In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (33 page)

Maxim
studied the picture before handing the phone to Konstantin. Konstantin examined
the picture, then handed the phone to Shae.

I
took a sip of coffee. “When the Mexicans saw this man step out of his truck,
they ran. They ran for a reason. Cenia’s cousin, Dante, the man who owns this
farm, has been asking around but he’s limited in who he can ask. People are
afraid to speak about the cartels because if the wrong person overhears them,
they’re dead. If you can gain access to someone inside the mafia, they may know
who this man is… or they may know something about Kaydn and Roger.”

“Are
you able to print this picture?” Maxim inquired.

I
set the coffee mug on the table. “Can’t we just show them the picture on the
cell phone?”

“We?”
both men asked.

I
glanced at Konstantin before locking eyes with Maxim. “Yes.
We.
I’m
going with you.”

Maxim
stood abruptly, nearly dumping me from his lap. “You are not going with me.”

I
reached for the table as I steadied myself. “I asked you to help me, Maxim. I
didn’t ask you to do it for me.”

“You
are not going,” he repeated stubbornly.

I
acknowledged his aggressive posture with a sigh. “Look,” I said as I stepped
toward him. “I’m not asking you to do anything I’m not willing to do myself. I
just need your help establishing the necessary connections. I am not trying to
trade a life for a life here. I swear, I will never forgive myself if something
happens to you. I want to go with you so I can make sure you aren’t taking any unnecessary
risks.”

“I’m
going too,” Cenia said.

We
all turned and gaped at her.

“This
is Roger’s fiancé, Cenia,” I explained. “Cenia, this is Maxim and Konstantin,
my friends from Ukraine.”

Cenia
shook their hands. “Thank you for coming.”

Shae
handed Cenia a cup of coffee before offering her a chair.

“You
cannot expect me to stay here and do nothing,” Cenia stated. She hugged Shae
before sinking into the chair. “I have to do
something
.”

I
offered Cenia a shaky smile before renewing my efforts with Maxim. “If you take
us with you, then your questions will appear less threatening. You won’t be
perceived as hostile, you’ll be perceived as two men trying to help someone
they care about.” I glanced at Shae, seeking her support. “You know as well as
I do that a violent confrontation is less likely to result when women are
present. Men behave less aggressively when women are around.”

Shae
dropped into the chair next to Cenia. “That is a legitimate conflict prevention
strategy.”

Maxim
shook his head. “This is why I cannot take you. If I take you, I will appear
soft. I need to be aggressive. I must appear threatening to get the answers and
the results we need.”

Alejandro
and Dante walked into the kitchen. Alejandro introduced Dante to Maxim,
Konstantin, and Shae before pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“There
are other things you can be doing,” Konstantin opined.

“Like
what?” Cenia asked.

“You
need to get your cell phones functional,” Maxim replied. “I presume Roger had a
cell phone?”

Cenia
poured some creamer in her coffee. “Yes, but he didn’t have any cell service
when we were in San Fernando.”

“Roger
and Kadyn may not have been expecting you to return to the service station so
soon. They may have gone to San Fernando to rent a car or purchase a SIM card.
If they fled the scene, they would need a functional vehicle and a phone in
order to find you. If they were kidnapped, the cartel would take Roger’s phone,
insert a SIM card, identify the number most frequently dialed, and demand a
ransom. Either way, you need to purchase a SIM card and activate your phone.”

“We
can take them to an electronics store in San Fernando,” Dante offered.
Alejandro nodded.

“Make
sure your phone is functional too,” Maxim told me. “I want to be able to reach
you.”

“Does
your phone work here?” I asked.

“Yes.
We purchased SIM cards in Reynosa,” he replied.

I
reclaimed my coffee as I sank into the chair next to Cenia. I eyed Maxim over
the top of my mug. “So where are you going? What are you going to do?”

“We
are going into San Fernando to speak with some Russian business owners,” Maxim
replied. He retrieved the picture of the man with the black truck from Kadyn’s cell
phone, zoomed in a bit, and snapped a picture of the image with his cell phone.
“Do you have a picture of Kadyn and Roger?”

 I
retrieved a picture of Kadyn from my cell phone and handed it to Maxim.

He
took a picture of the screen with his phone. “I need a picture of Roger,” he
informed Cenia.

She
pulled up a picture and handed him her phone.

Maxim
captured the image on his phone before returning her phone.

“I
doubt you will find many Russian business owners in San Fernando,” Dante warned.
He was brewing a second pot of coffee.

“There
are six,” Konstantin replied. “We already know who they are.” He smiled at the
surprised look on my face. “We had some time to kill at the airport.”

“How
can they help?” Alejandro asked.

Maxim
shrugged. “Every illegitimate business has a legitimate store front.”

Isabel
and Maria walked into the kitchen. “
Buenos dias
,” Isabel greeted.

Dante
kissed her on the cheek before handing her a cup of coffee. He did the same for
Maria.

“This
is Cenia’s mom, Isabel, and her cousin, Maria,” I announced. “Isabel, Maria,
these are my friends, Maxim, Konstantin, and Shae.” Everyone shook hands.

“Can
I fix you something to eat?” Maria asked. She began digging food out of the
refrigerator.

Maxim
shook his head. “No, thank you. Konstantin and I will be leaving for San
Fernando shortly. We’ll be visiting a restaurant while we’re there. I’ve found
restaurant owners are more willing to talk when you purchase a meal.”

“At
what point do we notify the authorities?” Cenia asked.

Maxim
looked thoughtful. “If we have not been able to obtain any information and you
have not heard from Roger or Kadyn by three o’clock, then you should contact
the authorities in the United States and in Mexico. Do not tell them we are
involved.”

Cenia
nodded.

I
studied the picture of the man with the black truck while Maxim and Konstantin
used the bathroom. “There’s a reason Kadyn took this picture,” I repeated, as
if everyone needed to hear it again. I zoomed in on the picture and moved the
image around, trying to see what Kadyn had seen. Suddenly, my breath caught.
“Alejandro, is this a Texas license plate?” The image appeared a little grainy
when I zoomed in. I could identify the plate number, but the word above the plate
number was too small to read.

Alejandro
examined the picture. “
Si
. Cenia’s
padrino
has plates that look
like that.”

I
was mentally kicking myself. “I should have thought to look at that license
plate sooner.” I glanced at the clock. “If Rafael or Jase could look up the
plates, then we might be able to figure out who this man is.”

“Do
they have access to that type of information?” Cenia asked.

“If
they don’t, they’ll know someone who does,” I replied. “Isabel, do you mind if
I use your phone again?”

She
handed me the phone. “Of course not.”

I
dialed Rafael’s cell phone number. His phone rolled over to voicemail. “He’s
probably in the air,” I explained. I dialed Jase.

“Hello?”

“Jase,
this is Kri…”

“Are
you okay?” he exclaimed. “Rafael told me what happened. Do you need me down
there?”

“I’m
safe,” I assured Jase. “We’re still looking for Kadyn and Roger. Can you access
DMV records? I need to identify the owner of a truck with Texas plates.”

“I
may
be able to do that,” he replied evasively, “but it would be
illegal.”

I
swallowed nervously. “If you were looking into something else and accidently
stumbled across the information, could you inadvertently let me know?”

Jase
laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I
read the plate number on the picture. “CK7H347.”

“Is
this the best number to reach you?” Jase asked.

“For
now,” I replied. “If I’m not available, please leave a message with Isabel. My
cell phone should be working within the next hour or so.”

“When
do you expect Rafael?” he asked.

I
looked at the clock again. “In about two and a half hours.”

“I
should have the information before then,” he replied. “Stay safe.”

I
handed Isabel the phone. “Thank you.” I gulped down the mug of lukewarm coffee
before glancing at Cenia. “Are you ready?”

Cenia
nearly leapt from her chair. “Yes. I want to stop by the van before we head
into San Fernando.”

“I’m
coming with you,” Shae announced as she rose from her chair.

“There’s
room in the truck,” Dante replied. Everyone began moving toward the living
room.

“Wait!
You guys should eat!” Maria exclaimed. She handed Alejandro and Dante a
burrito. “You girls wait. Let me fix you a burrito.”

Cenia
and Shae lingered in the kitchen. I escaped so I could brush my teeth, wash my
face, and run a comb through my hair. Maria had hooked us up with toothbrushes
and travel size toiletries when we took our showers. She said she had a steady
stream of visitors who were always forgetting things so she liked to be
prepared.

Maxim
and Konstantin were talking in the hallway. I kissed both men on the cheek.
“We’re going to get our SIM cards. I’ve got someone looking into the plates on
that truck. I’ll call you when I find out who it belongs to. Call me if you discover
anything useful, and be safe.”

Maxim’s
fingers brushed against mine. “Do you want to meet in San Fernando later, or do
you want to meet back here?”

I
glanced at him as he wove our fingers together. “We have to be back at the
farmhouse by eleven o’clock so we can meet up with Rafael. We may have to head
back into San Fernando to file missing person reports later this afternoon, so
it depends on when you’re done talking to those business owners.”

Maxim
released my hand as he fell back against the wall. “I should have known you
would ask Rafael to come.”

Konstantin
pushed off the opposite wall. “I’m going to say goodbye to Shae.”

I
waited for Konstantin to walk into the kitchen before meeting Maxim’s gaze.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. Rafael was in Paris when this
happened yesterday. He caught the first available flight back to the United
States. His plane should be landing in McAllen any minute. He’s renting a car
and driving down here so he can help us find Kadyn and Roger.”

“Do
you love him?” he asked sullenly.

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. “Very much.”

He
raised a single eyebrow. “And Kadyn?”

I
nodded, even though those feelings didn’t quite compare to the feelings I had
for Rafael.

He
scowled. “What about me?”

I
nodded, a bit more sheepishly this time.

He
just shook his head. “You have got to be the most complicated, infuriating
woman I know.” He kissed me brusquely before he turned to go. “You should not
expect me to modify my behavior when Rafael arrives.”

*
* * * *

I
was sitting in the rocking chair on the porch, berating myself while waiting for
Rafael. I called earlier to let him know I had acquired cell service and to
confess that I had asked Maxim to come to Mexico. He wasn’t exactly thrilled
with my decision. He’d be even less thrilled if he knew Maxim had kissed me
twice
since arriving in Mexico.

I
frowned. Maxim wasn’t the only one who’d kissed me. Kadyn had kissed me,
also
twice
, although we’d been facing some pretty extenuating circumstances that
second time. Still, I was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I’d been separated
from Rafael for less than forty eight hours and kissed two other men. I thought
I’d established some pretty clear boundaries with Maxim and Kadyn, but
apparently I’d been mistaken.

After
mulling it over for the past two hours, I had a pretty good idea where I’d gone
wrong. In my efforts to avoid losing their friendship, I’d been sending mixed
signals. I needed to put an end to the mixed signals. I loved Kadyn and Maxim
as friends, but I was in love with Rafael. Maybe I should propose to him… That
would certainly put an end to the mixed signals.

I
jumped when my cell phone rang. I snatched the phone from the porch railing and
quickly checked the screen. “Jase?”

“I
tracked down the owner,” he began. His voice trailed off unexpectedly.