Chapter TWENTY-FOUR
“YOU BETTER HOPE you’re right, or you’re gonna die.” Luke glared at Roberto from across the table. Luckily, across the street from the coffee shop was a donut shop with a glass storefront. A perfect view.
“Let’s not discuss this now.” For all Roberto knew, the guys sitting two tables down were cops.
Luke eyed his watch and frowned. Freddie should have been here already. Had he backed out?
Hell, it was probably best. It was risky.
Realizing he was tapping his fingers on the table, he stopped and turned the page of the magazine he pretended to read.
Minutes ticked by—one, two, three.
Two rough-looking guys carrying a backpack sat at one of the tables. Roberto did a visual of the street, guessing who carried a badge. The crew working on a storefront a few doors down looked suspicious. As did the couple sitting and chatting on the street bench.
Luke looked at his watch again. “You’re a dead man.”
As Austin drove, he pulled out his phone and debated calling Leah. Then he remembered Evelyn would probably answer. Sensing the woman liked him, he hit dial. He could always count on his charm.
It rang. And rang. His panic rose.
“Purrfect Pets, can you hold?” someone finally answered.
“Sure,” Austin said, relieved.
“Can I help ya?” The feminine voice had a deep Texan twang.
“Hi, Evelyn. It’s Austin. Leah’s… neighbor.”
“Yes. How are you this fine, sunny October morning?”
“Great. Just wanted to make sure y’all’s day is going smoothly.”
“No dead chickens delivered yet.”
“Good.” He smiled.
“Did you wanna speak to Leah?”
Want to? Yes, but…“Just tell her I called.”
“You bet,” she said. He was about to hang up when she said, “Austin?”
“Yeah?”
“You seem like a nice guy. But, just so you know, Leah’s one of the sweetest gals I know, and if anyone hurt her…”
So much for his charm. “You’d come after them.”
“Don’t be silly. I’d send one of my six-foot, two-hundred-pound-plus sons after their ass.”
“I understand.” As Austin passed the vet office, he looked around for a place to park to keep surveillance. Then he realized his red truck would stick out like a sore thumb. If spotted spying, he’d be busted. He tried to convince himself he didn’t need to be here. But images of the couple DeLuna framed Austin and his PI partners for murdering flashed in his mind’s eye.
He needed to be here.
Roberto’s dead-man status changed three minutes later. Freddie, wearing a red hat and carrying a briefcase, strolled into the café. Shortly later, he walked outside with a coffee and sat at the one of the umbrellaed tables.
Setting the briefcase on the table, he appeared to be just someone passing the morning.
The two shady-looking individuals with the backpack joined Freddie at his table. Roberto prayed Freddie would follow the plan. Stall. Don’t say anything. Look puzzled at the guys’ presence, but not so much that they left.
A second later, the men working on the storefront stormed over with weapons pointing.
One of the guys with the backpack pulled out a gun. Roberto gasped. Coffee shop patrons started scattering.
“Damn,” Luke muttered. “Guess you aren’t gonna die today. And I was looking forward to it.”
Roberto didn’t even glance at the goon. He was too busy fearing the worst for Freddie. Then, as if the kid with the gun had second thoughts, he set the gun down. He and his buddy, knowing the routine, got on their knees and lay facedown out on the ground.
The cops still weren’t happy. They kept yelling at Freddie, and he kept yelling back. Another cop jammed a gun in Freddie’s back and forced him to the ground.
Freddie kept arguing, but he didn’t fight them. Smart kid. One officer cuffed and frisked his brother-in-law. Even from this distance the shock showed on the officer’s face when he didn’t find a piece.
The cop pulled out Freddie’s wallet, no doubt confirming his identification.
The cops separated Freddie from the two guys. One cop opened the backpack belonging to the two thugs. Then with a smirk on his face, he opened Freddie’s briefcase and pulled out some papers.
A couple of officers stomped off—no doubt searching for another suspect wearing a red hat. Then the cop who’d cuffed Freddie released him.
Roberto had to work not to smile. He shifted his focus to the goon sitting beside him. Cruz and DeLuna might not be happy the deal didn’t go down, but they would be thrilled to know their powder hadn’t been confiscated. “You ready to leave this Popsicle stand?”
Roberto felt a tad cocky. Hell, if luck hung on, he might even get out of this alive. He might live long enough to start feeling human again.
Austin had made a decision. If his red truck would stand out, he needed a new vehicle. He’d rented an old silver Cavalier with slightly tinted windows. The car hadn’t actually been a rental but had belonged to one of the employees at the place. He made up a tale of how he was seeing some girl and they’d dated years back and he’d driven a Cavalier with tinted windows.
It was just crazy enough that they believed him. The guy wanted to sell it to him, but Austin persuaded him to rent it. The man agreed to let him leave the truck there and pick it up whenever he brought back the car. Of course, the guy should’ve been accommodating. He charged twice what a regular car would’ve cost. Not that Austin complained. He’d have paid double that amount.
Parking the Cavalier across the two-lane street, he faced Leah’s office. If anyone fitting the description of Cruz or the big bozo showed up, he’d be on them like stink on cat shit.
He shivered remembering being locked in that closet with the cat box and feline.
The vet’s office had a glass storefront. He held on to the steering wheel hoping to catch a glimpse of Leah. No luck.
He wondered what she was like with other people. Did she smile, and wink her dimples at other people as much as she did him? Or was she more serious? Did she have water gun battles with other people?
He hoped not. He liked thinking that was just with him.
Time passed with mind-numbing slowness. Stationary surveillance was as interesting as watching a leaky faucet drip. Add in his lack of sleep, and it was understandable why he was grumpy. Or it could be he hadn’t eaten.
He glanced down the street for a fast-food joint, but then a white Porsche pulled into the vet’s parking lot. Some rich-looking guy, light brown hair and wearing Dockers, got out of the car. Fancy attire for a vet visit. Austin waited for him to reach in his backseat for a cat carrier. He didn’t. He did reach in for his sport jacket.
Maybe he was picking up a cat. But Austin’s gut said that wasn’t it. Not that this guy looked like anyone who would be associated with DeLuna.
The man stood by his car, reached into his pocket, and drew out what looked like breath mints and popped one in his mouth. After pulling at his belt and finger-combing his hair, he walked inside. A man on the prowl. Prowl for who? Sara?
Austin grabbed his phone. Should he call Leah? He glanced back up. The vet office’s door swung open. Leah came out. He was so hungry to see her that he didn’t immediately realize she was with the damn Docker-wearing, mint-chewing, Porsche-driving man.
And chapping Austin’s ass was that the man had his arm around her, his hand way too casually resting in the sweet curve of her waist. And it stayed there as he walked Leah to the passenger side of the Porsche.
What the hell? Leah wasn’t open to… conversation. Or was she only closed to conversation with Austin?
No. She’d kissed him. They’d had a water fight. Almost… She’d accepted his coffee.
Realizing his thoughts were ridiculous and suddenly uncomfortable, he let the seat back, then forward. He shifted his legs. He felt cramped.
As the man got inside the Porsche with Leah, one word flashed in Austin’s mind: Mine.
Who the hell was this weasel?
With the sound of the wheels on the freeway, Roberto slowly woke up. Having barely slept in days, he went out hard. Pushing a palm over his face, he remembered a dream. He’d been running toward Anna, almost gotten to her, and then when he got there, it wasn’t Anna anymore, but Sara. He exhaled, trying to shake the remnants of guilt brought on by the dream.
Sitting up, he blinked the sun from his eyes. How long had he slept? Fighting his mental cobwebs, he realized something wasn’t right. They weren’t on I-49. He saw an I-10 sign.
He looked at Luke. “You lost?”
“Cruz called. He needs us in Austin.”
“Needs us for what?” Roberto straightened in his seat. He didn’t like last-minute changes.
“He said to head that way.”
“Does he remember we got a package in the trunk?”
“He doesn’t forget much,” Luke said.
Shit. What was Roberto up against now?
When the Porsche purred to life and drove off, Austin followed.
He stayed a couple of cars behind the Porsche. His hands curled around the steering wheel as he drove, and he fought the uncomfortable feeling consuming him. Fought it because it felt too damn much like an emotion he didn’t do. Jealousy. He hadn’t done it since his fiancée, Cara, dumped his ass over the murder charge and started dating a pilot who flew celebrities around.
He’d spent about a month of his time in prison imagining her having sex in tiny airline bathrooms. Then, one day, it hit him. It hadn’t been the first time he’d been abandoned. If someone didn’t want him, why should he want them? He knew how to deal with this.
Stop caring. And that’s what he’d done. He’d stopped caring about Cara just like he’d stopped caring about his mom and all those foster parents who’d turned him back over to the state. He was starting to care about Leah, and that was dangerous. Then again, with DeLuna after her, she was the one in danger.
He continued to follow the car. When the Porsche turned into a parking lot, Austin parked on the street.
When he looked back, he realized where the man was taking Leah. Lunch.
She got out of the car, and the man met her at the car door. He placed his hand on her lower back, and she darted forward as if to avoid his touch. Austin smiled.
Then he noticed the name of the restaurant. Not only did Leah not want the man’s hands on her, Mr. Dockers didn’t know her very well. Leah Reece didn’t like Chinese food.
Austin still wanted to know who the hell this guy was. He could have Tyler call in the license plate to his Highway Patrol cousin.
But there was another way.
Since he didn’t believe this guy was connected to DeLuna, it felt safe to leave her for a few minutes.
He drove back to a What-a-Burger restaurant and ordered two cheeseburger meals. Ten minutes later, one bag in tow, he walked into Purrfect Pets.
Evelyn, manning the front desk, looked up. He shot her his best smile, and in spite of her earlier warning about him not hurting Leah, she smiled back. See, he did have charm.
“Well, look what the dogs dug up,” she said.
Maybe not a heck of a lot of charm, but then he saw the humor in her eyes. “I thought I’d bring Leah lunch.”
Evelyn hesitated. “She’s out.”
“Out?” He leaned in. “Is someone trying to steal her before I convince her I’m better than sliced bread?”
Evelyn smiled. “I don’t think he’s a threat to you.”
He feigned surprise. “So it’s a man she’s out with?”
“It’s business. For Leah. For him, I think he’d take both.”
Yeah, I noticed that. “Thanks for the warning.” He wanted to pry more: What kind of business? How long had the hound dog been hanging around? But not wanting to push his luck, he dropped it. “Then I bought lunch for nothing. Have you eaten?” It couldn’t hurt to get on her good side.
“I have, but Leah might come back hungry.” She leaned in. “Mr. Taylor took her to Oriental Gardens. Leah worked at a Chinese restaurant as a teen. She won’t touch the stuff.”
He tried to imagine a younger Leah working at a Chinese restaurant. The big orange cat, the one who’d eaten the evidence, leaped up on the counter beside him. It took effort not to jump back.
“Leah’s right. Spooky likes you. He doesn’t normally take to strangers.”
Austin forced a smile. What did he normally do to strangers? “That’s because I’m a nice guy.”
Right then, the damn feline pressed its paw against Austin’s ear. The same ear a different cat had nearly taken off.
Austin’s breath caught. The razor-sharp claws rested on his earlobe. Friggin’ hell! He wanted to coldcock the cat. “Good kitty.” Fear rushing through his veins, Austin nudged the paw away, then bolted toward the door.
“Good-bye,” Evelyn said as if his quick departure was odd.
He nodded. “Make… sure Leah gets the hamburger.”
“Did you agree to his offer?” Evelyn asked.
Leah leaned against the counter. “I told him I’d think about it.”
“Think about him or his business offer?” Sara stepped up.
“His business offer.” But Leah could no longer deny that Eric might have a thing for her. That, or he was an extra touchy-feely guy. Considering he was rich, handsome, and they had tons in common, she’d waited to feel a flutter of interest. Especially after her need for male companionship had reared its ugly head this last week.
Nevertheless, for Eric, she’d felt… nothing, nada.
“That’s best,” Evelyn said. “Because your boyfriend brought you something. I think he was jealous.”
“Austin came by?” Leah smiled before she could stop herself.
Evelyn looked at Sara. “Did you notice she didn’t argue when I called him her boyfriend? I think romance is in the air.”
“I noticed.” Sara smiled at Evelyn. “She’s gonna smell his armpits tonight and see if it’s real love.”
“Did you see that article, too?” Evelyn asked.
Leah rolled her eyes. “Where do you two find articles on sniffing armpits?” She held up her hand. “Forget I asked.” She walked away.
“Wait.” Evelyn held up an orange and white What-a-Burger bag. “He brought you lunch. It’s still warm.”
Leah frowned. “He shouldn’t have done that.”
“You want me to dump it?” She shook the bag.
Leah shot back and snatched the bag. “I’m starving. Even their fried chicken tasted like soy sauce.” She’d been so hungry she’d almost eaten her fortune cookie until she read the saying tucked inside: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. What a load of crap.
She started to the back, hamburger bag in hand, and pulled out her phone and dialed Luis. It went straight to voice mail.
She left a message. “Hey. You planning to come Sunday? If you’d like, I could drive to Austin. I think I could use a long drive.” To clear my head, because I think I’m losing it. “Call me please. And charge your phone.”
Ten minutes after following the Porsche back to the vet clinic, Austin got her call.
He barely said hello. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she insisted.
“Done what?”
“Lunch.”
“It really set me back.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Did you eat it?” Had she really returned from her date hungry?
“That’s not the point, either,” she said.
“Then what is?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he said, “I think you’re taking this ‘no gift’ thing a little far.”
She paused. “It would help if you’d let me give you something.”
His mind created all sorts of ideas. “Hey, I don’t have any problems with gifts.” As those images got erotic, he reminded himself of the no-touching rule.
“Great.” She sounded happy. Had she sounded like that with the Porsche driver? “See you tonight then.”
“Okay.” Smiling, in spite of knowing how hard this evening was going to be, he added, “What’s for dinner? Chinese? Or did you get enough of that at lunch?”
She paused. “Evelyn told…” She let out a huff. “I don’t like Chinese food.”
“I know that, but your friend didn’t.” He ran a hand over his face. “You ate your hamburger, didn’t you?”
Silence hung there, until she said, “Yes, I ate it. Thank you.”
“You should practice that.” He imagined her sitting at her desk. Then he heard a meow, probably that damn office cat. He ran a finger behind his ear.
“Practice what?”
“Saying thank you when people give you something. It sounded a little unappreciative.”
“It did not. I meant it. The burger was good. I was hungry. And it had cheese on it.”
He laughed, but it ended when a dark sedan pulled up in the vet parking lot. “How did the business lunch go?”
“What all did Evelyn tell you?”
Not nearly enough. The car pulled up in front of the doorway and idled there.
“Did she give you my bra size, too?” Her tone rang with humor and frustration.
He laughed but didn’t look away from the car. Were they dropping someone off? He noticed the car had dark-tinted windows. He recalled wanting tinted windows himself to hide behind. Was someone in the car hiding? “No bra size information.” His attention stayed on the car. “But I’ve got that one figured out.” Had she forgotten he’d gotten to see them?
“You’re good at that, huh?” she asked.
“Most guys are.” What was the damn sedan doing? “All Evelyn said was that you were at a business lunch at a Chinese restaurant.”
“Well, that’s all there was to say.” In the background he heard Evelyn tell Leah she had clients. “Gotta go.”
“See ya tonight. We’ll figure out dinner then.” Leaning forward, he tried to make out the license plate. He couldn’t.
Was someone looking at the hours of operation they posted on the doors? Or were they looking for Leah? The car backed up and then drove to the back of the parking lot and stopped as if casing the place, or looking to see what cars were back there. Like Leah’s car. Finally, it pulled away.
Suspicious, he followed. He’d at least get the license plate.