Harlequin Intrigue, Box Set 1 of 2 (45 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kino turned to Lea and his triumph vanished. The need to hunt pushed against the promise he had made to her to keep her safe. Her cheeks had gone pale and a look of terror froze her features. Had he forgotten what had happened to her yesterday or that he'd promised to protect her? She was not military or law enforcement. She did not thrill to the chase. She was a pacifist and he was dragging her straight into a shoot-out. He needed to get Lea out of here before the Viper came in to collect his merchandise.

He sent a text to his brother with the coordinates and asked permission to use Joe's place again.

A few minutes later he received Clay's reply:
Carver wants his door fixed.

Kino responded.
Glad to. Leaving site.

Clay's text appeared a moment later.
Key behind house number.

She peered over his shoulder. “Wish we'd known that last night.” Lea seemed to have recovered some of her nerve, but her color was still bad. “So, he's on his way?” she asked.

“Yeah. And we're going.”

They backtracked to the vehicle and he headed down the long empty stretch that was becoming as familiar as the roads around the rez.

“I know why I can't go home,” she said as they drove through the midday heat. “But why not your place?”

“We left the station together. Border patrol knows I drove you home. Plus, we might have been seen driving through town.”

She hugged her arms around her middle and shivered. “You mean by that guy Moody, at the repair shop?”

Him, yes, Kino thought. He didn't know who bothered him most, Moody or Lea's boss.

“Lea, do you believe what DeClay said about that station being scheduled for removal?”

“I do, yes. Why?”

“Because that map might just be a map of drop sites.”

“But then he'd be involved. He'd be working with the smugglers.”

Kino met her gaze as her expression blossomed into shock. Her mouth hung open and her pink lips were wet and appealing.

“Lea, you've got to stop trusting everyone and believing exactly what they tell you. Not everyone works on that level.”

She folded her arms. “I don't believe Anthony DeClay is a smuggler.”

“Or you don't want to believe it.” Kino went through the order of events, checking the sequence. Could he have misinterpreted what he had seen? Could Lea have been meeting the Viper? No, he'd seen the guy aim a gun at her. There was only one way to interpret that. Then he'd sent her to the BP station. That was the only time she'd been out of his sight. “What did Dale say to you?”

“Who?”

“Dale Mulhay, the guy who interviewed you?”

“Oh.” Lea began to relax. She rubbed her index finger on her upper lip, contemplative now. “Well, he said they might want to speak to me again.”

“But the captain told him to detain you until he got there.”

“I didn't hear anyone tell him that. In fact, he said the captain wanted to speak to me but was at the scene and that they would call me.”

“Did he step out or away from you?”

“Not that I remember.”

“Receive a phone call or text?”

She shook her head. “No—Wait. Yes. He called someone to get me a ride home.”

“Did you insist on being released?”

“No. He said I could go.”

Kino's mind was rolling faster than the wheels.

“Something stinks. I need to speak to Mulhay. Will you be all right at Joe's for a few hours?”

“I would think so.”

“You ever shot a handgun?”

She waved a hand. “Of course not. And I won't be shooting one. Not ever.”

“I'll show you.”

“No. You won't.”

He took in her stubborn expression.

“What about a Taser? It just stuns a guy. No harm.”

Kino pulled half off the road until the outside tires sank into soft sand. Then he lifted the Taser out of its cradle on his belt and showed her. “See, you just flip off the safety. When you see the orange you're good to go. Just point and shoot.”

“Unless it stops his heart.”

“That's very rare. You'd have to hold the trigger down to give him a continuous charge and he'd have to have...” He glanced at her horrified expression and stopped talking. “This pacifist thing is a pain in the neck.”

“So is your insistence on shooting at people.”

“Only if they draw first.”

Kino glanced in the rearview and then steered them back onto the road.

She folded her hands in her lap. “I feel so much better.”

He got her to Joe's place and used the key Joe had tucked away. Then he gave Lea a quick lesson on home security and reminded her to keep her phone on her at all times.

Lea lifted her phone from her jeans, showing him that she had it. “What I really need is a change of clothes.”

“I'll see what I can do. Size?”

She told him and he headed out. “Can I take off the vest?”

“No.”

She shrugged, her shoulders lifting and dropping the vest as if weary from the weight. “Fine.”

“Call if you need me.”

“My phone is about dead. I've got it switched off to save the battery.”

“Turn it on.” Kino looked at the connection and made a note to get her a charger from the station. “Don't open the door.”

She stood there, looking small and vulnerable, with her chin up and her face fixed with a familiar impassive expression.

He knew that look; it was a practiced one. He'd seen it on the face of every girl who had taken part in the Sunrise Ceremony. He had been told that the girls were instructed to show no emotion, only a kind of mental toughness, no matter how difficult the task. Perhaps the ceremony that was designed to prepare a girl for the rigors of life as an Apache woman was more valuable than Kino had ever imagined. Certainly, Lea needed to draw on that inner toughness now.

She did not move toward him, but he moved toward her, tugging her forward into an embrace he hoped would tell her that he would look out for her. She lifted her chin and he lowered his mouth, taking her in a slow, thorough kiss that left them both breathless and Lea clinging to him.

“I'll be back,” he murmured.

“I know you will.” She stepped away, letting him go instead of begging him to stay. Her face was inscrutable again, her breathing faster.

Tough, he decided as he left her.

“Be safe,” she said, closing and locking the door behind him.

* * *

K
INO
HEADED
TO
Dale Mulhay's place and got no answer to his knocking. Suspended didn't mean house arrest, of course, but the man's car was in the drive and his front door was unlocked.

Kino shouted a greeting from the entrance before he stepped inside. He found Dale in the bathroom, face down on the floor. Beside him was a crack pipe and a clear plastic bag filled with white crystal shards. There was a smear of blood on the toilet lid and on the floor.

Kino dropped to one knee and checked Dale's pulse. He didn't find one.

Kino left Dale where he had found him. Once at his vehicle, he called the tribal police and reported the death. Then he called Clay, who was already at the water barrel station, and told him what had happened. Clay decided to stay put and continue to read sign.

While Kino waited for a tribal officer, he called his uncle. Luke Forrest was his father's younger brother, a full-blood Apache, though born to a different father.

After he'd become a Fed, Uncle Luke had been the one to stand by his nephew at the tribal court, asking for leniency after an arrest. That had ensured that Kino's teenage stupidity hadn't translated into a criminal record and had also made it possible for Kino to become a cop. After the hearing, Uncle Luke had put him to work.

Kino glanced at his left hand thinking he could still feel the blisters. He owed his uncle a lot and now he wanted another favor.

Kino told Luke about the situation and his uncle agreed to run a background check on Charles Scott, Anthony DeClay, William Moody and Lea Altaha. He also asked him to find out all he could about Rosa Keene.

“I'll put my new partner on that one. She just transferred in from North Dakota.”

“She?”

“Yeah. That's a first.”

“She Indian, too?”

“Nah. White. Really, really white.”

Kino smiled and then thanked his uncle, promising to pass on his regards to Kino's grandmother, before ending the call.

The police arrived on scene first, followed by Captain Rubio. Judging from the stiffness at the corners of his captain's mouth, Kino was in for it.

After Chief Scott had all his questions answered, Kino faced Captain Rubio. The sweat that now trickled down Kino's back was only partially to do with the desert heat.

“Did you not get the message that I wanted to see you first thing this morning?” asked Rubio.

“I got it, sir.”

“Then you mind telling me why I didn't see you?”

“I was following a lead from yesterday's sighting.”

“So I hear.” He glanced at Chief Scott, now engaged in conversation with one of his men. Rubio focused on Kino. “Son, if you miss police work so much, you can just head back up to Black Mountain. You signed on here to track smugglers. Not to make arrests or investigate crime scenes—” he signaled a hand in the direction of Dale's house “—or whatever the hell you are doing here.”

“Yes, sir.” Kino continued, regardless of the reprimand, “It's just that truck—Clay and I tracked it.”

“He told me. And he told me about Moody and that you found a drop that I should be investigating right now. He told me because he follows orders and checks in on occasion.”

Kino clenched his jaw. He wanted to catch the Viper. But to do that he needed to stay on the job. He also needed to protect Lea.

“I haven't seen your witness yet. Clay says you have her.”

Kino nodded, meeting the captain's hard gaze.

“Border patrol wants her in,” Rubio advised. “It's not safe out here for her or for you. Plus, they are bringing in a computer specialist to render an image of that guy she saw.”

“Yes, sir.”

The captain rested a hand on Kino's shoulder. His grip was strong and his eyes intent. “Cosen, I read your file and I'm sorry about your dad. But you're here to track. That's it. You keep this up and it's going to kill you, one way or the other.”

Kino stepped away from the man's hand. He'd heard this speech before, most recently from Clyne and Gabe. He didn't believe it. This hunt was what had kept him alive, not the other way around.

“Now, about our business. We've got activity and I need trackers on site. You and your brother. Gomez found a spotter's station and drop truck, so they can't use that vehicle. I need to know where they're going instead.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Report back to headquarters, find your brother and get to that drop.”

Rubio left him then. Kino headed to his vehicle, paused, watched Rubio drive off and then headed back into the crime scene. He wondered if Dale had committed suicide, as it appeared. He found the coroner, who said it could have just been an overdose. The investigating detectives said the drugs had been heroin, not meth.

Dale had been on suspension and was facing dismissal for not following a direct order. The kind of order the captain had just given him. All Kino knew was that Dale was no longer here to answer questions about his conversation with Lea or the orders given by Captain Barrow. That lead was gone forever. And Kino was treading on shifting sands. He didn't know whom to trust. He only knew that he had to follow orders or face suspension, Lea was in danger, his brother had his back and the Viper was still out there—hunting.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Lea heard the car pull into the driveway and crept to the front window to have a look. Her heart was jackhammering as she parted the curtain and peeked out to see two vehicles and Kino and Clay heading up the steps.

Her shoulders sagged and she fell back against the solid wall beside the window. She closed her eyes and tried to rein in her galloping heart. She pretended she heard the drums from home: slow, steady and filled with the strength she drew on to keep dancing that long, long night of her Sunrise Ceremony. Yes, her heart was slowing and her energy was rising.

One of them knocked and she pushed off the wall and went to greet them, opening the door.

She couldn't keep from smiling at their return.

Kino seemed distracted and tense. “Have you eaten?” he asked. It was past dinner but she hadn't wanted to impose.

“No.”

“I got you some tacos. You like beef?” He handed over a bag. “I got cheese, too, and black bean.”

Kino sat with her at the kitchen table while Clay stood quiet vigil by the kitchen window. Kino told her that they had spent much of the afternoon at the drop she had found and then at another stash car.

“What's a stash car?”

“It's a truck, usually, hidden in the desert. Modified to carry the most amounts of drugs possible. In this one, they removed the rear seat to gain more space. It was under a camo tarp near a rocky outcropping. That's normal. They put a spotter up there. When the coast is clear they signal the mules and they come in.”

“Mules? They use mules in the desert? Wait—you mean the migrants.”

“Yeah. Mules are what they call the smugglers.”

“Like they call the ones who lead them over the border ‘coyotes'?”

Kino nodded as Lea ate her dinner and he continued with his story. “The captain wants us spotting that site tonight. He's hoping we weren't seen and the drop might still happen. But I'm moving you first.”

She stopped eating. “Where?”

“Farther onto the rez. I have a friend who is letting me use his place.”

“You trust him?” she asked.

“With my life. His name is Luke Forrest. He's my uncle. He's FBI. I'll tell you about him sometime.”

“So this place—it's not border patrol or ICE?”

“Nope. And it's not close to town and will be easier to secure.”

“Will you be there?”

Kino cast Clay a glance. Whatever the meaning of the exchange, it was silent and unreadable to her.

“Yeah, I'm staying with you.”

“Didn't you say you had an assignment tonight?”

“My assignment is keeping you safe. Tomorrow you and I are going to that third drop. The one on your GPS. See what we find there.”

She didn't like it. Without Kino, who would look after Clay?

“What about your brother?” she asked.

“He's riding with the guy who lives here. Good guy. Experienced. Indian. Neither one will be alone.” Kino's phone vibrated and he stood to retrieve it from his pocket. Then he glanced at the display and answered the call. “Uncle, thank you for getting back to me.” Kino did a lot of listening, even had one finger in his ear as he paced the room giving an occasional reply. After several minutes he wrote something down and then thanked the caller before disconnecting.

“He got a place?” asked Clay.

“Yes. He gave me the address.” Kino lifted the sheet of paper. “Also got some information about Scott. He says the chief of the tribal police has been here a few months, has a clean record, and he is engaged to a Tohono O'odham woman.”

“Well, that all sounds good.”

“Yeah.” Kino rubbed his neck. “All good except for where they met. At the annual Rattlesnake Festival in Oklahoma.”

Clay's eyes narrowed. “Well, lots of people go there. You and I have even been there.”

“Still...” said Kino.

Lea understood his concern.

“But I saw him before we went to Moody's place,” said Lea. “It's not him.”

“He could be working with him,” said Kino.

“Uncle Luke have any more information?” asked Clay.

“Yes. He checked Anthony DeClay. The guy was an aid worker in Central America. He has written and received several grants to fund various organizations. He's not married but was once engaged. He went to the University of Texas and had an affair with a fellow student who subsequently dropped out and had a child. DeClay is listed on the birth certificate but has never paid a dime in support. The mother works in Albuquerque for city government. She's of Mexican descent. Her family is upper middle class.”

“What about Moody?”

“Dirtbag. Mostly what we know—that he repairs trucks for Oasis.”

Both Kino and Clay looked at Lea.

“I've never heard of him. But Margie would be the one to arrange for repairs. I just drive the trucks and fill the tanks.”

Lea had finished her meal, or rather, her appetite had left her. So they threw out the remains and the three headed to the door. Lea climbed into the passenger side of the SUV and Kino and Clay paused outside the driver's side.

“You know he's going to suspend you,” said Clay.

Kino shrugged. “I don't have a choice. You'll be all right?”

“Don't worry about me. Worry about her. Seems like she's found a nest of rattlers all on her own.”

“Yeah. I guess so,” said Kino.

“Hey, no calf roping tonight.”

Kino smiled and gave his big brother a quick bear hug, and Lea heard him say, “Thanks.”

Then Kino was in the SUV and they all headed out into the night. At the first fork, Clay turned his truck in the opposite direction and Lea was alone with Kino.

“Did he say you'd be suspended?”

“Don't worry about it.”

“But why?”

“For disobeying a direct order. I'm supposed to be on that hunt tonight.”

“But you're staying with me instead,” she said, working it out.

He gave her a smile mixed with a deep sadness, and she felt a welling of gratitude. It was just gratitude, wasn't it? Her hand on her knee twitched as she tried to resist the nearly irresistible need to reach across and touch him.

Somehow she managed to keep her hand where it was.

Lea thought of Clay's odd words at his departure and a suspicion rose. She arched a brow at him. “‘Calf roping'?”

Kino raked a hand through his hair. “Just an expression.”

“I'm pretty sure it's not an expression. Sounds more like code.”

Kino sighed, clearly debating something. Well, she wasn't giving up so easily. She placed a hand on her hip and waited him out.

“We call it calf roping. It means sleeping with a woman. And before you go there, we were both in the rodeo for a while and it just seemed funny at the time.”

“Hmm. Do you always talk in code?”

“It's common. Police radios aren't secure. Border patrol's, either.”

“What other code words do you use?”

“Well, if I tell you they won't be codes.”

She cast him an irked look.

“Okay, okay. Here's one. If we mention our mother's name it means we're in serious trouble. All my brothers use it.”

“What's her name?”

“Tessa.”

“Have you ever had to use it?”

He'd never been in that much trouble. But this hunt felt different. He was certain he would find his father's killer. But after that...he was not certain.

All he did know for sure was that he would never stop until he found the Viper and made him answer for his crimes.