Borderline (18 page)

Tanner flipped it open and called up a number. He swallowed and put the phone to his ear, waiting for a voice to answer on the other end.

“What’s wrong?”

He jumped when the deep voice spoke.

“I need to speak to him as soon as possible.”

“It’s an emergency, I assume, since you would never risk your career to talk to him in public.” There wasn’t any condemnation in the words.

“Yes, it’s an emergency.”

“Take tomorrow off work and come to the address I’ll text to you. Use the name you were born with and ask for me. Tell them you have an appointment to see me.”

Knowing he’d get help without any questions being asked made Tanner feel better. No matter the risk to any of them.

“All right. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

The phone went dead, and he shut his with a shaking hand. Flopping back, he stared up at the ceiling and sighed. A beep sounded, and he knew the address had come through to his phone. Shit. If he kept his word, he could end up throwing everything away, but finding the killer was more important than his job at the bureau.

A knock on his door brought him to his feet, and he went to see who it was.

“Who is it?”

“Mac.”

His heart skipped a beat, and he rested his forehead against the door for a moment. What about this man made him excited and nervous at the same time? He’d dated better-looking men or richer men, for that matter, yet all Mac had to do was say his name and Tanner’s knees went weak.

“Tanner? Are you going to open the door?”

“Oh right.” He unlocked the door and opened it, admitting Mac. “Sorry, got to thinking about something else.”

“Really?” Mac reached out and encircled his waist, yanking Tanner to him. “I hope you were thinking about me kissing you.”

“Of course.”

He yielded to Mac’s demanding mouth and tongue. They nibbled and teased. Their kisses were deep and hot, building their need until Tanner broke away. He kept a hand on Mac’s arm.

“Do you have time for a quickie?”

Mac’s face dropped in disappointment. “No. I ran out to get some barbecue for Sorensterm and me. I thought I’d stop by and say good night in person. We’re working all night to see if we can’t come up with something. Of course I’d rather be here than with that jackass. If you hear about a murder at headquarters, you know I finally broke.”

Tanner nodded and bit his lip, debating whether to say something or wait until after his meeting the next day.

“Have you found anything from going through those other killings?” Mac asked.

“I might have. I want to do a little more research before I say for sure. I’ll be able to tell you late tomorrow or the next day.” Tanner scrubbed his palm over his jeans and clenched his hands to keep Mac from noticing them shaking.

“I can deal with that. I’m not expecting you to work miracles or anything like that. Just give me something I can use to find a suspect, and I’ll be happy.”

“Oh, I’ll probably be able to do that for you,” Tanner admitted, knowing if he was right, he’d be able to give them the killer.

“I better go before the food gets cold.” Mac dove in for another kiss before heading back outside. “I’ll talk to you sometime tomorrow.”

He locked the door behind Mac and cleaned up. He packed away all the photos and files, stuffing his briefcase full. He’d saved the pictures onto a thumb drive for easier transportation and stuck it in his jacket pocket. He wouldn’t forget to take it with him the next day.

After shutting off the lights, he went to his bedroom and stripped, curling up under the blankets. His mind raced, and he couldn’t fall asleep. For only the second time in his adult life, he was going to talk to his older brother, and if he wasn’t careful, his world would crash around him. Tanner trusted his brother not to do anything to put Tanner or his own life at risk, but would it be enough? And how was he going to break the news to Mac when the time came?

How did Tanner tell Mac that his older brother was the head of the Delarosa cartel?

Chapter Eleven

Tanner left his gun and badge at home, taking great pains to ensure he didn’t look like a cop. After flagging down a cab, he gave the driver the address and settled back for the ride.

What would Mac do if he found out the truth about Tanner’s family? Tanner scrubbed his hand over his hair and heaved a mental sigh. At the moment, all he could do was hope his lover didn’t discover anything until after the case was solved.

The cab pulled up in front of a set of large, ornate iron gates. Tanner climbed out and paid the man before heading to the intercom. He pressed the buzzer.

“Yes?”

“I’m here to see Perez.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes. Tell him Pablo is here.”

“Pablo, huh?”

“Yes.”

The intercom went silent, and Tanner stuffed his hands in his pockets. He made sure to face the security camera mounted on the fence to one side of the gate. Hiding his face wouldn’t help get him in, though once Perez heard who wanted to see him, he’d be ushered in quickly.

“An escort will be down in a second.”

The gate unlocked and slid open far enough for Tanner to slip through. He stayed just on the other side, not interested in roaming the grounds. A golf cart sped up to him, and the cold-eyed man driving nodded for him to get in. Tanner did without question, and they headed up to the big house.

Two armed guards escorted him into a room where another grim-faced man patted him down. Tanner didn’t protest, understanding why such precautions were necessary.

“Pablo, where the hell have you been?” Perez stalked into the room and backhanded Tanner.

His lip split, and while every muscle in Tanner’s body yelled at him to strike back, he didn’t. Appearances needed to be kept, and he needed to talk to Victor.

“I’m sorry, Perez,” he whined. “My wife had a list of shit she wanted me to do. The bitch wouldn’t get off my ass until I finished them.”

“Mr. Delarosa doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Remember that, because next time my greeting won’t be as friendly.”

“Yes, sir.” He whimpered, hanging his head submissively.

“Come with me. We must discuss what Mr. Delarosa wishes you to do for him.”

Perez turned sharply and strolled out of the room, with Tanner following meekly behind. Tanner kept his gaze squarely on Perez’s back. He didn’t want to see anything law enforcement might be interested in.

“Step in here and wait. Mr. Delarosa will be with you in a minute.”

As Tanner walked past him into the room, Perez whispered, “There is water and napkins for your lip on the side bar.”

“Thank you,” Tanner muttered.

Perez shut the door with a snap, and Tanner searched out the supplies to clean his lip. He didn’t have to wait very long for another door to open, and Victor Delarosa stepped in. Victor frowned when he saw Tanner’s injury.

“What happened?”

“No big deal. Perez had to keep up appearances.”

“He hit you?”

The growl in Victor’s voice didn’t bode well for Perez.

“I’m okay, Victor. We have more important things to discuss.”

Victor didn’t look convinced, and Tanner hoped he wouldn’t punish Perez.

“I need your help.”

“Ah,
hermano
, I’ll give you any help I can.”

Tanner grinned at his older brother. “I know, which is why I’m here. Oh, I wanted to tell you I liked the new tombstone you had made for Mama.”

He gasped as Victor swept him into a hard hug. He embraced Victor back, hating the choices made in the past, even though neither of them were the ones to make those decisions.

“She deserves the best, Pablo. She wouldn’t accept anything while she was alive. She can’t complain now.”

“True.”

Victor motioned to two leather chairs. “Sit. Let us discuss what help I can give you. Would you like something to drink?”

Tanner shook his head. “No, thank you. Victor, have you seen Juan lately?”

“Juan?” Victor’s brow furrowed in thought while he poured himself a highball of whiskey. “I don’t believe so, but I never liked him, so Perez had more contact with him.”

“Could you ask Perez when he last spoke to him?”

“Certainly.” Victor picked up a phone and called Perez, asking him to come to the study. After setting the receiver down, Victor eyed Tanner.

“Why are you asking about one of my enforcers?”

Tanner pulled a flash drive from his pocket. “I think he’s involved in a series of murders around Houston.”

“Murders?” Victor looked puzzled. “I haven’t asked him to do any work for me lately.”

“And if these were drug related, you know I wouldn’t be here.”

Victor conceded the fact with a nod of his head. He took the flash drive Tanner held out to him.

“What is this?”

“Crime scene photos. There have been six murders in the last five months. All women. All killed with a knife before being displayed.”

His older brother scowled with disgust. “What makes you believe Juan is involved?”

“Not just involved. I believe he is the killer. What little I know about him, mostly information gathered by law enforcement, he’s good with a knife, hates smart women, and is a total psychopath.”

No argument seemed forthcoming.

“Besides, when I reviewed the crime scene photos, I spotted something that convinced me he was the killer.”

A knock sounded on the hallway door, and Victor gave permission to enter. Perez joined them, heading right to Tanner and lifting his chin to look at the cut.

“I’m sorry, Pablo.”

He smiled and shook his head. “I’ve had worse done to me, Perez. It’s no big deal.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Victor informed Perez. “Right now Pablo has something to ask you.”

Tanner winced slightly, knowing the conversation wasn’t one he wanted to be a part of. Victor tended to be protective of Tanner and punished any who hurt him.

“Yes, jefe.” Perez bowed. “How can I be of service?”

“When did you last talk to Juan Mencia?”

Perez looked puzzled. “Why are you asking about him? He isn’t giving you any trouble, is he? I swear he doesn’t know who you are.”

“I think he’s a serial killer,” Tanner said as bluntly as possible.

“Truly?”

“Yes.”

While Perez pursed his lips and nodded, Victor opened the file of photos and studied them.

“You think he’s the one the newspapers call the Knife.”

Tanner sat in one of the chairs. “I do.”

“What about the police? Obviously the FBI is involved since you are here, but are the rangers part of the investigation?”

Victor motioned for Perez to come and look at the pictures. As Perez did so, Victor poured himself another drink and sat across from Tanner.

“It’s a joint task force, and the rangers have the lead on the case.”

“Then why come to me and risk everything if they find out we’re related?”

Tanner thought about Mac and how every day, his lover grew more and more frustrated. Mac was losing hope he’d catch his sister’s murderer, and Tanner wanted to help Mac out, even if it meant asking Victor for help.

“I don’t care about my job. I never really have, but someone I care about lost his sister to the killer and I want to bring him some justice.”

“Someone you care about, hmmm? Would that be the ranger your superiors paired you with?”

His cheeks heated, and Tanner ducked his head. Victor never cared who Tanner slept with. He’d told Tanner the one other time they met, which informed Tanner that his older brother kept an eye on him. Tanner had decided several years ago if Victor himself wasn’t gay, he was at least bi. Victor often surrounded himself with beautiful women, but his relationship with Perez ran deep and loving, even when Perez did something Victor didn’t like.

“Yes.” Tanner saw no reason to lie. More than likely his brother knew everything about Mac already. Victor left nothing to chance and had probably had a background check done on Mac the moment he realized how close Tanner and Mac were getting.

“Ah good. I’m glad you have someone,” Victor murmured.

“I talked to Juan six months ago when I informed him Mr. Delarosa no longer required his services.” Perez stood next to Victor’s chair, holding the flash drive out for Tanner to take.

“Now it would appear disposing of him would have been best for everyone,” Victor commented.

“Juan killed those women. The
J
carved in their flesh above the left breast is his trademark.” Perez looked pale under his golden tan.

As ruthless and cold-blooded as Victor and Perez could be, they didn’t believe in killing innocents. Tanner’s brother garnered enough fear and respect with his personality alone; he had no need to kill women or children.

Victor Delarosa was the head of one of the biggest drug cartels in the world, as well as being Tanner’s brother. Tanner had come to terms with the situation long ago. In many ways, Victor was the devil incarnate, yet he had his own set of morals.

“I spotted that.” Tanner stuck the drive in his pocket.

“Why did you come to see me if you already knew this?” Victor stared at him.

“I wondered if you might know where he’s hiding. If his pattern holds true, he’ll kill again within the next day or so.” Tanner pushed to his feet and paced. “He doesn’t kill them right away. Juan kidnaps them, plays with them a day or two before killing them and dumping the body. We need to know where he takes them.”

Victor and Perez shared a long glance between them. Victor nodded and Perez left.

“Go back home, Pablo. We’ll get you your information.”

Victor hugged Tanner, and strangely enough, Tanner believed him. He encircled his brother’s waist and hugged him back.

“Juan getting caught won’t harm you, will it?”

It would only be a matter of time before the DEA or the
federales
took his brother down, but he didn’t want it to be because Victor helped him.

“Don’t worry about me, hermano. You must get Juan off the street, and I’ll help you.” Victor’s smile was sad. “Now go back home and try to forget you have an older brother.”

After nodding, Tanner left, not looking at any of Victor’s other men. He kept his head down, acting cowed from his meeting with the boss.