Not only is he a sociopath, he must have multiple personalities. Or is this part of the game? Is he making Mateo feel comfortable just like he did with me in Natchitoches?
“And why exactly did you shoot him? That wasn’t part of the plan—you were just supposed to locate them. I wanted them back unharmed.”
Mateo comes halfway out of his chair when he answers, “That son of a bitch kicked me! Twice. And then he rushed me. He’s lucky I didn’t pop him in the head.”
“No, you were the only one popped in the head,” Thomas says with a chuckle.
He actually chuckled.
Mateo doesn’t crack a smile, just pulls his hair back showing a row of stitches. “When this is over, I intend to repay the compliment.”
I almost vomit.
“They should have never had that much time on the outside,” Thomas says. He looks back to the balcony and I press myself farther into the wall.
“You shouldn’t have lost them. And if you would have put a tracker on them that was easy to follow, I would have found them a helluva lot sooner.”
Tracker? He put a tracker on us? This was a big mistake. I knew something else was going on, but this is so much worse than I thought!
Thomas stiffens. “I wouldn’t have lost them if it wasn’t for you. I told you not to come to Ursuline.”
“And I told you before, be careful how you talk to me,” Mateo replies. “I was coming here, and it’s hard to do that without passing the convent. I stopped to see if you needed help when I saw the crowd.”
We’re close to Ursuline. Really close.
“Anna made a spectacle of herself. The rumors worked against me. And Tyler freaked out like a five-year-old girl. I could have beat him to a pulp for being so stupid.”
“How’d you get them back?”
“Anna called Ty. Apparently the lovesick bastard kept the same number just in case she called. It’s almost pathetic but at least it worked out for us.”
Mateo stands up and pulls a package out of his pocket. “I retraced their steps to a pawnshop. Once I made it clear I wasn’t leaving until I got what they pawned, the greaseball who owns the place finally turned it over. This is how they had the money for a hotel room. And by the way, that tracker only told me they were in the building…It didn’t give me a read on the room.”
Thomas opens the package and pulls out the letters, picture frame, and the pocket watch. “What is this?”
“Some old shit from the convent. Dude nearly pissed his pants when I took it from him and destroyed the footage of the kids from the security cameras. I know you hate leaving any sort of trace behind.” Mateo gets up and paces near the table. I push farther back, praying he doesn’t spy me up here.
“One problem,” Mateo says. It looks like he’s struggling with what he wants to say. “When I woke up after she cracked that bottle over my head, my gun was gone.”
Thomas puts everything back in the bag and asks, “What do you mean gone?”
“The gun is gone,” Mateo bites out.
The difference between Thomas and Mateo are obvious. Whatever Mateo is feeling shows in his face, his movements, and his voice. But Thomas is completely different. Right now, he looks calm and relaxed but I know it’s not real. I wonder if Mateo knows that.
Thomas waits a moment before changing the subject. “And what about Williams? Where is he?”
“In Mandeville. Didn’t think you’d want him in the Quarter just yet, but he’s close enough to be here within a few minutes. He’s about to blow a gasket trying to figure out what’s going on and where the boy is. The last message I sent said that he would get instructions today about where to meet. And as far as I can tell, he hasn’t called anybody yet. Too scared about what will happen to the boy.” Mateo laughs and I instantly feel sorry for Agent Williams. He must be in hell wondering how his grandson is doing.
“And how is the boy?” Thomas asks. “You’re not to touch him, remember?”
“He’s fine, but I think you’re making a mistake there. Just think how useful he could be if we kept him a while.”
It’s the way he says useful that makes my skin crawl. Thomas may be a cold-blooded killer but Mateo seems pure evil.
“This is my show so my call. Don’t touch him,” Thomas says in a relaxed tone. I wish I knew what he was thinking. “And what about Riley?”
Who’s Riley?
“Yeah. All set.”
“And no problems with the group in Arkansas?”
I slide down the wall. Is he talking about our families?
“It’s getting pretty tense but they’re still on the island. Checked the webcam a few hours ago.”
Mateo waits a moment before saying, “I’m surprised you let the other two go. Seems like you’re getting soft.”
There’s a threat there that even I can see. “Again, not your concern. I will clean up those loose ends. You don’t need to worry about them.”
“Everything that happens here is my concern.”
I can’t breathe. I can’t believe how stupid I was. Ethan and Teeny aren’t safe…not at all.
I’m waiting for one of them to throw a punch but Mateo finally relaxes. “So, it’s still on for this afternoon?” he asks.
“Yes. Three p.m. Everything has to be ready by then. And Hammond, where is he?”
“Close. Still in the Quarter. He still thinks he’s communicating with Williams instead of yours truly. Said he saw the kids near Café du Monde and they ran from him. He couldn’t understand why.” Mateo pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, offering one to Thomas.
He accepts the smoke and says, “Good. For this to work, he needs to be killed at the site. We’ll bring him in after we’ve finished with Vega. Once they find the pictures and reports, Hammond’s guilt will be sealed.”
Hammond isn’t the mole? He chased us but he wasn’t trying to hurt us. God, we were so naive. Thomas just wants the agency to think he’s the mole. So who is it?
“When do you want Williams to show?”
“By three thirty it should be done. We just need to make sure it’s laid out just right.” A thin stream of smoke drifts up from Thomas and hangs suspended in the air in front of me.
“And Anna?”
“I promised Ty she wouldn’t get hurt.”
Mateo chuckles and shivers race down my spine. “She’s going to get hurt, no doubt about it. I’m not risking everything for her to run back home and spill her guts to anyone who will listen. There will only be three people who know what really went down here—me, you, and Riley.”
Thomas takes a long drag. “I’ll get him out of town before any of this starts. He’s so overemotional where she’s concerned. I should have trusted my instincts and gotten rid of her in Arizona. He’s always been weak, but I’ve protected him for too long. Maybe if she gets caught in a little cross fire it will toughen him up.”
I was so stupid.
“Yeah, but if he wouldn’t have screwed up, we’d still be waiting for the right time to make our move. We just bumped this takeover up a few years thanks to him.” Mateo crushes his cigarette out and scoots closer to Thomas. “And how do I know you won’t try to screw me over when the dust settles?”
Thomas laughs. “You don’t. But what I’m offering you is worth the risk. Am I right?”
“I won’t be so easy to get rid of,” Mateo says. They’re both smiling at each other but it’s the sick kind of smile that is just for show.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Thomas waits a moment before continuing, “We’ll meet back here when it’s done and settle up. The door off the kitchen will be open. You can wait in there if you beat me back.”
“No problem.”
Even though I thought I was being so clever, I’ve just played right into his hands. We all have—me, Agent Hammond, Agent Williams.
They start talking about random sports stuff now like they’re just two guys shooting the shit. I crawl back to my room but leave the door open so I can hear if someone else comes or goes.
I yank the phone out of my back pocket and power it up, calling Catherine’s phone.
She answers on the third ring and I can tell I woke her up.
“Anna?”
“Yes. How’s Ethan?”
“He’s sleeping but he told me to wake him if you called. My uncle said the wound looked good and that whoever fixed him up did a really good job. He cleaned it really good and started him on some antibiotics but that was it. Ethan is refusing a pain pill, says he needs to be alert. With the concussion, he just needs to rest. He’s hell-bent on heading back to New Orleans this morning. Will told him the only way he would take him was if he got some sleep first. How are you? I’m worried sick about you. We all are.”
“I’m okay. I’m so sorry you’re in this mess, Catherine. I’ll make it up to you…when I can. I hate to wake him, but I really need to talk to Ethan. Can you get him up?”
“Sure. Hold on. Oh, and be safe, Anna. Don’t do anything stupid. Anything else, I guess I should say—leaving us was already pretty stupid!”
It’s quiet on the other end for a few seconds so I poke my head out of the room to make sure they’re still down there talking. I hear their faint murmurings so I slip back in my room.
“Anna,” Ethan says, his voice groggy from sleep.
“Oh God, Ethan. Are you okay?” I’m nearly busting with wanting to tell him what I’ve learned.
“Tired but better. Room isn’t spinning like it was yesterday. Did you get away? We can be on the road in ten minutes, Anna. Tell me where you are.”
“It’s so much worse than that. We’ve been played. I’ve been played. Mateo is here, outside talking to Thomas like they’re old friends. And he knows where you are. He told Thomas you’re at Dr. Alexander’s house in Baton Rouge. Is that Catherine’s uncle’s name?”
“Are you kidding me?” Ethan asks.
“No. He mentioned a tracker. I think we have something on us. And I think someone is watching the house.”
“I’ve been wondering why he only shot me in the arm if he took the contract to kill me.”
“Yeah, he wasn’t supposed to shoot you at all. He was supposed to find us and call Thomas. But he was pissed you kicked him in the head.”
“Oh, just wait. I’ll kick that son of a bitch until I bash his head in.”
“Ethan, I need you to promise me something. Don’t come back here. It isn’t safe. They are so far ahead of us, you’ll end up getting hurt. Take Teeny and run.”
“Hold on.” And then I hear a muffled sound and Ethan’s gone from the phone for a few seconds. “Sorry, trying to get dressed. That’s bullshit. I’ll be there in a couple of hours. I talked to Catherine’s uncle. He’s meeting a lawyer buddy of his at the police department here in Baton Rouge this morning and they are going to try to figure out what to do. The dude is smart when it comes to medicine but he’s scared shitless about getting involved with this.”
“If the guy watching the house sees this, he might go for Mom!”
“I’ll tell him the house is being watched. Truthfully, I think he’s looking for a way out of helping us. Do we have any idea if Agent Williams is on our side or theirs?”
“I think ours. Sounds like Noah was taken to keep him quiet. Agent Williams is here. He’s in Mandeville, wherever that is.”
“A town right outside of New Orleans. Is Tyler in on this, too? Can you get out of there? God, I wish you would have come with us.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference. They would have gotten me back somehow and maybe someone would have gotten hurt in the process. They also talked about somebody named Riley but I don’t know who that is. Tyler was out there with them for a few minutes but Thomas sent him on some sort of errand before Mateo showed himself. He’s using Tyler and Tyler has no idea.” I still hate Tyler for what he’s done and for what he’s doing but a very small part of me feels so sorry for him. He must really look up to Thomas to be involved with this and Thomas is making a puppet out of him, too. I totally believed him when he said he would make sure we were okay. But now I know that’s not a promise he can keep. “Whatever they have planned, it’s for three p.m. today. Agent Williams will be led in when it’s all over. Hammond isn’t the mole either, but Agent Williams will think that.”
“Why do they need you? I don’t get this.”
I quickly tell him about Mateo’s and Thomas’s plan to kill him.
Ethan lets out a deep breath. “The best thing we’ve got going for us is that they don’t know we’re on to them. Check everything you have for a tracker, especially your shoes. It will be small and fit into a tiny space. I’ll figure out how to get out of this house without being followed. You stay put until I can get there. Keep the phone powered on but put it on silent. I’ll be there in two hours.”
“Ethan, don’t come here. Go get Mom. Make sure she’s safe. Find a way to get in touch with Agent Williams and tell him what’s really going on. Tell him to come to the Quarter and to keep his eyes peeled for me. And tell him about Hammond. But you stay away.”
“I’ll make sure someone gets your Mom and I’ll get Catherine’s uncle and his buddy to find Williams, but I’m coming back for you right now. It’ll be hours before they’re even talking about a plan. If I wait for them, it could be too late. I love you. Keep the phone on.”
He ends the call.
I could scream! He’s so stubborn! Why is he risking coming back? He’s hurt and is no match for what’s happening here. There may be no stopping him from coming back, but I will do anything in my power to keep him out of this disaster, so I power the phone off. Tiptoeing back out on the balcony, I listen for anything else I can find out about the plan for today.
The wind picks up again, blowing through the small trees planted in the courtyard, and the door I left open to my room slams shut.
Both men stop talking and look toward my room. I throw myself against the wall and I don’t think they’ve seen me. I crawl back to my room, opening the door just enough to slip through, just as I hear steps coming up the outdoor stairs. I can’t let them have any clue I’ve seen Mateo or know anything they’ve said.
Racing to the bed, I shove the gun and the phone under my pillow and get the covers over me just as I catch a glimpse of Thomas’s shadow fall across the window.
I fake sleep. Let every muscle relax and concentrate on even breathing. I’m not sure how long he stands there because I am terrified of opening my eyes, but after what seems like an eternity, I inch my lids open.
He’s gone.
I’m still lying in the bed an hour later. I can’t quit thinking about the conversation I overheard.
There’s a knock on the door and then Thomas’s booming voice asking, “Are you up?”
I’m still in the bed, mostly buried under the covers mainly because I can’t find the will to get up.
“Come in,” I call back.
Thomas walks in and looks around. He’s here to find the gun. “We’ll be leaving here in a few hours.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
He shakes his head and answers, “You’ll know everything all in due time.”
Oh, I’m sure I will.
“I’m here. I know you have someone watching Mom. Please tell me so I can be prepared.”
He paces around the room, eyeing every surface. As if I would leave the gun out in the open.
As I watch Thomas open drawers, I still try to process what is going to happen today. Mateo will double-cross Vega. Thomas will take over Señor Vega’s position and Mateo will take over Thomas’s. Win-win for them both.
“So who will be the big boss after today? You?”
He doesn�
��t answer but I see a small grin on his normally emotionless face.
“Is it that easy? The other cartels will let you just slip into his place?”
I need him talking.
He smiles a little bigger and my stomach turns. “I’m not sure easy is the word. Let’s just say I’ve spent a number of years preparing for this day. In the end, it should be a smooth transition.”
He walks to the dresser on the far wall and peeks in each drawer there. When he goes into the bathroom, I slide off the other side of the bed and crawl to a set of drawers he’s already checked. Slipping the gun inside, I pray he won’t check this area twice.
I make it back in the bed and under the covers just as he comes out of the bathroom.
“Get up.”
“Why?” I ask, hoping my voice sounds confused. “What are you looking for?”
He doesn’t answer, just motions for me to get out of the bed.
Once I’m out, he throws back the covers and searches the bed, the pillows, and even underneath.
“You aren’t worried about Mateo being there?” Even knowing what I do, this plan is dangerous but I’m hoping to distract him.
“No. Mateo is an amateur. I will kill Señor Vega. And Mateo. And anyone else in the room.” He shoots a glance in my direction. He’s come up empty and I try not to smile. “Stay here until I come get you. I’ll have Tyler bring you some food.”
And then he’s gone.
Rules for disappearing
by Witness Protection prisoner #18A7R04M:
Know when to call in reinforcements.
New rule by Anna Boyd:
Never involve innocent people if you can help it. Just because you’re fighting for your life doesn’t mean they should have to as well. Plus, it’s just rude.
second Thomas leaves the room, I hop out of bed. I could tell he didn’t want to leave without finding the gun, but unless he was going to come out and ask me about it, there wasn’t much left he could do.
I’ve got a few hours to get control of what’s happening or I could very well be dead. I think he fully intends for me to get caught in the cross fire. I will be nothing but a loose end at that point.
The Rules for Breaking Page 21
