Chapter Eighteen
Sierra tapped her foot impatiently, sitting beside Beau on the couch.
It no longer formed an L with the other couch.
Instead, Beau had scooted it under the TV, at least fifteen feet away from her brothers, facing them.
To top that off, since he didn’t have another set of handcuffs, he’d had the audacity to tie Rafael’s hands behind him using a cord that Beau had cut from a lamp.
She supposed he’d have to pay for that too once this was all over, along with the pilfered eggs.
Worst of all, he’d taken her gun away. That had her madder than anything else.
It meant he didn’t trust her. He’d said as much when he’d chided her for breaking rule number three—or was it two?
The one where she had to mind him at all times during the investigation.
She couldn’t help it if her excitement at seeing her brother had her opening the door.
Although, to Beau’s credit, she’d have never known her brother was outside if she’d gone to the bedroom when Beau told her to instead of looking out the living room window.
Ugh. He was infuriating. And her hero as well, dang it. Because everything he was doing that aggravated her was to keep her safe. It was hard maintaining her anger while secretly being grateful and in awe of him at the same time.
She glanced at him, speaking on his phone to Collier, and arched a brow. “Can we move this along? I want to talk to my brothers.”
“Just a minute,” he promised her. “Collier, one more thing. Is Fletcher there with you? She is? Good. I’m about to interrogate the Covington brothers—”
Esteban swore at him in Spanish.
“—and as you can probably already hear, I’m guessing they may try to use Spanish to keep me from knowing everything they discuss.
I’d like Fletcher to interpret if that happens.
Yes, I’ll put it on Speaker mode.” He pressed a button on the phone and set it on the coffee table he’d moved to the middle of the floor between the couches for just that reason. Then he sat beside Sierra.
“I’ll start,” Beau said.
“They’re my brothers. I’ll start.”
“This is an interrogation, Sierra. Not a family reunion. Remember—”
“Don’t you dare mention one of your rules again. Fine. I’ll wait. But don’t expect me to remain silent if I want clarification about anything.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.” He winked when Esteban mumbled beneath his breath, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Stop antagonizing him,” she chided.
“What’s going on?” Rafael asked. “I think I missed something.”
Esteban nodded toward Beau. “That cop and our sister are…” he hesitated when Beau gave him a sharp look, “…dating.”
Rafael’s mouth dropped open. “Sierra, you’re dating a cop?”
She threw her hands up. “Good grief. Can we just move on? Beau, ask your questions or I’m going to.”
“Do either of you have anyone outside? If you do, just know that police officer Fletcher and her team will be here in minutes if things go bad. And she can have the sheriff’s office block the main road and send reinforcements.”
Esteban let loose with a litany of Spanish.
Sierra was exceedingly grateful that Beau couldn’t understand all the rude insults her brother was spewing.
Fletcher spoke through the speaker. “That means—”
“I know what that means,” Beau said. “Or the gist of it. No need to interpret.” He looked from Esteban to Rafael.
“Do you have any backup outside? I don’t want a repeat of Sierra being caught in the middle of gunfire again because of some stupid stunt that one of you pulls.
If shots are fired anywhere near her, I’ll put a bullet in both of you. Understood?”
Sierra stiffened beside him but remained silent. She wasn’t sure whether he was serious or not. But she was trying hard to trust him, in spite of his apparent doubts about her.
Rafael immediately shook his head. “I came here alone. I didn’t tell anyone I was coming.
Except Esteban. He called me a little over an hour ago.
Sierra had already told me he was alive.
So it wasn’t as big a shock as it would have been.
I was out of town, out of state when she called, so it took a while to get here.
I’d just landed at the Chattanooga airport when Esteban called and said to meet him and Sierra here. ”
“Esteban, how did you know she was here, in this cabin?” Beau asked.
Esteban gave him a surly expression and didn’t answer.
Sierra went off in Spanish at him, basically telling him to man up and take responsibility for his actions.
His expression turned sheepish, like a child who’d just been scolded.
“Did you want that interpreted?” Fletcher asked through the speaker.
“I’ll do it,” Sierra said. “I called him an idiot and told him to answer the questions.”
“Close enough.” There was laughter in Fletcher’s voice. “That’s the G-rated version.”
Beau smiled. “Esteban.” This time his voice was a little less impatient, a little less gruff.
“Your anger at me is quite convincing. Either you’re a great actor, or you really are upset on your sister’s behalf.
Understand where I’m coming from, though.
She’s nearly been killed several times this week.
You always seem to be involved in those incidents.
Are you trying to have her killed, or is there another explanation? ”
Rafael stared at his brother. “What the heck, Esteban? You’re behind the shootings she told me about?”
Esteban’s face took on a pained expression.
“I trusted the wrong people. Idiots. Okay? That’s all.
I was on the run and had to hire my own mercenary muscle for protection.
I knew better. People who hire out to the highest bidder have no loyalties.
When things get rough, it’s every man for himself and they don’t care who gets in the way.
The ones Dawson didn’t kill were fired. I let go of every single one of them. ”
“What about that Randy guy?” Sierra asked. “The one you gave the transfusion. Your friend.”
He rolled his eyes. “He wasn’t a friend. I barely knew him. I only guessed at his blood type.”
Sierra gasped.
He shrugged. “I was hoping to save him with my blood long enough so that I could interrogate him. I was worried someone else had gotten to him and the other men I’d hired, and that’s why they were so trigger-happy.
Turns out they were just cowards and completely trigger happy.
Period. I came here, to this cabin, alone.
I’ve been combing the mountains and town trying to hear someone talk about anyone who matched our sister’s description being seen around here.
That got me nowhere, so I rented a cabin to lie low until I could think of some other way to find her.
I finally got a lucky break. My cabin isn’t far from here.
I decided to check out any cabins in the vicinity and when I stood outside listening at one of the windows of this one, I heard Sierra’s voice.
I headed back to my cabin and called Rafael. ”
“How did you find out about the tunnel?” Sierra asked.
Beau gave her an impatient look.
She shrugged. “I just wanted to know whether I’m to blame for that. For calling Rafael.”
Rafael frowned. “What does calling me have to do with anything?”
“Nothing,” Esteban told him. “I found the tunnel because we exhausted every other potential place you two could have been. We found your truck and fanned out from there. It was dumb luck that one of the guys fell on a tree root and into the mouth of the tunnel.”
“And you decided it was a good idea to go inside?” Beau asked.
“Last resort. I was desperate and wanted to cross it off my list of potential possibilities of how to find my sister.”
Relief swept through Sierra hearing that she hadn’t actually compromised their location at the safe house as she’d feared. “Why are you both here?”
“Sierra—” Beau complained.
“I’m done, I’m done. Go ahead with your interrogation.”
“Esteban, Rafael, why are you here?”
She jabbed Beau’s side.
He winked.
Esteban swore.
“Oh good grief,” Rafael said. “I’m here because my sister called, told me my dead brother is actually alive.
I’m specifically at this cabin as I already said because Esteban called and told me to meet him here so he could explain everything.
Esteban, for the love of God, tell us what the hell is going on and why you pretended to be dead for more than a year and put your family through misery. ”
Esteban’s jaw worked with anger. “Not the entire family. Not Dad.”
Sierra sank against Beau’s side. “No,” she whispered. “Please tell me he’s not involved.”
“Sorry, sis. Can’t.”
She bowed her head, tightening her hands into fists.
Beau gently squeezed her hand, then let go.
She wanted desperately to cling to him, to take the comfort he’d only briefly offered.
But she understood he wanted his right hand free to grab his pistol if he had to, which was sitting beside him at the ready.
Still, without even knowing the details, just knowing that her father was mixed up in what was going on made her heart hurt.
“Go on,” Rafael urged. “Tell us. We’ve been living with your lie for months. You owe us the truth, whatever it is. And it had better be the truth if you’re going to smear Dad.”