Marquez, in boots and jeans and a checked blue shirt, moved closer to her. He was very solemn.
“Fuentes has someone checking you out,” he said abruptly. “I don’t know who, or where. You haven’t mentioned anything about San Antonio down here to anyone?”
“Of course not,” she faltered. Her green eyes met his dark ones. “He couldn’t know I was here,” she added. “The only person I’ve talked to at all is Rodrigo, and I’m sure he’s not mixed up in anything illegal.”
Marquez clenched his teeth. “I wish I could be,” he said flatly. “Nobody’s talking, but the police chief, Grier, let slip that Ramirez had ties to Mexico. He also had a cousin who worked for Manuel Lopez, the late great drug lord.”
She fought to keep her expression from giving her away. “What else did he tell you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything, Glory. I overheard him talking to one of the sheriff’s men at the courthouse.”
She nibbled her lower lip. “Oh, boy.”
“I caught up with him later. We didn’t plan it, but I suppose you know that Grier knows why you’re here,” he said quietly.
“Yes, he does,” she replied. “But he said he’d keep an eye out for me.”
“He also said he asked you to keep an eye out for visitors at the farm.”
She nodded. “I can’t find a safe way to contact him, though. I’m not sure if Rodrigo has listening devices in the house.” She hated having to say that, to sound as if she already suspected that Rodrigo was on the wrong side of the law. She had to try to remember that she took a vow to uphold the law, no matter how much it hurt. “Consuelo said he had all sorts of electronic devices in his room.” She moved closer. “We’ve had two very suspicious new hires. One is a man named Castillo, who has a nasty attitude toward women. The other is Consuelo’s son, Marco. He wears the tats and colors of the Serpientes gang.”
“Damn!” he muttered. “I thought we’d managed to keep those devils out of our community here.”
“They have links everywhere,” she reminded him. “In prisons, in cities all over the world. It’s a network, just like a corporation.”
He leaned back against the passenger side of his truck and folded his arms over his broad chest. “This seemed like a good idea at the outset. Now I’m not too sure anymore. I didn’t persuade you down here to get you killed. What if Marco brings someone with him who recognizes you? As I recall, you prosecuted two San Antonio members of that Houston gang for carjacking.”
“And convicted them,” she returned. She blew out a breath. “I never expected any of the gang to surface down here in Jacobsville. Well, this might be a good time for me to start packing heat.”
“No.”
“I can shoot,” she muttered. “I used to take a .40 caliber Glock onto the police firing range and practice with it.”
“Yes,” he replied, eyes narrowed. “I remember. We got the windshield in the squad car replaced,” he added meaningfully.
She flushed. “That was not my fault! A bird flew past and distracted me just as I started to shoot!”
“Really? What distracted you when you blew the taillight out on the sheriff’s department’s newest car?”
She pushed back a stray wisp of blond hair. “Listen, that deputy should never have parked his stupid car that close to the firing range in the first place!”
He wasn’t buying it. “I’ve never seen so many cops kissing the ground in my life. All they had to do was hear your name and they started putting on Kevlar.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “Okay, Okay. I’m a lethal weapon with a firearm. I admit it. But what am I going to do?”
“We need to put somebody on the farm who can protect you,” he said, thinking. “I understand that there’s a federal agent undercover somewhere between here and Houston, but nobody will tell me where he is or what he’s posing as. If we could get word to him, he might be able to keep an eye on
“Fuentes has someone checking you out,” he said abruptly. “I don’t know who, or where. You haven’t mentioned anything about San Antonio down here to anyone?”
“Of course not,” she faltered. Her green eyes met his dark ones. “He couldn’t know I was here,” she added. “The only person I’ve talked to at all is Rodrigo, and I’m sure he’s not mixed up in anything illegal.”
Marquez clenched his teeth. “I wish I could be,” he said flatly. “Nobody’s talking, but the police chief, Grier, let slip that Ramirez had ties to Mexico. He also had a cousin who worked for Manuel Lopez, the late great drug lord.”
She fought to keep her expression from giving her away. “What else did he tell you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything, Glory. I overheard him talking to one of the sheriff’s men at the courthouse.”
She nibbled her lower lip. “Oh, boy.”
“I caught up with him later. We didn’t plan it, but I suppose you know that Grier knows why you’re here,” he said quietly.
“Yes, he does,” she replied. “But he said he’d keep an eye out for me.”
“He also said he asked you to keep an eye out for visitors at the farm.”
She nodded. “I can’t find a safe way to contact him, though. I’m not sure if Rodrigo has listening devices in the house.” She hated having to say that, to sound as if she already suspected that Rodrigo was on the wrong side of the law. She had to try to remember that she took a vow to uphold the law, no matter how much it hurt. “Consuelo said he had all sorts of electronic devices in his room.” She moved closer. “We’ve had two very suspicious new hires. One is a man named Castillo, who has a nasty attitude toward women. The other is Consuelo’s son, Marco. He wears the tats and colors of the Serpientes gang.”
“Damn!” he muttered. “I thought we’d managed to keep those devils out of our community here.”
“They have links everywhere,” she reminded him. “In prisons, in cities all over the world. It’s a network, just like a corporation.”
He leaned back against the passenger side of his truck and folded his arms over his broad chest. “This seemed like a good idea at the outset. Now I’m not too sure anymore. I didn’t persuade you down here to get you killed. What if Marco brings someone with him who recognizes you? As I recall, you prosecuted two San Antonio members of that Houston gang for carjacking.”
“And convicted them,” she returned. She blew out a breath. “I never expected any of the gang to surface down here in Jacobsville. Well, this might be a good time for me to start packing heat.”
“No.”
“I can shoot,” she muttered. “I used to take a .40 caliber Glock onto the police firing range and practice with it.”
“Yes,” he replied, eyes narrowed. “I remember. We got the windshield in the squad car replaced,” he added meaningfully.
She flushed. “That was not my fault! A bird flew past and distracted me just as I started to shoot!”
“Really? What distracted you when you blew the taillight out on the sheriff’s department’s newest car?”
She pushed back a stray wisp of blond hair. “Listen, that deputy should never have parked his stupid car that close to the firing range in the first place!”
He wasn’t buying it. “I’ve never seen so many cops kissing the ground in my life. All they had to do was hear your name and they started putting on Kevlar.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “Okay, Okay. I’m a lethal weapon with a firearm. I admit it. But what am I going to do?”
“We need to put somebody on the farm who can protect you,” he said, thinking. “I understand that there’s a federal agent undercover somewhere between here and Houston, but nobody will tell me where he is or what he’s posing as. If we could get word to him, he might be able to keep an eye on
Similar Books
