Kade: Santanas Cuervo MC (21 page)

Kade chuckled. “Thank you, Señor Suárez, but I’m not interested.”

“I can make it worth your time.”

He chuckled again. “Señor, the last time someone said those words to me, they led me to these drastic measures to contact you.”

For the first time Señor Suárez chuckled. “Very well, then.”

“Thank you for the information, and I wish you luck in rooting out who is putting out a hit without your knowledge. For your sake
and
mine.”

“I won’t thank you for what you did, but if this is an unsanctioned hit, I will get to the bottom of it and have it stopped, as a courtesy for bringing this matter to my attention.”

“Thank you, Señor Suárez.”

“Is that it?” she asked when Suárez was gone. “Do you believe him?”

“Do I believe he doesn’t know about the hit? Yes. Do I believe it’s somebody inside his organization? Yes, I believe that, too. But the question remains, why? That does sort of explain why they kept missing. It’s being done on the sly without the resources of cartel behind them. Lucky for us.”

“Do you think he can get it stopped?”

“If he finds out who’s doing it? Yes. You don’t go off on your own and bring down the heat. If you do, that’s a sure and quick way to end up dead.”

“And if he can’t find out who is doing this behind his back?”

“Winter, I wish I could tell you. Something is still off about this. I can’t figure out how they find you. How’d they know you were Houston? We’d just gotten there. Or, for that matter, how’d they know you were out in the field, and where they could find you. You know where this is pointing, don’t you?”

“Kelly Oil,” she said slowly.

“Kelly Oil,” he confirmed.

“Why? That makes no sense!”

“I agree. But think about it. The moment you showed up in the office, that night they take a crack at you.”

“Those people are my friends!”

“I know that. But somebody isn’t. Didn’t you report in regularly with status reports and stuff?”

“Yeah.”

“So basically, they knew where you were the whole time. The cartel was just waiting to take the shot.”

“It all makes sense,” she agreed, “but I don’t know who or why anyone would want me dead! I’m just a geologist!”

“And the daughter of the President. Maybe that’s it.”

“I’ve been working there since I was seventeen, and after twelve years somebody finally decided they were jealous? That’s crazy! Besides, you didn’t know how to contact Señor Suárez, and you were in the business. How the hell would somebody reach him to put out a hit on me?”

“He doesn’t know, remember? This is some kind of back channels stuff.”

“Assuming he’s telling the truth.”

“Why would he lie? I believe him.”

She deflated. “Yeah, I do, too. But none of this makes any sense at all.”

“No, it doesn’t. But you slipped away in the middle of the night and nobody at Kelly Oil knows where you are, and suddenly, no more attacks. I think that’s where we need to start looking next.”

“Okay, but how? Are we going to call a meeting and ask the person who put out the hit on Winter Kelly to raise their hand?”

He chuckled. “I wish it were that easy.”

“Me too,” she replied before she took the phone, placed it on the counter top, and wriggled into his embrace. “Now that we know I’m reasonably safe, I want to get out of this fucking house!”

He wrapped her up. “What did you have in mind?”

She smiled. They hadn’t made love this morning because Kade was gone before sunup to drop off he drugs the moment Staley’s opened. Knowing the cartel wasn’t after her, not directly anyway, and Kade had managed to get the information they needed without incurring the wrath of Señor Suárez, she felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Since it’s Saturday, and you don’t have to work, I think you need to take me out for lunch, then give me a long ride on your hog.”

“Okay. I like that plan,” he said giving her a quick kiss. “It’s only ten-thirty. Do you want to go now?”

“Oh, no, Babe,” she breathed as she stretched up for another kiss. “Before lunch, I want you to give me a long ride, but not on your hog.”

He accepted her kiss. It was slow, deep and filled with promise. “Does this mean you’re not mad anymore?”

She looked down. “I wasn’t mad. I was never
mad
.
I was upset and afraid.” She looked up and met his eyes. “I know that’s no excuse…” She shrugged. “But I’ll be mad if you don’t take me back to bed this instant.”

He smiled down at her before taking her lips again. “I wouldn’t want that,” he whispered as the kiss dissolved.

She let out a long deep sigh, his kiss making her long for his touch. “No you wouldn’t,” she breathed as she smiled and bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She took his hands and began to walk backwards before turning and towing him to their bedroom.

“Winter! Where are you, baby girl?” Hayden Kelly exclaimed from the phone.

“I’m still with Kade, in Rio Bonita,” Winter replied.

“That’s where you are? You need to come home.”

“I can’t, Dad. Yesterday Kade contacted the Escorpión Cartel. They don’t have a hit out on me.”

“I thought you said the guy who attacked you had a scorpion tattoo that identified him as Escorpión Cartel?”

“I did, and he did, but the head guy, somebody named Suárez, said it wasn’t them. I believe him.”

“Why would you believe a drug smuggler?”

“Just because he smuggles drugs doesn’t mean he always lies. You could hear it in his voice. He was as confused as we were.”

“So the guy
wasn’t
part of the cartel?”

“No, Kade thinks he was and Suárez just didn’t know anything about it. But as we talked about it, we realized something. Somebody was feeding them information. Probably somebody there.”

“You’re crazy!”

“I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. The cartel always seemed to know where I was. They knew when I was at the drilling rig. They knew where I was almost as soon as I got home. The only time they had a hard time finding me was when I was at the RV, and that’s because nobody at Kelly Oil knew exactly where I was parked.”

Hayden was quiet for long moments. “I still can’t believe it. There has to be another explanation.”

“I’m all ears.”

There was another long pause. “I don’t know. But I can’t believe anyone here would want to hurt you. What possible reason could there be?”

“I don’t know, but until we figure that out, I don’t think I’ll be paying any visits to the office.”

“Okay, I can understand that. But you still need to come home. We can put extra security on you.”

“Dad,” she said in exasperation, “we’ve already been over this. No. Kade is doing everything possible, more than anyone else could do. Do you think some high profile security firm could have found out the Escorpión Cartel weren’t involved? I don’t, but Kade did. Would you have guessed it’s probably somebody at Kelly Oil that’s actually out to get me? I would have
never
guessed that, but Kade did. No, so long as you don’t tell anyone where I am, I’m safe right here.”

“I still don’t like it, Winter. I don’t like you so far from home, out in the middle of nowhere, where I can’t protect you.”

“You’ve already done everything you can do. You hired the Santanás Curevo.”

“I still don’t like it, but if you are safe there, okay. I’ll turn his fucking company inside out if I have to until I find out who’s behind this.”

She smiled. Her dad on the warpath wasn’t a pretty sight. “How’d the explorer well do?”

“Don’t worry about that. Your department is taking care of it.”

“I’m not worried. I’m curious. Did you find oil where the software said we would?”

“It was off less than one percent.”

“Fantastic!”

“Yeah. We’re getting ready to sink four more wells, and we’re going to begin fracking the first site later this week. Depending on what we find in the next holes, you may have it.” He chuckled. “I might have to give you a raise.”

She twittered out a laugh. “It’s about time!” she teased. “I want to sink one where we should hit water as a confirmation.”

“Is that necessary?”

“I know it’s expensive, but we need to confirm its actually water. That was the trickiest bit to get right. I can run all the simulations I want, but until we sink a well, we won’t
know
if it’s accurate. It’ll save a shit load of money in the long run if we can depend on the program’s output.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll talk to Pam and get some coordinates.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“No, thank
you,
baby girl. You’re doing things that are like magic. I could have never come up with the algorithms you have, much less written the program. You know me. I can barely work a cellphone. You’ve made me proud and I know Kelly Oil is going to be in good hands.”

She was blushing. “Well, we have better tools than when you were in the field.”

“Yes, yes you do. But the tool is only as good as the hands using it.”

“Wow! Where’s all this coming from?”

“With all this going on, I’ve realized I haven’t told you how proud I am of you, or how much I love you, nearly enough.” There was a pause then he chuckled. “That’s going to change.”

She sniffed as she teared up. “I love you, too, Dad.”

“I love you. Stay safe, okay?”

“I will, Dad. Love you. Bye.” She hung up the phone and wiped her eyes.

“Everything okay at home?” Kade asked.

“Yeah,” she said as she snuggled in close.

If it weren’t for the threat hanging over her head, her life would be perfect. She’d found someone in Kade she could truly care about, someone she thought she could happily spend the rest of her life with. It appeared her career was going nowhere but up, and a project she’d spent five years of her life working on was finally bearing fruit. And to top it all off, her rough, tough, unemotional, ass-kicking father had made her cry with the love she could hear in his voice.

“Then why are you crying?” he asked softly.

“My dad told me he was proud of me and that he loved me.”

He looked at her. “You didn’t know that? I could tell that the moment I met him.”

“I
knew,
but he never really said it before, not like just now.”

He pulled her in a bit snugger. He thought about telling her how he felt, that she’d become more than a job, more than a bedmate, but held his tongue. Things were too confused right now, and though he knew how he felt, he was less sure of
why
he felt it.

***

“You ready to ride?” Kade asked Winter as they sauntered out of the Santanás Cuervo clubhouse.

“Aren’t I always?” she giggled as she leaning in close.

There had been no attacks in the week since Kade had contacted the Escorpión Cartel and she was feeling
fine
.
They didn’t have a plan for how to know when it was safe for her to return home, but, at the moment, she didn’t care if she
ever
returned home. She’d been living with Kade for just over a month now, sharing his bed, and she couldn’t remember being happier. She now knew it was more than some sort of hero worship; she was really starting to fall for the guy.

She’d had kind men, strong men, good-looking men, and great lovers in her life. Occasionally she even had a man who had two or three of those qualities, but Kade was the complete package. He was kind and thoughtful with her, but he was his own man and didn’t let her push him around. He was the ideal combination of kindness and strength and that was the thing she found the most attractive about him. But on top of that, he was an utter badass when he had to be, which made her feel safe, not to mention panty-dampening handsome, and a devastating lover.

Today, most of the club was going on a ride. The brothers and their old ladies were riding to Laredo for lunch, and Kelly Oil was picking up the tab. She still had a company credit card, and if her dad didn’t like it, he could take it out of her pay. It wasn’t much, but it was a small token of her appreciation for what the club had done for her.

She and Kade were getting ready to ride when Toni approached. “Winter?”

“Yes?”

Toni looked at her feet. “I want to apologize for the way I acted. I was way out of line, and I’m sorry.”

Winter knew Toni was coming along for lunch. Anders might be dead, but she was still part of the sisterhood for as long as she wanted to be and would be riding behind Big Dick, who didn’t have an old lady of his own. While she knew Toni was tagging along, this was the last thing she expected since Toni had remained cool and distant towards her since her outburst in the clubhouse.

Winter nodded. “You were upset. I understand.”

Toni scuffed her feet, then pulled her away from Kade and stepped in close. “I was, and you were an outsider, but it looks like you’re becoming Kade’s old lady, and…and I wanted to clear the air between us,” she said softly.

“Is that why you’re apologizing, because I’m Kade’s old lady?”

“Partially. I don’t want to have hard feelings between a sister, especially when I was wrong, but also because, well, it’s the right thing to do. I have a temper, and I know it, but sometimes I can’t control it.”

Winter met the woman’s eyes. She appeared to be about her age, maybe a bit older, her husband was dead, and she now had three children to raise alone. It was enough to make anyone lash out in pain, fear and anger. Winter reached out and pulled Toni into a hug. “I’m sorry for your loss. I really am. I can only imagine how much you’re hurting. I would give anything to be able to bring Anders back, for you and for Kade,” Winter whispered.

Toni hugged her fiercely. “Thank you. Thank you for understanding.”

“If there’s anything I can do, just ask.”

“Thank you,” Toni said then released her and wipe at an eye. She acted as if she wanted to say something else, but then nodded and made her way to Big Dick.

“I told you she’d come around,” Kade smiled as she stepped back to him.

“Yeah. I’m glad she did that before I present her, Lilly, and Angelina with the scholarships,”
she said as she patted Kade’s jacket where the scholarships were tucked into the inside pocket. “This way it won’t seem like I’m trying to bribe anyone.”

***

Kade and Winter were leading the way to the Palenque Grill, Nolan and Jessie riding just behind and to their right, with the rest of the Santanás Cuervo following in staggered formation. They were in the big nothing between Eagle Pass and Carrizo Springs, rumbling East and South on 277 when Kade noticed a white pickup had closed up on the club even though they were traveling well above the posted speed limit already.

As he watched, Tryst and Ricky began to slow, backing the truck off from the main group before the truck whipped into the oncoming lane. US 277 was level, straight, and easy to pass on, and the truck was coming hard, causing Kade to silently shake his head. They were doing over seventy in a fifty-five zone, and this ass-wipe acted like they were holding up traffic.

The truck slowed as it began to pass, almost pacing the club. He put his hand down on Winter’s knee and gave it a squeeze before returning his hand to handlebar.

The squeeze was Kade’s way of saying he wanted her to pay attention to something. Normally he shouted or pointed, but this time there was nothing, and she began to look around. She spotted the truck slowly creeping past the club and wondered what the driver was doing since he was spending a lot of time in the on-coming traffic lane.

Kade saw the passenger window roll down, then a moment later, the weapon. He didn’t think, only reacted, instantly going to maximum braking. Brothers began to scatter as he burned off speed almost faster than they could react, a couple of riders going down in a tangle of flesh and steel. The driver of the truck slammed on the brakes, dumping speed as fast as possible.

Winter clung tight to Kade as she slammed into his back, almost losing her mount from the violence of his braking. The rest of the club flashed by in an instant, swerving around them before their brake lights began to pop on.