“How can you be sure?”
“There are never any guarantees, especially when dealing with men such as Javé.” Removing his hand from on top of hers, he crossed his arms. “You’ll have to decide whether or not you can trust me on this, Paige. If you can’t, there’s nothing more I can say. Maybe you should discuss this with Kade.”
“I didn’t mean—”
His gaze narrowed, his stomach churning at her lack of faith. “Yes, you did. We talked about this last week, last night, and this morning. Now you’re questioning me again.” Memories flashed in his head. Standing, he nodded toward the door. “If you’re finished, we should get back to the office. I’ll wait for you in the truck.”
Paige watched him walk out, working to control the knot of pain threatening to choke her. He was right, and not just about today. Back in San Diego, she would question everything. It drove Nesto crazy, causing a lot of stress for both of them, until she’d let her lack of faith in him destroy the relationship. She didn’t want that to happen again. They had a second chance and she meant for it to work. Unless she came clean, told him her fears, the doubts plaguing her, they wouldn’t make it.
Grabbing her purse, she sucked in a deep breath to bolster her courage. Nesto sat in his truck, his hands gripping the steering wheel, gaze focused straight ahead. Tugging at her lower lip, she climbed into the passenger seat, clasping her hands together.
“When do you need to get back?”
Nesto didn’t look at her. “No later than two.”
“Same here. We have a little time. Do you feel like taking a drive?”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind, Paige. Now isn’t a good time.”
“It’s important, Nesto.”
She watched his jaw tighten, his throat work before he turned to face her, resting his arm across the back of the seat.
“If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
Paige didn’t want to discuss this in the parking lot of the café. Fire Mountain was a small town, MacLaren Enterprises the biggest employer. Anyone they knew could walk by, see them inside his truck. When she didn’t answer, he turned away, meaning to start the engine.
“Wait.” Reaching toward him, she gripped his arm. When he remained silent, she squeezed, leaning forward. “Please.”
Letting out a frustrated breath, he sat back. “Fine. Talk to me.”
Paige knew this would be hard. She just didn’t expect to fight nausea and the tightening of her chest. “It’s my fault.”
Turning toward her, he cocked his head, doing his best to keep the disdain from his voice. “What exactly is your fault?”
“It started a couple years after we started dating.”
Confusion clouded his expression. “What started?”
“When I began having doubts about you…about us. You’d be late to pick me up, cancel at random times, not call when you told me you would. I began to wonder what was going on.”
His face softened. “Paige, you always knew my job could be unpredictable. Assignments came up with little notice, meetings went longer than intended. I never lied to you about what was going on. Not once.”
Rubbing her temples, she expelled a shaky breath. “I know you didn’t. It’s just, well…I found things sometimes.”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Initials, phone numbers on pieces of paper you left on the kitchen counter or the dresser.”
“Paige, if I were trying to hide something from you, I sure as hell wouldn’t have left the evidence right in front of you.” The anger in his voice had her leaning back, even though she knew he’d never hurt her.
“I know…I know. You even explained they had to do with your work.” Closing her eyes, she forced the rest out. “I loved you, trusted you, but I couldn’t help myself from having doubts. Then I ran into you at the café near my apartment having coffee with a woman I’d never met and you wouldn’t introduce her. Afterward, you refused to tell me anything about her.”
Nesto rubbed the back of his neck. “I remember. She was from another agency. We were on a joint task force and she wanted to speak with me privately.” He glanced up, noting the wary look in Paige’s eyes. “I should’ve explained it to you at the time, but I thought you’d jump to conclusions.”
“And now?”
“Membership on the task force was classified, but there was another reason I didn’t introduce you.”
Her stomach churned at the look on his face. One telling her he’d never intended to share this information. “Tell me.”
“She and I went out for over a year. It ended before I met you, so I never talked about her. That day, she’d asked if we could try again, start where we’d left off.” Paige’s quick intake of breath had him reaching across the seat to grasp her hand. “I told her I had no interest in seeing her again and was in a serious relationship. That was the end of it. She never brought it up again.” He tightened his grip on her hand, studying her face. “There were no other women after I met you.”
Paige relaxed against the seat, her mouth tipping into a grim smile. “I believe you.” She placed a hand on her chest. “In my heart, I always knew I could trust you.”
“But your head didn’t agree.”
“No,” she snorted. “My doubts started after I saw my father with another woman when I visited. It was long before Mother knew about his affair, and over a year before they asked me to help with Paul. I don’t know if it’s the same woman he’s seeing now, and it doesn’t matter. The point is, I saw him leave a restaurant with her. They walked together, holding hands, kissing. Then they walked into a nearby hotel, registered, and got on the elevator.” Paige looked up at Nesto, her father’s betrayal obvious on her face. “I ran through the lobby into the ladies’ room and got sick. It made me physically ill to see him with someone else. I can’t imagine how it would’ve affected my mother. I chose not to tell her. It happened a couple weeks after I saw you with that woman.”
Mumbling a curse, he shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve talked about it.”
Shaking her head, she covered his hand with hers. “I know that now, but at the time, I couldn’t shake the feeling you were hiding something from me. No matter how much I told myself you’d never do what my father did, I couldn’t purge the notion from my mind. Months went by, your work had you traveling almost every week. We were growing apart and I didn’t know what to do to change it. When my parents called, it only took my mother’s crying to get me on the plane.” Her eyes gleamed with moisture. “I’m so sorry, Nesto. I never should’ve let my doubts rule what I did.” Groaning, she swiped at a tear she hadn’t been able to contain.
He didn’t know what to say. She’d struggled with trust far longer than he realized, triggered by his determination not to discuss his ex-lover and Paige’s knowledge her father was cheating. Communication had been the characteristic of their relationship he’d valued most. They could talk about any subject, be honest in their thoughts, knowing the other wouldn’t judge them. At some point, it all fell apart, and he hadn’t realized it.
“You should’ve said something, Paige. We could’ve worked this out long ago.” Pulling his hand away, he started the truck, driving straight to the office.
“They’re here.” Nesto nodded toward the sound of motorcycles coming toward them. “We’ll know what Javé wants soon, Jace.”
Crossing his arms, Jace planted his feet shoulder width apart, watching the Devil’s Sons approach. He counted six bikes, his gaze moving to the locations he knew Kade, Clive, and J.D. waited. His Ruger 22, tucked in the waistband of his pants, would’ve given him added comfort. Unfortunately, it lay hidden in his truck in the office parking lot.
Nesto hadn’t said any more since spotting the club riding toward them, remaining silent as Javé, his vice president, and sergeant-at-arms parked their bikes and closed the distance between them.
Nesto didn’t wait for Javé to speak. “Let’s get inside before any
one sees us.”
“Introductions first.” Javé smiled, holding out his hand. “Javé Cruz, president of the Devil’s Sons.”
Jace looked at the outstretched hand, but didn’t take it. “Jace MacLaren.”
“One more thing, I’m afraid.” Javé nodded at his men, who walked up to Jace and Nesto. “You don’t mind if my men check for weapons.”
Raising their arms, Nesto and Jace said nothing as they were checked. When his men stepped away, Nesto moved toward them.
“Our turn.” Their eyes narrowed, but at Javé’s nod, they allowed Nesto to pat them down. He did it with the thoroughness he’d learned from years as a marshal. When he’d checked all three, he stepped back.
Jace stepped toward the building. “Let’s do what Mr. Salgado suggested and go inside.”
Chuckling, Javé turned to his two men, stretching out his arms, and shrugged. “We are to follow Mr. Salgado.” His vice president smiled, lifting a chin to the other three club members who would stay with the bikes.
Opening the door, Nesto walked inside first, looking for threats. Seeing none, he motioned Jace forward. Once everyone entered, he shut the door. He and Jace took a position on one side of an imaginary line, while Javé and his men stayed on the other.
Jace took the lead, focusing his gaze on Javé. “We’re here. Tell us what you want.”
“Right to the point. I like that,” Javé said, his voice holding a tinge of scorn. “It is simple. I run a business and need a new method of distributing our products. I understand you plan to purchase Double Ace. Their location and operation suit our needs. We want to offer you a lucrative contract. You carry our products to destinations we provide, and MacLaren Enterprises makes a sizable profit. You, Jace MacLaren, are a businessman, the same as me. All businessmen seek new ways of making a profit, sí? The Sons are offering you an easy way to enrich your bottom line.”
Jace narrowed his gaze on him. “What products would you be shipping?”
Javé shrugged. “It is of no importance as long you deliver what we provide and we deposit money into your account.”
“The nature of the shipments will determine whether we even consider working for you, Mr. Cruz.”
“Javé, please. We are friends, no?”
Jace didn’t waver. “What products, Javé?”
The Sons’ president took a step toward him, narrowing his gaze, his mouth set in a thin line. To his credit, Jace didn’t budge, showing no signs of fear or the intimidation Javé desired.
“You and I should talk.”
“We are talking.”
“In private. Two businessmen working out details. I am certain we can come to some arrangement.”
Jace turned to Nesto. “Excuse us for a minute.” Gesturing for Javé to lead the way, they walked several paces from the others, turning their backs for privacy. “All right. We’re alone. Tell me the details.”
“You are a smart man with a family who loves you, depends on you to protect them. Your oldest son, Blake, is going to school at Montana State University, getting his master’s. Your other son, Brett, is in college, too, although he is unsure if he’ll stay where he is or change schools.”
Jace’s nostrils flared, his jaw set, forcing himself to stay calm.
“And Señora MacLaren—Caroline, sí? A beautiful woman who’s stayed with you, even when you went to another woman.” Javé chuckled, then held up his hands when Jace took a step forward. “It is nothing to me. My woman, she does not care when I take others to my bed. It is not the same for you. Your wife is not a happy woman.” Javé shrugged. “But you already know this is true.”
Temper flaring, Jace grabbed the collar of Javé’s jacket, leaning into his face. “Are you making threats against my family? If you are, I promise, you will live to regret it.”
He’d barely gotten the words out when Nesto and Javé’s men ran forward. The vice president grasped Jace’s arms, dragging him away while the sergeant-at-arms threw a punch at Nesto, who dodged it, landing his own blow to the man’s jaw.
“Enough!” Javé shouted, looking at his men. “You will stay back.”
Nesto looked at Jace, looking for any sign he wanted to leave, cut the meeting off. Jace shook his head. Nodding, Nesto backed away, making certain the other two club officers did the same.
Javé straightened his jacket, his anger barely under control. “I make no threats. I know much about all the MacLarens.” Reaching into his pocket, he extracted a piece of paper, handing it to Jace.
His anger rose as Jace read the names of all family members and close friends, their addresses, phone numbers, ages, and where they hung out. It even included the surgery his son, Blake, had endured a few years earlier. An operation fewer than a dozen people knew about.
“There is more, but that is all you need to see.” The smirk on Javé’s face had Jace fisting his hands at his sides. “Do we have an agreement?”
Jace wanted to say hell no. Instead, he glanced at Nesto. “I’ll have an answer for you next week.”
“Three days.”
“Sorry, Javé. It can’t be done that soon. We haven’t made a final decision to buy Double Ace. That won’t happen for several more days.”
Javé stepped to within several inches of Jace. “You will have an answer for me by Friday.”
“And if I don’t?”
Javé chuckled, his face twisting into a sneer. “Do you truly want to know?”
Chapter Seventeen
Nesto and Jace spent two hours debriefing Kade, J.D., Clive, Heath, and Rafe after the meeting with Javé. Kade wrote down every detail from both men’s perspective, reviewing what they remembered several times, determined not to miss anything.
Heath couldn’t stop reading over the paper Javé had handed Jace, the one containing what the club knew about his family and close friends. Blake’s surgery caught his attention. The only way the information could’ve been obtained was to have someone working inside the hospital, or a talented hacker who could breach their computer system.
Scanning it again, Heath’s gaze landed on Amber Sinclair, Eric’s wife, his brow raising in surprise. Nothing indicated Javé knew who she was or her connection to Satan’s Brethren. Another closely held secret of the MacLaren family. After what had happened to her, they’d vowed not to bring the Brethren, their founder, or their West Coast president up in conversation unless a critical situation arose. Tapping his finger on the paper, Heath cleared his throat.
“There’s nothing next to Amber’s name about Satan’s Brethren.”
Kade’s eyes widened. “He may not have listed it, keeping it quiet to pull out and use later.”
“Or he just doesn’t know,” Nesto said. “Could the agency have it in their files, Clive?”
“I know for a fact it’s in Robbie’s file because I had to include it. It’s a sentence or two with no details about her. Even if Javé has someone inside the DEA, and that’s highly doubtful, it would be almost impossible for them to sort through thousands of documents to find it.”
Jace breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, if there’s one piece of good news in all this mess, it’s that the Sons don’t know of the connection.”
Nesto rubbed his chin, resting his arms on the table. “We’re in a helluva situation here, gentlemen.” He looked at Clive and J.D. “With what we know, can you go to your boss?”
Kade nodded, looking at Clive. “Does he have enough information to pull resources from other operations to focus on this?”
Clive and J.D. exchanged looks.
“What?” Rafe asked, seeing a look he couldn’t define on the face of each agent.
J.D. clicked his pen a few times, blowing out a breath. “Perhaps, but it’s doubtful. He knows Clive and I are here, helping with a supposed threat—on our own time. The agency is as understaffed now as before Kade left.”
“What if he could bring down two clubs in one operation?”
All eyes shifted to Nesto.
“What do y
ou have in mind, bro?” Kade leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
Nesto turned toward Kade. “Clive and J.D. showed us what they could about the DEA case against the Brethren. You and I know it’s good, possibly air-tight, but with the way the courts work these days, who knows. My guess is the DEA and Justice Department are working a few angles, pitting members against each other, using informants, exaggerating what they’ve got in order to worry the club. My gut tells me the case may be a lot more bark than bite.”
Kade looked at J.D., who shifted in his chair, and Clive, whose expression showed nothing. He knew Nesto didn’t expect them to confirm or deny. “From what you boys didn’t say, the agency has little on the Sons. What if you could go to your boss with a plan to use the Brethren to get to the Sons—and possibly their partners?”
Heath, Jace, and Rafe listened, not interrupting or asking questions, interested in the turn of the conversation.
Clive rubbed the back of his neck, moving his head from side to side. Standing, he paced a few feet from the table, glancing out at the darkening sky. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned to look at Heath, Jace, and Rafe.
“Special Agent in Charge Dennis Johnson, our boss and the man Kade once reported to, is a man who goes by the book. He’ll look the other way from time to time, like with J.D. and me coming here to help out old friends. His team has worked for years using some of what Kade learned while undercover, unearthing new charges on the Brethren.” He looked at Nesto and Kade. “You two are going to need to come up with a solid argument. Personally, I think you’re on the right track. Feed information to Satan’s Brethren about what the Sons are doing with the cartel. When Robbie finds out Amber could be a target, I’d bet my next vacation the lid will blow. During the turmoil, we may even learn a little about Javé’s other partners. What do you think, J.D.?”
“If we get the details sorted right, I’m willing to take it to Johnson.”
Foolish Heart (MacLarens 0f Fire Mountain Contemporary Book 9) Page 15