Chapter Twenty: Shoot Me Straight

Ryder

SHOOT ME STRAIGHT

Performed by Brothers Osborne

Jaime asked question after question aboutthe new cabins before admitting he was thinking of adding something similar to the backside of his property. Except, his new cabins would be highly exclusive and available only to those who wanted extreme privacy. His idea was to have limited staff who’d wait on the guests, bringing food and groceries and supplies, but no one else on the ranch would even know they were there. It was a good hook for celebrities who were trying to disappear for a few days. I thought about the cabin up on the ridge that I’d debated converting into a small house. It would be a great retreat, far away from seeing eyes.

As we made our way back toward the parking lot, I debated inviting Jaime in for lunch. Mama would likely skin me alive for not offering, but I also didn’t want him to see Addy and ask questions I couldn’t answer. So, instead of heading toward the farmhouse, I led him into my office at the backside of the barn.

“Where’s Brandon?” Jaime asked, glancing around the office with the two desks shoved together.

“Horse auction in Tulsa,” I said before waving toward where a Keurig sat next to a decanter of whiskey above a mini fridge. “Water? Coffee? Whiskey?”

He grinned. “It’s a little early for whiskey, but I will have one to celebrate you agreeing to take over the treasurer’s position.”

I removed my hat, brushed my hand over my hair, and sat down behind my desk. “Truth is, Jaime, I’ve got some family stuff happening that’s going to take up my time for a while.”

His smile disappeared. “Nothing serious, I hope.”

I bit back an immediate yes. My entire life had been shifted. The last two days with Addy had felt dreamlike in both good and bad ways. How did I move from feeling like she was a guest to making her the focus of my life? If I’d had the chance to learn with her, to grow into being a parent, it wouldn’t feel like this—awkward and forced.

“It’ll all work itself out,” I told him, my voice gruff. “But I’m going to be absorbed with it for some time. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to do the job justice.”

Jaime watched me with hawklike eyes, and for the first time since I’d met the man, I felt uncomfortable, as if he was peeling back my layers to see everything inside of me. I forced myself to stay relaxed, but tension curled up my spine.

“At least come to the gala. The other board members are coming, and you can get an idea from them of the time commitment. Bring that beautiful woman with you, and let loose for a few hours.”

The assumption he’d made about Gia and me landed heavily in my chest even though I’d encouraged just that belief by possessively moving into her space in order to stop his flirting. The unease I was feeling for the first time in his presence grew another round. I hated being pushed and manipulated, but Jaime wasn’t someone I could easily say no to. I owed him, and he knew it. He’d never called in the favor. Never even hinted that it was an obligation I needed to pay back, but here he was, leaving all that had come before us hanging in the air.

“You really drive all the way down from Kentucky just to ask me to attend your shindig?”

He chuckled. “I’ve been wanting to test out the Porsche on the back roads, and it gave me an excuse.” He checked the time on the Patek Philippe gold-and-leather watch that he’d told me his father had won from an Egyptian prince in a card game. “But I should head out. I have a meeting this evening I can’t miss.”

We walked out, the sharp wind hitting us in the face, stinging my eyes.

“How long you going to keep this one?” I asked, tipping my hat in the direction of the red Cayman.

He chuckled. “Drove well, so I might keep it longer than most.”

Jaime had a new vehicle every time I saw him. And not just some off-the-showroom-floor type of car. His required brokers and special handling and cost more than most people had in their pensions. He was the only person I knew who could be that extravagant. He may have turned his family’s ranch into a luxurious five-star resort, but they’d never been in jeopardy of losing everything before that. He’d come from a long line of wealth on his mother’s side.

But he’d still had to earn his way at the family ranch. He’d once told me his father had been a tightfisted bastard who didn’t believe in spending any money. In fact, he’d been so pissed when Jaime, at eighteen, had gotten his pilot’s license and then promptly used his trust fund to buy a six-seater Cessna that he’d threatened to cut him out of the will unless he went to work on the farms in California. He felt Jaime needed to work shoulder to shoulder with other migrant workers to appreciate what he’d been born into. He’d wanted his son to experience the hardships his dad’s family had gone through coming to the United States.

My opinion was that Jaime’s time without money, that time working his fingers to the bone, had only made him more determined to surround himself with luxury. Once his father had died, there was no one to stop him from spending in excess.

Jaime opened the Cayman’s door and looked over the top of the vehicle. “I’m expecting you to show up next Saturday. I’ll put you down for a plus-one so you can bring that dazzling brunette with you.”

I grunted out, “Fine.”

Jaime smiled and winked before lowering himself in the driver’s seat. The powerful engine roared to life, and he took off down the drive, passing my brother’s sheriff’s truck on its way in.

Maddox parked next to my truck and slid out, coming to stand next to me. “Who was that?”

“Jaime Laredo. Came to pester me about his charity gala and the ranchers’ association.”

“Better you than me.”

“Thanks, asswipe.”

Maddox pulled a paper bag out from under his jacket. “Mama told me you were here, so I brought the DNA swabs.”

My jaw clenched again. Everywhere I turned right now, it felt like I was keeping secrets, and it didn’t sit well with me. But then I thought of Addy’s tiny voice telling us what she’d seen in that hotel room, and determination welled through me. I’d do anything to keep her safe, including a DNA test that the spitfire analyst inside didn’t approve of us taking.

Neither of us said another word as we headed for the house. We stomped our boots on the mat and removed our hats as we walked through the door, hanging them on the coatrack.

“Figures you’d both show up just in time for lunch,” Mama said, laughter in her voice.

Gia and Rianne were sitting at the kitchen table with her, and they had bowls of soup in front of them, along with homemade sourdough. Addy and Mila were nowhere in sight, and my stomach tightened.

“She’s upstairs in the playroom with Mila,” Gia said, reading my worry before anyone else in the room.

“We’ll just go up and say hello first,” Maddox said.

We headed down the hall littered with pictures of our family, generations worth, including ones of us growing up and new ones with Mila embedded into our lives. Another thing Addy and I had missed out on. Pictures and holidays and vacations together.

Upstairs, we made our way to the bedroom on the end that had once been mine. Mama had converted it into a princess playroom. A little girl’s dream space with a castle painted on the wall and flowers hanging from the ceiling. At a child-sized table in the corner, Mila and Addy sat eating lunch. Addy was telling my niece about her jaguar. Complete sentences again, soft and low, but still sure. “Mama told me that Balam can see not only in the dark but into people’s souls. He protects good people by sending bad people away.”

“We should write a story about him,” Mila said. Then, she saw us standing just outside the door. “Daddy!” She came running, hugging Maddox’s legs. “We played with the kittens, and are having lunch, and did you know that Addy’s mama died? That’s why she’s staying with Uncle Ryder. She’s not only my friend, but she’s my cousin! I’ve never had a cousin.”

“Breathe, Bug-a-boo,” Maddox said.

“Addy being your cousin has to be a secret for now, remember?” I said with a grunt.

“But it’s Daddy! And you told me family knew.”

“Maybe we should make a list of people who know,” Maddox suggested, looking at me apologetically. “Why don’t you go down and get some cookies to bring up to Addy.”

“Oh yes! I almost forgot about the snickerdoodles!”

Mila ran out, and I made my way over to Addy. “Did you have fun?”

She nodded, looking between me and Maddox, a wariness returning to her eyes that I wanted to wipe away. I reached out, took the paper bag from Maddox, and pulled one of the tubes from inside it. “I need your help with something important.”

She clutched the jaguar to her chest.

“We need to take a DNA test to make sure the world knows you’re my daughter.”

Her eyes grew a little wider.

“It won’t hurt,” Maddox said. “It’s just like a Q-tip, except instead of cleaning your ear, we swab your cheek. I’ll do your dad first so you can see.”

Maddox took the other tube from the bag, cracked the seal, swabbed my cheek, and then stuffed it back in the tube. “See, simple as that.”

“You want me to do it, or can Maddox do it?” I asked.

She shrugged, and I missed the new chatter I’d heard all over again. It snagged at my heart that she was more comfortable with my niece than her own father.

I cracked the tube, asked her to open her mouth, brushed the insides softly, and then stuck it back in the tube. “Easy-peasy, right?”

She nodded, a small smile lighting her up.

Mila came skipping back in with a napkin and two enormous cookies.

Maddox’s radio squawked loudly, and we all jumped except Mila. He stepped out of the room to listen. When he returned, he looked at me with a seriousness that made my stomach plummet.

“We need to head to the station.”

I placed my hand on top of Addy’s. “I’m sorry I keep leaving you today, sweetheart, but I promise you’re in good hands with Nana. You’re safe here.”

She nodded and smiled at me softly. “I like Mila’s room.”

My heart thudded at the complete sentence that sounded smooth instead of stilted.

“Oh, this is not my room. I don’t live here. My room is full of rainbows, but this is my second favorite room in the whole world, and Nana always fills it with the bestest toys. I’ll let you pick what we play with after we eat our cookies.”

I headed for the door and looked back at the two little girls eating their treat. Addy was at least a year older than Mila, but Addy was smaller, fragile looking, and it burned another hole in my chest.

Maddox’s hand landed on my shoulder. “She’s fine here. Just like you said, she’s safe.”

Then, he headed for the stairs, and I reluctantly followed. I wasn’t sure I could manage much more bad news, and I could tell by the grim expression on my brother’s face that whatever was waiting for us at the station wasn’t good.

? ? ?

After we’d gone downstairs, Maddox had insisted on Gia coming with us, saying there was someone there who had information about the sketch Gia had posted that morning. We followed Maddox in her car so she didn’t have to sit in the middle of the bench seat in the truck. There had to be something seriously wrong with me that I was disappointed by that thought. I wanted her next to me. I wanted that spike of adrenaline she caused, even when I knew I shouldn’t.

Gia Kent was everything I couldn’t stand. She excelled at lying. She never stayed put. She’d treated my family and our ranch like nothing more than a piece of evidence to be gathered. But she hadn’t treated Addy that way. She’d gone over and above to make sure Addy was safe and cared for.

And when we’d kissed… Hell, it had felt like she was everything I’d ever wanted, which was just downright confusing. My mixed emotions were the reason I’d easily succumbed to her driving. Maddox had smirked at me when I’d climbed into the passenger seat, knowing full well how much I hated being there.

As soon as we walked into Maddox’s office, Gia smiled at the man waiting there, beelining toward him. He was shorter than me, deeply tanned, with rows of muscles reminding me of a heavyweight boxer. He was dressed in a black T-shirt, jeans, and military-grade boots with tattoos covering almost every piece of visible skin on his upper body.

He and Gia greeted each other with some sort of complicated handshake that ended with her laughing. He slung an arm over her shoulder, but she pushed him away and slammed him lightheartedly in the shoulder with her fist. I wanted to do the same thing. Except, I wanted to shove him clear into the next room so he wouldn’t be able to touch her again—teasingly or not.

Maybe the reason I felt this unfamiliar jealousy with Gia when I hadn’t for Ravyn was because I couldn’t claim any relationship to her. She wasn’t mine. I had no rights to her and no right to keep her from touching other men. Or maybe it was because the feeling she evoked in me was stronger than I’d ever felt for another human being.

“What brings you all the way to Willow Creek?” Gia asked.

His eyes turned somber, and his chin nodded in my direction, as if asking if I was okay.

“This is Ryder Hatley. Ryder, this is DEA Agent Enrique Salazar. He’s part of the Lovato task force and has spent the majority of his career undercover.”

“He the one who gave you the sketch? What did he see?” the agent asked, dark brows furrowing together.

I raised my hat, ran a hand over my hair, and then put it back on before meeting Gia’s gaze.

“He’s witness adjacent,” Gia said, “but knows what we’re dealing with.”

The man’s eyes narrowed, taking me in before shifting back to Gia. “Want to tell me what’s really going on? Why a civilian is being dragged into this?”

Gia’s face turned as serious as his. “I can’t. Not yet. Is that why you’re here? You find our guy?”

I could tell the man was uncomfortable with me being there, but if this had anything to do with Addy, I was staying. I crossed my arms over my chest as my brother came in, shutting the door behind us.

“I see y’all met.” Maddox easily read the tension drifting through the air. “I vouch for my brother, Enrique. He isn’t going to let anything you tell us out of this room.”

“I’d like to know why we think he needs to be here at all,” Enrique insisted. When Gia and Maddox exchanged a look but didn’t speak, he continued, “Fine. I’ll tell you. It has to do with the little girl you found in Anna’s hotel room.”

Concern flew through me, and Gia’s face blanched. “Where’d you hear that?”

“You promised me that was under lock and key. Need to know only,” I growled.

“It is. But as I also told you both, the only way to truly keep a secret is to tell no one.” Her face was furious as she turned to Enrique. “Tell me where you heard it.”

“Rory followed the lead on the van she saw outside the hotel where Anna was killed. The guy driving it ended up in Lexington, where I’ve been undercover, and she needed me to hunt the guy down. I asked why you couldn’t do it, and when she clammed up like a bank vault, it made me suspicious. I went digging on my own and found someone who’d talk in Denver,” he said.

This clearly made Gia unhappy and raised my concerns to a whole new level. Maddox and I exchanged a look, but before we could say anything, Gia demanded, “Just tell me you found the guy.”

“DOA,” Enrique said calmly, as if the guy being dead was of no concern. He lifted a manila envelope from the corner of Maddox’s desk. He pulled out a picture and handed it over to Gia. I stepped closer, leaning over her shoulder to look.

The guy was lying on a shoreline. He’d obviously been in the water a while. His skin was bloated. Eyes gray and murky. There was no need to question his cause of death. The gaping wound along his neck made it clear.

“Shit,” Gia said, fingers tightening on the corners. “Where was this?”

“Near the Lexington Reservoir.”

“Do you know who he is? Or why he was in Kentucky?” Gia asked.

“Best name we’ve come up with is Vito Jimenez. Word on the street is, if Vito showed up at your door, you could count the minutes you had left to live.”

“Why the hell wasn’t he brought in?” I demanded. Gia’s and Enrique’s eyes swiveled to take me in.

“Little something called lack of evidence. Not even enough to get a warrant to tap his phone or computer. Not that the man had either. Burner phones at best. He’s been in and out of the country like a shadow, doing dirty work for multiple cartels, not just the Lovatos.”

“So, why’d he end up dead if he was so important?” I demanded.

“My guess? He fucked up. He wasn’t supposed to kill Anna. Maybe he was supposed to bring her to the Lovatos. Maybe he was supposed to bring both her and the little girl to them,” Enrique said.

Acid curled its way up my throat.

“You don’t know that’s the reason. Anna made it clear the Lovatos didn’t know about her daughter,” Gia shot back. “But you’re probably right that he wasn’t supposed to kill Anna. There were defensive wounds on her body, and she was key to the organization, so it’s unlikely they’d put out a hit on her.”

“I heard Rory’s idea about her leaking things to the authorities. If she did, they’d end her,” Enrique parried.

“Look,” Maddox said, tossing his hat onto his desk before dragging his hand through his hair. “He’s dead. Unless we can figure out where it actually happened and who slit his throat, there’s nothing we can do about it. Way I see it, if he’d known about Addy being in that room when he killed her mother, he would have taken her then. He didn’t. And with him gone, there’s even less chance they’ll come looking for her now. This is good news for us.”

“The little girl have anything with her?” the man asked, and for some reason, the nonchalant question made the skin on the back of my neck crawl.

“No,” Gia’s response was instantaneous. “I pulled her out of that room myself. She didn’t have anything but the clothes on her back.”

I thought of the backpack Addy wouldn’t leave, and I knew Gia was lying. Avoiding eye contact, I stared at my muddy boots. I had to fight every urge in my body to run out of the room, get Addy, and hide her away.

The silence in the room turned thick. “Thanks for delivering the news in person, Enrique, but you made a trip for nothing. You could have just told me on the phone.”

“Leland asked me to stick around and be your backup now that we know how easy it was for the information about the girl to get out. I’ll be here when they show up.”

My blood turned cold for multiple reasons—this man sticking to Gia and my family was the least of them. The fact that these assholes were going to come after Addy made me want to destroy something…someone. Worse, I didn’t trust this new dickwad they’d sent to protect her.

I swirled around and headed for the door.

Gia was on my heels. “We have no indication they’re coming here, Ryder.”

I looked down, anger burning through me. “I see you’re as good as your brother at keeping your protectees safe. Maybe you should start a club—Bumbling Agents Unite.”

“Ry,” Maddox warned, but I didn’t listen.

“This time, they’ll have to go through me to get to her, and I won’t let them. No one is taking her on my watch. No one!” My body was quivering with fury.

“Nobody knows she’s here. No one saw the letter but Leland, Rory, and me.”

“And now him.” I lifted my chin toward the DEA agent just as he said, “What letter?”

I didn’t wait to hear her response. I couldn’t. I had to get back to the little girl I’d left unprotected with my mother and Rianne. God. What if something happened again? What if another member of our family was shot? I slammed my way out of the office and the station, only to realize I didn’t have my fucking truck.

Gia stormed out right behind me with my brother on her heels. She rounded the driver’s side of the Escalade, jumping in and starting it up without a word.

Maddox grabbed my arm, holding me back before I could open the door. “Ryder. Look, I know Enrique. He helped me with the case with Chainsaw and the West Gears. He’s been working the Lovatos undercover for a long time. If he’s here to help, you can be sure he will.”

“If he’s been undercover for so long, why hasn’t he shut them down? What if he’s dirty?” I hissed quietly as the man himself appeared in the doorway of the station.

Maddox shook his head. “These kinds of cases take years, decades even. You don’t just drop down in the middle of a fucking cartel and say, ‘Hey, everyone, we’re here to shut you down.’”

“She saw her mother’s body being cut apart, Mads. She watched that fucker slice her up. She watched the blood pour from her and then tried to save her mother with her little hands.” My throat clogged, and I slammed my eyes shut to prevent the dampness from leaking out.

“Fuck…I know.” Maddox sighed, and when I opened my eyes, his brows were furrowed in concern. “All I’m saying is, we can’t fight off a cartel on our own. We have to trust this task force, these people who’ve been working the case for years, are here to help us.”

“Maybe that’s what you have to do because you’re wearing that shiny badge. I don’t have to trust anyone. And I’m not going to. She’s mine to protect.” My voice grew deep and rough. “And I damn well will.”

I brushed off his hand, climbed into the SUV, and slammed the door behind me.

Gia backed up, and the wheels squealed as she headed out of town toward the ranch and the little girl I would shield with every bone and breath in my body.