“I’m leaving with him. We’re married, it’s true.”
“You fucking bitch. You told me you didn’t know anyone in America.”
“Give me back my passport,” she said.
Langdon took a step toward her. “After all I’ve done for you, you think you can just run out on me?”
Ivan stood between them. “She’s leaving with me. And don’t even think about trying to stop her, or I’ll pummel your face into the floorboards.”
Langdon’s face flashed with anger. “Well, Samira, if you leave here I might accidentally find myself telling the police that you’re staying illegally in this country.”
Ivan leaned toward him. “And I might accidentally tell them what you’ve got in your suitcases.”
“Suitcases? I don’t know what you mean.”
“Listen, Langdon, I may be dressed like a fucking cowboy, but I haven’t got shit for brains. If you tell the police about Samira, then I’ll tell them that you’re harboring illegal immigrants and exploiting them to do your dirty deals across the border. Looks like we’re stalemate. Now give her back her fucking passport.”
Langdon glared at Ivan. “I can’t give her something I don’t have, can I?”
“Well, you’d better fucking get it, hadn’t you?”
“But I –”
“Look, I don’t have time to argue right now, but I’ll be back in a couple of days for it, so you’d better be ready for me.”
Langdon opened his mouth to reply, but Ivan wasn’t interested. He turned to face Samira. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go.”
Being careful not to acknowledge Jake, he grabbed Samira’s suitcase and held her hand as they ran out the door into the sunshine-filled driveway. Ivan eyed up the truck, but Samira’s shiny Cadillac looked like a much better getaway vehicle.
They exchanged a smile of excitement, then she handed him the keys and they left the ranch together with the top rolled down and the future laid out ahead.
Chapter Sixteen
Jake gazed at the furious Langdon and braced himself for trouble.
Langdon pinned him with a glare, seething with anger. “I was paying you to watch her every move. How come you didn’t notice her fucking husband had showed up?”
“Sir, I did tell you she was getting friendly with a ranch hand. I didn’t know he was–”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Jake – are you a goddamn detective or not?”
“Sir, it’s not always as simple as–”
“Shut up. I’m trying to think…”
Jake sighed and leaned his elbows on the desk. Why did people keep telling him to shut up? He was just trying to earn a living like everyone else.
Langdon ran his fingers through his hair, and set his expression to amiable. Jake’s instincts told him to run...
“There is a way you can redeem yourself,” L
angdon said. “I still have a use for a lowlife like you.”
“Oh yeah? Well I guess us lowlifes should stick together, huh?”
Langdon let this go. “Tell me, Jake, have you ever killed anyone?”
“Yes, sir, I have.”