He took a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun out of the bag, grabbed a box of shells and loaded the weapon, then set it on the floor of the trunk. A Beretta M9, standard army issue until this year, came out next. They had upgraded to a SIG Sauer P320-M17, she remembered reading somewhere.
Colt pulled out a loaded magazine and shoved it into the Beretta. There was an eight-inch Ka-Bar knife in a thigh sheath, a Nighthawk .45, probably his backup weapon, which he loaded, a black tactical vest, and a .38 revolver, which he also loaded.
“Good thing we didn’t get stopped and searched on the way down here,” she said dryly.
“I’m just transporting the stuff back to Colorado. I’m licensed to carry there, and all of this stuff is legal.”
Lissa checked her own weapons, just her SIG P226 and a little .380 she used as an ankle gun. She put the guns in her go bag next to the tactical vest she usually kept in the trunk of her car and had tossed in at the last minute. There was also a pair of camo cargo pants just in case.
Colt grabbed his travel bag, then slung the strap of his black canvas gear bag over his shoulder.
Alex walked out of the office carrying a travel bag of his own. They were all professionals. They carried the stuff they needed.
“Looks like you’re ready. The flight plan’s been filed. Let’s load the stuff into the helo and get out of here before it gets any hotter.”
“Good idea,” Colt agreed. Clearly the humid Texas weather wasn’t his favorite, but Lissa figured Georgia couldn’t have been any better. Lissa supposed he was eager to get back to his home in Colorado and felt an unwanted pang in her chest.
She told herself it was ridiculous. They barely knew each other. But there was something about Colt Wheeler that just seemed to fit, a rightness she had never felt with a man before.
Didn’t matter. As soon as this was over, he would be leaving Texas. The physical attraction he felt for her wouldn’t be enough to keep him there. Since she hadn’t had much luck with relationships, it was probably for the best.
The metallic blue helicopter glinted in the hot Texas sun as they drew near. Alex slid open the heavy door and they tossed their gear inside and climbed in, Alex settling in the pilot’s seat. Colt tipped his head for Lissa to take the copilot’s spot, but she declined.
Flying wasn’t her favorite. Better to be in the back where she didn’t have to see so much ground beneath them.
It was blistering hot inside the chopper as they strapped into their seats and put on their headsets. Fortunately, Alex speedily went through his preflight check and in minutes the helo blades were spinning, sweeping them up off the ground into the air and out of the airport compound.
Lissa’s stomach lifted with the chopper, the fluttery sensation followed by a sweep of nausea. Fortunately, it didn’t last long.
Colt’s voice came over the headset. “You okay back there?”
“Sure,” she said. “Just peachy keen.”
He chuckled. “Hang in there. It’s only a little more than an hour flight.”
“I’m okay. I just prefer being on the ground.”
“Yeah, me, too. Unless I’m jumping. Worth the plane ride to get in the air.”
Parachuting was part of a ranger’s life. She’d wondered what skydiving would be like. The thought had always intrigued her, but she’d never known anyone willing to try it.
She leaned back against the seat, thinking about Colt and how they seemed to fit. She wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe just that she didn’t intimidate him the way she did a lot of men. It was one of the reasons she’d liked being a cop. The guys on the force respected her strength, accepted it, were grateful for it. It took a while to earn their trust but once she did, they always had her back.
In a way she had hated to leave, but in another way, she’d craved being on her own. Becoming a private detective suited her perfectly. Unfortunately, the civilian side of life posed a far bigger challenge. It was the reason she rarely dated, hadn’t been involved with a man in so long.
There just weren’t a lot of men she’d been interested in. In fact, make that zero. Until now.
She glanced up as she felt a shift in the air and realized the chopper had started descending. A few minutes later, the struts settled on the ground, sending dust and leaves into the air. The blades began to slow. Lissa clicked her seat belt off and removed the headset as Colt slid open the door.
“Our ride’s here. Alex has everything set. Grab your gear and let’s go.” Colt and Lissa took their bags and jumped out of the helo. Keeping their heads down, they ran a safe distance away.
“Alex is staying to take care of the chopper,” Colt said. “He’ll be joining us later.”
Lissa nodded and they started walking, striding side by side across the tarmac. Colt stopped when he reached a big black Cadillac Escalade SUV. The driver, a young, thin-faced man with neatly trimmed black hair, pulled open the rear passenger door. Colt waited for Lissa to slide into the deep gray leather seat, then eased in beside her.
The big SUV was the luxury model, everything inside first-class. The air conditioner was running so the interior was cool.
“Nice,” she said.
“Alex says we’ve got a sponsor,” Colt said. “Benito Cortez has invited us to his house, a place in the hills called Casa del Cielo. We’ll be staying in one of the casitas until we finish our business.”
“Seriously?”
He grinned. “Yeah.” The grin faded. “Better yet, he’s got intel. According to Alex, he and El Puñal are not exactly bosom buds. He’s willing to help us any way he can.”
“Looks like we finally caught a break.”
“We’ll know more by tonight. We’re dining with Cortez and his wife, Lupita. In the meantime,
