Evasive Action (Holding the Line Book 1)

by Carol Ericson

  She almost dropped her plate as she set it on the table. Sinking to the chair, she held on to her drink like a security blanket, all her nerve endings on high alert. “What do you want?”

  He hunched forward, his double chin tripling. “I think you know what we want...Mrs. Jimmy Verdugo.”

  The drink in her hand jerked, spilling onto the table. “I’m not... I didn’t...”

  He held up his hand, his sausage-like fingers encircled with several glittering rings. “I know you ditched the wedding at the last minute—smart move. But we know you have Jimmy’s flash drive, or your brother has it.”

  “I don’t have it. I never saw it.”

  “If you don’t have it, your brother does.” He lifted the loose shirt he wore over his large frame to reveal a gun strapped to his body. “And you’re gonna get it and him for us...or what happened to those two mules is gonna look like a garden party.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Clay’s adrenaline spiked when he saw the big man who’d entered the café seconds before sit at the table April had been occupying. He dropped his binoculars on the seat beside him and charged out of the car. He burst into the restaurant and several people, including April and her tablemate, glanced up at him. He ate up the space between him and April in two long strides.

  “Is this man bothering you?”

  April shook her head, her pale face belying her response.

  The man scooted back his chair and rose to his feet, patting his belly. “Just taking a load off. It’s hard for a man my size to wait on his feet.”

  Clay’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t have any right to arrest this man or question him if April didn’t open her mouth.

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Is that right, April?”

  “H-he was just sitting for a minute.” She’d pinned her gaze to the man’s right hand, resting on his hip.

  The man rapped his knuckles on the table. “You have a good day now, miss.”

  He walked out of the café with more grace than expected from a man carrying that extra weight.

  When the door whooshed shut, Clay took the seat across from April that the man had vacated. “What was that all about?”

  April picked up her grilled cheese sandwich and nipped a bite off the corner. She dabbed some crumbs from her lips, and then took a sip of her soda. Then she dusted off her fingertips over her plate.

  Finally, she raised her eyes to his. “He just threatened me over that flash drive.”

  Clay jumped from his chair, knocking it to the floor with a bang.

  As he took a step toward the door, April grabbed his hand. “He’s gone. I made sure of that before I told you, so you wouldn’t get killed.”

  “Why are you telling me this now when it’s too late?” He shook off her hand. “I could’ve arrested him.”

  “He would’ve killed you.” She lifted her shoulders. “He had a gun. When you were at the table, his hand was hovering over his weapon. If you’d made a move, he would’ve shot you.”

  Clay righted the chair and waved at the guy manning the counter. When he sat down, he scooted in close, almost touching his nose to April’s. “I’m a Border Patrol agent. It’s not your job to protect me. It’s your job to report crimes or threats and let the authorities, including me, take action.”

  “I couldn’t have warned you about the gun. I have no doubt in my mind he would’ve drawn on you and shot you—and then probably abducted me in the process.” She waved her arm around the room of regular people enjoying their lunches. “Do you think any one of these people would’ve done anything to stop him?”

  “You don’t have much faith in my abilities, do you?” He raised his brows and took a gulp from her cup.

  “When it’s a fair fight I do, but not when it’s a sneak attack or ambush. Anybody can get to anybody else if they really want to.”

  Clay smacked his hand against his forehead. “I’m not your brother, April. You don’t have to look out for me.”

  “Speaking of my brother, he wanted Adam.” She ripped the crust from her sandwich. “It’s the flash drive again. He thinks Adam or I have it.”

  “Damn it.” Clay pounded his fist on the table. “When is this going to end? Adam must have the flash drive, and I’m gonna get it from him.”

  “He said he didn’t...”

  Clay skewered her with a look and she trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

  “Exactly. We can’t trust anything Adam says...about anything. He’s probably had it all this time. Who knows if Jimmy and his guys would’ve been able to get it out of him, if they hadn’t been distracted by their other troubles? I wish they had, and then when Las Moscas came to call on Jimmy, they would’ve gotten the flash drive from him and this would be over.”

  “And Adam would be dead.”

  “He’s dead, anyway, April, unless he turns over that flash drive to Las Moscas. Do you think the fat man is fooling around? But now, Adam has dragged you into it—just like he always does.”

  “Maybe I can convince Adam to give it up. If it does contain a map of Las Moscas’ border tunnels, Adam doesn’t have the connections to make use of that information, anyway.”

  Clay spread his hands on the table, his thumbs touching. “Was this the note? Did this guy leave you a note to meet with him?”

  April blinked several times in rapid succession. “Yes. I thought he was going to give me some information about why the heads were left on our porches.”

  “Do you have the note on you? Can I see it?”

  “I burned it.” She picked up her ragged sandwich and took a big bite.

  “I could’ve taken prints from it.” He cocked his head. “How did he know Meg’s car?”

  “He was probably watching the house before.” She dug her elbows into the table and rested her chin on her palm. “How’d you know I was in this café? How’d you know to come charging in here? You always seem to know exactly where I am.”

  “Paradiso’s a small town. I was driving out this way and saw your car parked on the street—just like before. I was coming in to join you for lunch when I saw that goon at your table.” He could lie with the best of them.

  “So join me for lunch.” She glanced over her shoulder. “In case he comes back.”

  “You told him you didn’t have the flash drive?”

  “Of course I did.” She toyed with her straw, scattering drops of liquid across the table. “I don’t know whether or not he believed me, but if I don’t have it, he thinks Adam does.”

  “I’m with him there. Any way you can talk Adam into giving it up? To spare both of you?” He grabbed her drink before she sprinkled it all over the table, and chugged it back so fast the carbonation brought tears to his eyes. “Scratch that. He’s the one who set you up with a dangerous man in the first place.”

  “I can try to talk to him. I may have a way to convince him.” She lowered her lashes, which told him she had no intention of telling him what she could use to persuade her brother to give up the flash drive.

  At this point, he didn’t care as long as it didn’t involve marrying another drug dealer—or marrying anyone at all. He drilled his fist into his other palm. “How about some good old-fashioned violence?”

  She flattened her lips into a thin line. “You propose to beat Adam until he tells you where the flash drive is? Yeah, that’s not going to work, and if you don’t think Adam would press charges against you, you don’t know Adam. He’d see that as an opportunity for a lawsuit and some easy money.”

  Clay curled his hand around his clenched fist.

  “You’re right. I don’t know Adam that well. I’d always seen him as trouble, but more of a hapless, sweet screwup. But setting you up with Jimmy Verdugo?” He skimmed a hand across the top of his head, his short hair tickling his palm. “That’s a low I didn’t think he had in him.”


  “I didn’t, either.” April pushed away her plate. “I’m going to text him and tell him what happened here. I’m going to convince him to turn over the flash drive to you.”

  “Even if he does that, April, he’s still in danger from Las Moscas. He may no longer have the info they don’t want him to have, but turning it over to us isn’t going to endear him to the cartel. They’ll want their revenge. He’s gotten into some real trouble—and dragged you with him.”

  “And I’m going to get us out of it.” She held up a hand, palm facing outward. “Don’t ask. Don’t try to stop me. I know what I’m doing.”

  “When it comes to your brother, I doubt that.” He placed his palm against hers and clasped her hand. “But you do what you have to do.”

  And he’d do what he had to do. He’d already dropped off the blood samples to Duncan. Two could play this game. Could he help it if she were so much better at it than he was?

  * * *

  APRIL HAD TWO different sandals on in front of the mirror as she turned this way and that.

  Meg and Kyle had convinced her and Clay to come out to dinner, although neither one of them was in a festive mood.

  After lunch this afternoon, Clay had shut down on her, and for the first time since she met him, she felt as if he had more secrets than she did.

  The rotund cartel member who’d threatened her in The Melt hadn’t left that note. Now she had danger coming at her from two different fronts.

  Or were they different?

  Had Las Moscas been behind the warning delivered to her two years ago about marrying Clay? Adam could’ve already been involved with Jimmy and Las Moscas at that time and maybe his new associates didn’t want Adam to have a brother-in-law working for Border Patrol.

  She covered her mouth, meeting her own eyes in the mirror as a little shiver rippled down her spine. Perhaps Adam had told Jimmy about his sister and his father, El Gringo Viejo, a long time ago and Jimmy had already determined the best way to get to the drug supplier down south was to marry his daughter, and to do that, she’d have to be single and available for his courtship.

  She dropped to the edge of the bed and toed off the flat sandal in favor of the one with the low heel.

  Adam had finally answered her text and agreed to fly out to Phoenix to meet her tomorrow. She planned to get to the bottom of this...and offer him her deal. All without Clay’s knowledge, of course. He’d try to stop her and she couldn’t allow that.

  Meg tapped on her open door. “Oh, that’s a pretty sundress. If you’re wearing that for Clay, does that mean the two of you have patched things up?”

  “Patched things up?” April rose and flicked the skirt of the dress. “We didn’t have anything to patch up. We’re fine...as friends.”

  “Some friend. He sure seemed like he couldn’t get out of here fast enough last night. Picked up Denali and—” Meg whistled “—out of here.”

  “We were both tired, Meg.”

  “Blah, blah, blah.” Meg squared her shoulders in the doorway. “What’s the real reason you ran out on the wedding? What was the excuse you gave Clay? ‘It’s me, not you?’ ‘You’re too good for me?’”

  “Ugh.” April covered her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it, please. Can we just have a pleasant dinner without bringing up body parts or weddings?”

  “Yeah, because both of those are equally horrific.” Meg rolled her eyes. “Kyle and I intend to have more than a pleasant dinner, despite you two.”

  “It’s not too late to disinvite us.” April yanked a light sweater from the bed in case of overactive AC in the restaurant.

  “Oh, no. You’re not getting out of it that easily.”

  April breezed past her cousin and tugged on one chocolate-brown lock of hair. “When you’re in love, you want the whole world to be in love.”

  A half hour later, the four of them were seated on the outdoor patio of Sinbad’s, a Mediterranean restaurant in the center of town.

  If she were on edge, searching for the distinct outline of the man who’d threatened her today, Clay matched her in jumpiness.

  She knew he had his weapon on his person. He always carried off-duty. Kyle was probably packing, as well. The big man would be a fool to make a move in a public place with two armed men at the table.

  So, when would he make his move? Would he wait for her to come up with the flash drive...or else? And then what? Clay seemed to believe neither she nor Adam would be out of danger even if they no longer had the flash drive.

  Of course, if her plan worked and Adam gave her the flash drive, the two of them would be long gone after she turned it over to Clay, anyway.

  When they placed their orders, April swirled her wine in her glass and said, “Have the authorities identified the other body?”

  Kyle groaned. “Are you really going there? Now?”

  “You need more wine.” Meg grabbed the bottle of chardonnay from the bucket and attempted to top off April’s glass.

  “I’ve barely had two sips of this.” April placed her hand over her glass. “It was just a question. One question.”

  “Answer her.” Meg tipped her glass toward Clay. “And then that’s it. No more of this talk.”

  “The short answer is no.”

  Meg did a karate chop with her hand in the middle of the table. “Let’s keep it to the short answer.”

  As Meg and Kyle relived their idyllic day in Tucson, April scooted her chair closer to Clay’s and dipped her head. “What’s the long answer?”

  “They took her prints, but there’s no match in the database. They’ll start looking at some missing persons. She could be up from Mexico.”

  “But she wasn’t Latina?”

  “A lot of gringos live south of the border.” Clay shrugged. “How are you doing after your encounter this afternoon?”

  “I’m okay. Just wondering when the other shoe is going to drop. How long is this guy going to give me to convince Adam to turn over the flash drive before he takes action?”

  “You should be far, far away from here when he decides it’s time. Do your best with Adam and then go into hiding. Leave the country if you have to. You still have plenty of money.” Clay encircled her wrist with his fingers. “Start spending it to protect yourself.”

  “I’ve been texting with Adam. I think he’s close to at least admitting he has the flash drive.”

  “I didn’t tell you, but Detective Espinoza didn’t find Jesus, the man formerly known as Gilbert, in Albuquerque.” He pinged his wineglass with his fingernail. “But he did find Jimmy’s dead body.”

  “Imagine that. Does he concur that Las Moscas can take credit for that one?”

  “He thought it strange, as did I, that Las Moscas would use a knife to kill a rival instead of a gun with a silencer to the back of the head.” Clay put a finger to his lips as the waiter approached the table with their food.

  Everyone got busy with their food, and Meg aimed her skewer from her kebab at April and Clay, waving it back and forth between the two of them. “I’m sure your conversation is not fit for polite society, but at least you’re talking again.”

  “Meg—” April dragged a piece of pita bread through the hummus on her plate “—please mind your own business.”

  “I second that.” Kyle pinched Meg’s chin between his fingers and placed a kiss on her lips.

  Meg and Kyle’s infatuation for each other left April and Clay free to discuss their morbid topic. The more April picked Clay’s brain about what he believed happened in New Mexico, the better prepared she’d be to do her own search. That search might go easier with Clay by her side, but he’d never agree to it and she’d already been warned about keeping away from him.

  April’s eyes darted around the patio strung with lights. Could her tormenter be watching them right now?

  By the end of the
meal, April and Clay had abandoned their speculations and joined Meg and Kyle in more pleasant conversation. Meg had a glow about her that twisted a knife in April’s gut.

  She couldn’t be happier for her cousin, but she missed that giddy feeling of uncomplicated love. She and Clay had that once. Or had they? Had her life ever been uncomplicated since the murder of her mother and the accusations against her father?

  Clay had been here at the time of the murder, a brand-new Border Patrol agent. She’d been away at school and they didn’t start dating until she’d come back to Paradiso after the murder and after she’d graduated from college. The events swirling around her family had already tainted her by the time she met Clay, already changed her.

  She’d been carefree, majoring in dance choreography, the world wide open. When she returned to school, she’d changed her major to accounting. She’d wanted stability, security, order. She’d been determined to take care of Adam, who’d gone into a treatment facility immediately after the murder.

  Maybe that’s why she fell for Clay. He’d represented stability and security to her.

  And then Adam had stripped that away from her, bit by bit. Her brother’s catastrophes had become hers.

  Their dinner wrapped up with the two guys fighting over the bill until Meg plucked it from their dueling fingers and waved it and her card in the air for the waiter. “This was my party, and I’ll pay for it.”

  Kyle bundled a tipsy Meg into his car and winked at April. “We’ll leave you two the house. I’m going to take Meg back to my place.”

  As Kyle roared off, April raised her eyebrows at Clay. “Kinda pushy, isn’t he?”

  “Are you okay at the house by yourself with the security system in place?”

  “Of course.” April gave silent thanks to the dark desert night that hid her hot cheeks.

  Clay was making it easy on her to stay away from him. She wouldn’t have to convince him to drop her off tonight. She wanted an early start for Phoenix tomorrow morning before Clay could even realize she’d left.