Harlequin Intrigue, Box Set 1 of 2 (49 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Kino settled beside Lea's hospital bed as she dozed, attuned to the shallow drawing of her breath and the slight tension at her open mouth. The machines beeped and hummed; the shuffle of rubber soles came and went. He kept the curtain open, his gaze shifting from Lea to the corridor. As afternoon wore into evening, they moved Lea to an observation room in the ER. This room had a door, which he kept shut, and blinds that he kept open.

The doctor came back and reported that Lea's blood work was good, but that they wanted to keep her a few more hours for observation. She'd be going home with a prescription for pain pills. Kino settled in. He called Clay, who told him he'd decided to keep an eye on the entrance to the ER. Kino felt much better knowing that Clay was close. Still, he kept alert.

Lea woke in pain and was given more medicine in her IV, which made her groggy and helped her sleep. Each time she woke her eyes went wide and shifted across the room until she found him. Then she smiled and relaxed.

“I got you,” he said.

“I know you do,” she answered, her words slightly slurred.

It was nearly four in the afternoon by the time Lea got her release papers and a prescription for the pain medication. Kino paid attention as they wrapped Lea's ribs with an ACE bandage and then he helped her dress.

“This is a switch,” he joked. “Trying to get you
into
your clothes.”

She gave a sound that started as a laugh and ended as a groan as she clutched her ribs. She was sweating from just the effort of tugging on her jeans.

“Don't make me laugh,” she chided.

He lifted the vest, considering. Their eyes met.

“I don't think I can stand the weight,” she said.

Before leaving, Kino called Clay, who met them at the observation room.

“How does it look out there?” asked Kino.

“Sunny. Hot. Like always. Man, I miss the trees. The shade and the lakes.”

Clearly, Clay had understood what his brother was asking and was just busting chops. Kino scowled.

“Looks clear,” said Clay, finally consenting to answer the question.

An orderly wheeled Lea to the exit and Kino helped Lea to her feet, his hand on her elbow. Lea's face was grim and determined as she made slow, shuffling forward progress to the SUV Clay had pulled into the ER roundabout.

They had Lea nearly to the door when Kino's and Clay's radios both sounded at once. It was Dispatch. Border patrol had called from the site of the shooting. They had found tracks and had spotted the shooter. They were in pursuit of the suspect, who had escaped in a large ATV. They needed the Shadow Wolves' help. Captain Rubio was en route. Dispatch gave the location that Kino knew all too well and radioed out.

Kino got Lea into the passenger seat.

“A sighting,” said Clay. “That's our guy.”

Kino nodded. “Yeah.”

“You coming?” asked Clay.

“Nope.” Kino couldn't believe what he was saying, and from the shock registering on his brother's face, Clay couldn't believe it, either.

“But it's him,” said Clay, his voice incredulous.

“She's worth a hundred of him.”

Clay glanced at Lea and then back to his brother, a look of open speculation on his face. “Maybe we'd better take her back to Black Mountain. At least there we have home-field advantage.”

“Yeah,” said Kino. “I like the sound of that.”

“What do you want me to do?” asked Clay.

“I want you to catch him,” said Kino.

Clay gave a lazy smile and thumped Kino's shoulder. “Will do. Then we can get back home. Should be easy, not having to watch your back.”

“Just watch your own.”

“You going to the safe house?”

“Yeah.”

“I'll see you there.” Clay hesitated. “Maybe I better stay with you.”

Kino considered that then shook his head. “Go take him into custody.”

“Custody? Really?”

Kino nodded and Clay smiled. “I'm only good at shooting animals anyway.”

The two embraced and Kino watched Clay meet up with Nesto Gomez and stride away, feeling a slight tug of envy. He'd wanted to see the Viper captured. To be there when he went down. But now all he wanted was to see Lea through this and, if she'd let him, to protect her for the rest of their lives.

Kino rounded the SUV. His phone vibrated and he lifted it from his pocket, checking the caller ID. It was Gabe. He might be calling to order him back to work, but Kino knew he might have information. He paused beside the driver's-side door and took the call.

“Hi, Gabe.”

“Just got the word on that suspect, the one with the storage unit. Rosa Keene?”

“Yeah. What'd they turn up?”

“The detective who interviewed her said that she denies any knowledge. He also said she still owes eight months on her used Escort and rents a shitty apartment, so he's inclined to believe her. She said it might be her ex-husband. The guy retired, according to Keene, when they threatened to charge him with a felony. The detective my guy spoke to didn't know him or anything about her allegations but reports that Mrs. Keene said her ex-husband was under investigation for taking bribes and involvement with drug smuggling. She told us that the department let him go with his pension in exchange for his resignation.”

“What department?”

“Tucson PD. He was a detective.”

Kino let the dust from that bombshell settle. His suspect was a retired cop.

“You got a name?” Kino thought about the new tribal police chief, Charlie Scott. He was retired from someplace.

“Yes. His name is Gus Barrow. That mean anything to you?”

Kino nearly dropped the phone. The border patrol captain, the one who'd just got Captain Rubio to order his men to the scene of Lea's shooting. The surge of adrenaline made his ears ring and his skin tingle. Kino turned to Lea and heard her door open.

Kino looked over the roof at Gus Barrow, gun drawn and pointed at Lea's head.

Gabe's voice came through the phone. “Kino? You there?”

“Yeah.”

Barrow pressed the barrel of the gun to Lea's head and lifted his chin toward Kino.

“I gotta go. Tell Tessa I send my love.” Kino disconnected.

He faced Barrow.

“You,” he said.

Barrow nodded. “Get in.”

Kino hesitated. It would be better to confront him here. But not better for Lea.

Barrow gripped Lea's arm and she grimaced as Barrow turned the gun on Kino.

“Make up your mind. I can kill you both here.”

Kino got in the driver's side.

“Toss me the keys.”

He did.

Then the captain climbed into the backseat and threw the keys up on the dash.

“Drive.”

Kino started the engine and drove as directed, his fingers itching for a chance to reach for his gun, but when he tried to release the wheel, Barrow noticed.

“Hands at nine and three, Cosen. I don't really need you, you know.”

They left town, driving south into the desert. Kino glanced at Lea to find her face pale and her eyes huge. He'd promised to protect her, to keep her safe, and he'd failed. He knew what would happen next. Barrow would take them somewhere remote and shoot them both.

“Sure wish you'd responded to that call. Didn't think you could resist a chance to catch... What do you call me? The Viper? I like it. It has a certain superhero ring to it.”

“Villain,” said Kino.

“What?”

“Supervillain.”

“Whatever. Why are you so interested in my business?”

Kino snorted. “You killed my father.”

“Well, I've killed a lot of people.”

“My mom said my dad used to pick up drugs from a plane drop and take them to Tucson.”

“Yeah. Tractor-trailers. We used to do it that way. Before all the damned homeland security. Drones are hell. Plus, they got choppers up the wazoo. They stop one trailer and they get the whole 50,000 pounds of pot. We lose it all. So it's back to old school. Human mules, each with a fifty-pound pack. Harder to catch a minnow than a whale. You know? They catch maybe one train out of ten. Acceptable losses.”

“And the people?” Kino asked. “The ones they leave behind to die.”

He saw Barrow smile. “Like I said, ‘acceptable losses.'”

Kino's hands fisted the wheel. “Like my dad, Henry Cosen? You shot him ten years ago in his kitchen.”

“I remember your dad. Don't you think I checked you out? Couldn't keep you off the Shadow Wolves, unfortunately. Your dad would be mighty surprised to see two of his boys working for the tribal police. Ironic, when you consider his choices. An ex-con with two cops in the family. Funny old world.”

Kino's jaw tightened. It was something he never spoke about. But it was true. His dad had been in once for drugs and once for arson. “You shot him in his kitchen.”

“It's business, kid. Your dad was an addict and he was shorting me. Had to make an example. You should have let it go. You could be pulling over drunks at Black Mountain. Instead, you'll end up just like dear old dad. You think he would have wanted that?”

“You left a rattle in the wound.”

“How do you know that?”

“I was under the table.”

Barrow's brows lifted. “You don't say. Why didn't you recognize me, then?”

“Just saw your feet and hands.”

Barrow shrugged. “Lucky for me. Unlucky for you.”

“Why a rattle?” asked Kino.

“Yeah, that's my calling card. Though I don't always leave them. Especially if I don't want credit. Credit helps in my business. But not all the time. People give you more respect. Funny. A man might not be afraid of dying. But that rattlesnake rattle, it just creeps them right out. And I do love rattlesnakes. Got a special treat for the two of you. Found a nest. Big one. Parked a stash truck right nearby.”

Kino checked the rearview, staring at the face of the man he'd hunted all his life. Kino tried to think of something, but the best he came up with was flipping the car. With her ribs already compromised, he was afraid that might kill Lea.

Kino knew that Gabe had got his message. Mentioning their mother would send the cavalry, or in this case, the Apache. But he didn't know if they'd find them in time. For now, Kino and Lea were on their own.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Lea could see his face in the side mirror. It was him, the one Kino called the Viper. The one she had seen that day in the desert. And he had been right there with Kino all along. A border patrol captain collaborating with the Shadow Wolves. He called the trackers whenever they needed help and could have put Kino down on so many occasions it made Lea's blood freeze in her veins.

She had no doubt that Barrow was the one who had murdered Ernesta, shot at her and now was leading them to their deaths. And despite the pain in her ribs and the aching in her heart, she did want to live. But more than that, she wanted Kino to live.

All this time she had allowed him to protect her and that had brought him to this. She wondered if she could reach across for Kino's gun without Barrow seeing or if she should open the passenger door and simply throw herself out of the vehicle. It would give Kino two things he needed: time to make a move and the benefit of not having to consider her safety first.

She glanced at Kino and his eyes shifted to her and then slid away. He gave a slight shake of his head. He couldn't know what she considered, but he seemed to know she was up to something.

She cast her gaze to the right, where the cactus and scrub brush flashed by as she imagined rolling along the sandy shoulder of the road. Just the anticipation of the pain in her ribs made her nauseous. She reached for the door handle.

“Why don't you just shoot me now?” she asked. Each word caused a knife blade of pain.

Barrow made a tsking sound. “Not on the road. Anyone might happen along. They'd see the blood on the windshield. I need privacy. Besides, I've been working all day to organize this. Nice of the hospital to give me hourly updates on your condition.”

Lea slipped her phone from her front pocket with the hand Barrow could not see and prayed the battery wasn't completely dead. She swiped the mobile phone awake and used her thumb to flick it to Silent. Then she punched in her personal code.

“How did you know where we were?” she asked and then hit the phone icon and the star for favorites.

“Tracking device. All my vehicles have one. It keeps me updated on the whereabouts of my men.”

Kino glanced at her and then back to the road.

Barrow continued. “But the Shadow Wolves' vehicles, I didn't have them rigged. I've since corrected that mistake.” Barrow rested his gun hand on Lea's seat, just beside her left ear. “Cosen here left his vehicle behind that day. Didn't you? Followed my mules right to me. I told your captain I wanted notice if his men were on tribal land. But Rubio isn't any better at communication than lover boy here. Plus, the Shadow Wolves have special permission to come on Tohono O'odham land, right?
Mi casa es su casa.
Indian thing. You should have called that in, Cosen. Told your captain you'd heard gunfire. Man, you almost had me there. Didn't you?” He didn't wait for an answer. “You know why I operate there, right? Harder to prosecute on Indian land. Bureaucratic nightmare. That's what. It's why your father was so handy. Moving product. Stashing product. We've got others on your reservation now. Plenty to replace him.”

Kino made no reply, but his hands inched down the wheel.

Lea glanced at her phone and hit the first name on her favorites list. Her mother.

“You don't check in often. That will work in my favor now,” said Barrow. “And you didn't report for duty last night. Your brother did, but not you. You've been off course and out of communication a lot over the past few days. Telling everyone about the Viper. Well, won't they be surprised when they discover that you're the one behind this.”

She saw the words
calling mobile
appear on the screen.

“Been running drugs up in Black Mountain,” said Barrow, “where the local police have no jurisdiction. Same reason you've been running drugs out of this reservation. Chip off the old block, right? Won't be hard to pin this on you. Might even have enough to implicate your older brother, the police chief.”

Kino's hands clenched the wheel and his jaw muscles popped. Lea could only imagine how much that threat hurt him.

Her phone clock started, timing the call. Seconds ticked. Three, four, five. Her mother was on the phone. Lea used her thumb to turn down the volume.

Kino's phone rang. He reached to answer.

“Nope,” said Barrow. “Let it go to voice mail. You're done talking.”

Lea glanced down to see the red “low battery” warning. When she pressed Ignore, the phone disconnected. Could Kino's older brother find them from that call?

“Pull off here,” said Barrow.

Kino slowed and turned off the road onto a cutoff. The SUV jostled and Lea cried out in pain as muscle pulled against fractured bone.

“Stop there,” Barrow said, pointing with his gun.

Kino stopped.

“Out.”

This time Kino did not comply.

“Both of you,” Barrow said.

Kino waited for Lea to open the door and ease gingerly from the seat. Her painkillers were wearing off and the prescription had not yet been filled. Not that it would matter. In a few minutes she'd be way beyond painkillers.

Barrow used his radio and Lea caught the faint hum of an engine that grew in volume by the second. Up the road came a large ATV with four seats, a metal cage to protect the passengers against rollovers and the frame specially designed to go where a truck could not. The driver looked familiar. Lea recognized the slicked-back hair and the mirrored sunglasses first. Her mouth dropped open as she realized the driver was the regional director of Oasis, Anthony DeClay.

Kino had been right about him. He was dirty, too.

He did not look as cocky or self-satisfied as Barrow. Instead his expression was set in a kind of grim determination, as if undertaking an unpleasant but necessary chore.

“Lea,” he said, “we are sure going to miss you.”

“You snake,” she said, stepping forward and lifting a hand to slap him. Barrow grasped her elbow and shoved her against the ATV. The air left her lungs as she folded on the hood for a moment. Kino was at her side, supporting her as she tried and failed to straighten.

“I'm so sorry to have mixed you up in this,” she whispered.

“You didn't,” said Kino.

“Weapons, radio, phone,” said DeClay. “On the seat.”

Kino laid down his knife, gun, radio, phone, Taser as directed. But not the knife she knew he kept in his moccasin.

“Your phone, Miss Altaha.”

Just lifting the phone clear of her pocket hurt so badly that sweat popped out on her upper lip and brow.

Barrow collected all the discarded items and smashed each phone with the butt end of his radio. Then he threw the mangled electronics into the desert. Kino's gun went in the waistband of his uniform, and the Taser he handed to DeClay, who anchored it under his belt.

Lea knew there was some way or another to track cell phones, but thought they had to be on and functioning and someone with that technology had to be looking. Gabe, she hoped. She had heard Kino tell him to give his love to Tessa. She was certain Gabe was sending help, but his older brother was in South Dakota and they were here. If Gabe called Clay, he would start at the hospital. But then where?

She looked at the mangled mobile phones and her hope flagged. How would they find them now? Her gaze fixed on the ATV and the tire tracks. The Shadow Wolves would track them. But would they find them in time?

“Front seat, Cosen,” said Barrow, motioning with his gun toward the ATV. “Miss Altaha will sit in the back with me.”

Kino helped Lea in and then Barrow waited as he climbed into the front seat. Only then did he take his place beside Lea directly behind Kino.

“Hold on, you two. Wouldn't want you to fall out.” He aimed the comment at Kino and the gun at Lea. “If you do, I shoot her first, then come back for you.”

Kino clenched his jaw and he stared straight ahead. Lea could only imagine how much he wanted to get his hands on Barrow.

She did not recall much of the ride except that each jarring jolt and jostle sent a knife blade of pain through her ribs. Her stomach heaved.

“I'm going to be sick,” she said.

“Go ahead,” said Barrow without a shred of compassion.

Lea knew in that moment that she was surely going to die. Clay would not arrive in time to rescue them.

They approached a rocky outcropping rising some thirty feet from the desert.

“That's it,” said Barrow.

DeClay slowed and then stopped. “Get this over with.”

“Out,” said Barrow.

Kino did as he was told, his body tense. But Barrow was a former police officer with the same training as Kino. He had more experience and he had a gun. Kino had desperation and a younger physique.

“You, too,” said Barrow to Lea.

She walked beside Kino, just ahead of their captors.

“Where are we going?” asked Kino.

“Oh,
your
stash. The truck was about half-full with weed. There's a nest of rattlers I have had my eye on. Planned to harvest some of the larger ones this fall, but, you know, it occurred to me that a smuggler, bitten by a snake or two that was right next to his stash car...well, that smuggler might not get out alive. There must be fifty rattlers in there. You know even one bite can kill a man. Once you're hit, you need to get that antivenin quick or it's lights out.

“So, you and Lea, your willing companion, have been moving product through the Apache reservations for years. Salt River and Black Mountain. Cosen, you've been recently promoted in the organization, just like I was, so you're down here to help move product and the Viper was only an excuse for you to go off on your own program. You weren't hunting illegals. You were moving product, because you knew exactly where the Shadow Wolves were and where they would not be. Didn't you?”

Kino made no reply.

“Of course, I'll drag your brother into this. You didn't seem to mind, so why should I? Probably kill Clay. No loose ends.”

Lea feared that Kino was willing to die to save her and she was shaking with the anticipation of what he might try. As they walked the final few yards she realized that they would be murdered or die trying to escape. But she saw no outcome where an unarmed man and a woman with two cracked ribs would overcome two armed gunmen.

Lea reconciled that she was going to die, but the lump in her throat came when she thought of Kino lying out here in the baking sun.

He didn't deserve it.