Kit & Rogue (The Sons of Dusty Walker) (16 page)

Kit gave him a tolerant look as they headed toward the airport. “I can’t wait. I’ll play those games with you, if you’ll play my games with me.” 

Shifting in his seat, Rogue laughed. “You sure know how to push my buttons, baby. I’m always up to play with you. Besides, I’ve just recently learned I have family in the state.”

Kit was taken aback. “Really? In Colorado?”

“Yes, apparently Dusty had a cousin who lived here. He’s passed, but his wife and daughters still live her. Her name is Mercy and the daughters–get this, they all have virtuous names–Faith, Honor, Courage and Chastity. I wonder if their personalities match their names. Can you imagine? It’s as bad as my name, Rogue.”

“Yes, but you discovered that your name meant something entirely different to your father than you thought.” She had been with him when he’d learned about the Rogue-Angel mine and how it changed Dusty’s life as well as his sons. “It’s the most precious name in the world to me. My father always promised that Rogue-Angel would take care of me, and his wish has come true. His horse, the bonds, all of it tied together. But ultimately it all came back to you. I would love you if your name was George or Steve, but you are my Rogue.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I think it fits you perfectly.”

Rogue felt warm all over. “And that’s just one of the reasons I love you so much. You fit me perfectly.”

“Where do Mercy and the girls live?”

Rogue answered as he flipped on his blinker. “In the southern part of the state, I think. Somewhere outside of Telluride.”

“We might have to visit them next year. I’d love to meet more of your family.”

“I seem to have more every time I turn around,” Rogue answered dryly. “Three brothers and their women, and now a whole other branch on the family tree.”

“Not to mention me and the baby.” Kit placed a hand on her still flat stomach.

“You’re my family, yes, but you and our baby are much more than that–you’re my heart.”

“Good answer, Walker.” She covered his hand, which was resting on the console between them with her own. “Good answer.”

*  *  *

Once they were back in Texas, the pace picked up. Marian met them at the airport, thrilled to death to see Kit again. “I’ve crocheted three baby blankets, I have them in a box to send back with you.”

“Oh, thank you.” Kit hugged her. “Are you packed up? I want the blankets, but I’d rather take you back with us.”

Marian waved her hand in the air, dismissively. “You never know when I’ll show up. I might just surprise you one of these days.”

Rogue stood there waiting for his mother to notice him. Finally, he just interrupted their girl talk. “What am I, chopped liver?”

Marian laughed and hugged her son. “No, you’re my baby, like always.”

Kit was amused to see the interaction between her big, handsome husband and his diminutive mother. She only hoped that her child would love her as much as Rogue loved Marian.

Once they were loaded up, Rogue drove his mother to her home with a promise that they’d see her soon. “Thanks for picking us up. We’ll check on you before we head back to Kansas.”

“You won’t have to, I’m coming to the ranch. I’m not letting you take Jester off to another state without telling him goodbye.”

“Figures,” Rogue said, turning to Kit, he grumbled. “Now I’m beginning to think that Jester was the reason for most of her visits to see me.”

Kit squeezed the back of his neck. “Jealous.”

He didn’t deny it, just waved goodbye to his mother and headed to Eagle Ford. “This isn’t D. Walker business today, we’re going to check up on a Lone Wolf investment.”

“Aren’t you sort of competing against yourself?”

Rogue looked at Kit, seemingly deep in thought. “Well, not really. Since I benefit from both, I’m certainly not going to do anything that would jeopardize either one. But…” he paused, giving consideration to what he said next. “I’ve thought about talking to Elijah and my brothers and hashing out a merger. I think the consolidation would be smart, and we’d all benefit.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.” Kit smiled. “I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’d like to see you move Lone Wolf headquarters to Kansas.”

Rogue shrugged. “Well, I don’t know about that. I’m not sure I could ever get Elijah to agree. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it all pans out.”

His answer satisfied Kit. As they drove down the road, she noted how different the scenery was in this part of the world. Where Kansas was flat and fertile, this part of Texas was rugged and hilly. “Where are we going, exactly? What town?”

“Three Rivers, originally a little village of about eighteen hundred people, most below the poverty line. Now, it has a very high percentage of millionaires.”

“Because of the oil.”

He gave her a knowing grin. “Yes, because of the oil. It’s nuts. There are literally thousands of people in this surrounding area who are millionaires, some will become billionaires. Talk about the Wild, Wild West.”

“It’s hard to imagine,” Kit commented. “Poor one day, rich the next. Don’t you know those people were shocked? I know how I felt when you helped me find the bearer bonds that Dad left me. Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it sure can help make things easier.”

“True, and as drilling technology advances, speculators can access oil that used to be considered impossible to access using techniques such as horizontal drilling or fracking. Also, we can now extract oil from shale more easily, and that has made all the difference. Oil booms like Eagle-Ford can create thousands of jobs. And it’s not just oil companies and their employees that are profiting, the people who owned the land being drilled on are becoming rich. Ranch owners who owned scrub property, good for just deer-hunting or grazing cattle are leasing their acreage for millions of dollars a month. Even regular folks who just own an acre or two are making money on the oil beneath their feet.”

“This all sounds like a dream come true.”

Rogue let out a long breath. “Well, not everyone is happy about an oil boom. And this is one of the things I’m trying to get a handle on. We have folks complaining about chemical smells, threats to drinking water, traffic accidents, high rental prices–even earthquakes.”

Kit’s eyes widened. “I never thought of that. I can see how some of those things could be connected, but earthquakes?”

Rogue went on to explain. “Some think that the act of fracking where water is pumped in the earth to make fissures or cracks bigger so the oil can be extracted is causing quakes.”

Not really knowing which side of the fence Rogue was on, Kit answered thoughtfully. “Sounds reasonable to me, what’s your take on it?”

Rogue glanced over at her. “I think it’s possible. That’s why I’m paying a portion of the bill for a study to be performed on the problem. We’ll be changing tactics based on that study.”

Kit felt a sense of pride. “Your brothers are lucky to have you as a partner.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure they’d agree with you on that front. Right now, I’m afraid their opinion of me is more like a gambler and a womanizer, thanks to this idiot who’s impersonating me.”

“We’ll catch him,” Kit told him softly. “This won’t go on forever.”

“Speaking of, I think I’ll check with Zane.” He took out his phone and dialed it. “Hello, barrister. How are things?”

Kit couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, so she zoned out a bit, staring at the passing landscape. She did note Rogue’s unenthusiastic responses, so she presumed there was no breakthrough.

“God, I hate that. But yes, we’ll be right next door to Karnes City, I’ll be glad to check it out.”

Once he’d hung up, Kit asked. “What was that all about?”

“Since the notary is still missing and foul play is suspected, the court has dissolved Lucia’s marriage by proxy. Zane was unable to get an immediate release from immigration for her to stay in the states. She’s supposed to be picked up and transported to a holding facility in Karnes City. Since it’s just down the road from Three Rivers, he wants us to check it out.”

Kit sat up straighter, turning toward Rogue as much as her seatbelt would allow. “Can’t you all do something?”

“He’s trying.” Rogue put on his blinker as he neared the Eagle-Ford Facility.

Kit frowned, not even seeing the sweeping fields of drilling rigs and pump stations. “I was hoping…”

“What?” Rogue asked.

“That she and Elijah would get together.”

“That’s something we can’t control,” Rogue stated the obvious. “Elijah’s a good man. I know he’s drawn to Lucia, but marriage is a big step.”

“True,” she agreed. “Not everyone can be as lucky as we are.”

When Rogue slowed to a stop and parked, he came around to help her out. “Let’s find you a comfortable seat in the office and I won’t be long. I just need to talk to a few people and then we’ll head out to get Zane the information he needs.”

While Rogue was busy, Kit leafed through a few industrial magazines, discovering they were just as boring as she thought they’d be. Only a few people were around, a couple of secretaries and two or three men who were working on laptops. Someone brought her a cup of coffee, but soon she was too bored to sit still. Needing to keep occupied, she looked in her purse for her phone, then remembered she’d left it charging in Rogue’s truck. “Excuse me,” she told the receptionist, “If Mr. Walker comes out will you tell him I went to the vehicle?”

“Of course, I will,” the woman answered.

Picking her way carefully back to the truck, she let her eyes wander around the work area. Rocks had been hauled in to make the ground firm enough for big trucks even in acclimate weather. These rocks were the reason she moved slowly, not wanting to scuff her shoes or turn her ankle. So with eyes downcast, she didn’t see anything strange until she reached the truck. When she went to open the door, it seemed lower than usual. “What?” Kit stepped back and looked down. When she did, she gasped, covering her mouth to keep from crying out. Both tires on the passenger side were flat, and when she walked around to the other side, both of those tires were flat also.

But that wasn’t the worst part. Kit stepped back from the truck as if there was a poisonous snake lying on top of the hood waiting to bite her. For what she saw was worse–much worse. There, taped to the windshield, was a photo of a pretty blonde woman, but across the photo in large red letters was written the word ‘MURDERER’.

With a scream, Kit ran back to the office and rushed in, out of breath. “I need to see Rogue.”

Her voice was high-pitched and full of panic. Rogue didn’t have to be summoned, he heard her and came rushing out from the rear conference room. “What’s wrong?”

“I think he’s been here.”

“Who?” Rogue asked, but the horror on her face answered his question. “Son of a bitch!”

“Go to the truck, see what he’s done.”

Rogue did just that and what he saw made him furious. “Dammit all to hell!” He dialed Elijah. “I’m out here at Three Rivers with four flat tires. Could you get someone to bring me three? I’ve got the one spare.”

He’d just hung up, when his eyes followed where Kit was pointing. “Who’s that woman?”

“What the fuck?” Rogue snatched the photo from off the windshield. He stared at the face. “I don’t know who this is. She looks vaguely familiar, but…”

“Why does it say ‘murderer’?” Obviously, Kit was upset. “You didn’t murder anyone.”

“No, I didn’t.” Rogue put his arm around his wife. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out. Let me get back on the phone with Zane. This might just be the clue we need.”

“Stop complaining, Jester!” Kit urged. “I know you don’t want to sit in the back seat, but I’m not giving up my spot.” The small horse gave her a fussy whinny. “I hate to ask this, but how do you handle bathroom breaks? Does he just go when he gets ready?”

Rogue smirked. “Just like you, he lets me know. The only difference is…” He gave Kit an amused look. “He doesn’t have to go as often as you do.”

“Funny, Walker.” She settled in and fastened her seatbelt. Due to the tire flattening incident, their plans had to be changed. They’d spent the night at the ranch and were just now driving to Karnes City. From there, they’d head north to Kansas.

There was no way Rogue could hide how he felt from Kit. She knew he was upset by the photograph and he’d stared at the picture for hours, trying to place the woman’s face. He’d taken a shot of the photo with his phone and sent it to Elijah and to Zane. So far this morning, he hadn’t heard from either one of them.

“What are we going to do in Karnes City?” she asked, wanting to take his mind off his worries.

“I’m going to go by the facility and talk to a few people I know that live nearby. I looked up what I could about it on the internet this morning, but there wasn’t a lot to be found.” He glanced over and met Kit’s gaze. “Any type of secrecy makes me nervous. I don’t want Lucia to be mistreated in anyway. None of this is her fault.”

“No, it’s not.” Kit agreed, trying to imagine what it might feel like to be at the mercy of people who had the authority to send you where you didn’t want to go. The drive wasn’t long and Jester did his best to try and amuse Kit by pulling at her hair with his lips. “I’m going to need a good shampoo,” she groused.

“He’s just trying to help.” Rogue defended his pet. “Be nice, Jester,” he reprimanded the small horse over the back of the seat. “If you’ll be good, I’ll get you an ice cream cone at DQ.”

As if the horse understood, he settled on the seat to nap like a big lap dog.

“Ice cream, huh?”

“Hey, whatever works.” Rogue shrugged.

“What works with you? Do you have a sweet tooth too?”

Rogue gave her a long lascivious glance that traveled all the way up and down her body. “You know what works with me.”

A shiver of desire skated over Kit’s skin. “Don’t do that when we can’t do anything about it,” she fussed.

“Who says we can’t do anything about it?” Rogue teased. “There are a lot of roadside parks between here and Kansas.”

Just the thought made her shift in her seat. “I just might take you up on that.”

“I’m sure I can persuade you.” His hand slipped over and caressed her knee.

“You probably need to watch the road,” she whispered, thinking they might have to pull over sooner than later. The ringing of Rogue’s cell put a quietus on that deal. Glancing at the screen, he saw Zane’s name.

“Hey, what’s up?” He was quiet for a second, listening “We’re almost there. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.” Another pause, his eyes widened. “Oh, really?”

Kit watched his face. He sounded hopeful.

“When will you know?” Rogue smiled. “Excellent. Maybe we’ll get to the bottom of this soon.” Another pause. “No, it seems like I’ve seen her somewhere, but I can’t place her face to save my life.”

Kit didn’t like how he phrased that, a cold chill ran over her body like someone had stepped on her grave.

Once he’d terminated the call, he grabbed her hand. “He said Presley thinks she’s getting close to tracing the IP address. We may know who this guy is sooner than we thought.”

“That’s good,” Kit blew out a relieved breath. “I’m ready for this to be over.”

“Me too, honey.” As they pulled into Karnes City, Rogue turned at the red light, went a few blocks and pulled into the driveway of a house with a sadly overgrown yard. “Reece Parish lives here. He’s an old wildcatter, but he keeps his ear to the ground. Do you want to come in with me or stay out here?”

Kit opted to stay, checking her email and giving her mother a call to pass the time. Soon Rogue was back. “Well, that was odd. He said the Karnes County Residential Center is something of a mystery.”

“What do you mean?” Kit asked.

“This is a community of three thousand, everybody knows everybody, but they know very little about the facility. Reece said at first there were only male immigrants housed there, but now they have an equal percentage of women and children. It’s a 532 bed facility that offers temporary shelter for folks who have come to the US to escape drug cartel violence in Mexico and the turmoil of war in some South American countries like Honduras.”

“Lucia would definitely fall into that category. What happens to them?”

“Well, that’s where it gets complicated.” Rogue turned down a narrow paved road past a sign that read Highway 181. “When I did some research online, I checked the immigration stats and I found that last summer, there were over ten thousand unaccompanied children and sixteen thousand adults with children who were apprehended and detained. That’s four times the normal amount.”

“Good grief!” Kit was amazed at the numbers.

“It’s a crisis, no one will deny that. But what the answers are, nobody really knows. One thing Reese did say was that the authorities at the facility refused any help from locals. No church or benevolent organization has been allowed to come in or to bring supplies.”

“That is strange, it’s like they might have something to hide.” Kit was worried. After meeting Lucia, she didn’t want anything to happen to her–not here and certainly not back in Juarez.

“I know; it doesn’t make sense. Reese mentioned that there had been some protests. Anytime that happens, it puts a bad taste in the mouths of the locals. But what he told me as I started to leave makes me worry the most.”

His tone told Kit that whatever he was about to say was serious. “What did you find out?”

“He said the people at the facility, the immigrants, have been protesting. There’ve been hunger strikes and allegations of sexual abuse.”

“Dang,” she whispered, “I don’t like the sound of that.”

When they drew near, the high fence surrounding the buildings looked intimidating and the big immigration buses parked outside reminded them that the population inside was ever changing. If Lucia were brought here, more than likely she’d be transported back across the border. Driving up to the guard gate, Rogue rolled down his window. “Good morning. I’d like to speak to whoever’s in charge.”

“Do you have an appointment, Sir?”

“No, but I’m a tax paying citizen. I may have a friend coming here soon, and I’d like to see up close and personal where she might be staying.”

Rogue’s approach surprised Kit. She didn’t know why, sometimes the truth was the best way to go.

“I’m not sure, Sir. That’s highly irregular. I’ll have to make a call.” He was about to contact someone, when he spied Jester in the back seat. “A horse! You have a wee horse in the truck!”

“Yes,” Rogue laughed. “His name is Jester, which is fitting. He’s quite a clown.”

The man reached beneath his desk and brought out an apple. “May I?”

“Sure,” Rogue shrugged, rolling down the back window. The bespectacled guard handed the piece of fruit to Jester who accepted it with enthusiasm. After he’d swallowed the piece of fruit practically whole, the man waved Rogue on through. “Go on ahead, I’m sure it will be fine.”

Rogue grinned, rolled up the window and gave the guard a wave. “See, Kit. Jester comes in handy.”

As she had at Reese’s house, Kit stayed in the car. This time Rogue was gone only a handful of minutes. When he returned, it was obvious he was pissed. “They wouldn’t even talk to me. This is more like a prison than anything else. I don’t like this, I don’t like it a bit.” He jerked his phone out of his back pocket. “I’ve got to let Zane and Elijah know what I found out.”

*  *  *

After receiving Rogue’s call, Elijah had made up his mind. There was no way he was allowing Lucia to be herded into a bus and carted off to God knows where. It was disconcerting when you didn’t trust officials in your own country, but he knew there was corruption in many places. Sending her back to Juarez was unthinkable and having her detained in some prison holding house here in the states wasn’t something he could handle either.

As he drove toward the Red Creek Saloon, he prayed that he wouldn’t mess this up. He’d never had any problems getting girls, but this was more important. Lucia was more important. She had to know how he felt about her. Hell, he’d gone back and forth from Texas to Kansas so often lately to see her that he probably had enough frequent flyer miles to take them on a honeymoon anywhere they wanted to go.

When he drove up, he noticed his hands were trembling on the wheel of his truck. He was even on a first name basis with the people at the car rental place. Finding a place to park, he glanced at the clock. Her shift was over in fifteen minutes. To pass the time, he glanced at his messages on his phone. When Rogue had told him about Karnes City, he hadn’t wasted any time getting on the plane. What he had to do today was one of the most important things of his life. He was going to propose. Patting his pocket, Elijah imagined how the ring would look on her finger. Even though the decision to propose today was sudden, he’d already planned on asking her to marry him. He’d had the ring for days.

Taking off his hat, he ran his fingers through his hair. God, he was nervous and it wasn’t popping the question to Lucia that had him on edge. It was also the photo that Rogue had sent. He agreed with Rogue, she looked familiar. If he wasn’t so uptight about everything else, he was sure that the woman’s name would come to him.

A tap on the window made him jump. Lucia stood outside with a big smile on her face. She stepped back as he opened his door. Elijah only hesitated a moment before taking her in his arms. He’d kissed her on the cheek a couple of times, but right now that wasn’t going to be enough. Before she could protest or even know what was coming, he looked into her amazing brown eyes, laid his hands on her small shoulders and pulled Lucia into his arms. She gasped, but he captured the soft breath along with her lips.

Lucia wasn’t just caught by surprise, her heart slammed in her chest. This wonderful man held her close, his lips were firm and sweet on hers. The heartbreaking impossibility that was Elijah Bowman shone in her dreams like a bright star that hung just beyond her reach. Oh, how she longed to reach out and hold on to him for all she was worth. As his mouth moved over hers, time slowed down so that each touch, each brush, each sweet press was magnified until she couldn’t stand it anymore, she couldn’t resist. For one brief shining moment, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with everything in her. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have such a kind man in her life.

Elijah’s heart was jackhammering in his chest. Kissing Lucia was incredible, but having her kiss him back almost sent Eli to his knees. Her lips were so soft, he wanted to go on kissing her forever. Lucia Cordova was everything his heart desired. Tightening his arms, he pressed her closer. He forgot they were in front of the saloon, on a busy Kansas street. If she hadn’t shifted in his arms, putting a small hand on his chest to push, Elijah might have completely lost his head.

“Oh, my beautiful dove,” he whispered. Elijah didn’t know where the endearment came from, but it fit. She was like a small wild bird. Her heart beat so fast against his. He was afraid if he didn’t hold on to her, she would fly away and he would never see her again. The very thought made him want to clutch her small body to him and never let her go. “Let’s get out of here.”

Lucia went where he led. She allowed him to help her in his truck, she trembled while he reached across and fastened the seatbelt. What had the kiss meant? She was afraid to hope. She was afraid to dream. As Elijah came around to the driver’s side and crawled in, he shut the door behind him. The interior of the vehicle felt small. He was a big, powerful man but Lucia had never felt safer with anyone. The fear nearly overwhelming her was not of what he might do to her, but of how he made her feel.

“I probably should have waited until we were alone to kiss you,” he said, his tone gentle and apologetic. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I just missed you.”

Lucia began to shake. “I missed you too, Elijah.” And she would miss him even more when she left, which was going to be sooner rather than later. Zane had called her today with the bad news. Already she was planning her next step. She was going to ask to be sent somewhere other than Juarez. “How was your flight?”

Always so polite, always so gracious. Only the heat behind the kiss they’d shared told him she would come alive in his arms if he ever was privileged to make love to her. “I’m on a first-name basis with the flight attendants now.”

“Oh, I’m sure they look forward to seeing you.”

“Oh, no.” Elijah protested, realizing she took his comment the wrong way. “It’s not like that, I don’t flirt with them.” How could he? “The only woman I’m interested in is you.” Without waiting for a response, he started the engine and pulled out. “Tonight we’re having supper at Osprey House. I called Rogue and he said all I had to do was notify Marliss, so I did. I thought a walk around the lake would be nice.”

Lucia was tongue-tied. “It is a lovely night.”