Three doors led off a short hallway. One was open—the bathroom. Opposite that was a laundry closet. The last door, straight ahead, was closed and possibly locked. He could kick in the flimsy thing with minimal effort, but in the narrow passage, he’d be an easy target to shoot at through the door—or the wall, for that matter. Not to mention that with all the shattered glass on the floor, whoever was in there would hear him coming.
Time for a little recon.
With careful, quiet slowness he eased out the damaged door.
The sun had set but there was enough light from the neighbor’s windows to see. The porch ran the length of the trailer. He eyed the squeaky door. No way was he telegraphing his position with that. Two windows interrupted the wall beyond the front door. He peeked in the smaller one. It was the bathroom, as expected. The next was a bedroom. One small bedside lamp cast a dim glow over a queen bed, a dresser with every drawer pulled out, and a young boy facing the closed door, his small hands wrapped tightly around the grip of a small pistol.
Shit. That must be Alex, Julie’s son. He hadn’t seen the kid since the day he was born ten years ago, but who else could it be?
Inexperienced, frightened shooters were unpredictable. They were just as likely to shoot you by accident as they were to leave the safety on. And considering the way Julie’s place had been ransacked, her kid had good reason to be afraid.
Dave holstered his weapon and went back to the doorway, pitching his voice to carry to the back bedroom. “Alex? I’m your Uncle Dave. You can stand down. Whoever tore up your place is gone.”
The kid didn’t make a peep.
He put a little command into his voice. “Alex, stand down. You’re safe.”
“Go away. I’ll shoot you.”
“No, you won’t. I’m family. You don’t want to shoot family.”
“Chad said he was family, too, but he’s not. He lied and you’re lying, too.”
He had to admire the kid. He wasn’t giving in just because an adult told him to. “I’m your mom’s brother. From Tucson.” Had Julie ever mentioned him to the kid? Had Alex even heard of him?
“I don’t believe you. I don’t know you. Go away.”
He needed to take a different approach. “What happened here?”
“Chad came. He wanted something he left behind when Mom threw him out.”
“Why’d she throw him out?”
“He slapped her.”
A lightning bolt of anger sizzled through him, but he kept his voice calm through Herculean effort. “Did that happen a lot?”
A beat of silence. “No. Just once.”
Good for Julie. Chad sounded like a Class A Dick.
“Where’s your mom now?”
“At work. But I called her. She’s on her way home. She’ll kick your butt when she gets here, so you better leave!”
Dave smiled, liking that Alex saw his mom as someone who could kick butt. The longer that lasted, the longer she’d keep him in line. “Why didn’t you call the cops when Chad started tearing up the place?”
Silence. There was something worth looking into there, but now wasn’t the time.
“I’m going to start cleaning up this place. You want to help?”
Alex didn’t answer.
Dave stepped inside, hoping the kid had calmed down enough that he wouldn’t shoot through the door. Even that small-caliber pistol could punch through these cardboard walls. He put the pots away, then found a broom and began sweeping up the broken glass.
When he was done, he asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah,” the boy answered.
Dave grinned. Of course he was. Boys could always eat. But before Dave could ask what the kid wanted, headlights swept across the front window. In a practiced reflex, Dave pulled his gun and crouched low beside the kitchen cabinets. “Stay put Alex!” They had company.
Chapter Five
“Judge, jury, and executioner,” Tasha murmured. “That’s a heavy burden to bear.”
Kellan glanced sharply at her before turning up a steep one-way street. That wasn’t what he’d expected her to say. She was so young compared to him, and the young were usually idealistic.
Her eyes widened. “What? It just seems like the Council puts a lot on your shoulders. They tell you who needs killing, but they get to keep their hands clean. How long have you been doing this?”
Too long.
“That little muscle in your jaw is jumping. I’ll take that as a sign you don’t want to talk about this anymore right now.”
Kellan pulled into a small parking lot across the street from a red brick building. He didn’t want to talk about this at all, but he suspected Tasha would find a way to bring it up again. She was nothing if not persistent.
When they checked in, Kellan made a point of mentioning that his friend, Jasper Sorensen, had recommended the San Ramón.
The manager, who introduced herself as Bea, gave him a blank look. “I don’t recognize the name. Was he here recently?”
Kellan disguised his concern with a shrug. “It was a while back. Maybe seven months ago?” He’d seen the reservation charge on the credit card statement. Maybe Jasper had changed his plans without letting anyone know. Not the Council, and not his partner, either. Kellan pulled up Jasper’s picture on his phone. “This is him.”
The manager looked at the screen and shook her graying head, smiling. “No, he wasn’t here. I’d remember those dimples. He looks like Kurt Russel in his prime. I wish he had been our guest.” She checked Kellan’s reservation. “I see you’re in the Campanilla room. That has two doubles. I could upgrade you to the Bougainvillea room—no extra charge. It has a king bed and a nice view of the park.”
“No thanks. The two doubles are fine,” Tasha said. “He’s a restless sleeper.”
Kellan cast a sharp look at her and held the phone out again. “You’re sure my friend wasn’t here? I could have sworn it was him who recommended you. Maybe you could check your register?”
Bea frowned and handed him his credit card and an old-fashioned key with a plastic tag printed with Campanilla in gold. “We’re not so busy that I wouldn’t remember someone with those looks.”
Tasha put her arm through his. “Come on honey. Let’s get settled. I’d like to walk around a little before we get dinner.”
The manager’s expression brightened. “Santiago’s next door has the best Mexican food in town. Show them your room key and they’ll give you a complimentary appetizer.”
Tasha smiled. “Thanks!”
They climbed the carpeted stairs to the second floor in silence, but as soon as the door closed, he turned and looked at Tasha. He didn’t try to hide his annoyance.
Tasha didn’t see it. She was admiring the décor of the old-fashioned room. “It’s so pretty! I’d compliment you on making such a good choice, but clearly we’re here because you hoped to pick up Jasper’s trail, not because you thought I’d like it. But I do. So thank you anyway.”
Kellan glanced around the room. The beds were piled unnecessarily high with fluffy pillows that matched the muted coverlets. A small table and chairs sat in front of the large windows. It was clean. That was enough.
Tasha cast an expectant look over her shoulder at him, catching his aggravated expression. Her eyebrow lifted in question. “What?”
“Don’t interrupt me like that again, all right?”
She snorted, obviously unfazed by his sharp tone, and turned to confront him directly with her hands on her hips. “For someone who makes his living as an investigator, you were about as subtle as a bulldozer down there. Bea was getting pissed off at you, so I intervened.”
She shouldn’t look so sexy, not when she was lecturing him. Kellan shook his head trying to dislodge that thought and put his suitcase on the luggage rack. Tasha didn’t move. She just stood there waiting as he pulled out his toiletry kit and took it into the bathroom. Closing the door, he stared at his reflection in the framed mirror. Tasha was right. He’d been pushi
ng the manager too hard. He knew better, but the drive to find Jasper was riding him hard. He wanted to locate his partner and bring him back into the fold. He wanted Jasper to have a good reason for not keeping his rendezvous. He didn’t want his friend to become another casualty.
He splashed cold water on his face then scrubbed a white towel over his skin. He also didn’t want to take out his frustration on Tasha.
A minute later he emerged from the bathroom prepared to apologize, but Tasha was gone.
Between one beat and the next, Kellan’s heart rate doubled. He hadn’t heard any kind of struggle. Tasha had just stepped out. Maybe she’d left something in the car, but she should have let him know where she was going. No, she should have waited for him. He was responsible for her safety. Tasha knew that. Kellan pulled the Sig out of his suitcase and opened the door. The hallway was empty. Forcing himself to descend the stairs like a normal person, he was halfway down when he heard Tasha and Bea laughing.
“Oh yeah, Jasper’s hot, but I like the dark broody type better than the golden boy look.”
Kellan stopped to listen.
The manager snorted. “Anyone with eyes can see that.”
“Oh, no! We’re not a couple!”
“Not yet, anyway.”
Tasha made a derisive noise. “He may be sexy, but he’s preoccupied right now. He’s too worried about his friend to think about hooking up.”
“Yeah, he seemed a little intense. I hope this Jasper fellow is all right. I’d hate to think of anything happening to a man that pretty. Why is your boyfriend—okay, your friend—so worried?”
“Jasper didn’t show up for work, and he’s not answering his phone. None of his friends have heard anything either.”
“Has he disappeared before?”
“No, but he’s been kind of depressed. His girlfriend left him about six months ago, and he’s not coping.”
“Men don’t handle break-ups well—unless they’re assholes—and they don’t count. I’d hate to think of him hurting himself. Do you imagine he might come back through Bisbee? I’m a member of the Bisbee Hostlers Association. If you send me his photo, I can share it around and let you know if we see him.”
“Oh, that’s so kind of you! Thank you! I’ll ask Kel to send you Jasper’s pic right away.”
He was in the room sliding his weapon into a waist holster when she returned barely a minute later. “I have to hand it to you. You handled Bea much better than I did. Where’d you learn to talk someone around that way?”
Tasha smirked and cracked open one of the water bottles on the dresser. “I have an older sister, remember?”
Kellan nodded. He hadn’t forgotten a thing about her. He just wished he could let her enjoy her success a little longer. “Half the town will be on the lookout for Jasper now. That will either shorten our search for information or stop it in its tracks.”
Eyes wide, she pulled the bottle away from her lips. A drop of water glistened there before her tongue darted out to lick it away. “What do you mean?”
Kellan pulled his mind away from her pink mouth and back to the conversation. “If someone local did do something to Jasper, he’ll be more dangerous now. I won’t be able to take him off guard—assuming he’s still here.”
“What are you afraid of? That whoever Jasper went after killed him?”
“It’s happened before. The drive to survive is powerful—as you know very well. If you knew someone was there to kill you, wouldn’t you do whatever it took to save your life?”
“Has someone tried to kill you?” she asked softly.
He shrugged. He didn’t want her to freak out, but she needed to take this seriously. “Of course. More than once.”
Tasha screwed the cap on the bottle. “We have time. Don’t send Jasper’s picture to Bea—at least not right away. She won’t email her friends until she has it. We can ask around first.”
He kept his tone firm. “You’re not coming with me.”
As expected, she protested. “Of course I am.”
“Weren’t you listening? This could be dangerous. I don’t particularly want to leave you alone here, but at least you won’t be in the line of fire if I become a target.”
Tasha carefully set the water bottle down on the table then crossed the room to take his hands. Compassion and stubbornness flowed into him along with her thoughts. **I’m not letting you go alone. This is your partner you’re looking for. You’ve worked with him for, what? A couple hundred years? You need someone at your back that isn’t emotionally invested. You need me.**
She would make a good partner, especially since she could sense U’dahmi from a few feet away. More, he wanted her with him, but the possibility of putting her in danger twisted his gut.
**I’m not completely helpless,** she continued. **And Ezra expects you to keep an eye on me. How better for me to prove I can be trusted than if I watch your back?**
Kellan shielded his thoughts. With a little luck, he could keep her from learning the other reason he was reluctant for her to tag along. **All right. But you have to promise to follow my instructions—to the letter and without hesitation.**
**Deal!** Tasha grinned.
Kellan was pretty sure he was going to regret this.
The car parked in the trailer’s space, the headlights went out, and someone climbed the steps making no effort at stealth. The porch door squeaked its warning.
“Oh my God! Alex!” Dave’s sister slammed the broken door open then stopped just inside, terror plain on her face. “Alex!”
“Mom!” The bedroom door opened and a dark-haired ten-year-old boy ran past Dave and into his mother’s arms.
Julie enveloped him in a tight hug. “Are you all right? What happened?”
Dave stood up. Suddenly Alex turned around and leveled the gun at Dave. The kid held the pistol with impressive competence with his small hands, steady and level.
His sister saw Dave first and then the weapon in her son’s hands. Surprise and horror chased across her face.
“Alexander David Hopkins put down that gun this instant!”
“But, Mom!”
“This instant!”
Alex put the weapon down on the floor next to his feet and Dave relaxed a little.
“Thank you,” she said, picking up the gun and clicking on the safety. “How did you get your hands on this?”
Alex mumbled something.
“Speak up. I keep this locked in a safe. How did you get it?”
“I know the combination. I watched you open the safe when we went to the range.”
Julie closed her eyes briefly and then spoke firmly to her son. “You know you’re not supposed to touch a gun without an adult supervising.”
“I know, but Chad came back.”
Fury and fear swept across her expression but her voice stayed level. “You saw him?”
Alex shook his head. “No.”
“Then why do you think it was him?”
“I heard him talking to someone like he was on the phone after he tore the place up. He sounded scared.”
Julie looked around then, taking in the cushions on the floor and the rest of the mess that Dave hadn’t had time to clean up. “That son of a—dog. Did he hurt you?”
“No. I hid in the bathtub.”
“Good thinking,” Dave said. The kid had acted more sensibly in a tough situation than some adults would have.
Alex met his eyes briefly but stepped closer to his mom, his expression conveying pleasure at the praise though he still wasn’t sure if he should trust Dave or not.
“I’m proud of you,” his sister said, hugging her son to her one handed and kissing the top of his head.
Alex wrapped his arms around his mother, hugging her as she rubbed his back. Something twisted in Dave’s gut. Their mom had come into his room at night to murmur excuses while she rubbed his back and put witch hazel on his bruises after his dad had gone on a rampage. But Julie wasn’t making any excuses for Chad. That was
in her favor.
When Alex eased back, Julie turned him to face him. “And this guy is my brother, your Uncle Dave.”
Dave held out his hand. “Good to meet you.”
The boy shook his hand but stayed close to his mother. “How come I haven’t seen you before?”
Right to the point. “That’s a long story. The short answer is that I spent a lot of the last ten years out of the country. But I’m here now because I missed my sister and I’d like to get to know you.”
Julie conveyed her doubts by lifting her brows but didn’t say anything in front of her kid to disagree. Then she looked around taking in the shambles of her living room. “I need to make dinner and get this place cleaned up. Do you have any homework?”
Alex looked up at his mom, disbelief widening his eyes. “You’re going to make me do homework now?”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Go get your backpack.” She gave her son a little shove and then took the gun into her bedroom. Dave followed her. She stopped just inside the door and made a small noise of distress as she took in the damage that Chad had left behind. Books lay crumpled and the dresser drawers emptied on the floor. He started to reach for her, but then Julie squared her shoulders and unloaded the gun before locking it in the safe beside her bed. “I guess I’ll have to change the combination.”
“Why? Alex handled it responsibly.”
Julie sat on the edge of the bed and slumped, covering her face with her hands. Dave sat beside her, slinging an arm around her shoulders the way he used to when they were both kids. She stiffened for a moment but then relaxed, leaning against him.
A moan escaped her. “This is my fault.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I brought Chad into our lives. He was nice at first, and I was lonely. And why am I telling you this?” She stood up and ran her fingers through her dark shoulder-length hair.
“Because I’m your big brother?”
She made a dismissive noise. “My big brother who hasn’t come to visit since Alex was a baby?”
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