by Angi Morgan
Smaller towns created a challenge to blend in and not be noticed. He’d handled them before. The extra element of this job required him to obtain information. A nice challenge. A new string of contingencies. He must be detailed. Thorough.
His camper was in Clayton, New Mexico. He’d develop his plan during the ninety-minute return drive.
The ranger needed further study. Killing Jesse was too common. Too predictable. Patience equaled reward. Yes, life would be interesting for the next several days.
The Snake Eyes Killer deserved some fun.
Chapter Five
“This has gone far enough, Avery. You’ve had your fun, now unlock the door. You can’t leave me here even overnight. We need to call the state’s attorney.”
Did she really want Jesse to spend the night in jail? It wasn’t as if he’d really broken the law or anything. She was exacting her revenge the best way she could. The only way she could, really. So, yes, he would.
She smiled, doing an about-face straight into Martha Coburn. She’d followed them through the booking area asking why they’d bypassed it. “Jesse Ryder is definitely staying the night with us.”
He cursed. Martha jerked at the profanity.
“Sorry, ma’am. When I get out of here, Avery, I’m going to paddle your behind like I used to in junior high,” he shouted.
She shut the hall door on the loud clang of his boot kicking the bars. She recognized the sound well, having made the same gesture once or twice herself during her stay. “I think he needs to calm down a bit before we do any paperwork.”
“You know that’s not protocol, Avery. Is there something wrong with him?” Martha asked, tapping her temple. “I mean, he’s claiming to be a Texas Ranger.”
“How do we go about getting a psych evaluation?” She tried to be serious. If Martha’s reaction was an indicator, Avery had been successful. “Oh, I’m just kidding. We knew each other a long time ago and he...” She raised her hand to whisper behind it even though no one else was there. “He got a little fresh, if you know what I mean. I’m just teaching him a lesson.”
“I see.” Martha crossed her arms, looking completely like an old-fashioned schoolmarm. “Dan’s done that a time or two in his day. I’m not one for telling stories that aren’t mine to tell, but he has a couple of doozies.”
“I can’t wait to hear those. I better get back out there. Never can tell who’s breaking the law before dawn on the weeknight.” She did look forward to those stories about Dan setting someone straight. Maybe it would lessen the rampage she already expected when he found out what she’d done.
Or maybe it would lessen the concern her boss had about her safety when he discovered she’d taken care of herself. It didn’t really matter. The satisfaction of keeping Jesse in jail was worth the chiding she’d receive from Dan.
Now that her heart wasn’t racing ninety to nothing, it bothered her that Jesse would come up with a wild tale about an assassin...or was it? After Garrison had volunteered to spend his time until trial in a safe house, she’d done her own investigation into the Tenoreno family. She’d taken extra precautions.
Just because she was on her own didn’t mean she was an idiot. She’d installed extra locks on the windows and doors of her rental house. Installed security lights to the point her neighbors had raised their concerns with Dan. She’d even spent a day trimming back the hedge and trees so she had line of sight to the road and sidewalks. Her landlord nearly had a cow, but admitted it was safer for a single woman—even if that woman carried a gun.
Maybe she was an idiot after all. Jesse wouldn’t lie about his concerns for her safety. He was the one guy she’d known who just didn’t lie. And he wouldn’t take off work and come all this way for...for what?
Just because Paul Tenoreno was in jail didn’t mean that the crime family’s money and influence would be stopped. She sat in her truck and waited, watching the jail instead of heading back to the highway. Some of that Texas Mafia money could have prevented the warning Jesse claimed the State’s Attorney’s Office should have made. But what if...?
She jumped from the truck, locking it on her run across the street to the office. “Julie?” She raised her voice to get their dispatcher’s attention in the back.
“Oh, hi, Avery.” She poked her head around the corner. Her cute wireless headset still sat on top of her head. “I thought you said you were—”
“Did Dan have any messages you were keeping until he got back?”
“Avery, you told me to keep all his messages. Remember? You said the big guy deserved time with his family.” She thumbed through a pad of sticky notes. “This is everything that’s come in since he’s been gone. Well, his calls, that is. All three of us are keeping them in the same place.”
“May I take a look?”
“Sure.” Julie passed the notes.
Each page of the lined pad that had been used was folded back, easy to thumb through. One had a scribble about teenagers shooting beer bottles and a note that it had been passed on to Derek to check out. Another from an unfamiliar number. The last on the list that afternoon was from a 512 area code and marked urgent.
“What about this one? Did they leave a message?”
Julie looked closely. “I bet Mrs. Lena took that. She said they asked for Dan and wouldn’t talk with anyone else. Was it important? Should I call him now and pass on the number?”
“No. It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.” An Austin area code, asking for Dan and no one else meant... “Shoot. Jesse’s telling the truth. You mentioned a man came in to see me. What did he look like? How was he dressed?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Avery. Nice looking enough, about late thirties or early forties. Sort of stylish in a Western kind of way. Hair hung below his collar. It was the only thing that just didn’t seem to match the rest of him.”
“That’s not Jesse. Man alive, I’ve messed up.” She pushed the pads of her hands into the corners of her eyes, blocking all the light, wishing she could block the image of Jesse’s face when she’d mentioned this stranger. “Does Dan ever need a forensic artist?”
“I can ask Mrs. Lena when she gets here in the morning. Why?”
“I have a feeling that the man avoided the camera and we’ll need a drawing from your description. I’ll check the video, but I’d like a name to call if I’m correct.”
“You mean a criminal came in here tonight? I was talking to a genuine criminal?” Julie’s face lit up in a smile.
There was no way Avery was going to tell Julie the truth. But she’d need someone to stay with her until this man was caught. If she could identify him, then she was in danger.
“I’d just like to know who was claiming to be a close family friend.”
Hopefully that would quiet Julie’s curiosity. And unfortunately, she’d have to let Jesse out. Or maybe not. Perhaps the safest way to talk to him was with steel bars between them. It might become very public, though. And once she was mad enough, she might just ask about their fated night.
The night she thought things were changing between them. She’d changed clothes and he’d changed locations. Think of something calming.
So maybe a nonconfrontational approach to his release was a better idea. She’d send word to release Jesse with the shift change, leave instructions to take him to his rental car and give him directions to her house. She’d apologize first thing.
Privately apologize for not listening more carefully about the possible assassin. But for sticking him in jail...never. He deserved that. When the yelling began, they’d be in the privacy of her home. Then they could work out a plan to catch whoever the Tenorenos had hired.
Yes, she believed him. Now that she was calm and could reason without his Texas-size smile in her face. But she wouldn’t leave her job. Nope. She had responsibilities. Dan was counting on he
r to keep things under control while he was gone. She couldn’t pick up and run every time someone threatened her brother.
Or threatened her pride.
Logically, that meant releasing Jesse and getting started immediately on whatever he’d come to do. They shouldn’t wait for morning. She should face him and get everything done.
“Julie, can you get Tosh and Tolbert Jennings out here to go pick up a car on 287?” She dug in her pocket and placed the rental keys on the counter. “Have them leave the car here and leave you the invoice and keys. I’ll pay for it.”
“Sure thing.” Julie raised a finger, paused in thought. “The county usually tows, but you know that, so this must be different.”
“Yeah. There’s one person who gets under my skin and, well...he did. Let Martha know when it’s back, please.”
“I can do that.”
Avery walked back to her truck, changed her mind and went inside the county jail. “No loud banging. That’s a good sign.”
Martha tossed her head back, looking up from her paperwork. “At the moment. That is one angry gent in there. Keeps ranting that you’re in danger. You back to process him?”
“Yeah, about that.” Her choice was a private conversation. It didn’t mean she was a coward. Facing Jesse and exposing their complicated past just wasn’t an option. “The Jennings boys are going to bring his car here. Julie will call when it’s back. Do you mind letting him out?”
Martha closed her eyes and shook her head. “Well, it won’t be the first and I doubt it’s the last. Should I direct him to the nearest motel or tell him they’re all full?”
“I’m sure he has my address. You could tell him I should be there. If he asks.” Tapping the counter, she was hesitant to place Jesse’s wrath on Martha’s shoulders. Private or not, it was definitely the cowardly way out. “Thanks. I owe you.”
“Two margaritas at Consuelo’s. There’s no doubt in my mind that this man is a handful. He’s really a Texas Ranger?”
Avery nodded. “My brother’s partner and best friend. He’s also the guy who grew up next door to me and felt that it was his job to persecute me until the day I left for college. Oh, wait...it didn’t stop, because we all went to Baylor. My social life was horrible with not one, but two, men claiming to be my brother.”
“Whew. I don’t know what went wrong out there tonight, but I’m glad I’m not hanging around you when he gets out.” Martha laughed. “Really, really glad.”
“Yeah. I better get going. Lots to do before the big confrontation.”
“I have faith in you, Avery. And, hon?”
Confidence wasn’t one of the feelings overwhelming her at the moment. “Yes, ma’am?”
“I trust that you’ll let the rest of us help you with whatever is going on as soon as you can. And you might consider calling Dan—even if he is on vacation. He won’t like it that you’re in danger and kept him out of the loop.”
“Sure thing. As soon as I know what’s what.” She stepped onto the covered porch just outside the door, noticing the Jennings truck across the street.
Trying not to be obvious, she looked without moving her head. Nothing was moving accept Tosh’s dog. He barked a couple of times at her until she closed the door to her truck and sat inside. Tosh waved at her as he came out of the county building.
A couple of cars were heading north on the business route through town. Other than that, nothing was moving besides a southwest breeze.
It wouldn’t take long for them to bring back Jesse’s rental. She needed to check the videotape. Whether the man had hidden his face or not would determine how she moved forward.
She had about an hour before Jesse would be waiting on her porch, waiting for answers. And an apology.
* * *
JESSE KNEW AVERY almost as well as he knew himself...maybe better. Predictable, a woman with efficient routines that worked, and a woman who did not like him at the moment.
Moment? It would be days. Months that might add up to the rest of his life. The reaction to him on the highway proved she wouldn’t work with him. Now or in the future. Walking out on her that night without an explanation was a relationship destroyer. There was no coming back from something like that. He’d known it before he’d seen her cry the next day.
He’d messed up. Hell...she’d left him in jail.
An hour alone, behind bars, was plenty of time to think himself into every possible corner. Or not think his way out of any. Major Parker needed information from him to find whoever said the county sheriff had been notified of this threat. They should know who had screwed up or been bought off by the Tenoreno family.
He had to convince Avery’s coworkers that she was in danger and to let him go. So far they’d left him alone. He wanted to see a confident, satisfied Avery waltz through and tease him. He’d imagined her barely speaking to him. Maybe making him beg to be released. Or putting her hands on her hips while stating dramatically to get out of town.
Okay, that was a little on the Clint Eastwood side. She’d try to tell him she could take care of herself. He knew that much and had his argument ready.
The door at the end of the hall opened, and a young deputy with a couple of bottles of water in one hand and cell keys in the other approached him. He began reformulating his arguments.
Jesse had studied a lot of people. When you were best friends with a man as outgoing as Garrison, you weren’t required to say much to fit in.
Garrison thought of what to say faster and usually better. Jesse required time to think things through. Then react. Which, admittedly, he could have and should have done better when Avery pulled him over.
The deputy’s body movements indicated he didn’t know if he could trust Jesse. He dangled freedom from one finger as if he wanted to be convinced, then dropped the keys in his pocket.
“Mind telling me who you are?” the deputy asked, extending a water bottle through the bars. “No one logged you into the system.”
“Lieutenant Jesse Ryder, Texas Rangers. My ID’s in that duffel you’re holding, unless Avery took it with her.” He gulped the water, letting it cool not only his parched throat but his temper. “And you?”
“Deputy Bo Jackson. Why are you here?”
“Where’s Avery?”
“Good question.” He shifted his weight to his other foot, attempting to look casual. He didn’t succeed. “We’re hoping you could tell us if she’s not coming back here because of you. Or if you’re here because something’s up with that thing her brother’s involved in.”
Jesse’s heart rate sped out of control. He lost his grip on the plastic, then watched the bottle bounce and roll, spilling cold water across the old tile. He has her. His gut and mind were in sync. Snake Eyes has her already. “Get me out of here. Now.”
The deputy jumped back a little. Maybe from the spilling water but more likely because of the animalism Jesse barely recognized in his own voice.
“Just hold on a minute and don’t get worked up again. Nothing’s happened to her, but I think you answered my first question. This is about her brother, but you’re here because of you. She’s been tight-lipped for the past hour and I wanted some answers.”
“Deputy Jackson, you’re smarter than I gave you credit.”
“Thanks. I think. Easy mistake. I’m a lot older than I look.” The deputy retrieved the key and swung the door open. “Avery had your car brought to the office. Keys are across the street.”
“You aren’t going to keep me here till I spill what’s going on?” Jesse slid through the water on the floor and darted through the door before the deputy could change his mind.
“Smarter. You should remember that later.” He smiled, making himself look younger than before. Then he handed over the blue duffel. “Go inside the office across the street and collect your keys. Avery w
anted to know if you needed directions to her house.”
“I got it, thanks.”
Keys. Paperwork. A short drive down unfamiliar streets. Jesse’s mind was blank following the directions on the map he’d printed out. He hadn’t thought of what he was going to say this time. As he pulled into a driveway, a motion detector flooded the yard with light. His eyes adjusted and he saw her sitting casually on the front porch.
Relief coursed through him like dousing a sunbaked body in a cool stream. She was safe. Exposed. Beer in one hand. Shotgun lying next to her bare thigh.
Very short shorts. But who was he to complain? She was safe. Avery had long, terrific legs that he’d admired for most of his life. Sand volleyball at Baylor had been eye-opening when he was eighteen.
“Sorry for losing my head on the highway.” She took a short sip from the bottle, never taking her eyes from him. Her short pixie cut—and he knew that only because of his mother telling him years ago—was under a black hat.
“Sorry that I didn’t give you a heads-up before arriving.” He took a couple of steps closer, wondering if that shotgun was for him or Tenoreno’s hired man. “Got another one of those?”
“Didn’t you bring your own weapons?” She sipped, then set her bottle on top of the water ring already on the old porch. “Oh, you meant a beer. Sure.”
The amber bottle had been sitting behind her for a while. Evidenced by the moisture dripping from its surface. He didn’t care if the beer inside was hotter than hell; he’d guzzle the peace offering he recognized being offered to him.
“Nice hat.” They tapped the bottle bottoms together and each drew a long drink.
“I bought it when I moved here. Symbolic. Rangers wear white, et cetera.”
Crickets chirped, the floodlight went off. It was a calm he could be thankful for. No words were necessary. In spite of their differences, they could work together. Old friends, falling into sync with...
“Your assassin waltzed into the sheriff’s office this evening.” Avery tipped the bottle for another swallow. “Want to see his picture?”
