Page 97 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

“What’s that?”

“Jake lied to you,” Colton says. “About the drugs, about who stole them.”

“I suspected as much from the beginning, but he made a compelling case. Plus, there were witnesses. I was at the trial, discreetly hiding in the back, watching everything, and making sure I had the right culprit,” Ramon replies with a wry smirk.

“Except those witnesses committed perjury,” my brother insists. “We couldn’t get a hold of Bruce, but we found Laurel. She’s with the sheriff and the DEA as we speak, recanting her testimony.”

Esparza lifts an eyebrow. “What does Laurel have to say?”

“You’ll read about it in the news,” my brother replies, layers of confidence added to his voice as he picks up on the same body language cues coming from Esparza. His goons don’t move an inch, but I can tell they’re just as confused by this conversation. “If you’d come to us peacefully, without your guns and threats, we might’ve spared you the trouble. Jake lied to you. He planned the theft. He wanted Melissa to take the fall for it because he was able to easily frame her. Some evidence planted here, a false witness there.

“It was all fine and dandy. She got arrested and the merch was confiscated. All Jake had to do was play the innocent with youand with law enforcement, which he did. He played his cards right; I’ll give him that. Only, he was supposed to get the drugs out of lockup with the help of an inside guy, a dirty cop. Said cop died in an accident, and Jake was hung out to dry.”

“He needed the drug money to get out of the country,” I add. “He had no intention of giving the drugs or the money back. That was the point of the whole shtick. Steal your product, have Melissa go to jail for it, sneak the product out of evidence lockup, give the crooked cop his cut, sell the rest, and move to another country. Disappear without a trace.”

Darla gasps, her eyes widening as she looks at us. “Poor Melissa.”

“That’s right,” Colton replies, taking advantage of Esparza’s stunned silence. The man’s ego is about to explode, so my brother needs to drive his point home quickly and effectively before it blows up in our faces. “Melissa had absolutely nothing to do with your drugs. She was always innocent. And if you want to ask why Jake went to such great lengths to hide the truth, think about it this way: My two close friends are dead on the floor. He knew what he was doing and how he was going to do it in order to avoid a similar fate. Jake wanted the money and the freedom, and he knew he’d never get both while transporting drugs for you.”

Esparza looks at my brother, then looks at me. The silence that fills the house is tomb-like, cold, and heavy, pressing down on my shoulders and making my stomach feel like it’s packed with lead. Every second we spend here trying to convince the head of a deadly cartel that Melissa is innocent is a second we’re not looking for her and getting her as far away from this fucking hell as possible.

“Jake’s been playing you and your people for complete idiots.”

“How trustworthy is that Laurel woman?” Esparza asks, his gaze on me.

“I made it clear that I will not rest until she pays if anything happens to Melissa. Let’s just say Laurel is motivated to survive at this point,” I say.

“Ah, so you’re the scary one.”

Mitch’s voice comes through from the kitchen. “We’re all scary ones.”

By the time Esparza’s goons realize he’s here, it’s too late. His sniper rifle is pointed at their boss’s head. It’s a semi-automatic, too. They’re not going to take him down before he kills Esparza.

“Well, then,” Esparza sighs and slowly lifts his hands in the air. “I guess I underestimated you. But none of you will live if anything happens to me.”

“I’m not here to kill you,” Mitch says. “I’m here to make sure nobody else dies tonight because of Jake Miller’s bullshit. That, and I want my woman back.”

Esparza smiles, looking at each of us with newfound interest. “You’re Special Forces. I see it, now. The grit, the self-righteousness… any other man would’ve come in, guns blazing and shooting everything in sight.”

“Army Rangers,” I reply. “And we deliver on our promises.”

“We’re at an impasse, but I’m willing to mend this fence and offer a solution that satisfies each of our needs,” Colton politely says.

“A solution, you say?” Esparza is curious.

As if summoned by the heavens themselves, my phone pings. It’s a text from Kavanaugh, with the information we’ve been waiting for. I give Colton a subtle nod. He knows what to do next.

“Yes,” he tells Esparza. “We’ll take you to Jake Miller. Work your shit out with him and leave us out of it. Leave Melissa out of it.”

“You know where he is.”

“His little side piece in Long Pine finally gave him up,” I say, glancing briefly at Sammy. “We know where he took Melissa. We just need to get her out of there. Safely.”

“And if you’re lying? If this is all a ruse? No Laurel, just bullshit to keep me away from my retribution?” Esparza asks, raising an eyebrow.

“You know where to find us,” Mitch says. “We’ll always be here. Always ready.”

“And fearless, I see,” Esparza chuckles.

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