Chapter THIRTY-NINE
AUSTIN KNOCKED ON the hotel door. As soon as Rick opened it, he saw the look of concern on Leah’s face.
“Who’s with my brother?” she asked.
“Another PI’s with him,” Austin answered.
After knowing she was comfortable, he needed to head out. The others were waiting on him in the lobby. But Leah had gone quiet on him again on the ride. What was wrong? Was she just scared? Worried about him? Worried about Rafael? Was she still worried about him not wanting to talk about Cara? But damn, this whole thing was so mixed up.
He motioned for Rick to step outside. Alone, he moved over to her and tilted her chin up. “You going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” But the look in her eyes said differently. “Make sure you stay safe.”
He leaned down to kiss her and felt her hesitation. Finally, she leaned into him. The kiss ended too soon. He brushed his finger over her lips, still wet from his kiss.
“I need to go.”
“Go.” She offered a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Roberto made his way to the free coffee in the hotel lobby. He’d barely slept. His thoughts were torn between Sara and her hesitant “yes” that she’d go out with him, to the fact that he was finally going to come face-to-face with the guy who’d killed Anna and Bobby.
His past and possible future played tug-of-war with his heart. Amazingly, he didn’t feel the guilt anymore. It was time. He even got the feeling Anna would have wanted him to move forward. And in spite of how many times he assured himself that today would go okay, he couldn’t deny the unsteady feeling of fear.
He looked around for Brad. He’d knocked on his door as he walked out of his room, and the guy hadn’t answered. Dallas, Tyler, and Austin were already there. He grabbed some coffee.
“Where’s Brad?” Austin asked as Roberto stepped up.
“I knocked on his door. He didn’t answer. Probably overslept.” Roberto pulled out his phone and hit the man’s number.
Brad picked up on the fourth ring. “I found them.”
“What? Where are you?”
“I couldn’t sleep, and I remembered another place they could be. One of Sandy’s cousins owns a cabin up north of town. And damn if it ain’t right there by Austin’s place. They’re here.”
“Shit!” Roberto snapped. “We’re supposed to do this together.” He instantly recalled Brad’s hesitancy last night, but after Sara’s call he’d forgotten about it.
If Brad messed this up, or worse, got himself killed, it was on Roberto. All three of the men surrounding him frowned.
“I got this,” Brad said. “There’s a shed in the back of the property; I’m gonna stash the drugs and the gun there. I’ll let you know when to call the cops. You don’t have to get mixed up in this.”
“Damn it! Where exactly are you?”
Thirty minutes after Roberto pulled the address from Brad, Austin parked at his cabin. He led the way through the thick line of trees and underbrush. Oddly enough, the cabin where DeLuna and Cruz were holed up was less than a mile from Austin’s. He was glad he’d taken Leah to the hotel instead of having Rick come to the cabin. He didn’t want DeLuna anywhere near her.
As briars hung on to his jeans, thoughts of Leah clung to his heart. Was it the thought of DeLuna’s demise that had caused her to lapse into silent mode? “You sure you’re going the right way?” Roberto’s concern for Brad heightened his tone.
“It’s right up here.” Austin had spent the last year walking his property lines, debating building a house. No, not a house, a home. He hadn’t started, because building a home for just him felt wrong.
The clearing lay ahead. Knowing that DeLuna could have been here off and on over the last year left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever passed the asswipe on the road. His need for revenge peaked.
Then he thought of Leah and his resolve wavered. Not revenge. Justice.
Roberto tried to call Brad again. “It’s still cut off,” he muttered.
“If he gets hurt, it’s not your fault,” Austin said. “You didn’t ask him to do this.”
“I should have checked on him last night. He was antsy.” Roberto pulled at the ballistic vest Dallas has insisted everyone wear. Austin found the damn heavy piece of shit just as annoying, but he’d seen that look on Dallas’s face when he’d passed them around. If Austin had refused to wear one, they’d still be at his cabin arguing.
They walked the next few minutes in silence. The sound of their steps crunching the underbrush seemed loud. The clearing appeared about fifty feet away. In the far distance, a car engine rumbled by.
Pressing his finger to his lips, Austin looked back at the guys. Moving silently, they inched forward.
Austin peered out from behind a tree. Three men got out of a dark Chevy Malibu and went inside the cabin.
Dallas inched forward. “It’s time to call in the cops.”
“No,” Roberto said. “Not until I’m sure Brad’s not in the shed or they haven’t got him inside.”
“And how are we going to know if he won’t answer his damn phone?” Dallas asked.
“Like this.” Roberto took off through the line of trees toward the shed, the limp in his left leg only slightly noticeable.
“F*ck,” said Dallas.
“Yeah, f*ck,” Austin muttered, and took off after him.
Austin made the shed about five seconds after Roberto, his weapon drawn.
They made eye contact. There were no windows in the shed. Roberto motioned that he planned to go around and enter the building.
The sound of voices interrupted the tense moment. Roberto and Austin plastered themselves to the back of the shed.
“How long are we gonna hang out here?” a nasal-sounding voice said from the other side of the shed.
“Until the Boss says we can go,” another answered. A slight accent hung to this man’s words.
Cigarette smoke snaked around the cabin. “You called Rivera yet?” the first guy asked.
“Boss wants him to sweat a while. Hell, let him stay alive a little longer.”
“You think he’s lying?” Nasal-voice asked.
“What I think doesn’t count. The Boss thinks he’s dirty.”
“Damn, I don’t wanna bury another one. I got blisters from Luke’s and Don’s graves.”
Roberto’s eyes widened. Austin sympathized. Nothing like hearing someone bitch about burying your ass before you’re dead.
The thud of footsteps drew closer.
Austin tightened his grip on his gun, ready for hell to break loose. He saw Dallas and Tyler shift back a few feet out of sight. He didn’t have a clue how many guys were in the cabin. Could they take them—without one of them getting hit?
He imagined Dallas had already alerted the officials. For once, Austin appreciated Dallas’s less-risk policy.
Time crawled by as the two men continued to shoot the shit. How long could they be here without being caught?
“F*ck! Did you see that?” Nasal-voice asked.
“What?”
Austin’s breath caught.
“I could swear I saw someone move between the trees.”
Austin’s gaze shot to where Dallas and Tyler had been. He didn’t see them.
“Where?”
“Straight back.”
Austin glanced toward the woods again. Sure as hell, he saw someone—a big someone. Toilet-plunger guy was going to get them killed.
Austin motioned to the woods, and Roberto frowned.
“Not to the left,” the nasal-sounding guy spit out. “Straight back.”
Austin’s finger tightened on the trigger. Brad slipped behind some trees.
“I don’t see anything,” the other man said. “But go check it out.”
Footsteps moved at the side of the shed. Austin and Roberto aimed their guns where the man was about to appear. Roberto cut Austin a quick glance that said exactly what Austin thought. They were f*cked.