Page 152 of Lone Star

Candy shot him a glare.

Cantrell met it, not without sympathy, and then stepped away when his cell rang.

Colin approached, and Candy turned to face him, momentarily startled when he saw that Colin was carrying Jack. It was all-hands-on-deck, though, with no one to spare for babysitting. Oh, God, TJ…

“He’s down for his nap,” Colin said, before Candy could ask. “I just left him. Kid could sleep through anything, just like you.” A smile flickered and died. “What are we doing? What do you need?”

He took a deep breath, and tried not to think of Michelle, his little baby thing, laid out like a star. “I don’t–”

“Snow.” It was Cantrell, cellphone held out from his ear, expression freshly shocked. “It’s the guy I had on hospital watch. Maddox. Your boys there were attacked, and the perps got away with Melanie Menendez.”

Candy was fast losing his ability to absorb information.

“It was them,” Blue said, shaking his head, voice grim. “Shit. They orchestrated this job and that one at the same time, while you were outta the house, Candy.”

“Eric and Jesse,” he said, his tone calm – authoritative – his brain scrambling to keep up. “The cartel was waiting for the call, and one of them made it. We had moles under our roof the whole time.”

“My money woulda been on Benny,” Talis said. He leaned over the table and inspected the dead man, a pained grimace in place of his usual stony façade.

Cantrell waved him back. “Don’t touch the evidence, Jesus.”

Candy scanned the room. “Where’s Fox?”

Eden stepped over a broken chair and joined their loose circle. “He went after Albie.”

Shit. Albie’s girl had been taken, too.

Candy wiped a hand down his face, eyes closing, briefly, keenly aware of all the eyes on him. All the people who looked up to and depended upon him. People who’d questioned his judgement in the last few days, but who’d called him brother and leader for far longer than that. People he couldn’t afford to let down, no matter if his heart was breaking, no matter if panic threatened to choke him.

When he opened his eyes, he’d made a decision. “Someone has to stay here and man the phone in case Luis makes contact again. If he does, I wanna be patched through. You give him my cell number and tell him I was a word ASAP.

“We’ll need guys on guard here. The man from the hospital: all my guys are okay?”

Cantrell nodded. “Yeah. Two are pretty much useless, and ought to still be in bed, but they’re whole. The spooky kid and the smart-mouth convinced Maddox to bring them all here.”

That was one small wave of relief. “Good. Reese can help here, and Gringo, too. Jackal, I want you and your boys with me. Colin, you too. We’re gonna kick every fucking anthill in this city and see what comes crawling out. We’re going to find them, and then tomorrow morning, Luis is mine.”

Cantrell said, “The FBI–”

“Can stay the fuck outta my way,” Candy said. “If you don’t like it, arrest my ass, but otherwise, I’ve got shit to do.”

The agent looked like he wanted to say something, but gave a brief nod and stepped back. “Can my techs take samples here?” he asked, tightly.

“Pull up the damn floor if you want. Whatever. Tell Jen what you need.”

Jenny caught up with him at the door to the sanctuary, and he wanted to snarl at her for slowing him down. But when he turned to her, the softly encouraging, absolutely loving look on her face brought him up short.

“You’ll find her in time,” she said. “I know you will. Don’t worry about us here. I’ve got it handled.”

“I know you do.” To his great shame, his voice cracked.

“Come here.” She stood on her toes, and put her arms around his neck. Hugged him tight. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I love you. Please be safe.”

It didn’t matter if he was safe. Nothing mattered if he couldn’t get to Michelle in time.

~*~

Albie’s arm was all pins and needles. Belatedly, he realized it was the bad one, the one he hadn’t been going to physical therapy for. He gripped the handlebars so tightly, his body coiled with so much tension, that it was igniting all the half-healed nerves there.

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