Page 34 of Deadly Evidence
“Mia?”
“She and Dante headed for town around three o’clock so she could catch her bus at five. I’m surprised he isn’t back yet.”
Brady checked his watch. “Maybe he stopped to eat at the cantina.” He glanced at the kitchen door, then lowered his voice. “I didn’t plan to be in El Paso overnight, and things took a little longer than I thought.”
A girlfriend, maybe.Anna imagined a sophisticated blonde or a leggy, intelligent brunette and was surprised at her own flash of...something. Surely not a faint twinge of longing. She had no claim on Brady whatsoever.
She grabbed the dishcloth hanging over the edge of the sink and started scrubbing the counters. “Beyond your cover as a ranch hand, you don’t owe me any explanations.”
“I’ve received word about—”
Footsteps came across the porch. The kitchen screen door squealed open, and Dante walked in carrying two suitcases, his expression grim.
Mia came in right behind him.
Anna looked at her in surprise. “What happened? Did you miss the bus?”
With a nervous glance between Anna and Brady, Mia stepped forward. “I got to the bus stop and started thinking...it’s my fault Vicente got hurt. I...um...know you probably don’t want me here now, but I thought maybe I should offer to stay a while longer and help out.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m not a great cook or anything, but at least you wouldn’t have to try to do everything yourself. If you need me, I can stay until April twenty-fifth. If not, I’ll catch the bus on Monday.”
For someone who’d come so far to meet her family, things certainly hadn’t gone well. The friction between Mia and Dante had been palpable, and Vicente had avoided her like the plague.
But whatever issues they all had, maybe now there’d be enough time to settle them.
“Of course. We’d love to have you stay longer. But I won’t let you just volunteer.” Anna gave her a quick hug. “I’d be happy to pay you for the hours you work. And if you can make supper without burning it, you’re a better cook than me.”
At an indrawn breath over by the living room door, Anna turned to find Lacey standing there, her face sullen.
“Look, honey—Mia’s back. Won’t this be nice?”
Lacey’s frown deepened. And then she turned and walked away.
After Mia went to settle back into her old room and Dante left for his cabin,
Brady tipped his head toward the back porch. A few minutes later, Anna finished brewing a pot of coffee, brought out two steaming mugs, and handed him one.
“You were saying...?”
“I hear there’s a big shipment coming through this weekend.” He took a long, slow swallow of coffee. “When we were in town a couple days ago, I saw a guy named Efrain. Stocky, mid-forties, maybe. Scar on his left jaw. Last name could be Fernandez, from the information I got back from the DEA office. Do you know who he is?”
Anna nodded. “A guy with a scar like that did stop here just a couple of weeks before you came. He said something about trouble in the area...and that people who got in the way were likely to be hurt. He meant it as a threat, I’m sure of it. I figured he was another one of Garcia’s men.”
“Possibly. He could also be an independent contractor of sorts. With the arrests of some major drug cartel leaders, there’s been a proliferation of smaller, fragmented gangs. Alliances shift—sometimes guys will help with large shipments and then take a cut. A man like Efrain would be very useful.”
“So heisbad news.”
“Front page. He was an enforcer for the Mafia Mexicana while he was last incarcerated.”
“Will he recognize you?” She suppressed a shudder, imagining a man like that following Brady back to her ranch, seeking vengeance for that arrest and conviction.
“No. I turned away in time. He downed a fast beer and left.” Brady pushed away from the railing. “Let Dante know that you want me to watch over the herd tonight—tell them you’re concerned about cattle thieves.”
“Not a problem. I’m sure he’ll be glad that it’s not him out there. Are you going to try to make some arrests tonight?”
“No. These guys are just the runners.”
She turned to face him and sighed, waiting for him to elaborate.
