“He looked okay. Kind of tired and at the same time resigned, like he didn’t really want to be there. I can’t explain it better than that.”
“I’ll be in touch.” Agent Cooke hung up on her.
Sadie stared at her phone and frowned. “You’re welcome.”
Rory held out his hand to Sadie. She walked to him and took it, falling into his lap when he pulled her down. He wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed the side of her head. “You’re a good woman, Sadie.”
“Why do you say that?”
“All I saw was some thug. You saw a guy who didn’t want to be doing what he was doing. You looked past the guy holding the gun to the man who wanted to help you get out of there unharmed.”
“I think he’s working for that Agent Cooke.”
“Maybe. Might explain why Cooke cared to ask about his welfare.”
“I think it’s something more.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure.” She leaned her head to his and sighed. “I know how that guy felt. I’m so tired of all of this.”
“Hopefully they’ll run them down, arrest them, and this will all be over.”
Sadie didn’t think so, but she appreciated his optimism. It didn’t make the fear in her heart and gut dissipate. Instead, a sense of dread settled over her.
CHAPTER 14
Connor sat in the backseat of Trigger’s car, his hands clasped together, sandwiched between his thighs. His sister nearly got herself killed again tonight, and she royally fucked him. He’d be lucky to make it out of this car alive, let alone live another day when Derek’s short fuse went off. Fuck, he needed to get amped. Instead he picked at the Crank Crater on his face, making the sore bleed once again. He attacked one on his arm, waiting for the inevitable explosion to happen.
Derek raked his hand through his hair, then punched the dashboard. “We’re screwed.”
And there it went. Connor sank deeper into his seat, trying to hide, knowing he had no place to run.
Trigger drove the car down the dirt road, one hand on the wheel, his other arm propped on the door. He stared straight ahead, acting like he hadn’t heard a word Derek spoke.
“What the hell are we going to do now?”
Trigger still didn’t speak. Derek smacked him on the shoulder to get his attention. Trigger reacted with lightning-quick speed, reaching over and grabbing Derek’s hair, squeezing tight, and pulling the strands.
Fucking stupid to go after Trigger. That dude scared Connor even more than Derek did.
“Reach for that knife and I’ll slam your head straight through the windshield.”
Trigger always seemed pissed off and ready to kill, but the way he threatened Derek made Connor think the dude might actually lose his shit this time for real.
“Be cool, man.” Derek held perfectly still. Even he didn’t want to fuck with Trigger.
“You really know how to fuck up a good thing, you know that?” Trigger shook his head, watching the road ahead. “All you had to do was pick up the drugs and get the hell out of there.”
“That bitch got in the way.”
Trigger scrunched up his face. “Yeah, that tiny little woman is the reason you two fuckups botched an entire batch of meth. She’s the reason you borrowed money you can’t pay back. She’s the reason you stole some rancher’s cattle and have the law after you. It’s her fault.”
“Yes, it is,” Derek replied.
“She didn’t do shit,” Connor said under his breath in the backseat, realizing too late he should have kept his mouth shut.
“That’s right. She didn’t do shit, but you two sure fucked up good.” Trigger released Derek, shoving him away.
Derek rubbed at his scalp, then glared over his shoulder. Connor stared out the driver’s side window, keeping his peripheral vision on Derek. He wasn’t stupid enough to look away and get caught off guard.
“That cattle thing turned out in the end. We’d have gotten the drugs tonight if she and that damn cowboy hadn’t interfered.”
“Why the hell did you stash the drugs there in the first place?” Trigger asked.
“No one would look for them there,” Connor answered.
“What are you going to do now?” Trigger asked Derek.
“Me? I’m not the one who fucked up tonight.”
“Is that what Torres is going to say?”
“Don’t worry about Torres. I’ll take care of it.”
Yeah, right. Torres matched Trigger’s lethal look and vibe. It wasn’t just the threat they posed, but knowing they’d sure as hell kill you. Derek fucked up a lot of people. He liked to fight. He liked to use that damn knife. Torres and Trigger didn’t need to put on a show. They’d just shoot you dead and be done with it.