All Tied Up

Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, her mind racing just as wildly. Sooner or later they would be found. What would happen to them? What about the innocent people in this trailer park? Did Constantine think Flores had led the attackers to them on purpose? Surely not. That had to be his gun firing at the bikers. Someone in the trailer park might have called the police, but they were so far off the beaten path. Would it be soon enough to save them?

A penlight came on, barely illuminating Constantine’s face. He motioned her forward. “This way,” Constantine whispered, leading her to the front end of the trailer, weaving through the darkness as if it were daylight.

The sound of a motorcycle neared again…no, two—two motorcycles. Constantine waited until they passed and then eased a small patch of siding away to scan the situation beyond it. Nicole scooted forward and did the same. Unbelievably, they were right beside a pickup truck.

“Bingo,” he murmured, glancing at her. “The minute you see the passenger’s door open, start running and don’t stop until you are inside.”

As usual, he didn’t wait for a reply. He was already on the move, slipping through the opening that seemed too small for him. She tried to get her mind around everything that was happening, trying to make it some nightmare, not her life. But it was her life.

She watched Constantine stealing the truck. Pressing her fist against her chest, she thought her heart might explode. She let out a sigh of relief as the car door opened. She sucked in another breath before wiggling through the hole, not giving herself time to think about what might happen if this went bad.

Nicole cleared the trailer and crawled toward the truck. A motorcycle sounded again, then another gunshot. Her heart lurched. Digging her knees into the ground, she pushed forward. Finally, she was there, climbing into the truck. She pulled the door shut, ducking below the window, and not a moment too soon. A motorcycle sped by, but this time it stopped. Male voices sounded, pieces of the sentences reaching her ears. They were going to start a search on foot.

Constantine worked the wires beneath the dash, his head low. “Good,” he said of the conversation they’d overheard. “We want them on foot so we get ahead of them.” He motioned with his chin. “There’s a gun inside the bag on the seat. Get it out. You’re going to need it.”

She did as he said, removing the hefty handgun that was sure to fire with a kick that would jolt her from here to Mexico.

The truck’s engine roared to life. Yes! Nicole screamed in her mind.

Constantine floored the accelerator, the tires on the truck screeching against dirt and rock as he made a rapid turn to the left.

A motorcycle appeared by her window; the driver pointed a gun at her. Her hand tightened on her gun. Constantine swerved at the rider and the bike crashed. One danger gone. More to come.

Nicole slid open the rear window of the cab; a pair of bikers were on their tail. Aiming, she shot at the tires of the nearest motorcycle. She hit her target, but the backfire of the weapon sent a jolt of pain up her arm, through her shoulder and into her chest. Worth the pain though. The biker skidded across the terrain and crashed as the other one had.

She steeled herself to fire again, but was thankful when the second pursuer dropped back before she had to. Sinking into her seat, she let out a breath. “I think they’re gone.”

“They’ll be back.”

She glanced over at him. “I figured, but let me revel in momentary success.”

“Those were Carlos Menchaca’s men,” he announced. “I’m sure you’ve seen his name in the file.”

“Menchaca,” she said, ready to focus. “Right. He runs drugs along the border for Alvarez.”

They’d cleared the woods now; a highway was within sight. “Carlos will see what I did as a personal betrayal. He considered me a friend. I fooled him when no one has. He’ll come after me for that reason alone. Pleasing Alvarez will be nothing but bonus points.”

“I thought he was part of the Alvarez takedown?”

“He was supposed to be. Somehow he slipped away the night of the bust. I’d hoped he’d be found before he became a problem. But since that little fantasy hasn’t come true, I have only one option.”

Nicole swallowed. She knew what he meant. He was talking about going after Carlos.

Life as she knew it seemed to get more complicated every second she was with Constantine. Every time she turned around, he was walking that thin line she tried to avoid, stepping in the gray instead of living with black and white, right and wrong.

It was easy to decipher Constantine’s reasoning without even hearing him speak. The world would be a better place without men like Alvarez and Carlos, and she didn’t disagree. But she also knew the law existed for a reason. To protect people’s rights. When you let it fade away, the system, and its foundation for existing, did as well. Which left her with the question of how to handle Constantine. She glanced at his ruggedly handsome profile, not sure of her answer.