“You know we could be way off base,” Edge said. “Rollie might have just gone on the run and randomly picked New Mexico as a place to lie low. Henson might not even be with him. He might be somewhere else entirely.”
“Could be. Or we could be right on Daniel’s tail.”
“My gut says they’re together. Henson and his top men, including Riley Beeker/aka Rollie Beekman and Harley Purcell.”
Molly’s ex-spouse. Skye wanted him off the streets almost as badly as she wanted to take down Daniel Henson. Klaus Mahler was also on her list, but she trusted Conn to handle him.
“That meth operation was a real money maker,” Edge was saying. “It’s unlikely whoever’s behind it is just going to quit.”
“We need to know who owns that property in Blancha Springs. If we find a connection to any of the landowners in the Chamaya area, we’ll know we’re on the right track.”
“Let’s talk to Zoe.”
“You go ahead. There’s something I need to do.” She closed down her laptop, stuffed it into its case, and slung the strap over her shoulder.
“What about supper?” Edge called after her as she crossed the room. “You want me to pick up something on my way home?”
Skye turned and walked back to him. “The door’s been repaired on my apartment, and the cleaning crew’s put everything in order. I’m going to move back home this afternoon.”
Something flickered in his eyes, but Edge said nothing. It was exactly what Skye had expected. A little piece of her heart crumbled.
“What about Callie?” he asked.
“If it turns out Beekman is staying in Chamaya, we’ll be traveling there ourselves. Callie’s better off staying with Conn.”
He nodded. “We’ll give it till morning. If Beekman’s cell location doesn’t change, we’ll drive on down.” He took out his phone and brought up Google Maps. “Chamaya’s a little over three hundred miles from here. If we get an early start, we can be there before dark.”
Skye’s mind leaped ahead. They were still working together. Assuming they were right and Henson was setting up a meth lab somewhere near Chamaya, she and Edge would be staying in the area, checking into a local motel to set up operations.
Her body heated at the thought. She wanted more of him, and yet she knew the danger. Should she take the risk? Or end things now, before her heart got even more battered?
* * *
It was just before seven the next morning when Edge tossed his gear into the truck bed of the Beast, including the long canvas bag that carried an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, his Smith and Wesson. 38 ankle gun, the Mossberg twelve-gauge, and two spare semiauto handguns. His M9 Beretta rode up front in the cab, and he trusted Skye would also be well armed.
He checked his black combat watch as he loaded the last of his gear—the FLIR Black Hornet drone. Surveillance was a necessity. The drone had done a great job before.
Time to pick up Skye. A tightness invaded his chest. She hadn’t stayed in his apartment last night. The pervasive sense of loneliness had driven him down to the Fainting Goat for a nightcap. Which turned into three and didn’t make him feel a damn bit better.
He hadn’t slept well. He missed her. It was as simple as that. Missed the warmth she exuded, the companionship they shared after working together for so long. He missed her sexy little body nestled against him in the night and the passion she stirred without even trying.
He slid behind the wheel of the truck and fired the engine. It had taken him months to get past the wall Skye had built around herself. One lousy phone call had her walls right back up again.
He tried to tell himself it was for the best. Sooner or later, he would be going after Markham. He’d find a way to prove the major was guilty of weapons trafficking, prove he’d been right from the start. He’d return to the military life he had carved out for himself.
Skye needed a man who would be there for her, and he couldn’t be that man.
His stomach knotted. She was better off without him.
But what about him?
The truth was he’d been lonely most his life. He’d barely been a teen when his mother had died. Kade had had their dad and the ranch for solace. Gage had focused on his dream of traveling the world. Somehow Edge had just accepted that loneliness would be part of his existence.
Then he’d joined the army, and the Green Berets had become the close-knit family he had lost years ago. He’d be okay once he returned. He’d have his friends, his sense of worth, his life back again. It was exactly what he wanted.
Wasn’t it? He didn’t like the nagging feeling that he could be wrong.
Parking in a yellow zone in front of Skye’s apartment, he took the elevator up to her floor. As she’d said, the door was back in one piece. Still, there was a chance Mahler would return in search of Callie, and Skye would be forced to deal with him.
