Читать книгу Her Cowboy Defender - Kerry Connor - Страница 13

Chapter Five

Esteban Castillo stood at the window of the bedroom he’d commandeered as his own and stared out at the vast landscape behind the house. It was a view he’d contemplated often since his arrival, enough that he seemed to have every inch of it committed to memory. When he’d left the house earlier that afternoon, he’d thought he’d seen the last of it. But here he was again, exactly where he’d been before.

This part of the plan should have been completed. He should have the information he needed, be on his way to carrying out the next step, to finishing this matter once and for all. Instead, the vengeance he’d vowed so long ago had been delayed again.

Impatience churned in his gut, the feeling unusual. He was a man who knew the importance of patience. He’d pulled himself out of poverty, built his businesses, made his fortune by knowing how to bide his time when necessary, knowing how to wait, knowing exactly when he should act.

The skill he’d carefully cultivated over the years seemed to be failing him now. But then, this wasn’t business. This was very personal.

This was family.

The mere thought of the word sent a sharp pain through him; the feeling quickly burned away by the rage that followed closely behind it. He had no family, not anymore. He’d had only one son. He’d certainly never planned it to be that way, but it was the sole instance where his patience was not rewarded. Ricardo had been weak, soft, too much like his mother in many ways. But he’d been his blood, his legacy.

As such, Castillo had tried to make a place for him in his business, though it was clear Ricardo would never rise to take his place at the top. But Ricardo had had his father’s pride, and that hadn’t been good enough for him. He had come to the United States to make his own name out from the shadow of his father, create his own business, prove himself worthy. Castillo had respected that, though he’d doubted Ricardo would find much success. Truth be told, it was the most he had ever respected his son.

And now Ricardo was gone. Dead. Murdered. His killer unpunished.

But not for long.

Resolve hardened in his belly, making his insides clench.

No, not for long. He was closer than ever before. The delay was temporary, that was all.

Drawing a deep breath, he surveyed the desert scene and tried to let the peacefulness of it sink into his soul.When he’d purchased this property, it hadn’t been for the view. It had been for purely business purposes. The land was located in a strategic location, isolated yet near enough to the border to make a good place for the merchandise he had coming into and out of this country to pass through.

He’d never expected himself to be one of those things passing through this location, never thought he’d lay eyes on it in person. But the property had proven ideal for his current purposes, as well.

No one knew he was in this country, and no one would. As soon as this business was completed, he would slip back out of the United States as easily as he’d slipped into it.

But first he needed the Lowry woman to deliver.

He’d been able to tell from the hysteria in the woman’s voice that she hadn’t been lying or acting. Someone truly had shot at her to prevent her from delivering the information to him. The only positive aspect of this turn of events was that it proved there was something to hide about Ricardo’s death, something someone would stop at nothing to keep hidden. It was why the Lowry woman had had her first accident, why they had tried to stop her again.

A tentative knock at the door behind him pulled him out of his thoughts. “Enter,” he said without turning to see who it was.

The door softly slid open. “Do you need anything?” a voice asked moments later. Diaz.

“No,” he said simply. “The girl is secure?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She meant too much to the success of this mission. He knew some of the men would have enjoyed having their time with her if he’d allowed it, had seen the lust in their eyes. In many cases he wouldn’t have opposed such a thing. The girl would have to be killed at the end of this, of course, as would her sister.

But he didn’t want her too hurt or traumatized to speak if he needed to put her on the telephone with her sister to confirm she was alive, something that would likely be the case now that the planned exchange hadn’t happened.

The rage surged anew, searing at his nerve endings as if threatening to burst through his skin. As though he could sense it, Diaz retreated. Castillo heard the door close gently behind him.

So close. He’d been so close to getting what he needed, the name of those responsible for Ricardo’s death.

Clearly someone knew it—how much they had to lose—to go to so much trouble to try and stop her.

But they would not be able to hide that information forever. No matter how hard they tried to stop her, Castillo wagered that the Lowry woman would come through in the end. He understood her perhaps better than anyone.

After all, this was about her family. She would do whatever she had to.

Just as he would.

PIPER SHIFTED UNEASILY in her seat as the truck barreled down the open highway toward the cowboy’s ranch. She hadn’t felt this uncertain when they’d been headed toward the rendezvous point. Back then, she’d had a plan. She’d known where she was going, where she had to be, what she had to do. Before that, it had all been about getting to Pam. For the past two days, she’d been running nonstop with clear objectives in mind.

Now she didn’t have any of those things. She had no idea where they were going or what to do or what was going to happen next. The only thing she knew was that, once again, she wasn’t calling the shots. This man was, just as the kidnapper had been. She liked the feeling even less. At least with the kidnapper, she’d known what his motives were. With this man, she didn’t even have that.

She studied him out of the corner of her eye, knowing he was probably aware of her scrutiny but hoping he couldn’t read her nervousness. Why would he want to help her after everything she’d done to him, knowing how much trouble she was in?

“Because somebody needs to.”

It was a like a line out of a movie. People didn’t say things like that in real life. People didn’t do things like this in real life, certainly not in hers. She wanted to believe people like that did exist, that there were people who were willing to help a complete stranger, that she’d somehow come across one when she had needed him most. Experience had taught her that she couldn’t. No one in her life had ever offered her as much as that, not even Pam, her supposed other half.

Could she even trust him? It might not be a coincidence that he happened to come along when she’d been on her way to meet the kidnappers. Or even if he wasn’t directly involved, he might know them. She hadn’t thought Tara could trust anyone in the area, and yet here she was doing exactly that. Telling him the whole story may have been a huge mistake. She knew nothing about this man, who he associated with, what kind of life he led.

There was still time to ask him to drive her to the nearest town and let her out there, instead. She didn’t know what she would do when she got there, but his reaction to the request could reveal a lot about his true intentions.

But something told her that she could trust this man. She only hoped it was gut instinct, one she could rely on, and she wasn’t letting desperation cloud her mind, tricking her into placing her trust in a man she knew nothing about.

Including his name, she realized with a start. She’d been so dazed by the offer and everything that had happened in such a short amount of time she hadn’t even thought to ask, simply following him back to his truck without a word. She could have shaken herself. That was definitely a mistake, potentially a fatal one. Damn. She needed to pull it together.

“What’s your name?” she asked. The question came out more bluntly than she’d intended and she nearly winced. Of course, she’d pulled a gun on the man. It was a little late to worry about being rude.

If he took offense at her tone, he didn’t show it. She hadn’t seen a single flicker of emotion pass over the stony expression he’d worn since they’d climbed back into the truck, and she didn’t now. “McClain,” he said tersely. “Cade McClain.”

Her automatic response upon meeting someone was usually to say it was good to meet them, and she felt the words rise to her tongue. She choked them back, knowing how ridiculous they’d sound at this point. Not to mention he probably didn’t feel the same.

“How long have you lived around here?” she asked, instead.

“Four years,” he said. “That’s when I bought the ranch.”

She glanced at him in surprise. So he really had meant it was “his” ranch, not just one where he worked. He must be successful if he’d been able to buy it four years ago when he was only in his mid-thirties.

“So you must know everybody in the area pretty well.”

“Pretty much.”

“Any ideas of anyone who might be involved in something like this?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. Haven’t come up with a name yet.”

Not knowing what else to say, she turned her attention back to the road in front of them. The western landscape stretched out around them, seemingly endless. She was so tired she could barely think straight. It was all she could do not to sink back into the worn leather seat and close her eyes, if only for a moment.

“This is it.”

Piper jolted upright, her eyes flying open, the realization that she had closed them after all shocking her. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down. Yet it appeared she just had.

They were turning onto a driveway. Directly in front of them, a wooden arch with the words Triple C Ranch carved into it curved above the road. Piper had barely taken in the words when they’d passed beneath them.

Ahead she could see a long, one-story house, a barn a short distance from it, and several smaller buildings beyond. There appeared to be a few fenced-in areas, and surrounding it was flat, open land as far as the eye could see. Piper couldn’t detect any signs where the land ended. Clearly it was a massive property, she noted with a flicker of unease. She should have assumed as much. Ranches probably weren’t small, not that she would know. She’d never been to one before.

They were completely isolated out here. If she wanted to leave and he refused to let her, there was likely no way for her to escape. She would be among strangers, all of whom would be his allies, not hers. Most of them probably worked for him. And even if she was right in trusting him, there were no guarantees the same applied to anyone else here. Either way, she could be trapped here with the enemy.

McClain pulled the truck to a stop in front of the house. Through the windshield she could see a man approaching the truck from the barn. Piper felt another flicker of unease. Who was he? McClain didn’t appear concerned in the least, and the man was on his property, so he must be someone who belonged here. She would still feel a lot better if she knew who he was.

Before she could ask, McClain shut off the engine, unfastened his seat belt and climbed out without a word or a glance back, leaving her no choice but to follow his lead and get out.

Shading her eyes with one hand, Piper scrutinized the man approaching, trying to make a quick determination if he was friend or foe. He was a tall, muscular man, dressed in a button-down shirt, jeans and boots like McClain. Another cowboy. Piper guessed he was in his early thirties, his black hair and bronze skin indicating a Latino heritage. As he came closer, she could see he was handsome, albeit in a very different way from the man beside her.

“Everything okay?” he called. “I was expecting you back a while ago.”

“Yeah, something just came up.” As he said it, he turned slightly toward her, leaving no doubt what that something was. “Piper Lowry, this is my foreman, Matt Alvarez. Matt, Piper Lowry.”

She felt a moment of alarm at the sound of her name leaving McClain’s mouth, at having this new stranger learn who she was. Could he be trusted?

In fact, the way the man’s eyes narrowed with something that looked a lot like suspicion, Piper’s gut reaction was that he couldn’t be. She instantly reevaluated her first impression. There was nothing handsome about the cold way he was looking at her.

“Hello,” Alvarez said, not bothering to say it was good to meet her either, since it clearly wasn’t.

Piper glanced up at Cade, her body tensing in preparation to bolt if necessary, even if she didn’t have any idea where she would go. “Is there a problem?”

“No,” he said, glaring at the other man. “Matt is just not much of a people person. Don’t mind him. Come on inside.” He jerked his chin at Alvarez. “You, too. We need to talk.”

Turning back to her, Cade extended his arm toward the house, motioning her to proceed. Inching forward, Piper kept her eyes on Alvarez, who stared right back with that same unrelenting suspicion. Finally she was forced to look forward and climb the front steps, Cade right behind her.

As they crossed the wide porch, Cade moved in front of her and opened the door for her. She stepped into a large entryway.

“In here.” Cade motioned to a room directly to the left. “Have a seat.”

It was a living room. Piper barely took note of the decor, falling into the nearest chair. It, two others and a couch were clustered around a coffee table. Each of the men took one of the other chairs.

“So what’s going on?” Alvarez said before he was even in his seat.

Piper wasn’t sure how much she wanted to reveal to this strangely hostile man. Cade took the decision out of her hands.

“Piper’s sister has been kidnapped for ransom,” he said without preamble. “Piper was ordered to drive out to Cartwright for the exchange, but had car trouble and didn’t make it. I picked her up along the side of the highway, which is when somebody started shooting at us. We managed to get away, and I brought her here so we could figure out what to do.”

Cade offered the sanitized version of what had happened so smoothly Piper almost could have believed it herself. From the way Alvarez’s eyes narrowed again, shifting slightly from Cade to her and back again, he suspected there was more to the story, as well.

“Aren’t you going to call the police?”

“No,” Piper said immediately. “I can’t.”

Alvarez raised one eyebrow so high it nearly met his hairline. “You can’t?”

Cade quickly explained about Pam, the fact that she was an FBI agent, and what had happened to her. “Piper doesn’t know who within the FBI she can trust. There’s a good chance someone there is involved and was the person shooting at us. She doesn’t want to risk contacting the police and having them getting in touch with the FBI, alerting them to where she is.”

“You think you can’t trust the police?” Alvarez said.

“For the kidnappers to bring me here of all places, chances are they have some connection to the area. That could include anyone with the local police. I can’t risk it. My sister’s life is on the line. I can’t afford to trust the wrong person.”

“But you trust us, even though we’re locals?” he asked, his voice tinged with a disbelief she understood all too well. It did seem ridiculous, that she would choose to trust a complete stranger over the police when they were just as likely to be involved with the kidnappers as anyone with the local authorities.

Her eyes immediately returned to Cade, and as she took him in once more, she realized it was true. She felt it in her bones. She did trust him. If he was involved in this, she couldn’t imagine what kind of game he was playing. She’d already admitted she wasn’t the sister the kidnappers were expecting, didn’t have the information they wanted and likely had no way of obtaining it. He had her in his house on his vast, isolated property. No one knew where she was and likely no one could help her if she needed it. There was no reason to continue pretending he was trying to help her if he wasn’t.

As for Matt Alvarez, she had to hope Cade knew him well enough to be right about him. There was no turning back now.

“I do,” she said in response to Alvarez’s question, directing her words at Cade so there could be no doubt who she meant. Cade gave her a small nod. The slight gesture, combined with the solemnity in his eyes, seemed to say he understood and took them as seriously as she did.

Turning back to Alvarez, she looked him straight in the eye. “If it was your sister we were talking about, is there anyone with the local police you would trust with her life?”

As soon as he grimaced, she knew she had him there, and he wasn’t the least bit happy about it. “All right,” he muttered. “So what are the two of you planning to do?”

It was a very good question, one Piper still didn’t have an answer for. She glanced again at Cade. He’d suggested coming here so they could figure it out. He’d been so quiet on the drive she wondered if he’d thought of anything.

“I figure they must be keeping her somewhere nearby,” Cade said slowly. “There has to be a reason they had Piper come all the way out here, and they wouldn’t want to have to transport the sister far to bring her to the meeting place.”

“Unless the sister’s already dead and they had no intention of returning her or producing her at the meeting,” Alvarez said, the words making Piper’s blood run cold. “If she—” he nodded toward Piper “—came all this way and had the information on her, they would have had her cornered and there would have been no reason to hold up their end of the bargain.”

“The man just told me I could talk to Tara the next time he calls, so I have to believe she’s still alive. I have to,” Piper repeated, her voice breaking slightly. She slammed her lips together as though that would somehow bring the sound back and turned her head away from both men, her eyes suddenly burning. The fact that she hadn’t been able to speak to Tara yet had never been far from her thoughts, the possible implications terrifying her.

“You can believe it,” Cade said quietly but firmly. “She’s their leverage. They’re not going to do anything to her until they have what they want.”

She looked up at him. He met her gaze and nodded again, the confidence and reassurance she saw in his eyes bolstering her courage. He’d clearly read what she was thinking, and the unexpected kindness in his response surprised her, touching something deep inside her.

“All right,” Alvarez said, his tone almost grudging. “So if the sister is alive where would they keep her?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Cade said. “What about the Emerson spread?”

Alvarez appeared to mull this over for a moment before nodding. “I guess that makes sense.”

Piper leaned forward in excitement. “Where’s the Emerson spread?”

“It’s the property next to mine to the east,” Cade said. “Everybody else in the area has been here for years. I can’t see any of them being involved in something like this. Jim Emerson had to sell last year. As far as I know, no one knows who bought the property and nobody’s seen the new owners. I’ve heard talk there’ve been people out there recently though.”

“I’ve seen movement over there,” Matt confirmed. “But whoever’s over there has pretty much kept to themselves. They sure haven’t come over to introduce themselves, and nobody in town has met them.”

“That’s suspicious, isn’t it?” Piper asked. “If they were living or ranching or anything out there, they would have to go into town for supplies and things, right? Unless there’s a reason they’re keeping a low profile.”

“Most likely. Some people have been wondering if there isn’t something illegal going on out there. Maybe a meth lab, or some other kind of drugs. It’s also pretty easy to get to Cartwright going through the back of the property. Wouldn’t even have to take any of the main roads.”

“What do you want to do?” Matt asked. “Go over there and talk to them?”

“No. If it is them, I don’t want to tip them off we’re on to them. It’ll only make them more careful than they’re already being. I was thinking we should start by finding out who does own the property if we can.” He raised a brow. “I thought you might give Abby a call, see if she could help you out.”

The look Matt shot him said exactly what he thought of that idea. Cade didn’t cave, simply looking back at him.

“Abby?” Piper asked carefully.

“She’s a friend of Matt’s.” Cade’s expression betrayed nothing, but it was pretty clear what kind of friend the woman was to Alvarez. Piper could only imagine this Abby had seen a softer side of the man than she had. She certainly hoped so.

“And she can help?”

“She works at the county clerk’s office. She can tell us who the new owner is.” He studied Matt. “Well?”

“Can I have a word with you first? In private?”

The look that crossed Cade’s face said he wanted to say no. Piper quickly stood. It sounded like she needed this man’s help, so she was willing to do whatever it took to stay on his good side. If he wanted a word with Cade alone, she could give it to him. She just prayed Cade would be able to convince him to cooperate. “I’m sorry. Is there any way I can use the bathroom?”

“Sure,” Cade said, glancing back toward the entryway. “The closest one is down the hallway, third door on the right.”

“Thanks.”

She wasted no time making her exit, slipping out of the room.

CADE AND MATT SAT in silence staring at each other as Piper’s footsteps retreated down the hallway. Cade could tell Matt was holding his tongue, just as ready to say something as Cade himself was. They waited, locked in a silent standoff.

Finally the sound of the bathroom door clicking shut down the hall reached them.

“What are you doing?” Matt said lowly before Cade could open his mouth. “Why are you getting involved in this mess?”

“Because somebody has to.”

“Why does it have to be you?”

“Because I don’t see anyone else, do you?”

Matt simply stared at him through narrowed eyes for a long moment before giving his head a small shake.

“What?” Cade demanded.

“I remember the last time you decided to save some woman who needed it,” Matt said flatly.

The reminder sent a searing hot pain slicing through him. “This is nothing like Caitlin,” Cade said. “And even it was, I sure as hell learned my lesson the last time. I’m damn well not going to make the same mistake again.”

“Glad to hear it. But you’re still putting yourself on the line for a woman you don’t even know, and this situation’s a hell of a lot more serious than that one. Somebody was shooting at you? I mean, come on. Don’t you think this story is a little hard to believe?”

“Of course. But with everything I’ve experienced in the past hour, I know it’s all true.”

Matt’s expression tightened with suspicion. “There’s more to this than what you’re telling me, isn’t there?”

“I told you everything you need to know.” He wasn’t about to tell Matt that Piper had pulled a gun on him, that that was how they’d first met. It wasn’t exactly something that would make Matt any more eager to help her, and would only further convince him that Cade was crazy for wanting to do so.

“I don’t think so,” Matt said. “Not if you want me to help you. Not if you’re putting more people in danger than just yourself. Because that’s what’s happening here. You’re putting everyone on this ranch in danger. If this woman has people after her, they could come here looking for her and every one of us could be at risk.”

He was right, Cade conceded. It was something he hadn’t really considered in the middle of trying to work out Piper’s situation. But he should have. He owed it to everyone who worked for him.

“I won’t expect anyone else to get involved with this. I’ll give everybody a few days off with pay.” It was still early in the year, and he only had a few hands working for him at the moment. In fact, it may be better that way. He might be letting Piper’s paranoia get to him, but the fewer people who knew about this, the better. As long as he didn’t know who was over there, he couldn’t be sure who they might know and who might tell them things.

“And if this isn’t resolved in a few days, what happens then?” Matt asked.

“I’ll figure that out when I have to.” He had enough to worry about in the present for the time being. He’d deal with the future when it came.

He did have an idea of what to do next, but wasn’t ready to bring it up yet, especially since he knew what Matt’s reaction would be.

“You say you don’t expect anyone else to get involved in this, but you’ve already asked me to.”

“I’m asking you to, because she needs my help and I need yours.”

“You may be enough of a fool to get mixed up in this. That doesn’t mean that I am.”

“Are you really willing to stand by and do nothing while a young woman is being held hostage and could be killed?”

Cade saw the instant Matt relented, exactly as he’d known he would. They wouldn’t have been able to work together this long if Matt was the kind of man who would stand by.

“No,” Matt gritted out, his jaw tight.

“So you’ll give Abby a call?” Under different circumstances, Cade might have felt bad about taking advantage of somebody’s relationship like that, but with somebody’s life on the line, he didn’t feel an ounce of regret. Not to mention that what Matt and Abby had was no love match. It was more an arrangement between two people who had needs and no interest in settling down.

“Yeah,” Matt finally relented.

The sound of footsteps drew their attention back to the hall.