A steady stream of battered vans with no windows drove by them, interspersed with the occasional delivery truck.
“I was in one of those,” Leanna said. “I hope Patricia and Reuben get across safely. I don’t know what Scabby and Blue Skull plan on doing, but the cartels expected twopollos. Now that Maria is dead, I’m assuming Scabby took her money. Maybe they’ll let Reuben go.”
She made the sign of the cross. At least Patricia and Reuben had been relatively nice to her, and they deserved a chance for a better life.
“Let’s hope the cartels are too busy to investigate what happened to El Bardo,” Axe said. “I’m sure he needs to check in with someone, and when he doesn’t, they might ask questions. We should be long gone by then.”
He turned away from the main road and bounced the pickup over the ruts of a dirt road between the farm fields.
* * *
Leanna sucked in a breath as she held onto the armrest. Why was Axe driving off the highway? Was he going to dump her somewhere?
He got out of the truck and opened a gate.
Should she take the chance to get away? But where would she go? Should she trust Axe over anyone else? He was a responsible business owner, and he’d volunteered to help her find Carmelita.
Except El Bardo claimed Axe killed Ana and Eduardo. El Bardo also said he knew where Carmelita was hidden and promised to reunite her with her daughter.
El Bardo was a liar. But still, Leanna should be in charge of this search. Not Axe, who was technically a Bad Boy for Hire.
El Bardo was dead.
She reached for the keys, but it was too late. Axe hopped back into the cab and turned off the headlamps. He strapped night-vision goggles onto his head.
“What are you doing?” Leanna blinked at the darkening horizon.
“It’s safer to drive without headlamps,” Axe said. “We don’t want to be seen going this way. Now that it’s dark, it’s better to stay off the main road.”
“Do you know the way?”
Axe mounted the burner phone and turned on the map app. “We stay off the highways until dawn. Then go back to Monterrey and find Carmelita.”
“How do you know she’s there? El Bardo says he knew where she was hidden.”
“Did he say where?” Axe maneuvered the truck, turning and tilting it around obstacles Leanna couldn’t see.
“No, but the guys who kidnapped me claim they know where she is,” Leanna said. “I think everyone’s lying to get money from me.”
“The kid across the street says Carmelita was there the day before we arrived,” Axe said. “He could also be lying, but he’s the best lead we have.”
“I wired the money to Ana more than a week ago.” Leanna’s stomach dropped at the realization. “Ana told me Carmelita had already run away. That means she doesn’t know they’re dead. I still can’t believe it.”
“I saw the bodies.” Axe reached over and took her hand.
She wanted to pull away, because how did she know it wasn’t him? But as aloof as he’d been in the past, she’d never gotten any creepy vibe from him. She’d never caught him in a lie, and he was trusted by Terri’s husband, Ryker, being his best friend. He’d made friends with Jolie’s husband, Ken. Even Carol’s fiancé, Nick, and his policeman brother, Sam, hung out with Axe. He also had that big dog who obeyed him.
“Why would anyone want to kill them?” Leanna’s voice choked up. “They’re good, kind people.”
“Good people get mixed up with bad. Maybe they didn’t follow someone’s orders. Or they were trying to save Carmelita.”
“From your family.” Leanna pointed an accusing finger at him. “Revenge on the Canos. Kidnapping for ransom. El Bardo was mixed up in it for sure.”
“So were the Tres Amigos,” Axe shot back.
“They say you and El Bardo are killers and they’re protecting Carmelita.” Leanna watched Axe’s profile to see if he’d flinch.
He calmly turned his head. The night-vision scopes were like double barrels of a shotgun, and Leanna couldn’t see his eyes. “I’m not a killer. You are.”
