrett shook his head. “I wasn’t going to say that.”
“You don’t have to.” Her warm smile put him at ease. “I know who I was back then. And I’m not proud of it.”
“That was a long time ago, Lacey. We’ve all changed since then. Besides, I haven’t thought about any of that in ages.” Garrett hoped the little white lie would make her feel better.
Her smile faded a little. “Even your mother?”
Before Garrett could answer, the waitress walked up to take their order. It took him a moment to break from his trance and acknowledge her. Since he was clearly shaken, Lacey ordered for them both. Beef Enchilada Montadas. Double beans. No rice.
Lacey turned back as the waitress darted off. “It’s what I always get. Hope that’s okay?”
Garrett nodded in response, still thinking about his mom and the fact that Lacey had brought her up. He’d like to think people move on and forget, but the gut-wrenching stories tended to linger like a rotten smell. Of course, he was just as guilty. One of the first things he remembered was that her dad lost the family fortune and blew his brains out. Sad how the mind gravitated toward incidents like those and not something better.
Lacey covered his hand with hers again. “You all right, Garrett?”
“You know, we’re not too far from where it happened.” He shifted a little but was careful not to move his hand, hoping she would keep hers where it was. “The wreck I mean.”
Lacey nodded. “Is that why you and your brother got sideways a while back? Over him working for Preston Kaiser?”
As soon as those words came out of her mouth, Garrett felt a little ridiculous. If he was mad at Bridger for dealing with the Kaisers, he might as well be mad at the entire Texas Panhandle. Everybody took Kaiser money in some form or fashion. And the fact that one of their trucks had run his mother off the road over two decades ago didn’t change reality. Mescalero was there to stay.
Of course, none of the people who defended the Kaisers were there with him, holding his mother’s hand when she lay dying on the side of the road. And none of them saw the truck driver keep going after he’d swerved into their lane, forcing her little Jeep Cherokee off the highway where it rolled four times and landed upside down in a culvert. And they damn sure weren’t there to hear Mescalero’s lawyers put the blame on her, hammering in the fact that she’d worked a night shift at the hospital, and suggesting to the jury it was she who was at fault—not the doped-up truck driver.
Worst of all, nobody saw how Garrett’s family looked at him after the funeral, the one who’d walked away with little more than cuts and bruises. They never said it was his fault she’d gone out of the way to pick him up at Sanchez’s house after a sleepover when she should have been home in bed. They didn’t say it because they didn’t have to. If he knew it to be true, they sure as hell did also. There was no denying that his actions, even though unintentional, were a major factor in her death.
But understanding shone in Lacey’s eyes. She was once a girl who expected the finer things, and when her father could no longer provide them, he ended it all. Now she lived with the same guilt as Garrett. It was the kind you never shed. Because the person you needed absolution from was not around to give it.
“You know, Lacey, when it comes to the fight with me and my brother, I don’t even know anymore. I’ve held a grudge against the Kaiser family for so long it seems like it’s all I’ve ever known. And the one I hold responsible for my mom’s death isn’t even alive anymore. Now I’m holding his son to account for no good reason.”
Garrett shook his head and laughed. If his own dad had forgiven and forgotten, maybe it was time to let it go. He was starting to feel like one of those Japanese soldiers, still fighting the war decades after it was over.
“I’m sorry if this opens old wounds. It’s just that when I saw you, it brought back these feelings I had after my dad died. And I wish I’d been there for you when you needed it. When you could have used a friend. I wanted you to know I’m sorry, that’s all.”
He smiled.
She was about to say something else when their food arrived. The waitress set their meals before them and gave the obligatory warning. Be careful. Plates are hot.
Lost in the moment, the first thing Garrett did was grab the plate like an idiot. Pulling his fingers back with a yelp, he looked to the waitress who shook her head as she walked away. When he tasted the food, he was glad Lacey had made the call.
Girl knew how to order.
After a good half hour of lighthearted catching up, whic
h mostly included a where are they now and what are they doing rundown of everyone in high school, Lacey again turned the conversation to a more serious note. She looked a little nervous.
“Is your brother in some kind of trouble?”
The question set him on edge. “You know Bridger, if there’s mischief, he’ll find it. Why do you ask?”
Garrett already suspected Bridger had dug himself into something deep, particularly after his conversation with Ike Hodges that morning, which all but confirmed his suspicions that something shady was going on with Renegade.
Garrett figured it best to play dumb.
Lacey looked around before speaking, almost as if scared. “I drove over to Bridger’s office the other day to discuss a problem I was having, and a couple of guys were inside. I didn’t get a good look, but it seemed like they were up to no good. Harassing him or something. By the time I parked and went inside they were gone. I asked him about it, but he told me it was no big deal and changed the subject. Any idea what’s going on?”
“Yeah, he mentioned it to me, actually. Something to do with an old case, but they got it all straightened out, I think. Just a dispute over a payment or something like that.”
“Oh, good.” Lacey looked relieved. “Seemed like it was about to get ugly.”
Garrett shook it off. “Nah, he got it all squared away. No big deal.” He narrowed his gaze. “If it’s not too personal, do you mind telling me why you were there?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Well . . . I got an offer from Preston Kaiser to purchase our family’s minerals.” She shook her head in disbelief. “A lump sum of over two and a half million.”
Garrett looked at her with a curious expression. “Got to be honest, I don’t necessarily see how that’s a problem.”
“The problem is my father lost everything when he went bankrupt. He leveraged all we had, including our mineral rights.”
To Garrett, the story was unusual but not unheard of in mineral acquisition. The title chain went back well over a hundred years and could get extremely complicated. An inexperienced land man or even an attorney could have easily made a mistake. Not only that, energy companies were exploring new formations all the time. It was possible her father hadn’t lost it all, maybe only existing production or whatever they had under lease. It was possible other zones were open for purchase.
Garrett cocked his head, trying to think through all the scenarios. He knew a lot about the industry but that was one area where you needed an expert. “If there’s anyone who knows his way around an oil and gas lease and mineral law, it’s Bridger. But if it were me, I’d get someone else. There’s an obvious conflict of interest since he works with Mescalero. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you that directly.”
Lacey nodded as if she’d already heard everything Garrett was saying. “So . . . that’s where it got even stranger. You see, I did go to someone else for that reason. And what he explained was that the offer wasn’t necessarily a direct payment as much as it was a type of partnership on future wells. The money would be put into an escrow account to be used when it was time to drill. At which point, we’d divide the expenses and eventually the revenue once the oil wells started producing.”
Garrett didn’t see the downside other than the fact Lacey wouldn’t see a dime until the well was completed and operations were paid in full. There were worse situations to be in. “This seems like good news. Mescalero must be interested in drilling into a zone your family didn’t lose during the bankruptcy.”
Lacey looked only slightly more cheerful. “Exactly. That’s the good news.”
“And the bad?”
“Mescalero wants to target formations below what we’ve already drilled.”
Garrett wasn’t a geologist but knew going deeper wasn’t cost feasible—not without better technology. And not with the price of oil as low as it was.
“Oh.” Now Garrett was stumped.
“Yeah, oh,” she repeated.
“Any idea why they’d want to do this?”
Lacey let out a frustrated sigh as she shook her head. “My attorney had no idea. He said it was a legitimate contract and I could sign it if I wanted to. But it was kind of like . . . waiting for the Oilers to go to the Super Bowl, or something.” She looked a little frustrated. “I don’t even know what that means.”
It meant there wasn’t a chance in hell this was going to happen.
“What did my brother say? I’m assuming it’s why you went over there. To find out Mescalero’s intentions.”
“It’s exactly why I went over. And he didn’t really say anything. A bunch of double-talk about how companies buy leases and make deals when the oil prices are low, so they don’t get gouged when prices are high.”
“What about the formation they were looking at? He had to agree it was crazy. Right?”
She shook her head. “Again, it was just more crap about how technologies are always changing and how in ten years’ time everything could be different. He pointed to the whole fracking revolution to prove his point.”
Garrett had to admit, most of it was true, at least the part about new technologies. But Bridger was guilty as sin when it came to muddying waters. His lawyerese was legendary. And the truth was that real moneymakers in oil and gas didn’t plan in years, they planned in decades. If nothing else, the Kaiser family were experts at turning a profit. That couldn’t be denied.
There was a chance Bridger was being vague with Lacey, so as not to be held responsible if she regretted her decision later on. After all, it was her gamble. Not his.
She went on to say, “It wasn’t just the way Bridger was speaking, though he seemed genuinely nervous, like he’d rather be anywhere other than having a conversation with me. I felt like he was shooing me out the door.”
Garrett couldn’t imagine any man not wanting to be around Lacey for any reason, least of all Bridger. He treated beautiful women like diplomats treat foreign dignitaries. He’d have normally rolled out the red carpet, which meant something was off. He was just about to ask when he could see her again when she looked at her watch, startled.
“Oh, gosh! I didn’t realize the time. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Back for the lunch rush, huh?”
Lacey looked a bit confused until it dawned on her Garrett had made an incorrect assumption. “Oh no. My mom owns the café. I just help her out in the mornings and on weekends. I’m an office manager at Renegade.”
The revelation hit Garrett like a ton of bricks, but he forced himself not to react. Between Bridger’s troubles and Ike’s intel linking Renegade to a Mexican drug cartel, it was all he could do not to warn her. Of course, that was assuming she didn’t know something already. Sanchez’s earlier words crept back into his mind.
Drilling stops and this place dies. Money like that takes care of lots of problems.
Garrett didn’t want to assume Lacey was involved any more than he wanted to believe Sanchez was on the take. But reality is harsh when it comes to protecting your livelihood. He’d seen really good people do some really bad stuff for a whole hell of a lot less.
18
Garrett turned his pickup right out of the Chihua’s parking lot, stewing over Lacey’s revelation about Renegade. He shuddered when his cell phone rang over the truck speakers. It was a 703 area code, common among those living in northern Virginia. Maybe it was DEA headquarters checking in. He clicked the answer button on his controls and was greeted by a familiar voice.
“How was your lunch there, cowboy?”
Garrett was tempted to ask how she knew but didn’t want to give Kim the satisfaction. He assumed the CIA was tracking his phone and credit cards. “Delicious as always,” he replied casually. “You ever want to come out for some real Tex-Mex, I’ll take you there. My treat.”
There was a brief pause. “And how is our young friend taking to the local cuisine?”
Garrett paused. She knew he’d been at Chihua’s but not without Asadi. Apparently, she w
asn’t up on everything. “The boy likes burritos and hot chocolate, but who doesn’t?” After a beat, he confessed, “He’s not with me now. Left him with my dad while I ran a few errands.”
Garrett worried she might be angry he’d left Asadi behind, but he also wanted to be honest about it. There’d been no hard and fast rules about anything, only that the boy needed to be kept out of sight, which he was.
“Actually, that’s good. I wanted to discuss a few things and I prefer he not be present.”
Garrett had assumed she was only checking in, so it made her news a bit disconcerting, as if there might be an issue. “There a problem?”
“Quite the opposite.” There was a brief pause and a ruffling of papers on the other end. “We think we’ve got a bead on who’s responsible for what happened in the village and are looking into next steps to take care of it.”
Garrett wanted to ask exactly what she’d learned and how the CIA was planning to take care of it, but they couldn’t discuss classified issues on an unsecure line. “That’s good news.”
“Once we do what we need to, we’ll turn it over to the State Department. They’ll work with a host nation to set up a tribunal for the government officials responsible for the massacre.”
“What does it mean for our little friend?”
There was a pause on Kim’s end. “Means he’ll need to come back to testify.”
“That really necessary?”
“I’m afraid it is. This has to be public to make it stick. And there needs to be a face for the victims. And right now, it’s his.”
Given Asadi’s fragile state, particularly his awful nightmares, Garrett hated the thought of him having to relive this all over again. He was about to argue when Kim interjected.
“Look, Kohl, I know it’s not ideal. But there’s some good news in all this. We know he has an older brother, Faraz, and we believe there’s a chance he’s still alive.”
It was all Garrett could do not to shout Praise Jesus. The thought that Asadi might still have someone left in the world was too good to be true. He did his best to play it cool, not wanting Kim to know how much the kid was growing on him.
