Texas Kissing (34 page)

I’d been dreading this day for two years, praying it would never happen. But that didn’t mean I hadn’t prepared for it. And I
was
scared. But I wasn’t going to let Annette have died for nothing.

Antonio’s voice was world-weary, like an adult telling off a child. “Now,” he said as he stepped into the aisle. “We can do this the easy way or—”

I raised the gun, pointing it straight at him.

He stopped and we both stared at each other. His face had been so deeply burned into my memories, surfacing again and again in my nightmares, that it was a jolt to see it in reality.

“You’re going to shoot me? Really?” he asked.

I couldn’t speak. I nodded instead.

He took a tentative step towards me.

I raised my gun a little more, my hands shaking. “Don’t,” I warned.

“Don’t what? Don’t come any closer?” He took another step, more confident, now. “I gotta. Your uncle sent me all the way out here to bring you home.” Another step. And this time he wasn’t scared at all.

“I’ll shoot you,” I panted. I tried to stop the gun shaking but I couldn’t. “I’ll fucking shoot you.” I centered the sights on the middle of his chest. My finger tightened on the trigger but it felt as if it was made out of lead, welded in place, and secured by girders.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take his life as easily as he’d helped to take Annette’s. And that failure screamed in my ears in her voice.

Antonio took a final step towards me and then knocked the gun aside. And then he drew his arm back and cracked his hand across my face as hard as he could.

My head whipped to the side and I stumbled, cracking my head on a cupboard and bouncing back the other way. Pain hit me from both sides at once, my cheek and lip exploding into white fire, my head throbbing so hard I wanted to throw up just to release the pressure. I slumped down to my knees.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that,” said Antonio with great satisfaction.

I started to get to my feet, the whole room spinning.

Antonio put his expensive leather loafer on my shoulder and pushed, tumbling me backwards. I fell awkwardly against the bed and cried out in pain. Tears were in my eyes now, the pain in my head getting worse. The fight went out of me.

He reached down and grabbed my wrist in an iron grip. “C’mon,” he said tiredly. “Let’s get you in the car.”

And he turned towards the front of the bus and started walking. My arm took up the slack and then I was being dragged on my knees and ass down the aisle. I grabbed with my other hand, trying to find something to hang onto, but only found the handle of my purse on the bed. It came along with me, bouncing along the floor as he dragged me.

The tears were flooding my eyes now. Worse than the pain in my head and lip was the knowledge that I’d failed. All those years building a business, building a
life—
and he’d taken it away from me in a handful of seconds.

I was utterly broken.
I’m going back to New York. I’m never going to see Bull again.

Antonio was ignoring me, now, looking around at the bus. “What the fuck have you been doing here, anyway? Selling yourself to cowboys? Is this where you
entertain
them?”

That got to me, cutting deep even through all the other pain. He and my uncle—they still didn’t even conceive of the notion that I could be strong, that I could do anything for myself.

“I tell you,” said Antonio, “once we get this trial over with, your uncle’s going to marry you off to the first eligible fuck he can find. Some guy who knows how to keep you in line.” He shook his head. “The first time you say one wrong word to that guy, Tessa,
one wrong fucking word,
he’ll beat the shit out of you. And I really hope I’m around when that day comes.”

I saw my new life stretching out ahead of me, a twisted, mirror-world version of my idyllic fantasy. A life in the city, with air conditioning and limos, far away from nature, with a husband I hated.

And the fight that had abandoned me came back.

I hauled my purse up my body and shoved my hand inside. I found what I needed, but it was no good to me while he was holding my wrist.

We were moving through the kitchen area, now. Another few seconds and it would be too late.

I searched the bag, going by feel because I was blinded by tears. Lipstick. Tissues. Pen.

Pen.

I pulled as hard as I could on the hand that was holding me, opening my legs at the same time, and wedging my feet against each side of the aisle. We came to an abrupt stop.

Antonio turned to me and glared. “Cut that out! You’re fucking heavy enough already!”

I lunged up and stabbed the pen as hard as I could into his wrist. It didn’t break the skin but it was painful enough to make him cry out and then kick at me. But he didn’t let go of my arm.
I need him to let go of my arm!

I stabbed again and this time I got lucky and the pen actually drew blood. He kicked again, catching me in the shoulder, but I didn’t stop. I stabbed at him a third time—

He let go of my arm and drew back his leg to kick me. His lips drew back into a smile—he had an excuse, now. He could tell my uncle he beat the hell out of me because I’d tried to escape.

I shoved my hand into my purse again. My fingers closed around smooth plastic and I pulled it out.

I hadn’t been trying to escape; I’d just needed him to let go of my arm.

Both barbs of the Taser hit him square in the chest and the air crackled as 50,000 volts coursed along every nerve, like squirting a fire hose into a drinking straw. His back arched and he spasmed and danced. His suit pants darkened as his bladder let go. When the charge ran out, his legs turned to jelly and he started to fall.

“That’s for Annette,” I panted. “Motherfucker.”

I stepped cautiously over his groaning body. When I was nearly past him, he grabbed my ankle.

“He’ll find you,” he croaked. He spat blood, leaving little splatters of it on the refrigerator—he must have bitten his lip while he was thrashing around. “I called him. Others are coming.”

I drew back my leg and kicked him in the balls. He released my ankle and I ran down the aisle.

Outside, a rumble of thunder made me look up. It was dark—too dark. Clouds had pretty much blocked out the moon.

I looked at Antonio’s car. I could go back, get the keys out of his pocket, and move it so the bus was free to move, but then what? By the time I was back in the bus, Antonio would probably be on his feet.

Plan B, then. I ran to my Toyota, checked my Go Bag was in the back seat, and started the engine.

It caught for a second and then died.

Oh no. Oh, God, please not now.
I tried it again. It gave an asthmatic cough and died. A third time, and this time it didn’t even turn over.
Shit!
Probably full of dust from all those trips up to the stables to see Bull.

I grabbed my bag and dived out of the car. From the bus, I heard Antonio moving about.

There was nothing else for it. I shouldered my bag and ran off into the night.

Lily

At first, I just ran. I needed to get far enough away that I’d be out of sight when Antonio came out of the bus. Fortunately, the darkness gave me cover. I headed down the dried-up creek bed, just like in my nightmare. I didn’t dare use a flashlight so I had to go by what I remembered of the terrain from my runs. Twice, I missed my footing and almost went flat on my face.

When I ran out of energy, I walked. After the first hour, I figured that Antonio wasn’t coming after me—not alone, at least. He’d said others were on their way. I needed to get the hell out of town before they arrived. I followed the creek bed south for three straight hours.

And finally, when my legs gave out, I stopped. And, sitting with my back against a rock, I cried.

All of my fears, all of my paranoia—it had all been real. They’d found me, somehow, and everything I’d built had been lost.

Oh, not my work. I’d taken precautions with
that.
I had enough money and fake identities in my Go Bag to get me out of the country. I had backups of my computer in the cloud—I could rebuild my business somewhere else. All of my careful planning had paid off, even if I’d had to resort to Plan C.

But Bull? The idyllic future I’d imagined? That was in tatters. I loved him and I was never going to get to be with him. Tonight had proven exactly what I’d feared. It seemed like Antonio had duped Bull into giving him my address. What would have happened if Bull had been staying with me in the bus, tonight, or had gotten wise to Antonio and tried to fight him? He’d probably be dead.

I loved him. That’s exactly why I had to leave and never come back.

It wasn’t that I thought he wouldn’t go on the run with me. It was that I knew he would—he’d put himself in danger and I couldn’t make that mistake again. Annette had already paid the price for my selfishness. I’d made my choice a long time ago—I couldn’t face witness protection and a trial, not on my own. The only option was to be out on my own, where I could stay free without hurting anyone.

Free.
Funny how it didn’t feel very free, at the moment.

Mexico,
I decided. I’d go to Mexico. I already had guaranteed customers there and the mob wouldn’t dare invade cartel turf, even for me.

There was another roll of thunder and the rain started to fall, drops as big as silver dimes splatting into the dust all around me. I knew I needed to get a fire going. I picked up some dried-up twigs and started to try to build a campfire, like Bull had showed me. But too late, I realized I had no way to light it. And I had changes of clothes, but nothing warm or waterproof. My Go Bag was meant for road trips and airports, not surviving out in the wild.

I didn’t belong out here. I never had and never would.

I pulled out one of my burner phones and dialed Bull.

Bull

I was pacing the police station lobby. Calahan was in an interrogation room with Antonio, but he was refusing to talk until his lawyer got there and Calahan wouldn’t let me soften him up with my fists.

My phone rang and I had it to my ear before the first ring had finished. “
Lily?”

I heard her swallow. A pitiful little sob. “Bull?” she whispered.

I closed my eyes and felt my heart swell with relief.
She’s alive!
I tried to keep my voice calm but it was thick and fractured with emotion. “Where are
you?”

“I’m leaving,” she said. “I’m okay. But I’m leaving. This is to tell you goodbye.”

I gripped the phone so hard the casing creaked. “
No.”

“Bull—”

“Lily—”

“No,
listen.
For once in your”—her voice cracked and she had to gasp for breath—”for once in your goddamn life, just
listen.”
She swallowed. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. But I told you I couldn’t be with anyone and I was right. I have to go away, where they can’t find me again.”