Authors: Jamie Jeffries
The first took down a security guard, who was rushing past Jimmy, toward the shooter. The second and third found Jimmy. The shooter threw the weapon under the nearest bench and joined the milling crowd, finally slipping into the men’s room.
He went into a stall, stepped up on the seat and kicked off his deck shoes, an inappropriate piece of attire that he hoped no one had noticed. Placing them on the tank, the shooter then pulled off the outer layer of his clothing, leaving a second layer intact, then put his shoes back on. His last task was to remove the long shaggy wig and place it on top of the clothing he’d discarded. Then he left the men’s room and joined the crowd. By evening, he was back at home in San Diego, enjoying a late Thanksgiving dinner with his family.
SIXTY-NINE
Friday, 5:00 p.m.
Kevin Thurston received a phone call from the tribal police on Friday afternoon. Jimmy Chaves and his cousin Ernesto Chaves had been identified as the victims in the Anchorage airport shooting that horrified the nation in the late hours of Thanksgiving Day. The case, or cases, if you didn’t consider them all connected, were now closed.
It was time to make amends with Alex Ward, as he’d done with Wanda Lopez and Dylan Chaves. He meant to speak to her yesterday, but the day turned out to be so crazy that he put it off. Now he’d have to hunt her down. She had already left the office for the day, by the time he got the call and called Wanda to inform her. Paul had given Thurston Alex’s cell phone number, but warned him that they both might be in big trouble if he used it, so he was saving it for a last resort. Instead, he cruised by the house, but didn’t find her car there.
Evening was rapidly approaching when he spotted her car and Dylan’s pickup at The Rattler. He considered waiting, so he wouldn’t get into the whole underage thing, but his cruiser had different ideas. As if of its own accord, it turned into the parking lot. Well, he’d poke his head inside and see what was going on.
A few patrons looked up when the door opened, and one or two did a double-take to see the sheriff in the doorway. Thurston made an effort to relax and look non-threatening, as he glanced around looking for Alex.
He spotted her at a pinball machine, with Dylan beside her and, of all things, his brothers at his side. When did this place turn into a family destination? Thurston couldn’t see a drink near her that might be beer or a cocktail, so he walked over, winking at Dylan and clearing his throat right behind Alex.
To his amusement, she shrieked and bumped the machine, causing a tilt. Dylan said, “Uh-oh, now you’re in trouble.”
Alex whirled on him, ready to unleash her temper. She was stopped cold by the sight of the deputy, rather than Dylan. She gulped. “Oh, hi Kevin. You startled me.”
“I see that,” he answered, smiling. Dylan was doing his best to keep a straight face in Thurston’s side vision. What was so funny?
“I’m glad you’re here, Dylan, although this may not be the best place to give you my news. Would you guys mind coming outside for a minute?” Thurston took in her wary expression and added, “No one’s in trouble. It’s just news, I promise.”
She looked at Dylan and shrugged. He said, “Okay.” The two of them followed him outside, with the little boys trailing. Thurston leaned against his department SUV and crossed his arms. “Dylan, I’m sorry to have to bring you this news, but I’m afraid your cousins have both been killed up in Anchorage.”
Dylan’s face drained of color, leaving him a peculiar shade of gray. Alex simply stared, her mouth partly open. “How?” Dylan asked.
“Did you guys see that story, about the shooting at...?”
“The airport!” Alex cried. “The two guys that were shot at the airport! One had just gotten off a plane from Tucson... oh, no.”
“You’re right. It looks as though one cartel or the other followed Ernesto, who must have been trying to reach Jimmy, either to take shelter with him or kill him. We’ll never know, now. But since Jimmy was at the airport to meet him, chances are it was the former.
“Anyway, Dylan, all the cases are closed now, and Alex, you can write your story. If you need anything from me to help with that, don’t hesitate to ask. I figure you’ve earned your journalism stripes. I also wanted to apologize for being a dick all this time. Oops, sorry,” he added as he noticed the boys between the young couple.
“Wow,” Dylan said, finally. “I thought he’d be safe up there. How the hell did Ernesto find him?”
“Probably Jimmy contacted him. Not sure. They’re still investigating. The shooter just melted into thin air according to witnesses.”
“Kevin, thank you for telling us, and thanks for the apology,” Alex said. “I hope we can work together without letting the past get in our way from now on.”
“I hope so, too.” He grinned. “I know you won’t have any hesitation in calling me a d... uh, a bad name if I start that shit again. Oops, sorry.”
Alex’s laugh rang out, causing everyone in her immediate vicinity to smile. Thurston could see what made Dylan hover around the girl. Too bad she was out of his league. She was going places, and Thurston didn’t know if Dylan’s plans included following her or if he thought he could clip her wings.
Alex immediately looked contrite. “Dylan, I’m sorry, that wasn’t appropriate.”
“Don’t worry. I hardly knew Jimmy, and I didn’t know Ernesto at all. Is Wanda okay?” Dylan asked Thurston.
“I think so. About Ernesto, anyway. His fingerprints came up on the IV bag. She may not have wanted him dead, but she’s not mourning him.”
“I’d better go see her. Want to come, baby?”
“I may as well. That was my last change, on the tilt.” Alex grinned as Dylan elbowed her.
“Wanna let me in on the private joke?” Thurston asked.
“She tilts all the time. Too impatient,” Dylan said. Alex punched him lightly on the arm.
“I tilt because people sneak up behind me and scare the sh... heck out of me,” she contradicted. Thurston didn’t get it.
What was so funny about that?
“Well, I’ve got to run. See you guys around,” Thurston said. “Alex, call me if you need anything for the story.”
“Oh, I will, don’t worry.” She waved at him as he got into his car and drove away.
SEVENTY
“So, that’s that,” Alex remarked to Dylan. He was putting Davi in his car seat while she strapped Juan in with his seat belt.
“Looks like it. What are you going to do with the story?”
“Write it straight for the paper. Dad’s never going to let me do an editorial again, probably,” she said. “The blog will be a different matter. Dylan, we’ve got to do something about this cartel problem!”
“We?” he answered, an incredulous grin spreading across his face. “Alex...”
“Stop! I don’t want to hear it. We need to talk about how you’re always disrespecting my work, Dylan. It hurts my feelings and makes me mad. If you want to be friends, you can’t do that.”
Dylan glanced at Juan, who was following the argument with interest. “Can we talk about this later?”
“Yeah, but this time we can’t let anything get in the way. Would Sophia watch them?”
“I think so. Thanks for understanding about that, baby.”
“It isn’t a problem. She needs the help and so do you. It’s a match made in Heaven.” She got into the pickup and shut her door, failing to notice that Dylan’s hands were fisted and his expression fierce.
Two hours later, after they visited Wanda, who stuffed the boys full of fry bread with honey, and then dropped the kids off with Sophia, Alex and Dylan were seated on ‘their’ bench in the park.
Dylan was the first to speak. “Baby, I don’t mean to disrespect your work. I just worry about your safety. I think they already tried to silence you. If you keep this up, they’re going to succeed, and there won’t be any way to protect you.”
“It sounded like disrespect when you said I was playing around. I know how important your work is. Why don’t you know how important mine is?”
“I only said that because I was upset, and I’m not saying it isn’t important. But why does it have to be
you
? Why can’t someone else tell the world about all of this?”
“Because it’s been going on for years and no one has! Don’t you see how important this is to me, personally? All those unidentified bodies, and you know it’s probably one or another of the cartels that’s responsible for most of them. And no one knows! Even right here in town, no one pays attention. It’s up to me.”
“I don’t want to lose you, Lexi. We’ve got big challenges, but I love you. I want to work them out so we can be together. Do you love me?”
Alex gazed into his eyes, intense with his passion. “I do. That doesn’t mean I can cave in. You can’t keep me from doing what I need to do. I’m afraid I’d resent you for that. I
know
I’d resent you. Wouldn’t that kill love? It isn’t fair, to me, to you, or to those little boys, for me to risk falling out of love with you. We have to work out the problems before we can be together.”
Dylan’s head dropped. Alex wanted to gather him into her arms and not hurt him anymore, but it was clear to her that this was the right way to handle it. If they cooled the passion and let their heads solve the problems, their hearts would still be joined when the time was right.
Dylan looked up again, released her hands and took her face in his hands. “As long as you can see a future where we are together, I’ll wait. Just tell me what you want from me, and I’ll do it.”
“First, I want a kiss,” she smiled. There wasn’t even time to draw breath before his lips crushed hers. His hands left her face and his arms surrounded her, drawing her in. She melted into him, her body responding to their connection even as she fought to keep her head.
The kiss was like wine, heady and sweet, the intoxication racing through her veins and making her weak in the knees. She gave herself over to it, refusing to think about a time when his kisses would be seldom available to her. If she thought about that, she’d break down.
When he released her, Alex clung for a moment to the desire that always flared with his touch. She drew a long breath. “I have something to tell you. Please don’t get mad.”
Dylan’s lips parted, and she rushed to finish before he could object. “I think it’s best to put some distance between us until we can sort things out. Shh,” she said, placing her fingers on his mouth as he opened it again to protest. “I’ve applied for some scholarships that include on-campus lodging at ASU. I’ll be home for some weekends, and I’m only a couple of hours away. You need to accept that I’m going. You and Dad can get together and complain about me if you want, but I’m going, one way or another. I’ll get another job in Phoenix if I have to.”
She waited for the explosion, her piece said. It never came. Dylan had her hands again, and raised both of them to his lips. “All right. But, I can see you, right? You’re not telling me to stay away.”
“Right. But you know you’re going to be busy making a family with your brothers. And in case you’ve forgotten, you need to spend some time with your mom.” Her heart broke at the stricken look on his face. He
had
forgotten, or no, not forgotten but pushed his mom’s situation to the back of his mind. He really
didn’t
need her complicating his life right now.
“When?” he asked, so quietly she nearly missed it.
“Not until next semester. I want to hear if I can get a scholarship before I rock the boat with Dad. After Christmas for sure, but more likely next fall semester.”
“So little time,” he murmured, pressing forward to kiss her again, lightly this time.
“We have forever,” she answered. “For the rest of our lives. Let’s get this right.”
He put his arms around her again and pulled her into his chest. She almost changed her mind. It felt so right to be sitting here with him like this. She leaned contentedly into his shoulder with a small sigh. It would work out. It had to.
She loved him so much. Enough to get out of his way so he could do the right thing for his family. And when he’d done that, then it would be time to build
their
family. Maybe by then, she’d be ready to be a mom to two adorable little Native boys, and someday, to their own children.
The End
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it, please review it on Amazon, Goodreads, or the site where you purchased it. Nothing is more helpful to an indie author than readers who take the time to post their impressions and constructive critique. I read and value every review I receive. My reader's reviews have helped me hone my writing and encouraged me to continue.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamie Jeffries is the pen name of a successful author with several published novels under other pen names, in addition to other titles under this name.
She likes to bring a bit of the unusual, the unlikely and the humorous to her plots. Jamie brings you heroines who overcome hard challenges, sweet, sexy heroes with a hint of alpha male, and side characters you’ll love to hate or laugh with.
When she isn’t writing (which is almost never) Jamie enjoys reading, hiking in the foothills near Denver, live blues music, and now and then indulging in her karaoke habit.
Caution: whether reading or writing, Jamie bites when interrupted in the middle of a good chase scene, whether it’s bad guys chasing the hero in cars, or the hero chasing the heroine around the bedroom.
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