Page 41 of Canyon of Deceit

FORTY

BLANE

I slept the entire flight from Hobbs, New Mexico, back to Houston Hobby Airport. Therese’s head on my shoulder, as though she trusted me, confirmed the future. I’d wanted her willingness to pursue a relationship months ago, but not at the expense of her faith and other mental scars she denied.

Late afternoon had sent the sun moving slowly westward by the time Sergio drove us to the Ranger office.

Therese and I wanted the official briefing done and behind us, no matter how badly our bodies protested.

Separately we told Sergio what happened from the time we landed at Hobbs on Thursday night.

He recorded every word. Therese’s briefing lasted longer with what she’d experienced—Chandler, Falin, the abduction, and Chandler’s death.

Sergio pulled us aside and issued a few orders.

Neither Therese nor I argued. We needed to regroup.

He handed us new phones and even with our cloudy focus, we activated them.

My firearm had gone up in smoke in the cave.

He reached in his back waistband and handed me a new SIG. “Try to keep this one.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I have two Rangers and two cars to escort you home. You both need to stay behind closed doors for the next three days. That means no stepping outside until Saturday morning. Do not attempt to work together or solo to find Alina Ivanov. Put me on speed dial. If Rurik talks to you, I want every word relayed to me. If anyone contacts you who is remotely connected to this case, call ASAP. If I see either of you before the weekend, I’ll put you in cuffs. ”

“You sure know how to ruin a good time,” I said.

Sergio set his jaw. “Don’t pull a stunt like this again. I plan on us growing old playing poker together.”

“Not my intention to come that close to the hereafter again. This one made a believer out of me. Literally.” I searched his face for a reaction. Curiosity brimmed from his dark eyes. “I’ll tell you about it later, but you can tell your mother that her prayers finally stuck.”

Sergio grinned. “I’ll do it. She’ll be planning a party and will want to hear the whole story.”

Just as I figured. “Feed me, and I’ll be there.”

“Did I pick up some romantic vibe between you and Therese?”

“I’m right here,” she said. “Half asleep but my ears work just fine.”

I laughed. “I think we might be headed in the right direction. Had to face death to admit it. But we’re talking.”

“Both of you have that look.”

“Which is?” I said.

“Puppy dog eyes and a bit of sparkle.”

“Please,” she said, her blue-green eyes narrowing. “I haven’t sparkled in years.”

“You’ve spent too much time with your girls,” I said.

“Your time’s coming, brother. Don’t go against my orders and stay low. Have you seen the bruises on your left side? Your body’s gotta heal, and then we’ll arrest a few nasty Russians.”

Therese and I lingered by our assigned cars, me with a cast and head bandage and she with a body that Falin had used for a punching bag and a face-first fall.

“No more peregrine falcon feathers,” I said. “Hey, trivia here. Russia’s national bird is an eagle.”

Therese chuckled. “News to me. Strange since the two countries have different ideals.”

“Russia’s coat of arms is a two-headed golden eagle. Not sure why that popped into my head. Except to show what we’re up against.” I hesitated, convinced I was rambling. “I need sleep.”

“I’m right there with you. Text me later,” she said. “I want to make sure you’re all right.”

I blew out my frustration. “You’re the one. With a little rest we can talk about Rurik and the steps forward.”

“I want to call him tonight,” she said. “Conference you in?”

“Yep. We keep learning new things he’s neglected to tell us. If he and Falin were at one time brothers-in-law, what else is he hiding?”

“I doubt Alina knows he’s her uncle. She referred to him as sir or Mr. Falin.”

“Does seem odd... as though the two men weren’t as close as Rurik claimed.”

“I need to think about why Rurik kept the info from her.” She paused. “Why was Falin with his sister when she died instead of Rurik? And we can’t neglect Falin and Daria’s affair.”

“Should we record the call to Rurik?”

Loyalty to Therese’s friend and crossing the lines of professionalism warred in my sleep-deprived body. “I’d like Sergio be kept aware of every detail.”

She drew in a ragged breath. Without a doubt, Therese valued Alina’s welfare over logic. “I’m having problems thinking clearly. But at some point, I want to process Jurg Falin, the type of man who’d kill his family and friends.”

“The kind of ideology that has no room for sentiment or human values.”

—

THERESE

The Ranger and I talked little on my ride home, falling into the stereotypical quiet cowboy-Texas Ranger image.

An unfamiliar black SUV, parked across the street from my brick one-story, caught my attention.

.. Neighbors must have company. I slipped back into exhaustion mode, and I ignored the vehicle.

Gunfire broke out the moment we turned into my driveway.

Bullets flew through the rear window and cracked the windshield.

I ducked down into the backseat, and Wes did the same from the driver’s side.

He lowered the windows and returned fire to whoever attacked us.

Falin had taken my handgun, or I’d be firing back too.

I needed a firearm, and I refused to sit there and have some shooter fill me with holes.

Wes phoned for backup while skepticism zipped through me of help not arriving in time. What about neighbors getting hurt or kids?

“Do you have another gun?” I said.

He popped open the glove box and handed me a SIG. “You made the wrong people mad.”

“Jurg Falin left us all for dead in Dog Canyon and confiscated our weapons.” Bullets continued to whiz by. “Except an FBI agent got a call through for help.” I squeezed off two shots from the rear driver’s side window into the parked car.

“We need to get out of here.” His calm voice told me he’d been in previous firefights. “Open your door as a shield, and I’ll provide cover while you escape to the rear of your house. Then cover me and I’ll join you.”

A firestorm of bullets continued, stopping me from pulling my new phone from my pants pocket, although Wes had gotten through on his phone. I opened the rear passenger door. The possibility of the shooters aiming at my feet nudged me but getting to safety motivated me more.

He wasted no time exiting the car on his side and raining bullets at the shooters. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. You?”

“I’m good.” His strained voice told me he’d been shot.