Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Can - By Kat Martin Page 0,46
too late for that. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, Sam walked into the barn.
* * *
Careful to keep the Camaro in sight, Ben drove the SUV along the dirt road leading farther and farther out to nowhere. Nothing but cactus, mesquite and desert. Nothing but dust billowing up from the car in front of him. Good cover for the SUV but making it impossible to see where Hutchins was headed.
Then the road turned a little to the left and he caught a glimpse of light up ahead. The Camaro pulled into a makeshift dirt parking lot filled with trucks and cars. Ben parked a row behind Hutchins and turned off the engine. Fifty yards farther away, a circle of light marked the entrance to a barn.
“What is this place?” Claire asked. “What’s going on?”
Ben knew the area from the time he’d spent in Juarez, knew the favorite pastime. Didn’t matter that it had been outlawed. “Cockfight.”
Claire’s head went up. “What? You don’t think Troy’s here. Surely he wouldn’t bring Sam to something as disgusting as that.”
“You don’t think so?”
She surveyed the assortment of rough-looking people making their way toward the barn. “Actually, I do. In fact, I think it would be just like him. A way of turning Sam into his idea of a real man.”
They sat quietly as Hutchins got out of his car and fell in with a group heading for the barn. Two men and three big-busted, big-haired women wearing low-cut blouses and stretch pants so tight the cheeks of their asses rubbed together.
“We’re going in there, right?”
“I am. You’re staying here.” He had never put the bulb back into the overhead light so the light didn’t go on when he opened the door.
“I’m going with you, Ben,” Claire said, stopping him. “Duke could be meeting Bridger, and Bridger might be with Sam. With all these people and so little light, there’s no way you can spot him. I know his height and build, the way he walks, the sound of his voice. I can find him if he’s in there.”
“You can’t go with me, Claire.”
“Why not?”
“This is a damn bloody sport, for one thing. I’m not sure you can handle it.”
“Other women are going in.”
Ben shook his head. “Not women like you.”
Another group walked past, tattoos and piercings, black leather jackets, a buxom blonde and a heavily painted redhead.
“Just give me a minute,” Claire said.
Ben watched as she opened her purse and pulled out a hairbrush, unfastened the clip holding back her hair and brushed it out, back-combed it into a mass of dark silk.
She took out a tube of red lipstick he was surprised she owned and painted her full lips a fiery shade of crimson, rubbed a little on her cheeks. Unfastening the last few buttons on her white cotton blouse, she knotted the ends above her waist, then unbuttoned the top buttons to flash a little cleavage.
She cast him a challenging smile. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
He tried to ignore the little jolt of lust he got just looking at her. She was right about recognizing Sam. Dressed like that she would fit in well enough. Still, he didn’t like the idea. He made a last effort at discouraging her.
“What about your sneakers? Not exactly de rigueur for this kind of affair.” Even in the powdery dust, the women wore platform heels.
“You’re right.” Climbing down from the passenger seat, she hurried to the back of the Tahoe and popped the trunk. The zipper on her carry-on buzzed. When Claire walked back to where he stood, she was wearing a pair of strappy black superhigh heels. She had rolled up the legs of her jeans, showing off her pretty ankles.
She looked more like a hooker than the angel he called her. But he had to admit it might just work.
“All right, you can come. I might need your eyes to find Sam. But you do what I tell you, and whatever I say, you play along. You’re dressed like a whore. Play the part.”
Those words sent his thoughts in a dangerous direction, but the moment he glanced toward the barn, his mind returned to his son and he was all business. “Let’s go.”
Claire wrapped her fingers around his biceps as they started walking, using him for balance on the dusty rutted road. He slid an arm around her waist to steady her and guided her toward their destination.
The noise grew louder as they drew near. At the entrance, two Hispanic men stood guard, each wearing