Edge of Truth

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  Jeff woke early the next morning. Last night seemed a distant memory. Sunlight glinted off the window and lit the room. He moaned and draped his arm over his eyes. He’d forgotten to close the blinds. Not surprising considering everything that’d happened.

  Kara slept in the next room. Even with the hit man’s death, Jeff had insisted she spend the night.

  When he’d signed on to investigate Eric, he never dreamed their old assignment and this one would be connected. Now they needed to decide how to proceed. With the hit man out of the picture, it seemed Victor was their only remaining threat from Miami. He would get a tail for sure. No way would he let that sorry excuse for a man get near Kara again.

  Back in Miami, he’d watched Victor and Kara sunning on the yacht. The man couldn’t keep his hands off Kara, but she kept him in line. From what he’d heard through the grapevine, her lack of physical action was the reason he’d dumped her. She’d been forced to resort to other tactics to get information about Alvarado.

  He kicked the sheets off, grabbed his clothes, and crossed the hall to the bathroom. Flipping on the shower, he stepped in. Now to figure out how the Gonzaleses fit into this whole scheme. The files had indicated that the couple arrived shortly after the previous alleged drops. Jeff sensed that they’d show up at the ranch today, and he’d be waiting.

  Jeff scuffed his hands up and down his face. Maybe he should shave—nah. Kara’s warning not to kiss her had surprised him, but maybe it was for the best.

  Who was he kidding? It wasn’t for his best not to kiss Kara. The minty taste and softness of her lips made it hard to forget how much he’d enjoyed her kiss, but more than that, he cared about her and wanted to be near her. Which may be the biggest reason she was sound asleep in Eric’s house. Had his partner been a guy, he wouldn’t be sleeping here.

  He shut the water off and dried quickly before he missed the Gonzaleses. Officially, he was on administrative leave due to the kill, but he could make contact with the Gonzaleses unofficially. There had to be some connection to their arrival so soon after Eric’s drops. Jeff slid into his jeans and pulled a dark blue T-shirt over his head before heading to the barn on the pretense of cleaning the stalls.

  Granted, the stalls needed mucking, but he hoped the Gonzaleses would arrive soon. Gravel crunched beneath the tires of an F350 pulling a horse trailer. He watched from the open barn door as a Hispanic couple stepped from the truck.

  He walked toward the couple. “Buenos dias, como estan?”

  “Buenos dias, Senor,” Fernando Gonzales said. “You speak Spanish?”

  “Si,” Jeff said. “I’m Jeff Clark. Eric’s my stepbrother.” He held out his hand.

  Fernando grasped it in return. “Fernando and Andrea Gonzales. We’re in the horse business. Your stepbrother runs a fine operation.”

  “Thanks. Anything I can help you with?”

  “We have a horse to board.” Fernando looked over Jeff’s shoulder. “Is Eric around? I’d like to speak with him.”

  “Sure. He’s in the house. You want me to get him?”

  “No. I’ll go to him. Andrea, darling, I’ll be back soon.”

  Jeff furrowed his brows, forced a smile, and addressed the woman. “We’re happy to board your horse.”

  “Of course, you are.” She strode to the trailer. “Gayetta is temperamental. Watch and learn.” Andrea opened the door and climbed in with the mare. She spoke in soft, soothing tones. A minute later, horse and owner stood by the side of the trailer. “That is how it is done.” She handed the reins over to Jeff, brushed her hands off, and climbed back into the front seat of the truck.

  What an odd woman. He clicked his tongue and guided Gayetta into the barn. Such a beauty. The white Arabian stood tall and proud with her tail high. It seemed owner and horse matched up well, at least in respect to pride.

  Jeff glanced toward the house and saw the men talking on the front porch. Eric stood with balled fists. He had to get within hearing distance of that conversation. Maybe he’d be able to sneak in through the kitchen.

  Checking to make sure Andrea was occupied, he slipped around the back of the property and ran to the kitchen door—locked. Time for plan B. He walked right up the porch stairs. “Hi, Eric. I see Fernando found you.”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Jeff walked past the men and went inside, closing the door behind him. He stood still with his ear to the door—nothing. Blast. The door was solid. Several windows looked out onto the porch and one was slightly open. Veronica was nowhere to be seen, and Lauren was still asleep. He went down on all fours then belly crawled under the windows. Bingo.

  “I understand,” Eric said.

  He heard the click of boots and then Eric softly cursing.

  Jeff shimmied as fast as he could away from the window. He stood and bolted up the stairs. From his bedroom window, he’d have a clear view of the Gonzaleses. He sat on his knees and peered out. Eric had followed Fernando to their truck. Jake approached the group. Fernando nodded and climbed in then drove away. What had he missed?

  A soft knock drew him from his thoughts. He stood and opened the door.

  Wearing rumpled shorts and a T-shirt, Lauren looked up at him. “Hey, Uncle Jeff. Mom needs to know if you want breakfast. She’s making waffles.”

  He grinned at his niece. “Sure. Waffles are my favorite. I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay.” Lauren turned and trotted down the stairs.

  Jeff closed his bedroom door and followed. He entered the kitchen on his niece’s heels. Eric sat at the table drinking coffee.

  “Fernando leave already?”

  Eric coughed, and coffee splashed on the table.

  “You okay?” Jeff asked.

  “Fine. Swallowed wrong.” Eric wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Yes. They’re gone.”

  “Good. I didn’t care for their uppity attitude.”

  Veronica dropped a metal spoon, and Eric jumped. “Sorry,” she said. “Guess I got a little too vigorous stirring the batter.”

  A second later, the waffle iron sizzled and the room smelled like breakfast on a Sunday morning. Except this was Wednesday. Jeff poured himself a mug of coffee and sat at the table with Eric and Lauren. “You two have anything exciting planned for today?”

  “No,” Eric said.

  “Just practicing my violin.” Lauren reached for her glass of orange juice.

  He looked at his brother. “How about fishing? I haven’t been since I arrived, and I’ve heard this is prime territory.”

  Eric shrugged. “Sure, I guess fishing would be okay.”

  Jeff’s thoughts shot to Kara. “Oh no!”

  “What?” Veronica turned with wide eyes.

  “It was really late when we came in last night—”

  “We?” Eric asked.

  “Yeah. Kara’s asleep in the guest room next to mine.”

  “No, she’s not,” Kara said as she entered the kitchen. “Good morning, everyone.”

  Jeff hid a smile behind his napkin. Though her hair was pulled into a bun, her clothes from yesterday were sufficiently rumpled. She must have slept in them. “Morning, beautiful.”

  Veronica raised the lid on the iron revealing a golden-brown waffle. “Welcome, Kara. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “I could eat.” She looked over at Jeff. “Can I get a ride back to my place after breakfast?”

  Veronica placed a plate at one of the empty spots. “Enjoy.”

  “Thanks.” Kara sat and poured warm maple syrup over the top. “This smells like Christmas. My mom used to make waffles on Christmas morning.”

  “Never any other time?” Lauren asked.

  “No. Not that I remember. We were a cold cereal kind of family. Mom only cooked breakfast once in a while.”

  “My mom cooks almost every morning.”

  “You’re a lucky girl.” Kara looked over at Jeff and gave a sheepish grin.

  Jeff swallowed the last of his breakfast and washed it down with coffee. “When you�
�re finished, I’ll run you home. How could he have forgotten she was still sleeping right next door to his room? Guess the whole thing with the Gonzaleses really captured his attention, as it should’ve. He grinned. It looked like he could be attracted to his partner and still do his job.

  Kara stood and rinsed her plate.

  “Ready?” Jeff took his dishes to the sink.

  She nodded. “Yes. Thanks for breakfast.” She gave Veronica a quick hug and followed Jeff out the door. Once in the identical Ford Escape the DEA had provided late last night, she sighed. “Your family’s nice.”

  “Thanks. Sorry about not waking you. When the Gonzaleses drove in, I went into work mode.”

  “No problem. You learn anything new?”

  “Only that Eric looked very uncomfortable around them and that he doesn’t seem to like Fernando. I tried to eavesdrop but missed everything except Eric saying he understood.” He shrugged. “Wish I knew what they were talking about.” After turning onto the main road, he drove toward town. “Eric and I are going fishing later. Maybe I’ll be able to weasel some information out of him.”

  “Be careful. You don’t want to give away what you know.”

  Jeff scowled. “Understood. I have a feeling there’s more to this than we’re seeing.”

  “I’m sure there is. But I also don’t think you should let Eric see your interest in Fernando. He might become suspicious.”

  “I know how to do my job.” The edge in his voice was justified. She should trust him by now. Hadn’t he proven himself?

  “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

  Jeff released his tight hold on the steering wheel and turned into the alley behind Kara’s apartment. “Keep in touch.”

  “Count on it.” She paused with her hand on the door. “You doing okay? I mean after last night and all.”

  “I’m fine.” He didn’t like killing the hit man, but under the circumstances, he’d had no choice. At least it’d been kept from the media since this was such a massive undercover operation. The shooting would still be investigated, but discreetly. He was on leave until the investigation was complete. But his superiors assured him it would only last a day or two at the most. His cell rang. “Jeff here.”

  “I have something.”

  Jeff mouthed that it was Tad. She didn’t move.

  “The shooter was Alex Zockman,” Tad said. “His most recent employer was Luis Alvarado.”

  “Thanks. I’ll let Kara know.” He ended the call.

  “What?”

  “The shooter was on Alvarado’s payroll.”

  “Figures.”

  He watched Kara walk inside her apartment without even a glance back. What was going through her mind? Was she happy, relieved, what? At least they knew for sure that Alvarado was behind the hit. That had to count for something. How long until Luis found out his man failed was anyone’s guess, but he hoped it would be later rather than sooner.

  Jeff opened the front door and hollered, “Eric you ready? We wait much longer, and it’s gonna be too hot to fish.”

  Eric came around the corner from the kitchen. “Almost. Just getting ice for the cooler.”

  “Good thinking. I plan to catch the limit.”

  Eric gave a humorless chuckle. “Still aiming high I see.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing,” Eric said. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Jeff grabbed the poles and trudged after his brother, feeling less like fishing every second. This was going to be a long morning. Somehow, he had to pick Eric’s brain about the Gonzaleses without making him suspicious.

  “I thought we’d drive out to the edge of my property and hike to the river.” He placed the cooler in the bed of his truck. “Be right back.”

  Jeff put the poles and some portable chairs in the truck bed.

  Eric deposited the tackle box in back. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  “So how about those Gonzaleses?” Jeff studied Eric’s profile. “They’re a real piece of work. I’m surprised you put up with them.”

  Eric worked his jaw. “They’re not that bad.”

  “But still, I don’t think I’d make my barn available if they were always so nasty.”

  “You’re not me.”

  “True.” Jeff stared out the side window. Maybe he should take Kara’s advice after all.

  Thirty minutes later, Jeff and Eric parked and hiked to Eric’s fishing hole with the ice chest and chairs and set them on the bank of the slow-moving river and cast their lines. Before Jeff could sit, the line tugged, then nothing. Some lucky fish snagged his bait and got away. He reeled in the line, baited the hook, and cast again.

  He glanced over at Eric who sat with a scowl on his face and a white-knuckle grip on his pole. “You know if there’s something bugging you or if I’ve done anything to offend you, we can talk about it,” Jeff said.

  Eric shrugged.

  “You don’t still hate me, do you?”

  “What?” Eric jerked his head toward him. “Where did that come from?”

  “I just thought since you didn’t like me when we were kids, it might be interfering with our relationship now.”

  “What makes you think I didn’t like you?”

  “I heard you say it to Dad once. Then there was that time I found itching powder in my sheets.”

  Eric chuckled dryly. “As I recall you wasted no time in ratting me out.”

  “True. I don’t think things have been the same between us since.”

  Eric rubbed the back of his neck. “Funny, I haven’t thought about that day in years.”

  “Seven years, perhaps?”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s been almost seven years since we last saw one another. I just figured”

  “Oh.” Eric paused. “Good grief. You were what? Eight or nine when that happened? You must think I’m some kind of monster. Things weren’t that bad between us, were they? I mean I grew to accept sharing my dad with you. And it was kind of nice to have a mom around again.” He smirked. “And having a little brother to tease was all right too.”

  Eric’s words could not have surprised him more. Had he misunderstood his brother all these years? They could’ve been friends, maybe even avoided this whole drug smuggling thing. They’d never been close, and he’d always assumed it was because of that one incident. Had he unconsciously held back from Eric? “I didn’t think you were a monster.”

  “Thanks. How did we get on this topic anyway?”

  “I can’t remember.” Shock reverberated to the soles of his tennis shoes. All these years wasted.

  “How are things going between you and Kara?” Eric reached into the cooler and pulled out a bottle of water.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, little brother.”

  Jeff chuckled. “Things are fine with us.”

  “Duh, but do you think she’s the one?”

  “The one?”

  “Stop answering my questions with a question. You know what I’m asking. Is she the one you’re going to marry? I haven’t seen you interested in anyone since Beth.”

  Jeff’s stomach clenched. He’d planned to propose to Beth shortly before he joined the DEA. When she’d dumped him, she’d said he’d be married to his job, and she’d be a widow by default. He sighed. Eric was right. He hadn’t dated anyone seriously since Beth. The way he saw it, she’d probably been smart in breaking off with him. What kind of life would they have had together? He was married to his job. Jeff re-baited his hook and cast his line. “I don’t know. We’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.”

  Eric cast him a sidelong glance. “I knew Veronica a week before I was certain we’d marry.”

  “You’re a lucky man. We don’t all have that kind of clarity.” Could he and Kara have something more than friendship? He’d like a relationship with her, but they couldn’t work together and be married.

  Something tugged on his line. He set the ho
ok and reeled it in.

  Eric netted the trout, and laughed. “Looks like one for the record books,” he teased.

  Jeff frowned and removed the hook from the small trout then gently released it back into the river. “You shouldn’t laugh. At least I caught something. I haven’t seen you reel in a fish.”

  “I’m waiting for the big one. You wait and see. At just the right moment, he’ll come along and chomp onto my hook.”

  Right now, Jeff wanted to catch the trout of all trout. He reeled in his line, checked the bait, and cast again. Just as the hook sank beneath the surface, he got a bite. His line spun out fast.

  “Set the hook!” Eric exclaimed as he jumped up from the seat.

  Jeff stood and jerked the pole up to set the hook. He reeled in the line and let the fish run with it. He pulled back on the pole and reeled in a little more line. The fish fought hard, but Jeff won. Eric netted the sizeable trout. Jeff felt his face split into a grin. Oh yeah, he’d caught the big one. Now he needed to catch the big one calling the shots in this drug-trafficking scheme, and Eric was going to help him whether he wanted to or not.

  Chapter 28

  With the hit man dead, Kara felt more at ease and decided to take advantage of the reprieve. Surely, Alvarado wouldn’t have had time to send anyone else after her yet. She hefted the saddle onto Blaze and ran her hand down his neck as she spoke softly into his ear. “You’re such a beauty. How about you and I go for a ride?”

  “Hey, Kara.”

  Kara jumped away from Blaze.

  Jake walked toward her. “Why so jumpy?”

  She shrugged and cinched the strap around Blaze’s belly. “Want to ride with me? Jeff’s out fishing with Eric, and I don’t want to ride alone.”

  “Me? Well, I guess I could spare an hour.”

  Kara flashed him her best smile. “I really appreciate this.”

  “No problem. I’ll saddle Henry.”

  “Sounds more like a name for a mule. Why’d you name him that?”

  “He is a mule. The best mule you’ll ever find too. He thinks he’s a horse and is more surefooted.”

  She laughed out loud. “Okay, where’s this mule of yours?”