Black Ops Chronicles: Dead Run (12 page)

Why did he have to be so damned difficult? Frustration balled in her stomach, spiking her temper, along with the pain in her arm. She yanked her T-shirt out of his grasp then dug the aspirin and a bottle of water out of her backpack. She swallowed two pills, reconsidered, and downed two more.

“You don’t have to come with me, you know,” she said. “You can always go on into the village by yourself. Nick wouldn’t recognize you.” With what she thought was amazing patience, she pointed up the path. “If you follow this trail, it will take you to the main road. Turn north and after about half a mile, you’ll see a small dirt road heading west. There’s a sign with an arrow. It says ‘El Nopal.’ You can’t miss it.”

Max folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t be stupid. I’m not going to abandon you. Besides, whether you like it or not, you must know we’ll both last longer if we stick together.”

She cocked her head and sneered at him. “You mean you’ll last longer, don’t you? I’ve been on the run for over nine months and done just fine on my own.”

And she’d learned as a child she couldn’t depend on anyone but herself.

He held the duffle bag out of reach when she made a grab for it. “Fine, you want me to say it, I’ll say it. I don’t want to go off on my own. After all, you’re the only person I know in the whole world.”

She wasn’t in the mood to be confused with logic. Or facts. But before she could come up with an appropriate response, he caught her hand and brought it to his lips.

“Give me my duffel,” she snapped.

“You aren’t willing to let those men in the cave starve to death,” he said when she jerked her hand out of his and reached for the bag again. “But you’re fine with letting me fumble around out here on my own and probably get myself killed. And seeing how I’m on your side, do you really think that’s fair?”

Damn him, he had no right to use her compassion against her. “And just how do I know you’re really on my side?”

“I haven’t tried to kill you, have I?”

“Not yet, anyway.” Unable to help herself, she softened, her anger fizzling out. He was right. She could no more abandon him like this than she could let the men in the cave die. She sighed, knowing she was defeated. “Of all the men in Baja, how’d I get stuck with you?”

He looked stunned. “Baja? You never said this was Baja.”

“I thought you knew.”

“Oh.” His grin flickered again, sheepish this time. “I guess that’s a logical assumption.”

“Does it tell you anything about yourself?” She studied his face, looking for any sign of his memory returning. “Being in Baja, I mean.”

“Yeah. It tells me I’m in deep shit. I’m in a foreign country with a beautiful, fascinating woman, and I haven’t got a clue what I’m doing here.”

Terrific. Instead of answers, she got compliments. Not a lot of help. But they couldn’t stand there dithering much longer if they were going to get to Pablo’s in time. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back the way they’d come. “You left out running for our lives from a Mormon crime family.”

She saw his eyes widen and cursed
herself
for the slip, but it was too late to take it back.

“Mormon crime family? The Mormons aren’t into organized crime—” He tilted his head and studied her. “Are they?”

“You’d be surprised—” What the hell was she doing? Then again, what did it matter? If he stayed with her, he’d have to know sooner or later anyway. Sighing, she held up a hand to stave off more questions. “I’ll explain on the way back to Pablo’s.”

***

1:26 p.m., Baja California Sur
:

“That fat old bitch is going to pay for this,” Nick growled. “I’m going to shoot her right in front of her kids.” He stomped back and forth beside the Jeep. No one made a fool of him and got away with it. “She took my money and lied right to our faces.”

They’d found the shack the mother’d described. Just a shell, it had no windows, no doors, and only half a roof. Probably hadn’t been lived in for years.

“She did say the cabin was unfinished.” Tony’s voice held a hint of a grin. “Tess could’ve camped out here for a while.”

His attitude infuriated Nick, but it also made him think. He stopped pacing and studied Tony, who was leaning against the side of the jeep looking very pleased with
himself
.

“Okay,” Nick said. “What am I missing?”

“I know how to get Tess.”

“Oh, yeah, you mentioned you had a Plan B.”

“That’s right. And Plan B is, we take those kids hostage.”

Nick felt his eyebrows make a dash for his hairline. “The old bitch’s children? How will that help?”

“There were at least ten brats in that family, and you know how Tess feels about hurting kids. Plus, she made them a costume, so she must think they’re special. All we have to do is let the people in the village know we’ve got them and that if Tess doesn’t turn herself over, we’ll start knocking them off.” Tony grinned. “She’ll come. We may have to kill a few to make our point, but so what?”

Nick ran through it in his mind but couldn’t see a down side. So they had to shoot some
rugrats
. Big deal. Mexico had plenty—too many, in fact. They’d probably be doing the country a favor by reducing the number of poverty-stricken mouths to feed.

“Let’s do it. It’s a better payback than killing the fat old cunt herself.”

***

Tess knew what she risked by taking Max into her confidence. But when he’d had a chance to betray her, he hadn’t. And God knew, she needed to talk to someone.

“I guess you could say all this ‘started’ about four years ago,” she said, skirting a fishhook cactus loaded with pale yellow blossoms. Maybe if she worked up to it, the words would come a little easier.

She inhaled the sweet scent of early desert wildflowers, grateful Max didn’t press her with questions. “I was twenty-three, fresh out of college, and working a day job while trying to get my costume business started. A friend introduced me to Nick’s grandfather who wanted some custom Halloween costumes.”

As she walked, she fiddled with the strap on her backpack, trying to keep her nerves under control. “He’s a wonderful man,” she said, defensively. “We hit it off right away.”

She swallowed to ease the dryness in her throat. “Then one day, when I mentioned my mother’s people, we discovered we were distant cousins. And suddenly I had a family.” She paused, took a breath. “For someone who was raised in foster homes, that’s a big deal.”

“That’s fascinating, Tess,” Max muttered dryly. “But what the hell’s it got to do with why you’re on the run?”

“I’m getting there.” She grimaced, took another steadying breath, and cleared her throat. Unable to meet his eyes, she watched a lizard scuttle across the rocks at the side of the path. “I met Nick and after a few months we became engaged. And then last May, when he was taking me out to dinner, he made a pit stop—to murder a man, along with his wife and daughters.”

“Jesus.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “And you were there? You must’ve been terrified.”

Surprised he hadn’t backed away from her, she gave in and let her head drop on his shoulder. Took some comfort. “No. Shocked. Angry—God, I’ve never been so pissed.” Or so helpless. Her stomach clenched as she remembered the rage and impotence. And the pain. “When he shot the parents, I couldn’t believe it. I tried to take the gun away from him. And he...” Ashamed, she let her words trail off.

“He what?” Max eased her back, studied her face, and stiffened. “That son of a bitch hit you, didn’t he? Bastard probably beat you senseless.”

She lowered her gaze, struggling to keep her voice steady and the words coming. “No, not exactly. He just punched me in the stomach, hard enough to knock the wind out of me.”

Placing a finger under her chin, Max lifted it until their gazes met. “So why in the hell are you blaming yourself? Because it’s obvious that you are.”

“I—” She closed her eyes a minute, struggling not to cry. “Those two little girls. I didn’t do anything to help them.” Unable to stop the tears, she broke away and started walking again. “I just lay there, curled in a ball, trying to get my breath back. While they screamed in terror—” She swallowed a fresh wave of shame. “—and he shot them.”

“What do you think you could’ve done? You were injured and every bit as helpless as those kids.”

Stunned by his attitude, she stared at him. “Then why do I feel so damn guilty?”

He didn’t speak for a moment and when he did, his voice was hard and tight, as if he were forcing it out between clenched teeth. “I imagine he worked it so you’d think it was your fault. Guys like that excel at manipulation.”

Closing her eyes, she rehashed the scene in her mind. It was obvious that Nick had intended for her to be there, but why? What was his motive? “I don’t understand. What did he possibly have to gain by bringing a witness?”

“Hard to say without more information. So what happened next?”

“After he got me back in the car, he told me if I breathed a word to anyone, I’d die, too.”

“So you ran.”

“Yes, but not right away. First, I went to the FBI.”

“Didn’t they believe you?”

“They said they did. They put me in a safe house while they investigated. But someone betrayed me to Nick. He and Tony showed up at the house. Two agents were killed, but I managed to escape by jumping out a second-story window.” She sighed. “There must be an FBI agent on the McKenzie family’s payroll—”

“McKenzie? As in Jonas McKenzie?”

The shock of recognition in Max’s voice sent a wave of panic crashing into Tess. Not knowing what else to do, she pulled one of the guns from her backpack and aimed it at his heart. “How do you know Jonas? Oh, God. He sent you after me, didn’t he?”

“Take it easy. Nobody sent me after you. At least, I don’t think they did. And even if they had, I wouldn’t turn on you now.”

“How can I be sure? You don’t even know who you are.”

“Just listen a minute—and give me this.” He snagged the gun out of her hand. Shoving it in his waistband, he gathered her close again. “We both know that someone could’ve sent me after you.” When she tried to pull away, he tightened his hold and pressed her head down on his shoulder. “But now I’ve heard your story, I’d like to think I’d do the right thing.”

Did she dare believe him? God, she wanted to. “But how could you know Jonas?”

“I don’t know. When you said ‘McKenzie,’ the name ‘Jonas’ just popped into my head.”

“If you know about him, then you must have some connection to Utah. Maybe you’re with the FBI. If so, you probably are after me.”

“I don’t care,” he murmured and touched his lips to her hair. “So, Jonas McKenzie is Nick’s grandfather?”

“Yes. But I don’t really think Jonas is involved with the murders. If he is...” Fear tickled her throat, making her swallow. “If he is, I’m as good as dead.”

If Jonas cared so little for her that he could condone having her killed, there was no place she’d ever be safe. More tears escaped onto her cheeks.

“We’ll figure this out, Tess. And I’ll keep you safe until we do. I promise.”

It mortified her to let him see the depth of her pain, but she’d fought it for so long her strength was depleted. “Christ, I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to fall apart on you. I just—”

“Hush. Don’t be sorry. We all come apart once in a while.” With one arm holding her against him, he used his other hand to stroke her hair. “Take a minute and cry if you need to. I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”

His compassion defeated her. She had no defense against it. Unable to hold back any longer, she buried her face in his shirt and wept—wondering how big a mistake she’d made by trusting him.

CHAPTER 8

2:46 p.m., Baja California Sur
:

“How long are we going to wait?” Nick paced the tiny living room in the farmhouse, throwing up his hands in helpless frustration. “We’ve been in this dump for over an hour. It doesn’t look like they’re coming home. Do you think they went to warn Tess? If they did, she’ll be long gone before we have a chance to find her.”

Sprawled in a chair, Tony shook his head. “It seems unlikely that the whole family would’ve gone to warn Tess. So we’ll head into town and look for them there,” he added, getting to his feet.

“What if Tess has already left the area?”

“She hasn’t.”

“How do you know?”

“According to the flyers I saw in town, there’s a village parade tonight. Tess spent a lot of time on that costume, and I think she’ll hang around to see the parade.” Tony headed out the door. “Come on, we’re wasting time here. Let’s go get something to eat and check out the village.”

Nick followed him to the Jeep, pulling a cigarette out of the pack in his shirt pocket. “Once we take the kids hostage, we still have to let Tess know so we can set up the exchange. How do you plan to do that if we can’t even find her?”

“Easy. When we’ve got them, we’ll have Joe spread the word. In a village like this it won’t be long before everyone knows.”

“Do you think Joe’s had any luck in town?”

“No. He’d have called if he had.” Tony looked up at the sky. “I told him to pick up Josh and Glen when they got back and meet us at the village square at sunset.”

Nick inhaled a drag of smoke, blew it out, and glanced at his Rolex. “I’d rather not wait that long to find out what’s going on. Let’s give them a call now and see if they have anything to report.”

Tony sighed in that annoying way of his then retrieved the radio from his coat on the back seat. He contacted Joe first. Nick listened to the conversation with fading hope. Joe had found no one who admitted recognizing Tess.

Then Tony tried the others. “That’s strange. I’m getting nothing, not even static, from Josh and Glen.”

“You mean they’re out of range?”

Tony stared into space. “No, they’re just not there. Either someone took them out, or they’ve damaged their radios.” He started the Jeep and drove back toward town. “And I’m leaning toward door number one. I think Tess lived at that cottage after all.”

“You’re saying she took them out?”

“Who else has a motive? Josh and Glen would’ve tried to kill her, but they would’ve ignored anybody else.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Still, Nick found it hard to believe Tess could have disarmed two of his men and stolen their radios. “No, that’s impossible. She couldn’t have done it by herself.”

“I agree. I knew Bruce was wrong about the men at the cottage.”

“How do you mean?”

“Bruce thought there were two men there, the one who tripped him and the one who hit him.”

“Yeah, and?”

Tony’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white. “He assumed the second one was a man, but it looks like it might’ve been Tess.”

“So Tess has a man with her?” Nick was swamped with a sudden, violent rage as jealousy inundated him. He clamped his teeth together to keep it from spilling out. Tony would only sneer. Then another thought intruded. “But if they took out Josh and Glen, that would mean—”

“Yeah. She’s armed, and she’s expecting us. But if it is Tess, and if she has one of our radios, we may be able to find her.” Tony turned onto the road leading into the village. “These gismos have a tracking device. After we get to town, I’ll get my equipment from the motel and see if I can tell what’s what.”

***

“Careful, now, angel,” Max breathed. “This’ll all be for naught if they see us.” Behind the dilapidated old tractor they were using as cover, he watched the Jeep pull away from the farmhouse. “Which one’s Nick?”

“He’s the passenger. Tony’s driving.” When she turned to look at him, the blood had drained from her face. “God, Max, did you hear? They want to take the children hostage. What am I going to do?”

“Relax. No one was home to be taken.” He pointed to the house then took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “There’s no sign of life over there. But let’s go check it out. I need to use the head anyway.”

The little farmhouse was deserted. They hurried inside. She offered to search the rest of the house, while he used the tiny bathroom. Then he waited for her outside while she went to pee.

“You were right. Nobody’s here,” she told him when
they
met back on the front porch. “And it doesn’t look like Nick did any damage inside.”

“Did you think he would?”

“Yeah. He gets mean when he doesn’t get his way. Pablo’s family doesn’t have much, and it’d be just like Nick to destroy anything of value he could find. He gets a kind of perverted thrill out of hurting people who can’t hurt back.”

“Nice guy.” He jammed his hands into his pockets. “If you knew this about him, why the hell did you agree to marry him?”

She looked away, but he’d seen the flash of humiliation on her face. Cupping her chin, he turned her face toward him until their eyes met.

“Nothing you can tell me will make me believe any of this is your fault,” he said, stroking his thumb along her jaw. “Please, Tess, talk to me.”

She stepped back. “I didn’t know what he was.” Her voice had an edge to it. “And we were only together for about six months.” Exhaling in a huff, she sank down on the steps. “Sorry, I get pissy when I’m embarrassed,” she said, kicking a small pebble and scattering the chickens in the yard. “I don’t know if you can understand, but I grew up in foster homes, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a real family. So when Jonas told me we were cousins, that I was part of his family, it was like a miracle. I felt like I’d finally found where I belonged.”

“That’s not so hard to understand.”

She rubbed the palms of her hands on her jeans. “Nick had moved into an apartment in town before I came on the scene. And since he seldom goes out to the estate, I didn’t meet him until over two years after I met Jonas. Of course, I’d heard the stories about Jonas being the head of an organized crime family, but I ignored them.” She kicked another rock. “Jonas is a sweet old man. And he’s always saying how people should have lines they don’t cross, no matter what. So whenever someone mentioned the Mormon Mafia, I always thought it was a joke—until I did some research on the internet after the murders. And by then—”

“Back up a minute. You never answered my question from before. So there really is a Mormon Mafia?”

“Apparently. From my internet research and from things I overheard Nick say—but never understood until after he murdered that family—I believe there’s a faction that’s involved in organized crime. Though to be fair, I found no evidence the leaders of the Mormon Church know anything about it or have anything to do with it.”

“How could they not know? Isn’t their leader supposed to be psychic or something?”

She snorted. “No, silly. The president of the Church is supposed to be a prophet. He talks with God, he doesn’t read palms or tell your fortune.”

“Oh, well, close enough in my book.” He paused, studying her. “You don’t really believe in that stuff, do you?

She cleared her throat, as if suddenly uncomfortable. “Believe what? That he’s a prophet?” When he nodded, she shrugged. “Who knows?
‘
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...’” She hesitated, as if unsure of how much to say, then shrugged again. “Who am I to judge? I’ve never met the man. But I do believe that people sometimes get information in ways there are no logical explanations
for
. And I certainly don’t think that organized crime bigwigs are above pretending to be part of a religious organization. They try to hide where no one expects them to be. That’s how they get away with so much.”

“But you said a faction of the Mormons. So the Mormons as a whole aren’t involved?”

“Not as far as I know. I lived with Mormon foster families for most of my childhood, and none of them had anything to do with it.”

“You sure?”

“Of course. Hell, Max, even as a child I would’ve known if the people I lived with were holding secret meetings and leaving the house in the dark of night. I mean, they were assholes and hypocrites, for the most part, but they didn’t act like gangsters.” She paused then shuddered. “Believe me, I was always cognizant of how the adults acted and what they did.”

“Yes, I imagine you were.” A vivid image flashed across Max’s mind—Tess as a young girl, alone and vulnerable, dumped with strangers who had complete control over her life. The poor kid would’ve never known if she’d be treated kindly, abused, used as slave labor, or...worse. But she wouldn’t thank him for his pity, so he shoved aside the rush of sympathy and changed the subject. “This faction, do you know what they’re called?”

“Other than the Mormon Mafia?”

He nodded.

“Well, not for certain. A couple of internet sites referred to them as the Danites, but I don’t know if that’s their official name. And I think there’s also a secret group within the faction called the Kolob Secret Service...or something like that. I heard Nick mention them once, but I wasn’t really paying attention at the time. It was only after the murders that I finally began to piece everything together and...” She trailed off, shook her head, and sighed. “The truth is I wanted a family so bad, I just didn’t let myself believe they weren’t on the up and up. But even so, I had no reason to think Nick would be any different from Jonas. His grandfather raised him, after all. Nick’s parents died when he was six.”

She sounded defensive again, so Max leaned against the farmhouse door, held his tongue, and let her talk.

“When I first met Nick, he was so charming. You can’t imagine. He just...I guess you could say he swept me off my feet. I had no idea he was anything but what he pretended to be.”

“But things changed?”

“Yeah. We’d dated about four months when we became engaged.” She puffed her cheeks, blew out a long breath. “Once I said yes, his whole attitude changed. He started acting
like
he owned me. Started picking at me, chipping away at my self-esteem, which wasn’t all that great to begin with. You know how it goes. I should dress differently, I should behave more appropriately, I should speak only when spoke to. It got to the point where nothing I did pleased him. I tried to tell him to back off, but he hated any spark of independence. I was supposed
to just obey
him without question. He kept telling me I needed to know my place. My
place
!”

Her hands fisted on her knees. “But he never hit me until the night of the murders. By then I’d already realized I didn’t love him. I knew I couldn’t go through with the wedding and was working up the courage to break it off, when—”

“Yeah.” Max clamped down on the rage burning a hole through his gut. “He must have sensed it. That’s why he took you with him that night.” When her head snapped up, he added, “The only one to blame is Nick. He’d have killed those people whether you were with him or not.” He sighed and shook his head. Maybe if he told her often enough, she’d believe him. He started to say something more, then the porch floorboards creaked beneath him, reminding him they had more urgent problems. He forced his mind off her past and onto the reason they were here. “Any idea where this family went?”

“I imagine they went to the village. Pablo’s costume is gone, too.”

“Oh, right. The parade.”

She fussed with the dressing on her wound. “Yeah, the start of Carnival. They must’ve been gone when Nick got here, thank God. They’ll be safe until after the parade, don’t you think?”

“Most likely. I doubt Nick’s dumb enough to kidnap the kids in front of the whole village.”

“Good.”

He noticed her wince as she plucked at her bandage. Her arm had stopped bleeding, though the skin around the wound was red and inflamed. “That looks painful.”

“It is. I guess the aspirin’s wearing off.” She dug the bottle out and they both took some. “If Nick wants hostages, does that mean that he knows I’m still here?”

“Not necessarily. He may be just playing a hunch. But either way, we need to let your friends know they’re in danger.”

“Then we’d better head into town. Besides, we have to let someone know about the guys in the cave.”

When she started to rise, he put a hand on her arm. “Tess, you do realize, don’t you, that if we get someone to rescue them, Nick will know you’re here for certain? There’s still a chance he doesn’t. We really should wait until we get you to safety.”

She scooted away and glared at him. “So you want to just let them die? I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking for a nice little condo in Hell.”

He chuckled. “A condo in Hell? Cute. Look, I’m not saying we should let them die. I’m just suggesting we have Pablo wait until tomorrow to tell someone. It won’t kill those jerks to spend the night in the cave. They’ll be hungry, thirsty, and miserable, but they’ll survive.”

He put an arm around her waist and drew her back to his side. “And since they were trying to kill us, it’ll serve them right.”