Part 39 (1/2)
”But if he never comes back to the U.S.-”
”He'll never be prosecuted. Extradition from Mexico is almost unheard of. There are serial killers from the U.S. sipping margaritas in Tijuana as we speak.”
Dave felt righteous anger explode inside him. ”Do you mean to tell me he's going to get away with this?”
”Unless he chooses to come back across the border, our hands are tied.”
Dave just sat there, paralyzed with disbelief. This couldn't be happening. They had evidence tied up with a nice, neat bow sitting back in the U.S., and it wasn't going to do them a d.a.m.ned bit of good.
”There must be some way to deal with this,” Dave said.
”No. There's nothing you can do. Cut your losses and get out of there.”
Dave turned to look at Lisa, knowing she'd gotten the gist of the problem. She met Dave's gaze with an expression of pleading, of hope, waiting for him to tell her that somehow this was going to be all right. That somehow they were going to take down the man who'd tried to kill her.
That somehow he was going to make right for her what had gone so wrong.
Dave thought about how she'd spent her whole childhood living with parents who didn't give a d.a.m.n about her, who'd forced her to become harsh and wary, who'd taken the joy right out of her life. Then she'd dealt with her low-life brother and faced a drug conviction she was innocent of. Now she faced circ.u.mstances she couldn't control that threatened to tear her life apart one more time. Call it a streak of h.e.l.lacious bad luck, karma gone wild, or anything else you wanted to, but the fact remained that it wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and, by G.o.d, this time it wasn't going to happen.
”Alex,” he said. ”We're coming back today.”
”Good.”
”And Robert's coming with us.”
”What?”
”I'll call you later and let you know when we'll be there.”
”Dave, listen to me. That son of a b.i.t.c.h has a multimillion-dollar operation going. He's already proven he'll kill to protect it. I want you out of there now now.”
”I told you I'm bringing him in.”
”Dave? Let it go, Dave. Dave! Dave!”
He hung up the phone over his brother's protests, then turned to Lisa. ”We're getting out of here today. But we're not leaving alone. Robert is going to be on that plane with us.”
”What are you talking about?”
”We're taking him back across the border.”
”He's not going to like that.”
”I hadn't planned on asking his permission.”
The phone rang again. ”It's Alex calling back,” Dave said. ”Let it go.”
Ten rings later, the phone fell silent.
”Let me get this straight,” Lisa said. ”You're planning on grabbing him, putting him on the plane, and flying him back to San Antonio.”
”Yes. Where we'll have customs officials waiting for him.”
”That's kidnapping.”
”I'd prefer to think of it as a police escort. But before we can grab him, first we need to find him. If he really is pulling completely out of the U.S., the clinic is history, so I doubt he's there. Do you know the number at his apartment?”
Lisa told him. Dave dialed, then handed her the phone. ”Just listen. If someone comes on the line you recognize as Robert, hang up.”
She listened a moment, then flicked her finger over the disconnect b.u.t.ton. ”He's there.”
”With no other doctors down here, will he be alone in the building?”
”Yes.”
”Then we should be able to grab him with no problem.”
Dave strode back to the guest bedroom, Lisa taking two steps to keep up with every one of his. He b.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt and tucked it in, then grabbed a gun from his bag.
”Dave? Are you sure you want to do this?”
A sense of righteous anger surged through him all over again. ”Robert tried to kill you. Then he tried to frame you for a crime you didn't commit, and now he thinks he's gotten away with all of it. I'm not going to let that happen.”
He slid the gun into his jeans at the small of his back, then put on his jacket.
”Messing with you was a big mistake on his part, Lisa. Because now that means he's going to have to deal with me.”
They went downstairs, and Dave phoned Alex back to tell him what they'd decided to do. Even though the phone was against Dave's ear, Lisa could still hear the expletives pouring out of his brother's mouth. It took Dave a good three or four minutes to calm Alex down long enough to hear their plan. Eventually he relented, and from Dave's side of the conversation she could tell that Alex was going to arrange to have customs officials at the San Antonio airport three hours from now to make an arrest.
”He sounds real happy about this,” Lisa said as Dave hung up the phone.
”That's just Alex. He has to fly off for a little while. Eventually he winds down enough that you can reason with him.”
”Kind of volatile for a cop, isn't he?”
”Oh, he's not like that on the job. Only with family.”
”People he cares about.”
”Exactly.” Dave shook his head. ”He yells because he loves us. Show me the logic in that.”
”You know the logic in that.”
Dave tucked his hand behind Lisa's neck. ”Yeah,” he said softly. ”I do.” He pulled her forward and kissed her, then rose from the kitchen chair. ”Let's get going. The sooner we're in the air and out of here, the better I'm going to like it.” He started toward the door, then turned back. ”Better bring a blanket.”
Lisa slumped with disgust. ”So I get to ride in the backseat again?”
”Now is not the time for Robert to find out you're back in town.”
They left the house and got into the car, with Lisa tucked against the floorboard of the backseat. It wasn't long before Dave pulled the car into the alley that ran behind the apartment building and killed the engine.