Page 93 of Deadly Evidence
The images were terrifying.
Lacey’s horse had been no match for the speed and unlimited endurance of the four-wheeler. Two men had grabbed her out of Loco’s saddle, tied her hands, and thrown her onto a pile of slippery plastic-wrapped packages in the back of the vehicle.
The one with the scarred face had wanted to kill her. Nieto had insisted that it would only make things worse—she only had to be kept quiet about seeing them until some sort of deal was over.
They’d held her in a cold, dark cave where another guy was guarding stacks of boxes and packages.
She’d had nothing to eat or drink but, praise God, none of them had touched her.
They had, however, started arguing again about the risk of her identifying them later. Then one of them had heard footsteps approaching.
“Oh, honey—” Imagining what could have happened, Anna turned and pulled her beloved daughter into a closer embrace, with Lacey’s head nestled beneath her chin.
At the damp warmth of tears falling against her shirt, Anna’s guilt and sorrow grew.How close I came to losing you, sweetheart.
Since coming home from college to take over the ranch, she had been forced to be strong. She’d had to stand on her own two feet despite all odds or risk losing the ranch.
But those very qualities had made Brady’s job here more difficult...and had nearly cost Lacey her life. The enormity of her failure was overwhelming.
“This is all my fault,” Anna murmured, unable to hold back the tremble in her voice. “Brady told me that I should take you someplace safe. I should have listened to him and done it right away. I am so, so sorry.”
Lacey wrapped her arms around her. “But I’m the one who ran off—I didn’twantto go to Houston. I figured you wouldn’t make me go if you had time to think about it.”
“I guess we’re just a little bit alike—bullheaded Remington women who think they need to be right.” Tears burning beneath her eyelids, Anna smiled down at her, her heart overflowing as she studied each precious feature of her daughter’s face. “Maybe we both need to change—just a little.”
The agent asked more questions until Brady broke away from a trio of grim-faced agents and walked over. “I think she’s had enough for now, don’t you? Why don’t we let these people go home.”
Anna gave him a smile of pure gratitude. “We’re ready, believe me. What about Dante? What will happen to him?”
“He was planted out here, Anna. He was supposed to keep an eye on things for Garcia and pass the word if anyone seemed to be getting too suspicious.”
Anna thought about the teenager’s shy smile. His acute embarrassment over dealing with Mia when she first arrived. “But heshotthat man when I hesitated too long. I could be dead if it wasn’t for him.”
“It sounds like he was having second thoughts about his life of crime before he ever got here. But prior to his stay at the detention center, he ran with a gang associated with Garcia’s drug trafficking ring.”
Anna drew in a sharp breath. “I knew he’d been in trouble, but not that much.”
“Apparently, he wanted no part of the drug organization, but there were threats against his sisters to ‘encourage’ his cooperation.”
“The poor kid. He probably figured he had no choice.” She reached out and laid a hand on Brady’s arm. “Can you help him?”
“I’ll do what I can, but the decision on any charges will be up to the District Attorney, not me.”
She nodded. “I’ll never forget what you did tonight. You and Tom gave me my daughter back.”
“It ended well. We’ve identified the major players in this organization clear to Minneapolis and Chicago, and the Mexican government has already arrested Garcia and his key associates.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you. I was busy trying to stay in control, and you were just trying to do your job. I’ve been too stubborn for my own good.”
His mouth lifted in a faint smile that didn’t reach the sadness in his eyes. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
“How can you deal with this job, day after day? The lies, the greed, the people ready to kill anyone in their way?” She shuddered. “You could die.”
“It’s the job I need, so I can make a difference.” His thumbs jammed in his back pockets, he stood looking out over the landscape to the first blush of dawn, his face etched with exhaustion. “Or what I’ve done, anyway. I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring.”
“Please—just keep safe.”Please decide to stay.
But she already knew that the Triple R had nothing to offer a man like him. The sweat, the dust, the hard work and endless heat would hold no excitement for a man who’d spent his life as a special agent.
