Dangerous Choice

by Barbara Freethy

  "Stop," he ordered.

  Pablo made one last lurch toward the weapon; it was his last move. Michael fired another shot—straight through the heart.

  Tara and Bethany screamed once more. He shoved Tara back behind him, not sure who Michael would go after next.

  Michael stared at Pablo, watching the blood gush from his chest wound. Then he tossed his weapon onto the floor and gave Diego a challenging look.

  His lips tightened, but hope ran through him now that Michael had released his weapon.

  "Your turn," Michael told him. "If you want to take me out, do it now."

  He didn't want to take the shot, and thankfully he didn't have to.

  Michael looked away from him, his gaze moving to Bethany. Then he walked over to her and dropped to his knees. He opened his arms, and Bethany crawled into them.

  "I love you, too, Bethany," Michael said.

  "You believe me?" she asked through her tears.

  "I do," he said, kissing her with passion and love.

  Diego let out a breath and lowered his weapon as Tara joined him in the hallway.

  "It's over," she said, a bright light in her still terrified blue eyes. "He chose Bethany over his brothers. I didn't think he would."

  "I didn't, either."

  He walked across the room, keeping his gun at the ready, as he kicked various weapons out of reach in case Michael decided to make another move or someone else came through the door. He also checked on the two men. Both Pablo and Rico were dead. His brother had shot the two men he'd considered his brothers.

  Had he done it out of love for Bethany? Or out of hatred for their betrayal?

  Michael got to his feet and helped Bethany over to the couch, where they both sat down.

  His brother didn't seem to be at all concerned that Diego still had a gun on him.

  "What now, Diego? You want to arrest me?" Michael challenged. "My FBI brother?"

  "You knew that before Pablo told you."

  "I did a little research after you showed up at the golf course. It's been a busy day."

  "And your research also revealed that Pablo and Rico were plotting against you?"

  "Unfortunately, yes. I knew they would lead me to Bethany. And they did."

  There was a note of detachment in Michael's voice. He was putting emotional distance between himself and the men he had grown up with. Diego recognized that trick. He'd done it dozens of times. It made him feel like he still had a connection to his brother.

  "You have to let Michael go, Diego," Bethany pleaded. "He saved our lives."

  "He also killed two people right in front of me."

  "So they wouldn't kill you or Bethany or your blonde friend," Michael returned. "It was self-defense."

  "Was it? Or was it payback for what they were trying to do to you?"

  "They deserved what they got. They weren't who I thought they were, but then most people aren't," he said bitterly. "It's a lesson I keep relearning."

  "Help Michael," Bethany pleaded. "He's your brother."

  "Do you want to play that card?" he asked Michael.

  "No," Michael returned. "Do what you want to do. It's your choice."

  "A choice you gave to me. Why?"

  Michael stared back at him. "Because I wanted to."

  He didn't quite know what to make of his brother's answer. He knew what he wanted to make of it—he wanted to believe there was still love between them.

  "Help both of us, Diego," Bethany continued, unwilling to stop fighting for Michael, for their love. "Let us go. We'll disappear. We'll leave all of this behind. We won't do anything criminal ever again. We'll live good lives. We'll be the best people in the world if you just give us a second chance."

  He wanted to help them. There was even a part of him that wanted to let them both go, but that wasn't the right decision. He glanced at Tara, who hadn't said a word, but there was encouragement in her eyes. She wanted him to find a way out of this. And there was one possibility…

  Clearing his throat, he said, "You'll never be safe if you try to disappear, not with the Salazars still in control. They'll hunt you down, Michael. There's only one way for you to change your life. You need to take the Salazar organization down—all of them—the entire operation from top to bottom. The government can put you in witness protection. Once the cartel is destroyed, you and Bethany will be safe."

  "You want me to turn on the people who took me in, who raised me when no one else would?" Michael asked. "It's a lot to ask."

  "Is it?" he challenged, meeting his brother's gaze head-on. "I'm sure there are still people in the family you care about, but you killed Pablo and Rico. No matter what your relationship was in the past, the family will now see you as their enemy. You turned against them. And you're not their blood." He took a breath, feeling a knot of emotion in his throat. "But you are my blood, my brother, and I don't want to see you in jail or dead. What's it going to be?"

  Michael gave him a long look, then his gaze moved to his fallen brothers. "I never thought they would betray me. We grew up together. I never took anything from them. I tried to help them. I knew they wanted more, but they made mistakes, bad decisions. Caleb didn't trust them. He trusted me. He gave me money and power. He made me feel like I was in control of my life for the very first time."

  Michael's words sent a wave of pain through Diego. "I know you had a rough childhood."

  "You don't know anything, Diego."

  "I know you have a choice to make now. One that could change your life for the better, give you real control."

  "Real control? While I'm hiding? While I'm testifying against the people who took me in?"

  "Yes," he said flatly. "Because going forward it's not about them; it's about you. Your life has changed. You can never go back. You have to accept that."

  A small smile played across Michael's face. "I actually like your honesty. It reminds me of when you told me to toughen up and take that nasty cough medicine, because it was good for me."

  "I'm still trying to look out for you."

  Michael gave Bethany a quick glance. She was snuggled up against him, her eyes filled with adoration and love. Then he turned his gaze back to Diego. "Can you guarantee witness protection for both of us?"

  "That depends on what you're willing to give up, how cooperative you'll be."

  Pounding footsteps drew his attention to the door. He raised his gun once more, but this time it was Wyatt who strode through the door, followed by Bree. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked in surprise, lowering his weapon.

  "Tara texted me," Bree said.

  Tara gave him a shrug as she lifted the phone in her hand. "I had to do something while I was hiding in the bedroom."

  "Who do we have here?" Wyatt asked, tipping his head toward Pablo and Rico.

  "Salazars," he replied. "They tried to kidnap Bethany. Michael stopped them. He prevented them from killing any of us." He paused. "This is my brother."

  "Okay," Wyatt said slowly. "How do you want to play this? Or maybe Bree and I need to step outside and let you handle things?"

  His gaze moved to Bree, who had the same question in her eyes. He knew they would go along with whatever he decided. But he would never put their jobs in jeopardy. There was only one decision, and Michael had to make it. But even if he didn't choose to cooperate, he would be taken into custody.

  "Michael?" he asked, his gaze returning to his brother.

  Michael didn't answer right away, conflict in his dark eyes, but Diego sensed his brother was getting to the inevitable conclusion.

  "I know you'll put me in jail, Diego. You always had a sense of justice, even when you were a kid. You knew what was right and what was wrong."

  "You used to know that, too."

  "All right," Michael said. "I will help you to rip the organization apart. I have all the knowledge and the evidence you need to take down the Salazars." He blew out a breath at the end of his statement, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just said. />
  Diego felt both relief and concern at Michael's decision. It was the only choice, and he was glad Michael had made it. But the personal cost of taking down the family who had raised him would be high for Michael. Once again, his brother was alone. But not really alone—he had Bethany. That was something. And he suspected Michael was making this decision for Bethany as well as himself.

  "In that case, I'll call this in," Wyatt said, as he took out his phone.

  "Bree, would you mind taking Tara and Bethany into the other room? I need a minute with my brother," he said.

  "Of course," Bree said, urging Tara and Bethany down the hallway.

  "Michael." He tipped his head toward the kitchen, and his brother got up and followed him into the adjoining room.

  They stood on either side of the kitchen island, which seemed like the perfect metaphor for their relationship.

  "You called me Michael," his brother said, folding his arms in front of his chest.

  "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

  "I did. Maybe not anymore."

  "You said you followed Pablo here. Do you know how he figured out our location?"

  "I assume he got the information from the woman he met on the Santa Monica Pier about an hour ago."

  His heart jumped at that piece of information. "A woman? What did she look like?"

  "She was blonde, wearing big sunglasses, tight jeans, and short top. Her hair was in a ponytail. Her posture was forceful. She and Pablo had an intense conversation."

  His gut tightened. Michael's description sounded like Tracy. But that was a crazy thought—wasn't it? Tracy couldn't be involved with the Salazars. Although, she was the one who had given him the first tip.

  But why would she have sent him to the church in Cascada? Why would she have wanted him in the middle of whatever deal she was running with the cartel?

  Bree's words rang through his mind. It feels like it's your turn, Diego, like someone is pulling the strings, and you're dancing on hot coals, running for your life, like I did, and Wyatt did—Parisa and Damon, too. You're the only one who hadn't had a secret from his past come back to haunt him—until now.

  Bree had been talking about Vincent, but maybe it had been Tracy all along.

  But what did it mean? Was all of this a setup? For what purpose? To pay him back for dumping her after their one night together? That seemed way too extreme.

  "You think you know who she is," Michael said.

  "I can't imagine that I do. That would make her a traitor."

  "Maybe that's what she is. This is an FBI safehouse. And she gave it up. That must mean she either works for the bureau or she was paid by someone who does to deliver the information."

  "He said he did, but we can't ask him."

  "You seem unfazed by the fact that two of your family members are dead, and that you killed them."

  "They betrayed me." Michael's eyes blazed with fury. "I devoted my life to the Salazars. I did whatever they wanted me to do. I was so grateful that they had taken me in, shown me love, paid for my education, that I gave them all of my loyalty. We were family. But when Pablo told me a bullshit story this morning about Bethany stealing from him, I knew something was up. And I knew Rico had to be involved."

  "You sent us away, so we wouldn't be there when Rico came back."

  "Yes. Rico acts first, thinks later. I knew he would try to take you out, and I needed more information before I could act. So, I started digging into it. Pablo told me about Vanessa's birthday party in Cascada. I spoke to Vanessa. She told me that she thought Rico had convinced Pablo to do something he shouldn't do, and she was worried about her brother's part in it. She suggested that Rico was trying to set me up, but she didn't know why." He paused. "I had no idea Bethany had gone to the compound. I had deliberately kept her away from the estate. I didn't want her to get swept up in anything. I wanted our relationship to be separate from all that. When I heard she'd gone there behind my back, for a moment, I thought maybe she was playing me, too."

  "She wasn't. She heard Pablo and Rico plotting against you. And she stole the drive with their manufactured evidence. I saw everything on it. They were setting you up, making it look like you were skimming off the top. They had photoshopped pictures of you and Alan Pedroza together. They were going to show everything to Caleb. I'm sure they thought he would take you down for them."

  Michael's jaw tightened. "I've never met with Pedroza."

  "They were very believable photos."

  "They were faked. And I never took money off the top. I was loyal."

  "Their proof was convincing. It was quite a plot, but it was foiled by Pablo's inability to hold his liquor and keep the drive safe."

  "He's always had a problem with drinking too much. Both Pablo and Rico make terrible decisions. That's why they haven't been promoted, why they haven't been given more responsibility. I knew there was dissension, bitterness. I tried to give Pablo jobs that would help him gain Caleb's respect, but he always screwed something up. Still, I never imagined they would go as far as they did. Now who's the idiot?" Michael uttered a harsh laugh. "I don't know why I'm surprised, though. I should be used to it by now—my life changing in an instant. People I love turning on me, disappearing. It's the story of my life."

  "It doesn't have to be going forward. Bethany wants to go into hiding with you. She wants to be with you. She loves you."

  "I love her, too. She's the real reason I killed them. They would have made sure she died for what she did."

  "I thought that might be part of it."

  "But the reality of changing names, having no money, starting over—I don't know how long she'll stick around."

  "She might surprise you. She took a huge risk trying to save you."

  "I still can't believe she did it. But then Bethany is impulsive. She's driven by emotion. She reminds me of who I used to be."

  "She definitely pushes the envelope. But in this case, she acted out of love. I like her—for whatever that's worth." He paused, needing to bring up the past even though Michael probably didn't want to hear it. But he had no idea if they'd ever have the chance to talk about it again. He couldn't let this moment slip away. "I know my father's rejection was incredibly painful."

  "You don't know anything," Michael said flatly.

  "That's not true. I'm sure it felt a lot like our mother's rejection of me."

  Michael's gaze narrowed. "She didn't reject you; she was kicked out of the house."

  "But she never came back, not even to see me for a brief moment. She got married. She changed her name and yours. She had another life. She never looked for me. She was my mother for thirteen years. You think I don't know what it feels like to have a parent reject you? To lose one of the two people in the world who is supposed to love you and protect you?"

  Michael's lips drew into a hard line as he stared back at him. "She did try to see you in the beginning, but your father had you hidden away, and she couldn't get to you. She wasn't a very strong person, you know. She was caring and loving, but she was weak. She needed someone to take care of her. That's why she married Tomas. She didn't want to be alone."

  "Was he good to her? To you?"

  "I think he loved her. He treated me well enough. I didn't care that much about him one way or the other."

  "I met Irina. She said she tried to take you in after Tomas died, but you wanted to be with the other kids at the Salazar compound."

  "I did want that. Irina was a nice woman, but I didn't belong with her. The Salazar estate was where I felt at home. Caleb and Sophia treated me like a nephew, as did Juan Felipe and Santoro. Their kids were my cousins. We were a tribe. I thought it didn't matter that I didn't share their blood, but it always mattered. It mattered with your father. And it mattered with my cousins, when they thought I had too much."

  There was a bleakness to his brother's eyes that tore at his heart. "It matters to me that you're my brother; you're my blood. Does it matter to you?"

  Michael thought abou
t that, then gave him a hard smile. "I'm a criminal. You're an FBI agent. Our blood doesn't matter. We're on opposite sides."

  "That may be true when it comes to the law, but not when it comes to us. We are still brothers. And I never stopped looking for you. I don't want you to die, Michael. I want you to live. But you're the only one who can make things better. It's just like when I gave you a push on your bike and told you to pedal as fast as you could, so you wouldn't fall. I could only take you so far then; the rest you had to do by yourself. The same is true now."

  A light flickered in his brother's eyes. "I remember that. I crashed into the bushes."

  "Not before you rode a good ten feet. You were proud. You wanted to do it again."

  "I wanted to impress you."

  "You did."

  "Was your father good to you after we left?"

  "No. He was terrible. He was angry, bitter. He took me for revenge, not for love. In reality, he was done with all of us. I hated him for sending you and Mom away. We fought all the time. He forced me to go to military school. He wanted to straighten me out. At first, I was resentful, but then I was happy that I was away from him. I found a new family in the service. It felt good. I can understand why you felt like you belonged somewhere when the Salazars took you in."

  "Mom never liked the family. She hated when Tomas took us to the compound. She didn't like that he did anything for Caleb and his brothers, but Tomas knew what it meant to be loyal."

  "So loyal that he didn't question how our mother fell off a mountain during a solo hike?"

  Something flickered in Michael's eyes. "I wondered about that, too, but it was wet that day. The rocks were slippery."

  "Mom didn't even like to take walks. I can't imagine her hiking in the mountains by herself."

  Michael shrugged. "She used to walk when we went to Cascada. Like I said, she didn't like to be around them."

  "I want to find out more about her death, but that's for another day. What about your biological father? Are you sure you don't know who he is?"

  "I don't. Do you?" Michael challenged. "You were older than me. You were more aware of what was going on."

  "I've been thinking about it. There was a doctor at the hospital where Mom worked. He drove her home one night. I saw them out my window. She looked happy—happier than she had in a long time. But when she came in the house, Dad started yelling at her. He said she needed to quit her job before she did something stupid with that doctor. I don't know if his last name was Winters, but we could find out."