Rebecca Zanetti - Under the Covers

“No problem, Luis.” Freddy lifted himself into the front seat and put the truck in drive.

Trapped. Her hands bound, she sat between two large men. Screaming seemed like a good idea. She sucked in air—

“If you scream, I’ll have to knock you out,” Luis said calmly.

She paused. If he rendered her unconscious, she wouldn’t be able to get away. She glanced at the man on her right. Several scars lined his face, and he kept his gaze on the buildings outside. Guns and knives were tucked into his pants and leather vest. A man in the front passenger seat was similarly armed and also keeping watch of the world outside.

She swallowed. “You guys going to war, or what?”

Luis chuckled. “No. We have a shipment coming in and like to be prepared.”

Freddy drove through the archway to town and turned the vehicle toward the mountains. The safety of Mineral Lake disappeared behind them.

Juliet twisted her wrists. The damn zip-tie dug into her skin, holding tight. Luis had pushed her into the cabin and chair thirty minutes ago, and her arms had gone numb. So much for her big escape plan.

A chill from her wooden chair swept up her spine, and she eyed the small area. The place was more of a shack than a cabin. A rough fireplace set into one wall, a dingy kitchen the opposite. In the middle sat a round table with four rickety chairs. One wall held doors to what looked like a small bedroom and bathroom. The final wall showcased a medium-sized window that probably had a decent view of the mountains behind the soiled blue blanket covering the panes. Her laptop perched on the table, humming softly.

Luis nodded to Freddy. “Go scout the south perimeter while I chat with your sister.”

Dread settled in Juliet’s gut.

Freddy stilled and then eyed Juliet. With a sympathetic grimace, he nodded and dodged outside, shutting the door.

Luis grabbed a large envelope off the table and twirled it with long fingers. End over end. Again, end over end, his gaze on her, thoughtful and somehow more menacing than if he were angry. “Where’s my money?”

“The money I found in my trunk is long gone.” She met his dark scrutiny without flinching.

He drew a picture from the envelope to toss in front of her. The photo depicted Quinn standing on the steps of the sheriff’s station, his eyes narrowed, his body alert.

“I believe the sheriff has excellent instincts.” Luis pulled out another picture. “He apparently felt me watching. However, had I decided to shoot him, his instincts wouldn’t have helped.” With a twist of Luis’s wrist, the next photo landed on the table.

Juliet barely kept from gasping. The new picture showed Leila and Sophie walking hand in hand out at Sophie’s ranch. “You spent some time taking pictures.”

“I like to be thorough.” He yanked out several pictures to throw on the table. Pictures of Juliet, pictures of townspeople, pictures of her friends. “I could’ve ended the life of any one, or all, of these people at any time. And I will.”

“I believe you.” She slid her most polite smile into place.

“Good. Where’s my money?”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

He drew a wicked-sharp knife from his back pocket. “You have a very pretty face.”

“That’s kind of you to say.”

He grinned. “While I enjoy a complete smart-ass, I will cut you.”

Her stomach knotted, but she kept his gaze. “That doesn’t change the fact that the drug money is long gone.”

His eyes hardened. He skirted the table and slid his hand around her throat, lifting her head and squeezing just enough to make breathing difficult. “I’m losing my patience.”

She swallowed through the constriction. If he moved a little to the left, she could knee him in the groin—she’d have one shot. So she focused on him and…winked.

He blinked. Admiration slid into his gaze. “I’m really regretting we couldn’t go into business together, Juliet.”

Surprise slid through her. “Freddy said you have another plan to use me as a front.”

Regret twisted Luis’s lip. “You were set up perfectly in Maverick to front my operation. Unfortunately, when you went clean with the sheriff, you destroyed any chance of our working something out.”

“Oh,” she murmured. “So if I tell you where the money is, I’m pretty much finished.”

“You’re a lot smarter than your brother.”

“The doorknob is smarter than Freddy,” she muttered.

Luis threw back his head and laughed, the sound slightly maniacal. “I like you. A lot. So here’s the deal. Tell me how to find my money, and this will go smoothly.” He leaned in, his minty breath brushing her skin. “If you don’t cooperate, I’ll hurt you like you can’t imagine.”

Bile rose up her throat, but she shoved it down. Her smile hurt. “I’m not that tough, Luis. I promise.” If she gave him the file in her computer that showed where all the money had gone, he’d kill her. If she didn’t give it to him, he’d torture and then kill her.

His hold loosened. “I’ll help you decide. If I have to work at getting the information, when I’m finished with you, I’m going to start on the people in those pictures. Probably with pretty Sophie Lodge. I usually prefer blondes.” He tucked his face into Juliet’s hair and took a deep breath. “Though maybe I’ll switch to redheads.”

She gagged.

He backed away, irritation bracketing his mouth. “Tell me the truth.”

Her mind scrambled for a way to stay alive. “Did you kill the two men on the outskirts of the county?”

Luis shrugged. “They tried to steal from me, and a man does have to keep control of his employees.”

Luis liked to talk, and for some reason, he seemed to enjoy talking to her. She had the oddest feeling he wanted to impress her. Well, before he tortured her. “Did you kill them with that knife?”

His smile flashed sharp teeth. “Juliet, you don’t seem to understand that there’s no need to gather evidence for your boyfriend.”

The mention of Quinn pricked tears at the back of her eyes. “I was just curious.”

He slid the knife closer to her face. Light glinted off the sharp blade. “Yes, this is the knife.” His voice dropped to a croon. “Isn’t she pretty?”

Wow. Whackjob.

The door banged open, and Freddy stalked inside with a tall, skinny man who had more pocks in his skin than freckles. And he was seriously freckled.

“The first shipment is here.” Freddy glanced at Juliet, his shoulders relaxing.

Had the moron been worried about her? Not worried enough to stop Luis, though. Juliet glared at the weasel.

Luis jerked his head toward the bedroom. “The money’s in the green duffel.”

Freddy hustled into the bedroom and returned to hand the duffel to the freckled guy. “It was a pleasure.”

The man left without saying a word.

Freddy rubbed his hands together. “One more shipment, and we’re out of here.”

Juliet cleared her throat. “You know, Fred, I’ve noticed Luis doesn’t seem tolerant of employees screwing up.”

Freddy frowned. Luis smiled. Juliet tried to keep from puking.

Freddy eyed Luis and then focused on her. “And?”

“You screwed up. You lost his money, and now you lost his chance to use my gallery as a front. Frankly, I’m shocked you’re still standing.” She tilted her head toward the deadly knife. “Something tells me you’ll be rather intimate with that blade in the near future.”

Luis chuckled. “I swear to God, Fred, I think I’m in love with your sister.” He twirled the knife like a gunslinger playing with pearl-handled pistols. “Look at her try to cause a riff between us. She’s stalling, and I find it’s adorable.” His gaze raked her down to her boots. “Though if she doesn’t tell me where the money is, I’m going to kill her.”

Freddy stilled. “Tell him, JJ. He promised not to hurt you if you just told him.”

Juliet shook her head. “You’re such a moron. He lied to you.”

Freddy’s mouth opened and shut like a guppy out of water. “No, he didn’t. You’re safe. I promise.”

“He’s going to kill you, too, Fred. Get a grip.”

Luis tucked away the knife and drew a gun, pointing it at Freddy. “I’m done. Tell me where the money is, or I shoot him.”

“What the hell, man?” Freddy backed away, both hands up.

Luis flipped off the safety. “I’m counting to three.”

Juliet’s brain scrambled.

“One,” Luis said calmly.

“T-tell him, JJ,” Freddy sputtered.

“Fine.” She didn’t want to see Freddy’s brains splattered all over the wall. “I kept track of where the money went. The document is called ‘Robin Hood’ in my laptop.”

Keeping the barrel aimed at Freddy, Luis punched keys with his left hand. His eyebrow lifted as he seemed to read. “You gave all of my money away…to Lost Cats of Spokane?”

She shrugged. “I only gave them ten thousand. But those cats needed catnip, Luis.”

His eyes widened, and his pupils narrowed. Shifting his aim from Freddy to her, he drew back his lip. “You’re going to pay for this in ways I can’t even imagine right now.”

…

His back to a Ponderosa Pine, Quinn shook his head at his brother. “We can’t wait for backup.”

“I know,” Colt said grimly, yanking off his work gloves. “You armed?”

“No—except for a pocket knife in my boot.” Quinn eyed the shotgun secured in a holster on Colton’s horse. “I think that’s it for guns.”

Hawk shoved through the brush to the secluded area. “There are four men patrolling, plus whoever’s in the cabin.” Nodding to a ridge to the north, he rubbed his chin. “That area has vantage over the valley—should take me five minutes to be in place. I’ll need Colt’s shotgun.”