Page 6 of K-9 Justice (New Mexico Guard Dogs #6)

CHAPTER SIX

Turned out the belly of the beast Carson had mentioned took the form of a small town she’d never heard of. Aztec, New Mexico, stood as home to an array of natural arches, forgotten ruins and six thousand people at the very top of the state. The town itself sat so close to the border between New Mexico and Colorado, they could practically cross state lines within minutes. Was that why Sangre por Sangre had chosen this location? Or was there anything here at all?

She studied the grid-like design of every street, the homes surrounded by dead lawns and bare earth. Cement driveways had cracked over time, giving up the ghost to overgrown scrub brush and cacti. There was an expansive difference between Albuquerque and towns such as Aztec. While big-box stores and skyscrapers moved in to mask cultural origins and wipe slates clean, places like this went out of their way to protect tradition and the history of their people. She could see it in the architecture. Not forced or inauthentic but preserved. “What makes you think the cartel has any resources here?”

“Rumor has it one of the cartel’s top soldiers survived Socorro’s purge. From what I’ve learned about him in the past, he considers Aztec a safe haven. Someplace no one will come looking for him.” Carson kept his gaze on the road ahead. “I haven’t been able to verify the intel. Honestly, I’m not sure there’s anything for us here, but I figured if we were going to get any information on Dr. Piel’s killer, this could be our best shot.”

A lead. Her stomach fluttered, and for a reason unknown to Ivy, she wanted nothing more in that moment than to unholster her sidearm. “And if this cartel soldier doesn’t want to share what he knows?”

“That’s why we brought Max. She has a way of making people talk.” He flashed her a smile meant to extinguish the nerves funneling through her chest, but Ivy felt nothing but apprehension at the idea they were walking into a Sangre por Sangre trap. “There’s an entire arsenal in the cargo area, too.”

“Who is this guy? And why hasn’t he come up before?” The more information she had, the better decision she could make. That was the way this worked. Learning about this lead two days into their investigation didn’t sit right. Though there wasn’t a single bone in her body that believed Carson would put her in the cartel’s crosshairs on purpose. Up to this point, he’d gone out of his way to ensure her safety. Hadn’t he?

“Sebastian was my recruiter when I first joined the cartel. He watched over me, brought me into his circle. Trained me.” There were emotions in those few statements Carson tried to bury, but she’d become an expert at reading him in their partnership. Something wasn’t right here. There was something he wasn’t telling her. “I saved his ass during one of Socorro’s last raids on Sangre por Sangre ’s headquarters a few weeks ago. Your counterterrorism agent Granger and his partner brought the entire place down on itself by taking out the underground tunnels the cartel was using to continue operations. I kept Sebastian from becoming one of the casualties.”

“So he owes you his life.” Why didn’t that fact make her feel any better? “And you think an active member of Sangre por Sangre would be willing to turn on the cartel?”

“Sebastian has only one priority—survival. Whoever provides him the ability to do that the best is his friend. And at this point, Ivy, he’s our only chance. No one but the lieutenants and the founder themselves have been with the cartel as long as this guy,” he said. “If the killer we’re looking for is active again, Sebastian can tell us who he is. For a price.”

She wedged her boots into the floor as Carson maneuvered the SUV onto a barren street along the north edge of town. A beaten sign that was too difficult to read this time of night swung from rusted-out chains with a short burst of wind ahead. “I’ll have to trust you on that.”

He slowed his approach as oversize metal gates materialized through the darkness. A motion sensor–activated spotlight beamed to life, shining directly through the windshield.

Ivy brought her hand up to block the assault. Blind to any threat that might be waiting for them in the darkness.

“We’re here.” Carson shoved the SUV into Park and switched off the ignition. Max maneuvered her head between the front seats as though in an attempt to get the lay of the land before having to exit the safety of the vehicle.

Ivy felt the need to do the same, but the spotlight had yet to relent. She shouldered free of the SUV, her boots sinking into softened dirt. The gates stood as sentinels keeping unwanted visitors out, but the open structure and years of wear allowed her to see past the form-fitted plastic blocking most of her view inside. “Sebastian No-Last-Name lives in a junkyard?”

“A place like this comes with a lot of benefits. It’s off the grid, you have to deal with very few visitors and there’s access to a variety of vehicles in case of emergency.” Carson rounded the head of the vehicle, the SUV’s headlights exposing every strained vein in his forearms. No matter how much he trusted his own intel, there was obviously still a good amount of unknown he hadn’t accepted.

Ivy joined him in front of the gate, responding in a singsong rhythm. “And there’s plenty of places to hide a body or two.”

Max huffed between them. Almost desperate to get this over with. The pressure growing heavier in Ivy’s chest agreed. The sooner they could get out of this dark, rotting hellhole, the better. Preferably alive. The main building spread out to her left. She clocked two single roll-up doors and an expansive warehouse built from white metal sheeting. No vehicles parked in front. Aboveground power lines cut across the single-lane road they’d taken to get here and disappeared into the dark. This place was isolated. Far from prying eyes. And much larger than any auto recycling operation she’d come across before. “I hope this isn’t a mistake.”

He raised his gaze to the corner of the gate. “Smile for the camera, Ms. Dixon.”

Dixon. She hadn’t used that alias in years. Which meant Carson didn’t trust Sebastian with her real identity. Why?

Her curiosity got the best of her, and Ivy directed her attention to the surveillance camera mounted overhead. The gate snapped open without being touched, and Carson pushed inside. Remote locks. The spotlight died out the moment she followed after, leaving white spots across her vision. Disorientation acted as an operative’s best friend, and whoever the hell was inside knew it.

Ivy itched to unholster her weapon, but a move like that would put both her and Carson in danger before they’d gotten the information they needed. She followed her partner’s lead, Max trailing a few steps behind. Only a few dimmed lights punctured into the overhang of the main building lit their way. Multiple rows of cars—every make and model—had been arranged in rows as far as the eye could see, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Sangre por Sangre had utilized their pick of illegal VINs over the years. Perhaps switched out a few license plates. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Rojas.”

The back of the property rose into somewhat of a hill and showcased additional vehicles parked facing toward them, adding strain to her already-tight muscles.

“That’s far enough, Rojas,” a voice said from the shadows clinging to the warehouse. “You know the drill. Weapons, please.”

Carson slowed, then pulled to a stop at a side door to the building. Unholstering his sidearm, he spread his arms wide before tossing the weapon a few feet ahead of them. “I come in peace.”

“Does she?” a voice asked from the dark.

An invisible pool of dread leaked into her gut. There was no way in hell she was giving up her weapon. Not to a man tied to the very organization who’d killed innocent people for profit and domination.

Putting her in his sights, Carson nodded at her sidearm. “He won’t talk to us unless we’re unarmed.”

“Then I guess this was all a waste of time.” Ivy searched the darkness for a shape, an outline, for any evidence they weren’t walking straight into a cartel ambush. One hand on the butt of her weapon. The weight of Carson’s gaze remained on her in expectation, but she wouldn’t budge. Not for the slim chance of getting what they came for. There had to be another way.

Carson lowered his arms, turning to face her. In an instant, he’d closed the distance between them, each footstep punctuated with the groan of wet gravel and dirt. He slipped his palm over the back of her hand set against her sidearm. “For Dr. Piel.”

Three words. That was all it took for her to release her hold. To give up her only protection. Because the truth was Ivy owed Nafessa Piel whatever it took to bring her killer to justice. Months of conversations, of shared meals, of invites into personal spaces. Thousands of texts and emails. For the first time—possibly since she’d been ten years old—she’d had a friend. Someone who wasn’t scared of her murderous past or holding a personal agenda. It didn’t matter Socorro’s physician might have had a connection to the cartel. Ivy didn’t care. This killer—the man who’d targeted four women—used those victims as a warning to those wanting to leave the cartel behind. Which meant it was possible Nafessa wanted to leave the cartel behind. She’d wanted out.

Ivy’s hands shook as Carson drew her weapon from her shoulder holster, tossing it beside his before turning back to the owner of that mysterious voice. Disorientation. Vulnerability. These were the attributes of someone who liked to be in power. In control. But Ivy wouldn’t give in.

“That’s better.” Movement registered near the building, but the moon’s light wasn’t strong enough to reach into those dark places, leaving Ivy blind. “Now, to what do I owe this visit from my old friend?”

As though Carson Lang had never existed, Dominic Rojas took shape in her partner’s features. Harder, more intimidating, stronger. The kind of man who used that strength to overpower others. It was an impossible—almost supernatural—shift that left her cold. “I’m calling in my debt, Sebastian.”

“I see.” Gravel crunched beneath heavy footsteps as Sebastian moved to the edge between light and dark. Though Ivy still couldn’t see his face, the gun aimed at her and Carson was perfectly clear. “In that case, come on in.”

* * *

“Te voy a matar.” I’ll kill you for this. His Spanish had gone rusty in the years he’d chosen to speak his mother’s language of origin, but the message was perfectly clear. Sebastian would pay for this. Every defense Carson owned shot into the forefront of his mind as he raised his hands, palms forward. He maneuvered in front of Ivy. “We had a deal.”

Max growled low in her throat, ready for the command to strike, and Carson was almost ready to give it.

“And yet you brought Socorro’s CEO straight to my door, mi amigo . Did you honestly believe I wouldn’t recognize the woman responsible for Sangre por Sangre ’s destruction?” Sebastian kept his face in shadow, using the warehouse behind him as an added layer of protection. “Because of her, our brothers and sisters are six feet underground.”

He had a decision to make, a split-second reaction that would either get him and Ivy killed or give her a chance to walk away. Carson turned on Ivy, advancing with every pound he had on her. “Is that so? You told me your name was Christine Dixon, and you sure as hell didn’t say anything about being involved with Socorro Security.”

Ivy notched her chin higher, but there wasn’t an ounce of confusion in her expression. She was good at this. Had trained him well in their too-short time together as partners. “Would you have brought me here if I had?”

He reached for her. Secured a hand around her neck and pulled her into his chest. Not in the least bit hurting her. It was all for show. A way for them to get out of this alive together. Her hands latched around his wrists, her thumb directly over the thinnest section of skin. His pulse skyrocketed as he tried to find a way to get her out of here. “I don’t like being lied to.”

Carson cut his gaze toward the back of the property, where the lights from the warehouse didn’t reach so easily. She was going to have to run.

“I’ll send you an apology card.” Her shoulders tensed. A split second before she rammed her knee into the top of his thigh.

Pain lightninged down his leg, but it was nothing compared to the real thing of taking a strike to the groin. He released his hold on her neck and hit the ground. Ivy took off, kicking up gravel and wet dirt behind her.

A gunshot exploded from behind as Sebastian attempted to stop her from escaping. The bullet ricocheted off the nearest vehicle with a spark. Missing his partner.

Max shifted on all four legs. Her bark echoed off the cars surrounding them as Carson got his bearings. The junkyard stretched several acres in each direction. With any number of hiding places. She just had to disappear until he could neutralize the threat himself. “Pass auf!” Sebastian didn’t speak German. There was no way he’d be able to understand the command for Max to protect Ivy.

The K-9 bolted straight ahead and into the dark. She would do whatever it took to keep Ivy safe. “Split up. She can’t get far without a weapon,” he said to Sebastian.

In reality, Ivy’s survival training had readied her to thrive in the worst circumstances. It was her way of protecting herself, of being prepared for any situation and coming out on top, and she’d ensured each and every single one of her operatives could do the same. Including Dr. Piel.

“You find her, bring her to me. She’s mine. Understand? Those Socorro sons of bitches are going to pay for what they’ve done.” Sebastian split off to the left as Carson followed after Max.

“We’ll see about that.” His boots suctioned into soggy dirt as the land failed to soak up the last of the winter rainstorms. The ground had acclimated to extreme dryness over the decades. A single storm could wash out roads, flood towns and trigger mudslides without warning.

He shouldn’t have brought her here. Ivy was out here, forced into a position of self-defense because of him, but there was no point in shaming himself now. There was no way in hell Sebastian would give him the intel they needed now. Not unless Ivy was dead at his feet.

Carson maneuvered through the maze of vehicles, keeping low and moving fast. He searched each one, but Ivy had taken this game of hide-and-seek seriously. A low whine called to him from the right, four rows from the warehouse, and he picked up the pace.

Max’s tail set a new speed record as he approached. She danced in excitement of seeing him and to show off her expert skills of protecting the woman at her back.

“How’s the leg?” Ivy pressed one side of her body into the rusted-out sedan she’d taken cover behind. Mud caked up her shins and covered her boots, most likely leaving a trail straight to her. It was going to take them working together to get out of this mess.

“I’ll live. Thanks for not going for the full monty.” Carson struggled to catch his breath as he surveyed the junkyard. Cars stood as silent soldiers all in line, ready to serve. No movement between them, but the moon had disappeared behind a cloud overhead, and his vision had yet to adjust.

“Can’t have you slowing me down, can I?” She leaned back to get a view over the rear end of the vehicle. “Where’s your friend?”

“South side of the lot. I can give you a head start, but I’m going to have to sell my part.” Carson turned on his heels, staying low enough to avoid drawing attention. “I’m sorry about this, Ivy. I failed to account for the cartel recognizing your face.”

“It’s not your fault I’ve got such a pretty face. This is God-given.” Her attempt to lighten the tension closing in worked, but it didn’t last long. The cars in this lot weren’t stacked on top of each other. Any move on their part would give away their location. “Still think Sebastian will give us the information we came for?”

“As long as we put you in the position of power.” He scratched at Max’s head to get her to settle down. “Until we have every last soldier and contact in Sangre por Sangre in custody or buried, I’m not sure it’s smart to risk my cover. Including Dr. Piel’s killer.”

“What if we just ask for his identity nicely?” she asked.

“Sure. Let me know how that goes.” He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A mere two rows to their left. Damn it. Carson reached for his weapon, but he’d left their sidearms where he’d tossed them. “Think you can get to your gun if I distract him?”

“This mud isn’t very forgiving.” She hiked onto her heels, bracing both hands against the sedan. The car wobbled and groaned under the leverage, and he realized all four wheels had been scavenged. The metal body had been suspended by blocks. “But I can make it.”

They had to try. Carson wrapped one hand around her arm and pulled her in. Not unlike when he’d crushed her against his chest a few minutes ago. Only this time, his mouth came down on hers. This kiss was quick and desperate, but it was enough to reenergize his nervous system and keep his head in the game. “Take Max. I’ll draw him away. Be careful.”

Ivy rolled her lips between her teeth in the dim light given off by the moon above. “You, too.”

He crouched low and headed farther back in the lot, the opposite direction of Ivy and Max. This would work. It had to work. Because losing her once had nearly killed him and had taken one of his kidneys. He wouldn’t recover if something happened to her again. His breathing shallowed as he tried to listen for squelching footsteps, but there was nothing. No sign of Sebastian. No gunshots. No insect noises coming from the desert spanning out on every side of the junkyard.

Everything had gone dead silent.

A barrel of a gun pressed into the back of his head.

Carson froze.

“I knew there had to be someone on the inside. It was the only explanation for how Socorro and the feds managed to find us time and time again.” Sebastian’s voice no longer held that mentor quality Carson had associated with him. Instead, this was the cartel soldier who would do whatever it took to survive. “On your feet, Rojas.”

Without a weapon of his own, Carson didn’t have a choice. He failed to catch sight of Ivy or Max as he shoved upward. There was a part of him he’d had to hide from her these past two days. A monster he’d fed with every innocent life taken and order fulfilled within the cartel. It clawed to the surface now, changing him, pushing out all emotion and feeling. “Call me dirty one more time, and I’ll feed you that gun, amigo .”

He didn’t give Sebastian a chance to counter. Dodging to one side, Carson grabbed for the gun, ripped it from the man’s hand and took aim. All in the span of a blink of an eye. “This right here? This is what those Socorro dogs want. For us to turn on each other, but we’re smarter than that.”

He relaxed both hands around the weapon.

“These people have driven us out of our homes and into the ground. They’ve destroyed our futures, our familia and murdered our friends.” Carson offered the weapon back. “Don’t play into their mind games. Don’t give them what they want.”

A smile creased Sebastian’s mouth, one of pride, as he accepted his weapon. “You always were my favorite, Dominic. Out of all my soldiers, I knew you had a bright future in Sangre por Sangre . Come.” His mentor navigated down the row of cars, toward the gate blocking Carson’s SUV. “The gringa isn’t going anywhere.”

He scoured the visible layout of the junkyard for any sign of Ivy, but all had gone still. A sick knot twisted in his gut. “What do you mean she isn’t going anywhere?”

Sebastian waved the gun over his shoulder. “You think this is how I wanted to spend my retirement? In a junkyard? No, no, no. This place isn’t one of the fancy safe houses the lieutenants run to.” The cartel soldier lowered his voice, slowed his pace. As though they were approaching a cornered animal. “These cars are part of a maze. They funnel trespassers right where I want them. Like a spider catching a fly in her web.”

A bark echoed through the property. Then another. Though Carson didn’t have eyes on Max’s location or Ivy, he forced himself to remain.

Sebastian brought him to the edge of a dark expanse of dirt tucked between two rows of vehicles. No. Not dirt. A massive hole nearly invisible at this time of night.

And there at the bottom lay his partner. Unconscious. Unmoving. Max circled around Ivy’s body, staring up at him for help.

“This is where el jefe sent his enemies to be questioned and die.” Sebastian smiled, proud of his accomplishment, before turning back to Ivy at the bottom of the hole. “He sent them to me.”

Carson didn’t have a chance to process what Sebastian meant as his recruiter shoved him forward. The ground rushed to meet him. Too fast. And the world went black.