Part 24 (1/2)
”I've worked for Mr. Luis half my life,” Carlos said, never turning around, ”and I'd never disrespect him by calling him by his first name. Pedro was just giving you a lesson in manners.”
Unarmed and bleeding, Anthony sat quietly for the rest of the ride.
He kept reminding himself that he was smarter than all these people combined, but he had to stay calm if he was going to get out of this alive. As they exited the interstate, a car accident had backed uptraffic, a perfect chance to escape, but his watcher must have sensed the same thing and pushed the barrel of his gun so viciously into his side that Anthony winced.
As they finally approached the hotel, sweat acc.u.mulated under his arms and down his back. Would anyone even notice if these idiots killed him and took him out with the trash?
”If you cause a scene in the lobby, Agent Curtis, I swear on my mother's head youwill live to regret it,” Carlos said.
The threat made him behave until Carlos swiped his key card at Rodolfo's suite door. Rodolfo was sitting in the same spot he'd chosen the last time theymet, only this time the drapes were closed.
Anthony sat down.
”No one asked you to sit, Mr. Curtis,” Rodolfo said, then crossed his legs. ”You aren't a very mannered man, are you?”
”My manners are fine, I just have a headache,” Anthony said as he pointed to his head where he'd been hit, but stood after Rodolfo's reprimand. ”That would put anyone in a bad mood.”
”You're just an innocent victim in all this, I'm sure.” Rodolfo laughed. ”You can tend to your head in a bit since I'm not planning to keep you long.”
”If you want to offer me a jobmy dance card's full.” Carlos came closer and he almost expected to get hit again.
”My nephew's not very smart and seldom thinks, but don't put me in the same league. I don't want to offer you a job. I want to give you fair warning.” Rodolfo got to his feet and stepped close enough that Anthony could smell his cologne. ”Go home and tend to your head and be grateful that's all that happened.”
”I don't work for you, Mr. Luis, so, with all due respect, I don't have to take orders from you.” He heard the whoosh of air behind him just before the pain in his head drove him to his knees. When Anthony could open his eyes, Carlos stood over him, holding his own gun to his head.
”Supposedly you work for my nephew, but you and I both know who you really work for, so I want you gone. If you talk to Juan again...well, I'll leave that to your imagination.” Rodolfo pressed his fingers to the oozing wound and looked at them before he painted Anthony's cheek with the blood that coated them. ”Like you said, though, you don't work for me, but I want you to remember one thing.”
”What?”
”The next time I call you in for a talk, don't beg for mercy or cry for salvation, because there won't be any.”
Anthony was still on his knees, which made Rodolfo seem taller when he peered up at him. ”If you believe I still work for the FBI, isn't treating me like this stupid?”
”Do you think anyone in this room but you is going to admit this meeting took place? Go home and back to your job, Mr. Curtis, and you won't have a thing to worry about. If you don't, you won't be of consequence to anyone for long.”
Rodolfo left the room, and Carlos picked Anthony up and handed him to Pedro. ”Now you can take that cab, Agent Curtis.”
”What about my guns?”
”You know what I think?”
”What?”
”That this won't be the last time we talk.” Carlos suddenly grabbed Anthony's crotch and squeezed so hard his eyes welled with tears.
”When we have to talk again, I'm going to shoot this off first and send it to that pretty lady you work for.” He squeezed harder. ”Then I'm going to put a bullet between your eyes with your FBI gun that I'm keeping to show my friends.” Carlos laughed before throwing him out.
Out in the hall Anthony leaned against the wall well away from the suite, trying to get his heart rate down. He needed to concoct a new plan before Juan returned the next night. No matter what it was, Carlos, Rodolfo, and Pedro were going down.
”And when that happens, you son of a b.i.t.c.h, don't begme for mercy,” he said, referring to Rodolfo. ”Because I'm going to pull the f.u.c.king trigger three times, and it's going to feel sweet.”
Chapter Thirty-Two.
”You ready to go, la.s.s?” Cain yelled up the stairs while Hannah climbed to the fourth step and jumped into her arms. It was the third time she'd gone through the process of climbing and jumping, adding a step every time.
”If she tries that with me when you're not home, I'm going to be p.i.s.sed when I call you from the emergency room,” Emma said from the landing. She'd changed into a simple-cut dress and low heels.
”Hannah's smart enough not to try that with you, Mama,” Hayden said as he pa.s.sed her on the way down.
”Why do you think that?”
”Because when I was four I was smart enough to know we'd both be in trouble if I tried it. You're our mom, but you're kind of shrimpy,” he joked.
”Good to know, son.” She started down, keeping her eyes off Hannah, who was leaping from the sixth step now.
This time Cain caught Hannah and kept her in her arms. ”Let's go pick up Grandpa,” she said, having to use both hands to keep Hannah still. ”Wait until you see what he got you for your birthday,”
she told Hayden.
”He let you know what itwas? ”
”He called for hints, and I told him you missed your milking duties so much he smuggled a cow on board.”
”You're so funny. You're just jealous I know how and you don't.”
”Your mom promised to take me in the barn for a private lesson when we go up for a visit” Emma put her hand over Cain's mouth and pointed to the door.
Cain drove them to the airport, with Lou, Merrick, and Mook following. Ross had planned the trip to sign a contract for Cain, and for Hayden's birthday. The airport was busy as the influx of Sunday afternoon flights arrived, so it took Cain a while to find two parking spots close to each other.
They waited at the Delta section, and Hannah ran around them.
Cain split her time watching her and Emma, who had her eyes plastered to the long concourse but had been constantly smoothing down her dress in a nervous-tic way.
”Are you okay?” she asked Emma.
”It's weird, but I'm not. I've felt like such a disappointment to him for so long that sometimes I don't know how to act around him.”
Cain put her arm around Emma's waist and kissed her temple.
”I've talked to your father quite often since we got back, and he certainly isn't disappointed in you. Ross is proud of the life and family you've built, la.s.s. With his separation from your mother, he feels freer to express himself, and he's looking forward to spending more time with us. It's time for him to get to know his grandchildren and his little girl. You two need to move past the shadow of what happened with your mother and stop wasting time dwelling on what could've been.”
”He did mention that Maddie and Jerry agreed to take over the farm,” Emma said. ”With the help from their new silent partner, Jerry's planning to put together a bigger herd for the coming season.” A crowd was making its way up the main corridor, meaning a flight had just deplaned. ”With any luck we can talk him into staying with us during the winter months. What do you think?”
”That we need to get the house finished so he'll know we have a place for him.” Cain jutted her chin in the direction of the security stand and the first guy through it. ”Go tell him h.e.l.lo.”
Ross stopped halfway to them and put his bag down so he could pick up Hannah, who was running toward him at her usual rapid pace. It was the reception he'd been hoping for, and only got better when Hayden was right behind her.