Texas Hold 'Em (Smokin' ACES) - By Kay David Page 0,10
you can get. If he found out the truth, he’d kill her and never give it a second thought. There are plenty of other possibilities, though.”
“Traffickers?”
“That’s one option,” he said carefully. “She certainly fits the bill—blond, blue eyes, slim and beautiful.” He couldn’t stop himself. “You remind me of her in a lot of ways.”
Rose looked down and wiped her tea glass with the back of one finger, her expression closed. The silence built. All he could hear was the hum of the refrigerator.
She spoke as if he hadn’t. “So you think this guy, El Brujo—Pablo Ortega—had something to do with all this? She didn’t just disappear and leave you hanging?”
“She wouldn’t do that,” he said with a flat voice.
“How do you know for sure?”
“Because I know her.”
A heartbeat went by. “I see.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” he said quietly. “But I’ve already said too much. Any more and I’d be risking everyone involved.”
“Dammit, Santos, in case you didn’t hear me before, I am the sheriff. I got involved the minute you set foot in Rio County.”
“I’ve told you what I can for now. In the meantime, no one can know who I really am or why I’m here. Not even your deputy.”
“King’s a respectable man. He’s well thought of, and his family’s been here since the republic. He could help. He’s got contacts—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Santos put the image of the deputy’s hand on Rose’s back out of his mind.
“You’re good, Santos,” she conceded. “Maybe the best cop I’ve ever known. But even you can’t handle something like the cartel by yourself.”
He knew what the praise cost her. “Like I said, the feds know I’m here. And so do the border guys.” He braced himself for her reaction. Interagency rivalry was legendary within the ranks, and Rose had even more reasons than that to object to his presence.
She shrugged and spoke dismissively. “The feds have their hands full, and the border patrol guys are cool. They have their job. I’ve got mine. When we think we need to know each other’s business, we share.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No territorial conflicts?”
“The nearest office is run by a woman.” She smiled. “That’s one of the reasons we work so well together. No need for a tape measure.”
“That is an advantage.” His gaze fell to the curves beneath her uniform before he returned to the subject at hand, frustration deepening his voice. “Our cover’s not going to last forever, so the clock is ticking. For us and for my informant.”
“I take it that cover has something to do with the patch on your jacket?”
“We’d been planning the operation for a while. It was the fastest way to get closer.” He slanted his shoulder toward her. Her eyes skimmed his sleeveless leather vest. The bikers called them “cuts” or sometimes referred to them as their “colors.”
Embroidered across the shoulders was a fan of five cards. A royal flush. Overlapping them was a laughing skeleton racing a bike with two guns crossed over his chest. Its bony fingers gripped the handlebars as a streak of fire curled up from beneath his tires, a white cloud billowing behind. Scrawled at the top were the words “Smokin’ ACES.” At the bottom, where she’d seen other riders with patches that indicated the chapter’s home, the vest was bare.
She shook her head. “A motorcycle gang? Are you crazy, Santos? Those guys are hardcore. I’m sure there are plenty of good bikers out there—I know a lot of them are veterans—but some of the clubs around here are mixed up with the cartels in a big way.”
“And that’s exactly why we’re using the cover. We’re offering protection for Ortega’s money runs. He hasn’t bitten yet, but we come highly recommended from a ‘chapter’ out in California. All of us have sheets as big as Texas.” This time he leaned over the table, his voice grim. “The bikers aren’t our target, Rose. Ortega is.”
“I understand what you’re saying, and I admire your…ingenuity, but this situation is—”
“This isn’t a situation, Rose. Ortega is an animal, and my CI has quit talking to me. We aren’t going to let something like this be swept under the rug. We’re going to do whatever it takes to get her out.” Here came the tricky part. “I think there’s someone in the area who might be able to help. If anyone can give us accurate information on El Brujo, it might be this person.”
She waited expectantly, her blue eyes locking with his. “Well? Who is this