He should tell her now, but what if it scared her off? When he placed his hand on her waist, she stiffened but didn’t move away. “I don’t know, Eden. I might not go back.”
She rolled onto her back, then to her other side. They were practically nose to nose. “Not go back? What do you mean?”
She was close enough that he could smell her light fragrance. Close enough that he could kiss her if he wanted. “I’m tired of the travel. The excitement has grown old. And Brianna will need me.” He wished she would say she needed him too, but he was afraid that was too much to hope for.
“B-But what will you do?”
“I have my inheritance. I could maybe use the money to start a business, but thought about applying for a job at the ranger station too, just to keep busy and do some wildlife photography. I think I’d like that. There’s the ranch here we could fix up. It wouldn’t cost much to live here.”
“Just how much money is in this inheritance?”
He grinned. “Enough to keep you in any style you’d like.”
“Really?”
Was she expressing doubt or hope? He couldn’t tell without seeing her expression. His hand was still on her waist. He brought it up to cup her cheek. “Really. Think you could stand to have me home every night?”
“I’d like to try,” she whispered.
His pulse leaped. He cupped the back of her head and drew her against him. His lips found hers. It was the sweetest kiss in his memory. He drank deep of the promise, hope, and longing in her lips.
She drew away. “You didn’t ask me how it went with my mother.”
He tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. “I thought you’d tell me when you were ready. You were both a little tense when I joined you.”
She scooted a little farther away. “Clay, didn’t you think it odd that she knew about Brianna? Did we mention we had a daughter or what happened?”
He thought back, then shook his head. “No. You both talked about the past, about your childhood. There was no mention of the kidnapping or anything. I assumed you didn’t want to get into that with her.”
“I didn’t. But she even knew Brianna’s name. I didn’t tell her that.”
He tensed. That didn’t sound right. “What did she say?”
“I told her I suspected my father had something to do with my daughter’s kidnapping. She gasped then and said, ‘He was behind Brianna’s disappearance?’”
He absorbed the information and looked for a logical explanation. “Maybe she looked us up online and ran into the story.”
“She knew our name before we met her in Alpine. You introduced us to Omar. So they would have known that first evening. Wouldn’t it have been the most natural thing in the world to ask about her granddaughter? To offer condolences?”
“Maybe. But things were awkward anyway. Maybe she didn’t want to cause more emotional upheaval.” Even to him, the excuse sounded lame.
He raised onto his elbow and stared through the darkness at her. “Eden, do you think it’s possible she contacted you because of your father?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if she’s involved in this too?” He shook his head. “No, I guess that’s crazy.”
“What’s crazy is that she is married to my uncle. When she couldn’t get my father, she settled for his brother. What if they are all in business together?” She bolted upright in the bed. “What if Omar is the one who has been trying to kill me?”
“But why?”
“I don’t know.” She flopped back onto the pillow. “It’s all such a tangle. I have no idea what’s going on. But all these things have to connect somehow. I want to know how she met Omar.”
“Ask her. When are you going to see her again?”
“I don’t know. They’re not planning to leave Alpine until at least the weekend.”
“I think we need to have another chat with them,” he said.
His mind raced through the possibilities. Santiago had what he wanted, so why would anyone want to harm Eden now?
He opened his mouth to discuss it some more with Eden, but the steady rise and fall of her chest told him she’d fallen asleep. Flopping onto his back, he tried to do the same, but it was a long time before he succeeded.
26
CLAY SAT ON THE PORCH SWING WITH HIS ARM AROUND EDEN. “EVERY MUSCLE IN MY BODY aches,” he said. “I thought tubing down the Rio Grande with the girls would be a piece of cake. That water was rough.”
“I’m about ready for bed,” she agreed.
Headlamps swept the front of the main house. A car light came on as the door opened, but he couldn’t see who it was from here. Just that it was a woman. She came toward the bunkhouse with purposeful steps.
When she stepped into the glow of the porch light, Eden rose. “Judge Julia! I’m surprised to see you.”
The older woman mounted the steps and dragged a rocker around to face them before settling in it. “I heard what happened out here the other night and came to see how you’re faring.” She looked them over with shrewd eyes in the wash of light. “You both look like something the coyotes fought over.”
“Tubing with five little girls will do that to you.” He rose and shook her hand. “Clay Larson.”
“Judge Julia Thompson.” She crossed her jean-clad legs and leaned back in the rocker, looking at Eden. “I remembered, you know. I knew it would come to me.”
Clay heard Eden’s sudden intake of breath but had no idea what was so upsetting about the judge’s statement. “Remembered what?”
“Where I’d seen your pretty wife. And you too.” She tapped her nose. “News has a smell to me. Especially crime.”
“You know about our daughter?” He doubted the judge was going to go around talking about it.
“I do indeed. The last I heard, the two of you were split. Now here you are. In my county.”
He glanced at Eden. How much should they tell this woman? “We’re here because this is where our daughter is.”
The suspicious glint in the judge’s eyes dimmed. “She’s alive? I figured the two of you . . .”
“Killed her and tried to cover our tracks?” He’d heard the accusations before, but they stung every time. “I think the investigating detective still believes it.”
The judge shrugged. “It’s usually a family member. Sad but true.”
“I have been looking for Brianna for five years,” Clay said. “I never believed she was dead.”
“So what’s she doing here?”
Clay told her what they knew, including Eden’s father’s involvement. When the judge heard the name Santiago, her expression grew more sober.
“Santiago’s involvement is ominous,” she said. “He’s behind half the drugs that come through here every year. I sure would like to get him.” She studied Eden’s face. “Would you be willing to be a lure?”
Clay glanced at his wife. “I don’t want her involved in anything dangerous. We have a daughter to raise.”
Eden shook her head. “I won’t put these kids in danger. If we rile up the situation any further, I don’t know what might happen. If he thinks I’m a danger, he might go after all of us with real determination.”
“Not if he’s in jail,” the judge said.
“He’s escaped capture many times,” Clay said. “I think the risk is too great.”
The judge pressed her lips together. “If we can get Santiago and his crew, you’ll all be safer.”
Eden hesitated. “Maybe so.”
He couldn’t lose Eden. Not now. “No! I don’t want her involved,” Clay said.
“I’ll have protection for you.”
“I’ve heard that before.” But what if Santiago couldn’t stop the wheels he’d set in motion? What if the attacker struck again, or evaded capture and came back to avenge Santiago?
The judge steepled her fingers together. “Call your father. Ask to meet.”
Eden shook her head. “What excuse can I give?”
“My camera was taken during that particular mission you’re talking about.” He shook his head, then an image came to mind. Car keys, flash drive. Eden’s mother had mentioned pictures of a jungle, but he hadn’t paid much attention. “You know, let me check an old flash drive I have. It’s still on my key ring with pictures of Brianna, but there’s another folder on it that I haven’t looked at in a long time.”
He left the women on the porch and went back to the bedroom, where he’d dropped his keys and change. He pulled the drive from the little digital photo album that he’d used to show Eden’s mother the pictures of Brianna. He plugged it into the port on his MacBook, and two folders showed up seconds later. He clicked on the unnamed one, and the list of files came up.
Pictures. There were old pictures in the folder. He flipped through jungle scenes. Children playing in the dirt of a small town. These images had been taken the day before the commandos rolled in, firing on the kids, and he’d been thrown in jail for intervening. But was there anything incriminating?
The next picture was of a swarthy man scowling. He stood next to a truck loading stacks of white powder. Santiago? He printed off that picture and three more that clearly showed the contents of the truck. If it was Hector, Eden might recognize him.
The swing swayed gently as Eden wondered what to say to the judge. The horrid accusations that had swirled around them after Brianna’s disappearance brought a lump to her throat. Rumors traveled far. The first time a police officer had accused her of harming her daughter was seared into her memory. Only a lack of evidence had saved them from being arrested. Within a few days the ransom note proved genuine and the police backed off. But it was a painful time. No one stopped eyeing them with suspicion.
“You can stop brooding,” the judge said. “If you’d seen what I have, you would have jumped to conclusions too. The way parents treat children is appalling.”
Eden started to answer, then checked herself. Her childhood experiences were a confirmation that the judge was right. “I realize our situation wasn’t typical. But when you’re devastated by loss, then find you’re a suspect, it’s overwhelming.”
The screen door screeched and Clay returned with a paper in his hand. “I hit pay dirt,” he said. “You recognize this guy?” He thrust a printout into Eden’s hand.
She held it under the porch light and was suddenly eight years old again. “It’s my dad,” she said.
“I thought so. Santiago is at a village with the drugs.”
Julia held the photograph under the light. “It’s him,” she said. “Tell him you have these. He’ll come for them.”
Eden’s memories crystallized, and she heard his gruff voice telling her to go outside and play while he talked with her mother. She’d always been an encumbrance to both of them. The day her mother left her had been a blessing. She just hadn’t fully realized that until now.
The judge glanced at Eden. “Are you willing to try?”
“I don’t want the girls in danger,” Eden said. “Even if he’s captured, what if his men come after us for revenge?”
“Hector’s son is dead. His second in command has no interest in family squabbles.”
“You don’t know that.”
Julia shut up and stared at Eden. “You’re right—I don’t. Not for sure. But don’t you have any sense of justice? Don’t you want to make sure others are not hurt by this man?”
The judge’s questions stung. “Of course I do!” Eden said. “But I’m more concerned about my daughter and the other girls. And he’s still my father, in spite of his despicable behavior. The Bible says to honor our parents. He wasn’t much of a dad, but the thought of luring him into a trap makes me shudder.”
Clay’s warm fingers closed around hers. “That’s a good point, honey.”
“You would protect a man who had no compunction about ordering your death?” Julia demanded. “He would order those girls killed with as little thought. The safest thing is to lock him up where he can’t hurt any of you.”
“I don’t trust that locking him up is the solution.”
“We’ll make sure the confrontation takes place far from the ranch,” Julia promised.
Eden shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
Clay’s cell phone rang. He glanced at it and raised his brows. “Unknown,” he said before he opened it. “Larson here.”
She watched his face change, and he mouthed, “Your father.” She went still and listened to his side of the conversation.
“I never tried to hide anything from you,” Clay said. He listened, then said, “I see. Yes, you’ve made yourself perfectly clear. Just a minute.” He handed the phone to Eden. “He wants to talk to you.”
“What did he say?” Eden asked when he didn’t explain immediately.
“He seems to know about these pictures. He wants them back.”
Eden stared at the phone. “He has this place bugged?” She shuddered.
“He said your mother called him.”
“My mother!” Eden collapsed back against the swing. “She would give him ammunition to hurt us more?”
“Apparently so.” Clay’s voice was dry.
She put the phone to her ear. What did she call him? Father? Mr. Santiago? “Hello,” she said, settling for anonymity.
“I did not expect to have to speak with you again. You have been secretive with me.”
“That’s not true.”
“Your mother tells me there are pictures of me. In the jungle. What do you intend to do with them?”
“We just found them. Clay had forgotten that they were on his drive.”
“Somehow I doubt the hombre did not know this.”
“It’s true. My mother found them in an old folder. Why did she call you?”
“Money, of course. She does nothing without wishing for cash.”
Eden’s stomach churned with acid. Her mother had sold them out. “I assume you want the pictures.”
“Of course. You will give them back and destroy any copies you have made.”
“I told you—Clay just found them. There are no copies.”
“See that it remains that way. And what is it you want in return for turning them over to me? I pay my debts.”
“You owe me nothing.” She glanced at Julia’s hopeful face, then looked away. No, she couldn’t risk the children. “You’re my father.”
“So your mother said. I was never certain.”
He’d said the same thing to Clay, but was he trying to skirt his responsibilities? Or had her mother lied? Eden had learned never to trust what her mother said. Nancy appeared to have changed, but was it real? “Regardless, there is something I’d like.”
“I thought so. Money, I suppose,” he said, his voice bored.
“Of course not! I don’t want tainted money. I want you to tell me which of these girls is our Brianna.”
“Eden, I have not the least idea.”
“So you lied to me? You lured us here with a picture and a false claim? You knew about the kidnapping all along, that she was your granddaughter!”
“I did not know everything,” he said, his voice grudging. “I never saw the niña. Pictures only.”
“Who has cared for her all this time?”
“I have no idea. It was not important enough for me to know a name.”
Her fingers curled into her palms. His own granddaughter wasn’t important. “What were the last pictures you saw?”
“I believe she was two.”
Two lost years of Brianna’s life. She had to have them. “The last photos I have were when she was six weeks old. So I’ll trade you those pictures for these and the original flash drive.”
“You are in no posit
ion to make demands.” His voice held an icy edge.
“You asked what I wanted.”
“Very well. I am coming to Texas next weekend. Have the drive ready and on your person at all times.”
Her heart sank. She didn’t want to see him face-to-face. “You’re coming here?”
“Business, of course.”
“I assumed you would send one of your minions.”
“I wish to assure myself that there are no copies. I will be able to see if you are telling me the truth. You are very transparent.”
“There’s no need for that. I promise you that we will make no copies.”
“We shall see.”
This was not going as she’d expected. “Where should we meet?”
“I will call you. It is not safe to make prior arrangements.”
The phone went dead in her ear. She put her phone down. “He hung up.”
“It sounds like he is coming to see you in person?” Julia asked.
Eden nodded. “He’s coming, but I don’t know when.” She may have made the situation worse. In truth, Eden would rather not set eyes on the man. The horror of the fire came to mind again. Her father had been unable to stop it. Would this meddling intensify the danger?
“I’ll make sure you’re protected,” Julia said, her intent gaze on Eden’s face.
Eden moved restlessly. “I don’t want him anywhere around the girls.”
“He won’t be,” Julia said. “We’ll arrest him when he comes.”
Eden couldn’t see how it could work. “I have a feeling he’s used to being careful.”
“I don’t think he’ll be expecting his daughter to turn him over to the cops,” Clay said. “The meeting was his idea.”
Eden winced. “I’m still not crazy about it.”
“He sicced a thug on you, honey,” he said. “I don’t think you owe him anything.”
She stared at Julia. “I guess we have no choice but to go along with it. If I don’t show up when he calls, he’s liable to do anything.” She shuddered at the thought and prayed that the Border Patrol would nab anyone who might be inclined to harm her girls.
The day felt oppressive. Thunderclouds built in the southwest, great banks of roiling clouds that looked like bruises. They were likely in for a big storm. Maybe even hail, according to Allie. The animals were restless too, stomping their hooves in the corral. Allie told Rick she didn’t want the girls on the horses when they were so skittish.
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