“Where’s Leah Reece?”
“At her clinic, why?”
“Then you’d better get there and fast. Cruz has orders to take her.”
“I’m parked across the street.” Austin’s gaze didn’t stray from the building.
“They got to her brother.”
“Shit. Is he dead?”
“I hope not. I dropped him off at the hospital. But he didn’t look good.”
“Damn.” Austin started the car and drove to the stoplight at the parking lot exit. “Why? Was the kid dealing drugs for them?”
“I think DeLuna suspected he was the snitch.”
“He got blamed for what we were doing?”
“Looks like it.” A black sedan pulled into Purrfect Pet’s parking lot and drove to the back. “Fuck. He’s here.”
Austin punched on the gas through the red light and dropped his phone. He barely dodged being T-boned.
They were not getting Leah.
“Who’s there? Cruz?” Roberto asked. The line went silent. “Shit!” He lit out of the twenty-four-hour Walmart parking lot where he’d purchased a car phone charger. Even speeding, he was thirty minutes from Heartbroke. Austin was on his own.
Roberto shifted and used his left foot to push the gas. His leg throbbed like a friggin’ toothache. It had stopped bleeding, but he knew he had to get help. And he could think of only one person to turn to.
His phone rang and he reached for it to see the number. Frowning, he snatched up the phone. “You shot me, you asshole!”
“I shot you?” Brad asked. “That was you? What were you doing with them? They killed that boy. I tried to stop ’em, but I was too late. I’m… I’m the one who gave DeLuna his address. I might as well have killed him myself.”
“They didn’t kill him. He was still alive in the trunk, but you damn near killed me.”
“If you were helping them, you deserved it. I can’t watch them do this anymore. It’s got to stop. My own brother-in-law was blackmailing me. He threatened to hurt my girls—his own damn nieces—if I didn’t do what DeLuna wanted. But this stops now.”
Roberto gritted his teeth. “I was trying to stop it, too, but next goddamn time, look who you’re shooting at!”
“Luke and Don?” Brad asked.
“They’re dead.”
Brad made a noise of pure regret. “I had to do it. I had to stop it. Luke told me he killed Johnny. And Don beat that boy. I thought he killed him.”
“I know,” Roberto said.
“The boy is really alive?”
“Yes. I took him to the hospital.”
“They’re going after the sister, too,” Brad said.
“I know. Don mentioned it.” Roberto remembered why he was really doing this. “Where’s DeLuna, Brad?”
“He was with Cruz.”
“In Heartbroke? Are they going after the sister themselves?”
“Don’t know. I lost them when I followed Don.” Brad got quiet. “It was you, wasn’t it? You were the snitch. You were doing it the whole time.”
Could Roberto trust Brad?
“Shit,” Brad said. “They’re here.”
“Who? Where are you?” Roberto asked, but for the second time the line went silent.
Austin sped the silver Cavalier to the back of the parking lot where the black sedan had disappeared. When he made the corner, his headlights splashed on the sedan—motor still running. The driver’s door opened, then slammed shut. Austin rolled down his window and pointed the gun out.
“Stop right there!” he yelled.
They didn’t stop. The engine roared; the car whipped around the parking lot and raced right at him.
Austin felt the impact all the way in his backbone. The air bag exploded. The car skidded a good five or six feet back. Blinking the white air bag powder from his eyes, he pointed his gun at the car. When the car started revving its engines again, he fired. The bullet went through the windshield; the car swerved and fishtailed.
A gun appeared out the sedan’s window. The pings and thud sounds of the Cavalier taking bullets shot adrenaline through Austin’s veins. But better the Cavalier take them than him. Except for the fact that it was a rental car. Fuck, he’d just bought himself a Cavalier!
Austin got another well-placed shot off. Another pair of headlights sprayed across the parking lot. He expected it to be cops, but a white Saturn came to a tire-squealing stop right next to him. A gun appeared out that window.
Shit! Two against one.
Flashes appeared in the Saturn’s window. Austin ducked. More popping sounds rang out in the predawn darkness. But they weren’t aimed at him. The sedan sped off across the parking lot, jumped the curb, and left. Still unsure what was going on, Austin aimed his gun toward the Saturn. The Saturn pulled up a little bit. The sound of its engine filled the silence.
Though the sun had only spit out an ounce of light, Austin recognized the guy sitting behind the wheel. Big. Bald. Brad Hulk.
Remembering getting beat with a toilet plunger, he kept his finger on the trigger. But grateful for the help, he didn’t shoot.
“Get the girl out of here,” Brad screamed. “They’ll be back!” He squealed off.
Light spilled out of the back of the vet office from the back door. Leah Reece poked her head out. Sixty seconds earlier, she might have gotten shot.
Jumping out of the car, he stuck his gun in the back waistband of his jeans. Leah slammed the door. Austin took off, cutting his eyes to the road. No sirens rang out. Considering the street was nothing but businesses, and most weren’t occupied before six a.m., they might not have been called.
He got to the door. “Leah, it’s me, Austin. Open the door!”
The bolt turned. The door opened. Leah stood with her phone in her hands.
“What happened? I thought I heard a car wreck and then it sounded like cars backfiring, but then it sounded like… gun shots.” Fear rounded her eyes. “What’s that all over you?”
He glanced down at his shirt, covered in air bag powder. “There was a wreck.”
“You okay?” She touched his chest. “Should I call the police?”
He considered it but knew what they’d do. They’d take them to the station, and because he had a gun, they’d keep him and eventually let Leah go. It wouldn’t matter if he told them the truth, they wouldn’t offer her protection without proof that she was in danger. The Hulk in the car was right. He had to get her out of here.
“No. Where are your car keys?”
“Why?” She pocketed her phone.
“We need to get out of here.”
She shook her head. “What?”
He remembered seeing her purse in her office the other day. She probably kept her keys there. Ushering her by the arm, he led the way.
“What are you doing?”
“There’s a lot I have to explain, but right now I need for you to do as I say.”
“No.” She yanked free.
“Leah, we’re getting your car keys and then we’re getting the hell out of here.”
“I have to work.” She looked baffled.
He took her arm again and eased her down the hall.
“Stop this!” She jerked away at the office door.
He spotted her keys on the desk and forced her to look at him. “I can’t stop, Leah. They’re coming back.”
“Who’s coming back?”
“You were right. You heard gunfire. Your brother is trying to kill you.”
She blinked. “What? You don’t know Luis. He—”
“Not Luis. Rafael. Rafael DeLuna.”
Her face paled. “How do you know… I never—”
He took her arm and got almost out of the office, when she started struggling. He spotted some masking tape on the file cabinet. He didn’t want to do that, but…
She kicked him in the shin.
He released her. She reached for her phone, probably to call 9-1-1 on him. Without any other option, he snagged the phone from her, tossed her over his sh
oulders, and kicked the desk chair around. As gently as he could, he dropped her in the chair.
He bracketed his hands on each side of the chair’s arms, leaned down, and looked her right in the face. She shot her knee up in his groin. He caught it. Good thing, because she had damn good aim.
“I don’t have time to explain everything, but I’m going to give you the quick and dirty version. Then, you’re gonna walk out of here with me. If you don’t, I’m going to have to force you. Because if those men return, they’ll kill us both.”
She stared daggers at him, but she wasn’t trying to bust his balls anymore. Call him an optimist, but he considered it a good sign.
“I’m a private detective. I came here to see if you knew anything about your half brother. DeLuna is running cocaine and guns. There’s been some people on the inside sabotaging his deals. And he’s got it in his head that Luis is doing it.”
Her eyes tightened. “Why does he think that?”
The pressure eased from his chest. Asking questions meant she was listening. “I’m not sure. But let’s go.”
“Where’s Luis?” she asked.
He hadn’t wanted to tell her until later, but maybe it would force her to see how serious this was.
“He’s in the hospital. DeLuna got to him and—”
She shot through the space between his arm and her chair. “What hospital? Where?” She held out her hands. “Give me my keys!”
“Let’s go and we’ll check on him as soon as we can.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you! You’ve done nothing but lie to me. Now tell me where my brother is!”
He let go of a big gulp of frustration. “I told you what was going to happen.”
He snatched the tape from the top of the file cabinet, looking away for two seconds. She didn’t waste any time. She snatched the lamp off her desk and swung.
He blocked it with his forearm, and it hurt like hell. Yanking the lamp from her hands, he backed her against the wall. She screamed as he snagged her hands over her head. Using his teeth, he pulled the tape free and then finally managed to wrap it around her wrists. She started kicking. He squatted down and taped her ankles together. She slid down the wall and beat him in the head with her taped hands.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he growled.
Still screaming, she grabbed fistfuls of his hair and yanked so hard he was going to have bald spots.
“Stop it!” He stood. Dropping the tape, he carefully grabbed her around her waist, tossed her over his shoulders, and started out. She hit his back with her tied hands. He reached in his pocket for her keys and placed them in his hand, holding the back of her legs in place.
Pulling out his gun, he heard her gasp as if she’d seen it. He opened the back door. The rising sun had turned the night a dusky gray.
Just as he got to her car and clicked the locks open, headlights shot across the parking lot.
His gut clenched. She continued to scream.
“Fuck!” The sedan came racing at them.
Bullets hit the concrete at their feet. Opening the driver’s door, he tossed her and then shoved her over as he got in. “Head down,” he yelled.
He started the engine. The sedan rammed into the back of Leah’s car. The impact knocked her on the floorboard. The back window shattered and the sound of bullets whizzed past. Turning, he shot at the sedan’s windshield. Twice. Both shots hit. But if he’d gotten the person or persons in the car, he didn’t know. He couldn’t risk staying around to find out.
Yanking the car in drive, he turned the wheels on a dime, pushed the gas down as far as he could, and sped off.
With his focus flittering from the road to the rearview mirror, he finally glanced at Leah, still facedown on the floorboard. Had she even moved? “You okay?”
When she didn’t answer, panic shot through him. Had she taken a bullet?
“Damn it, Leah. Answer me! If I have to pull over to check on you, they could catch up with us. Do you want that?”
She lifted up on her elbows and glanced at him. Her look punched him right in the gut. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t trust him, but she was scared not to. She inhaled, and the sound of her shuddering breath filled the car and his chest gripped.
“I’m sorry, babe,” he said.
She struggled to push up as if to get back in the seat.
“Not yet. Stay down there until I know they aren’t following us. Please.” He recalled how hard she’d fought him, and he inwardly flinched knowing how much she must hate him right now.
Sara’s mom pulled up in front of Purrfect Pets. Sara’s car needed a brake job and her mom had offered to play chauffeur. “Thanks, Mom.”
“No problem,” her mom said. “Brian and I are going to the park.”
“Park, park, park,” Brian chanted.
Sara crawled over the seat and kissed her son. “Be good for Grandma.”
“I be good,” he said in his big-boy voice.
Blowing him another kiss, Sara reached for the door handle.
“Is anyone here yet?” Her mom stared at the dark vet office.
“I’m sure Leah is. She parks in the back. She’s in her office. On Fridays, Evelyn doesn’t come in until one.”
“Thanks again.” A gust of wind tossed Sara’s hair. Arriving at the door, she found it locked. Leah usually unlocked it for her. Grabbing her keys from her purse, she let herself in.
“I’m here.” She dropped her purse on the counter.
A banging sound came from the back. “Leah?” As she cut the corner, she saw that the wind had knocked the back door against the building. “You left the door open.” Sara went to close it.
She saw a wrecked silver car in the middle of the parking lot. Leah’s car wasn’t there. Yet a dark sedan was parked to the left.
Antsy, she shut the door. “Leah?” She poked her head in Leah’s office. The place had been ransacked.
“Leah?” A bad feeling made her skin crawl. Had something happened?
She headed to the front, but she heard someone step out of exam room two. The footsteps too heavy to be Leah’s.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“SARA?” THE DEEP voice sent panic spidering her veins, but recognition had her turning around.
“What are you…?” Visions of Leah’s ransacked office filled her head. “Where’s Leah?”
Roberto collapsed against the door frame. “With Austin.”
“You know Austin?”
He nodded and squeezed the top of his thigh.
She saw the dark spot in the blue denim below his hand. Blood?
“I need a nurse, Sara,” he said.
She recalled the wrecked car in the back. “What happened?”
“Don’t overreact.”
That made her overreact.
“I was shot.” That’s when she noticed what he had in his right hand. A gun.
Her breath caught. She’d known it. He was a criminal. She stepped back. “You need to go to the hospital,” she said. “And then prison. And when you’re there, say hello to Brian’s daddy.” She turned to run.
“Please don’t go.”
She got three steps, imagined him shooting her in the back, and swung around. He wasn’t pointing the gun at her. “You rob banks, too, don’t you? Am I a magnet for criminals?”
“I’m not a bad guy.”
“Then I’ll call an ambulance. They’ll take you to the hospital.”
“I can’t, Sara.” He moved closer.
“Because they’ll take you to jail?”
“I didn’t do anything. I’m the one who got shot.”
She stared at the gun. He followed her gaze.
“Take it. Take the gun if it’ll make you feel better.” He grabbed her hand and put the gun in it. “If I was a bad guy would I do that?”
“It’s not loaded,” she accused, convinced he was tricking her.
“It is,” he said. “It’s ready to shoot. I didn’t know who—”
<
br /> “Really?” She raised the gun and put her finger on the trigger. The sound popped in her ears and her arm jerked.
Roberto dropped to the ground.
Leah crawled up in the seat as soon as he hung up from a call. He’d told her to wait. She was sick of waiting. Her heart pounded against her breastbone. She couldn’t get enough oxygen into her lungs. Coffee churned in her stomach.
Who had he been talking to? She remembered him saying, I have her, and then, I can’t talk. They could be following me. I’ll call you back. Answer this time.
“Where’s my brother?” she asked.
“In a hospital.” His gaze shifted between the rearview mirror and the road.
“What hospital?” She envisioned Luis alone and hurt.
“I don’t know.” He frowned. “But I’ll find out and have someone check on him.”
“Take me to him now!”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Not until I know it’s safe.”
“I don’t care if it’s safe. I want to see him.”
He exhaled through his teeth.
She considered everything he’d told her. “You’re lying. Luis isn’t hurt. You just wanted me to stop fighting you.” She wanted to believe Luis was okay.
“Did I lie about the men coming back?”
Her breath caught. She could still hear the bullets whizzing past her, the pings and clunks as they hit the cement. She’d never been shot at; never had her wrist and ankles taped, either.
“Then take this tape off me and let me call him.”
He glanced at her. “I don’t think he’s answering the phone right now.”
Tears blurred her vision. “How bad is he? Please take me to him.”
His jaw tightened. “As soon as I know it’s safe, I promise.”
She shook her head. “You can’t do this. This is kidnapping.”
“I saved your life.” He cut his blue eyes to her.
“You could be the bad guy and those guys back there were trying to rescue me.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’ve done nothing but lie. And for what? Money? Someone paying you to find Rafael?”
“No,” he said.
“Liar!”
He didn’t look at her. “When you calm down, I’ll explain things.”
Texas Hold 'Em Page 25
