Page 99 of The Last Promise You Made

He and McK shared a look, and I was almost certain she’d told him to come in and get me. My eyes narrowed on the two of them, but they didn’t let on that this had been planned.

“Go,” Gia said. “I’m fine, but I’ll let McKenna check me out.”

“If nothing else, maybe you can get her to stop talking and rest her damn voice,” I said to McKenna as I rose from the bed. I took Gia’s phone from my pocket, hesitating, not wanting to leave it any more than I wanted to leave her.

I set the phone on the bedside table and then walked out without looking back, because if I did and saw the self-incrimination and sadness there that I’d felt in her tears, I’d run back to her.

As I shut my bedroom door behind me, Maddox’s face turned grim.

“Where’s Addy?” I asked.

“Mom and Dad showed up as soon as I told them what happened. They’ve got her in her room, packing a few things. Enrique caught one of the men.” He turned on his heel, and I followed him into my living room where broken glass allowed a bitter wind to rip through the space.

It wasn’t the giant, but another man also dressed all in black. A ski mask covered his face from which two dark eyes glared, and his jacket was unzipped, showing off a bullet-proof vest with two bullets lodged in it. He was zip-tied to one of my dining room chairs with his hands behind his back.

A pistol sat on the table next to a Glock that I was pretty sure was Gia’s. Both weapons were out of his reach, but easily within Enrique’s. The DEA agent’s face was dark with fury.

I had my own fury I directed not at the man tied up but at the man who was supposed to be here watching Gia’s back. I crossed the room, slammed a finger into his chest, and demanded, “Where the hell were you?”

Maddox was next to me in a second, hauling me back by my arm and forcing space between us.

“I was in Kentucky!” Enrique said. “I can’t fucking chase down leads on Vito from here. Gia knew where I was, and I was almost back when Rory called. I heard the APB on the two ATVs your brother issued and found this dickwad heading up over the fire road at the back of the property. Same escape route he used before. Fucking moron.”

I couldn’t help it. There was something about the agent that didn’t sit well with me. Nothing he could say or do would ever allow me to fully trust him.

Maddox pushed me again, shoving me farther away. Then, he turned to Enrique and said, “What has he told us?”

“Nothing, but I’ll have Rory run his face and prints.” The DEA agent glowered at me.

Maddox pulled the guy’s mask off, and the face that greeted me made my stomach fall.

The man met my stare with a raised chin.

“I know you,” I grunted out. The man didn’t say anything, but Maddox and Enrique both turned to me, eyes narrowed, waiting for me to expand. “He works at the Grand Laredo. He’s one of Jaime’s men.” I moved forward, leaning down into his face. “Is Jaime mixed up with the Lovatos, or is it just you?”

The man said nothing.

Maddox tugged me away from him as if he was afraid I’d do something stupid. Except, I wasn’t sure the idea of beating this man until he talked was stupid at all. I’d never been one to use my fists to solve problems. I’d played football, I’d broken up plenty of fights, and I’d defended my siblings, but I wasn’t someone with an innate need to pummel things to the ground to escape my demons. And yet, I was overwhelmed with the desire to beat the living shit out of the man sitting calmly in my dining room chair. I wanted to cause him more pain than he’d caused Gia and more fear than he’d caused my little girl.

I wanted answers. From him. From his goddamn boss.

I thought back to Gia’s question this morning about Jaime. I’d been quick to deny his involvement. I didn’t want to believe the person who’d taught me everything I needed to know about turning our ranch into a five-star resort could be behind any of this. And yet, here was more proof.

A memory tickled that twisted my insides another notch. After an Eastern Dude Ranchers’ Association meeting, just before Ravyn and I were due to get married, Jaime and I had met at the bar of the hotel for drinks. I’d spilled my happy guts, rambling on about babies and marriage, and he’d shaken his head in regret, saying a wife and kids would only slow me down. I’d had a drink too many, and I’d shoved my phone in his face, showing him a rare picture I’d captured of Ravyn and me, daring him to deny how perfect we were together and insisting he’d eventually understand when he found his one true love like I had. He’d taken the phone from me, expanded the screen, and watched it for a long time before returning it. A dark look had taken over his face as he’d said, “She’s beautiful. But I’ve learned beauty is only a shield for deception, my friend. Believe me when I tell you, she does not know how to be loyal.”

He'd gotten up and walked away before I could defend Ravyn.

Not once had he indicated he knew her.

Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe it was all just one coincidence after another.

But I knew with a sinking feeling that it wasn’t.

Jaime had been the reason she’d run. I’d been a fool, spouting love and happily ever afters, and led the demon right to her door.

“He knew her. Jaime knew Ravyn, didn’t he?” I demanded of the tied-up asshole. He said nothing, but his eyes flickered to the side and back. An acknowledgment. Rage raced through my veins. They’d taken everything from me once and tried to take it again today. No more. No more! “Who was she to him?”

“She’s his sister,” Gia’s hoarse voice had me twisting around to see her on the entryway steps with McKenna at her side. She had an icepack to her throat, and her phone in her hand.

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