Chapter 15
Fifteen
John was uncomfortable. Especially when they got home and Josie had already gone. JJ couldn’t tell him much, just that she
had some rich guy who was coming down to buy property that she had for sale, and she’d gone with that Raines and she’d taken
her suitcase. The suitcase bothered JJ. It was his experience that people with suitcases sometimes didn’t come back.
It was worrying for John. He didn’t want to get involved with her, but he already was and he knew it. Well, it wasn’t as if
nobody around him had ever been in jail. His father actually had, for brawling in his younger days. Cole had spent a couple
of nights in the county jail at the detention center. But John didn’t even have a parking ticket to his credit. He was naive
perhaps and drawn to Josie because of the novelty she presented in his life. Except that he burned for her, wanted her, worried
about her. And now he was really worried.
Besides that, his mother was acting strangely. She was quiet and distant as if her mind was far away.
He joined her in the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She stared into it, looking anguished.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong, Mom?” he asked gently.
She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “You know these feelings I get,” she said, “these weird feelings, like
I know something bad is going to happen, but I don’t know what or where or when?”
He felt suddenly uneasy. “Yes.”
“Well, I’ve got one. About Josie.” She looked up at him with soft blue eyes. “We don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t trust
that Raines man she was talking to when the vet found the drugs in the stomachs of those young bulls we sold the Hispanic
man.” She smiled. “I liked him,” she added.
“Yeah,” he agreed. He hadn’t liked the way the man had responded to Josie. But that was another issue.
“I spoke to her,” Heather added, surprising John. “I don’t know what she’s mixed up in, John, but I know it’s dangerous.”
She sipped coffee while John thought about a life without Josie in it. It would be as if all the color went out of the world
at once . . .
“There must be somebody we can talk to,” he said.
“Yes,” she agreed. “There must be somebody who knows what’s going on,” she murmured, frowning.
“I’d bet money that Tanner does,” John said unexpectedly. “He and Josie were speaking privately at Thanksgiving, near the
cabinet in the den. I didn’t overhear anything, but I know a conference when I see one. Tanner knows something.” He looked
up. “And I’m not sure it’s related to Phillip James.”
He drew in a long breath. “Tanner keeps secrets. I asked him then what was going on but he won’t really talk to me.”
“He’ll talk to me,” she said doggedly. She picked up the phone and dialed.
It was a long drive to wherever they were going in Mexico. Josie dozed while Raines drove. She relived their arrival.
“Why are we here at this place again?” she’d exclaimed as they drove past the bar where the old man had been murdered. “Okay.
What’s going on?” she asked firmly.
“Just some minor problems,” he murmured as he parked the car they’d found waiting at the airfield next to a car left with
the keys still in it.
Josie stretched her back as they approached the car. “Why are we changing cars?” she wondered. “Surely, they don’t expect
us to . . . !”
“Shhh!” he silenced her.
He pulled a small notebook out of his shirt pocket, opened it and showed her a printed sentence.
Most heavily patrolled area of the border, he’d written previously. He grinned. And we’re home free.
She was all at sea. As they drove, he had her slide toward him. Her nose wrinkled with distaste. He wasn’t much for hygiene.
A border patrol SUV stopped them. An agent rolled down his window and motioned for Raines to do the same.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked.
“Taking my girl over to the Circa de Nada bar for a drink. This is her dad’s ranch,” he added, squeezing her hand unobserved,
warning her, she surmised, not to contradict him.
Josie forced a smile. “Yes,” she said. She frowned. “What are you guys doing on our land?” she added.
“We have an arrangement with your dad,” he replied. He scowled. “How can you not know that?”
She thought fast. “I’ve been away at school,” she lied.
She smiled. “I just got home today, and Dad was headed out to a sale when I got here, so we only had time to say hello. I should have kept in touch better, but you know how it is,” she added with a laugh.
“College doesn’t leave much spare time, even for family. ”
He hesitated, then he chuckled. “Yes. I remember,” he said, and she relaxed.
Then he frowned. “I thought he said you’d come home for good,” he replied. “And he didn’t mention boyfriends.” He scowled.
Beside her, Raines tensed. She put on a fake grin and took a breath. “You ever tell your dad everything you do?” she improvised.
He chuckled. “Okay, I see your point. Just be careful around here,” he added, dark eyes sweeping the area.
“Is it dangerous?” she asked with pretended nervousness.
“We’re looking for somebody,” he replied, forcing a smile. “Just a trespasser,” he added quickly, but Josie detected the lie
in his voice. She’d had excellent training.
“I’ll bet you get a lot of those,” she replied. “I know we do. It’s dangerous here on the border.”
“We’re working on that,” he assured her. “There aren’t nearly as many trespassers as before,” he added with a grin. “Not nearly
as many.” He sobered. “No, now it’s drugs more than people. Dangerous drugs.”
“Aren’t they all dangerous?” she asked.
“Yes, but these are worse than usual,” he began. “There’s a big jump in potency. A lot of people are going to die if we can’t
get the new shipments stopped.”
She sighed. “It must be nice, having a job with so much purpose,” she added.
He seemed to grow an inch. “Well, yes,” he said.
“Hey, Carillo, hurry it up! We’ve got a traffic jam forming,” another guard called to him.
“Sorry,” he called back. He grimaced. “Sorry. You get used to jumpy people when you work a job like this.” He chuckled. “Nice to talk to people with nothing to hide. Got your papers?” he added.
“Yes, sir, both of us,” Raines said with a cool smile. He pulled the documents—recently excellently forged by a colleague—and
handed them over.
The guard, at ease with them by now, only gave them a cursory glance. He handed them back. “You’re good to go,” he said, smiling.
“Stay out of trouble now,” he teased Josie.
She laughed. “No promises,” she teased back. “But I’ll try not to shoot up any bars!”
“Okay, then. Thanks,” Raines told the guard.
“Have a good day,” Josie told him.
“You do the same,” he replied.
And they were home free.
“Whew!” Raines breathed. “You’re cool under fire,” he told Josie.
She could have told him that several years of undercover work would do that for you. She didn’t, of course.
“Where to now?” she asked.
“A few miles down the road,” he said, and pulled ahead. He waved at the long line of people coming from the other side of
the border. So did Josie.
“What if he recognizes me when we come back across?” she asked with convincing apprehension in her voice. She fingered her
red-gold hair in its upswept glory.
“I’ve got that covered,” he replied.
“Mind telling me how?” she asked.
“Patience,” he told her. “You’ll see.” He grinned. “This was my own idea. The boss was happy with it!”
“Good for you.” Her fingers went absently to the burner phone in her jeans pocket, under her denim jacket and beige turtleneck
sweater.
Raines frowned as he glanced at her. “Are you packing like I told you?” he asked abruptly.
Her eyebrows went up. “I’m always packing . . .” she began.
He let out a breath. “Good. I should have asked. Just forgot.” He glanced at her. “What have you got in your pocket?” he added.
“A burner phone, of course,” she told him. “This isn’t my first shipment, you know,” she added in what sounded like a mocking
tone.
He relaxed. “Okay. I should have remembered to ask you to bring one,” he said. “I guess I’m just nervous. We’re moving a lot
of product. Can’t afford to mess up.” He didn’t add that he had plans, great plans, that involved double-crossing Velasquez
for a lot of money and more power with the Vega cartel. It was risky, sure, but he was tired of being nothing more than a
lackey. Velasquez didn’t appreciate him like Vega did. He had brains. He was tired of not getting the chance to use them.
He thought about his steers, the ones he’d had packed with drugs, waiting to be shipped to Mexico, to Velasquez’s ranch over the border not too far from Juarez.
They weren’t enough to make him rich, but they were a good start.
Hopefully, that vet wouldn’t have access to the high-tech tools he’d need to discover what was in the little bulls’ intestines, and there were people in place to remove the drugs at Velasquez’s ranch.
There had been almost no outward indication that the calves had been tampered with.
He just hoped they’d be shipped south soon, before their appearance aroused curiosity.
With luck, the Everetts would just think it was scours and treat it accordingly.
There was no reason for them to be suspicious.
And once the calves crossed the border, well, Raines had that angle covered.
He was going to be rolling in dough very soon.
The sad thing was that he couldn’t brag about it.
His eyes went to his red-headed colleague.
She wasn’t bad-looking, but she’d moved away the minute they left the border.
She didn’t find him attractive. That didn’t matter.
He’d have plenty of women once the money came rolling in. Prettier ones, too.
Josie felt the car jolt. She sat up, coming out of her reverie. Raines turned down another dirt road, thinking about the plan
he’d worked out with Velasquez. It was genius. They’d be carrying a busload of supposed tourists—actually young women and