Chapter 9
Chapter 9
S ully sat at his desk, scrolling page after page of transcripts. For the last two years, he and his team had been investigating the Cortez family, a local crime syndicate. They were different from the cartels in two ways. For one, they were an old Texas family with roots going back before the Alamo. For another, they were not thugs and gang members. They were sophisticated, intelligent, connected. They dabbled in drugs, of course. It was impossible for a crime family not to, this close to the border. But they were also suspects in multiple other crimes: witness tampering, coercion, forgery, larceny, money laundering, and even murder. The problem, as it so often was with organized crime, was that it was organized. They were good, and they rarely to never messed up.
They had been on the Rangers’ radar for decades, maybe even longer, possibly since Steve Austen and the first Texas Rangers. Occasionally over the years one of them would slip and get caught, but it was always something minor, and it always ended with a slap on the wrist. Most of the time they existed on the back burner. The change in priority happened five years ago when a sitting judge in San Antonio was murdered. Everyone knew the Cortez family either did it or ordered the hit. But no one had been able to prove it, and it was maddening. In reaction, the Rangers had begun to take an almost obsessive personal interest in the family, putting them under a microscope, looking for any flaw.
Sully was no different. Recently the son had taken over for the father, and Sully felt sure the new young blood would make a mistake. He was cockier than his father with a chip on his shoulder that said he had something to prove. Sully and his team had taken to baiting him, prodding him toward a screwup that would be like the final card in the deck before the entire house collapsed.
Eventually he became aware someone stood in his doorway. He looked up to see Bailey leaning against the jamb.
“Hey,” she said. “Bad time?”
“No, my eyes need a break.” He pushed the papers away from him. “What’s up?”
“I know a secret,” she said.
Thanks to her military training, she was often deadpan and expressionless, closely guarding whatever she might be feeling or thinking. Sully had no idea if she was angry or upset. His heart began to thump with dread, but instead of bumbling into a confession, he played it cool. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “And it concerns you.”
“Me?” he echoed, wincing when his voice squeaked.
“Guess who’s moving to Texas?” she said, striding forth to take the chair across from his desk.
Sully gripped the desk in front of him. Surely not… “Who?”
“My sister.”
“Which one?” he croaked. Surely she would have told him if that were the case. Surely she wouldn’t spring it on him as a surprise.
Bailey rolled her eyes. “Poppy, silly. Why would you care if Jane moved here? You don’t even know her. I’m only telling you about Poppy because I think you’re part of the reason she’s moving here.”
“I am?” he whispered and cleared his throat.
“She said after you pointed out her living situation, it made her see things with fresh eyes and she realized she needed to be somewhere more affordable with more space. I told her we have all the space she could ever want here, and then some.”
“Yes,” he agreed, nodding. “Space.”
“Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work. I wanted to pop in and say thanks.”
“Please, please, please don’t thank me,” he said.
“Okay,” she drawled. “Then how about I invite you to go out with us sometime after she gets here. Poppy likes action, adventure, and culture. We’re going to have to show her the sights to keep her interested in our neck of the woods.”
“Sounds good,” he said definitively. They would need to have a sit down with Bailey and Cal. Perhaps together they could figure out a way to break the news and reveal his part in everything.
“I’m so excited,” Bailey added. “It never occurred to me I might have a member of my family living here. I mean, Cam and Maggie have vaguely talked about maybe someday, but Jane is married to the Smithsonian, my dad will likely die in his office and continue to keep working, and Poppy loves New York so much…” she trailed off, shrugging with one shoulder. “Sorry, I’m rambling. I guess I’m shocked and overjoyed.”
“Me too,” he said, and she laughed.
“Now you’re making fun of me.”
“I’m not,” he promised. This would be the solution to so many of his problems, and the start to so many others. He sighed as all the mixed emotions roiled inside him.
“I’ll leave you to your work. Thanks for letting me blather on and share the joy,” Bailey said, standing.
“Anytime,” he said, giving her a little wave as she made her way out of his office. He picked up his work and tried to make sense of it again, but his brain was now mush. Poppy was moving here. His Poppy. No, not his Poppy. His baby, who Poppy now carried.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave, he thought, his head falling to his desk with a mixture of dread and anticipation.
A fter Bailey’s announcement, Sully texted Poppy three times to try and verify if and when she was coming. He never heard back. For all he knew, his texts were going nowhere. For all he knew, she could be anywhere between New York and Texas. Maybe she was making good on her promise to disappear, going into the wind, shucking all responsibility along with modern society. She’d been raised in Africa; would she go back?
He was in the midst of wondering that very thing when he ran into her at the grocery store, literally. She bounced off his chest and would have tumbled over if he hadn’t caught her and held her upright.
“I’m sorry,” he started then, seeing who it was, amended it to, “What? How?”
“Surprise?” she said weakly.
“I’m going to kill you,” he said, but he didn’t mean it. He was glad to see her, deliriously so. She was safe; she was here. His eyes scanned her up and down, looking for changes, checking for a baby bump. By his calculations, she was ten weeks along now. But there was no bump. If anything, she looked thinner, practically gaunt.
“I’m sorry. It’s been crazy, I mean seriously.”
“We need to talk,” he said. “Are you free tonight?”
“No. Rain check?”
“Tomorrow,” he said.
“Yes.” She gave him a nod and a smile and he found himself smiling in return. His hands were still on her biceps, and he became aware that people were likely staring at them.
“Have you ever lived in small town America before?” he asked.
“Does Washington DC count?” she asked.
“No. I feel the need to warn you about what’s coming.”
“What’s coming?” she asked, smiling.
“Gossip, and lots of it. You and I are about to be the center of very public speculation.”
“Doesn’t bother me, but it’s your home turf, chief. Are you braced?”
“Solidly,” he assured her. A slow smile spread over his face.
“What’s that smile for?” she asked.
“I got this idea to start off the gossip with a bang, but it’s going to require a bit of sacrifice on your part,” he said.
“It’s important to me that you know I’m always game for any shenanigans,” she said.
“In that case.” He grabbed a nearby employee and handed him the gallon of milk he’d been carrying. “Can you put this back for me? I found something better.” When his hands were empty, he bent, tucked his hands behind Poppy’s knees and back, and carried her out of the store.
“Go big or go home, huh?” she asked.
“It’s the Ranger way,” he said. He pushed open the door with his foot, set her in the middle of the sidewalk, tucked her face between his palms, and kissed her. It wasn’t a long kiss, nor an especially intense one, but it was enough to make a statement to anyone who was looking. And everyone was looking. “Welcome to Texas,” he said and let her go.
“Wow, you park rangers really know how to make a girl feel special,” she said, taking a step away from him.
“Come back here and let me show you all the ways I’m not a park ranger,” he said.
“Pretty sure you already did that,” she replied. She tossed him a wave and turned to head down the street.