She knew she wouldn’t be contacting Clay today. Whatever this was, this threat over their heads, she had no intention of bringing it down on Clay. He had enough threats in his life with Las Moscas littering the town with body parts. But this time, she planned to track down the threat. If that meant traveling to Mexico to find El Gringo Viejo, that’s what she’d do—and she’d need Adam to do it.
When she got out of the shower, she glanced at her phone. Clay hadn’t contacted her yet. He’d been suspicious about the note. Maybe his suspicions would steer him away from her for now.
She texted Adam to let him know she was ready to look for Dad—wherever that led them.
She hadn’t been lying to Meg about errands. She had to get that car in her name, get some money, make some inquiries...avoid Clay.
By the time she left, Meg and Kyle were gone. April locked up the house and walked out to the car that almost officially belonged to her. She couldn’t afford to run down to Mexico in a stolen car.
She took care of most of her business and decided to get some lunch before the next round. She ducked into the air-conditioned confines of a small café at the end of the main street and ordered a sandwich.
While she waited, she cradled her phone in her hand. Nothing yet from Adam and nothing from Clay. She must’ve sent Clay the keep-away message last night loud and clear.
She flattened her hand against her chest, over her aching heart. She’d come back to Clay one day—free and unencumbered by the dark cloud that hung over her head.
When she heard her order number, she picked up her sandwich, refilling her soda on the way back to her table. She stumbled and her drink sloshed over the side of her cup when she saw a man sitting at her table, his large frame spilling over the sides of the chair.
She hadn’t left her purse there, but she’d left some napkins and the lid to her cup.
She cleared her throat as she approached the table. “Excuse me, but I was sitting here.”
The man spread his fleshy lips in what looked like an attempt at a smile. “I know that, April. That’s why I’m sitting here.”
She swallowed, her grip tightening on the paper cup in her hand. “Who are you?”
“Have a seat, and I’ll tell you all about it.” He pushed out the chair across from him with his foot, and it scraped across the floor, setting her teeth on edge.
She almost dropped her plate as she set it on the table. Sinking to the chair, she held on to her drink like a security blanket, all her nerve endings on high alert. “What do you want?”
He hunched forward, his double chin tripling. “I think you know what we want...Mrs. Jimmy Verdugo.”
The drink in her hand jerked, spilling onto the table. “I’m not... I didn’t...”
He held up his hand, his sausage-like fingers encircled with several glittering rings. “I know you ditched the wedding at the last minute—smart move. But we know you have Jimmy’s flash drive, or your brother has it.”
“I don’t have it. I never saw it.”
“If you don’t have it, your brother does.” He lifted the loose shirt he wore over his large frame to reveal a gun strapped to his body. “And you’re gonna get it and him for us...or what happened to those two mules is gonna look like a garden party.”
Chapter Fourteen
Clay’s adrenaline spiked when he saw the big man who’d entered the café seconds before sit at the table April had been occupying. He dropped his binoculars on the seat beside him and charged out of the car. He burst into the restaurant and several people, including April and her tablemate, glanced up at him. He ate up the space between him and April in two long strides.
“Is this man bothering you?”
April shook her head, her pale face belying her response.
The man scooted back his chair and rose to his feet, patting his belly. “Just taking a load off. It’s hard for a man my size to wait on his feet.”
Clay’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t have any right to arrest this man or question him if April didn’t open her mouth.
He put a hand on her shoulder. “Is that right, April?”
“H-he was just sitting for a minute.” She’d pinned her gaze to the man’s right hand, resting on his hip.
The man rapped his knuckles on the table. “You have a good day now, miss.”
He walked out of the café with more grace than expected from a man carrying that extra weight.
When the door whooshed shut, Clay took the seat across from April that the man had vacated. “What was that all about?”
April picked up her grilled cheese sandwich and nipped a bite off the corner. She dabbed some crumbs from her lips, and then took a sip of her soda. Then she dusted off her fingertips over her plate.
Finally, she raised her eyes to his. “He just threatened me over that flash drive.”
Clay jumped from his chair, knocking it to the floor with a bang.
As he took a step toward the door, April grabbed his hand. “He’s gone. I made sure of that before I told you, so you wouldn’t get killed.”
“Why are you telling me this now when it’s too late?” He shook off her hand. “I could’ve arrested him.”
“He would’ve killed you.” She lifted her shoulders. “He had a gun. When you were at the table, his hand was hovering over his weapon. If you’d made a move, he would’ve shot you.”
Clay righted the chair and waved at the guy manning the counter. When he sat down, he scooted in close, almost touching his nose to April’s. “I’m a Border Patrol agent. It’s not your job to protect me. It’s your job to report crimes or threats and let the authorities, including me,
