No Boundaries, page 7
"Why are you helping us?" Cutter asked. "We understand that you know Carter, but that’s all we know. Is that the only reason?"
Kanon wondered the same thing. Cord was risking a lot going up against the cartel.
"I've never met the man. I was contacted by the government here and asked if I could help. When they told me what it was about, I readily agreed. The cartels have been giving me headaches for a long time. They steal my cattle and terrorize people in the nearby towns. If I could, I'd wipe them off the face of the earth. Alejandro Martinez and Eduardo Perez are the worst of the worst. What one doesn’t control, the other does." He took a drink of his beer. "I'm sorry about your friend. I hope you can find him."
"Yeah, we do, too. Renegade is a good man." Kanon gripped the bottle a little tighter.
There was a scratchy noise coming from the radio on Cord’s belt. He pulled the radio off and pushed the button on the side. "What is it?"
The man on the other end rattled off something in Spanish. Cord spoke to him in his language, then replaced the radio. He looked at them. "The rest of your team has arrived. They'll be here in less than five."
Kanon breathed a sigh of relief. With them all working together, they should be able to locate Renegade. He just hoped he was still alive. Too much time had passed since he'd gotten in touch with them.
"You're American. How did you end up in Mexico?" Kanon leaned back against the sofa cushion, trying not to think about why they were there.
“I own more than one place, but I spend a lot of time here. My wife was Mexican.” He took a long drink of the beer. “We moved back when she was diagnosed with cancer. They have great doctors here. It had spread too much.” His voice cracked. He took another drink of his beer before he continued. “She lost her battle a couple of years ago.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Cutter said.
Cord drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, me, too. She was my best friend.”
“You stayed on here.” Kanon looked around and saw a woman’s touch in the embroidered pillows, a vase with flowers, and the rugs on the floor. He had a feeling Cord’s wife had left her mark on their home. No wonder he didn’t want to leave.
“This is home.” Cord’s smile was sad.
Vehicles pulled up out front and they came to their feet. When the team walked through the front door and into the house, Kanon knew they would find Renegade. They would leave no man behind.
These were his brothers. Carter, their leader. He'd gotten him out of prison with the agreement that he would take classes in anger management, then come to work for him. He was the one who put this group of misfits together. They did everything, from acting as bodyguards, working in security, and taking care of bad guys.
Rader was still a mystery to him. No one knew much about him or where he came from, only that he'd been in the military and worked with Carter a few times.
Kanon had heard Savage grew up in a whorehouse, then ran away when he was thirteen. He didn't know how true that was, though.
He knew Blade didn't have to work for a living. He was like Carter and had more money than he knew what to do with. They thought he would have to drop off the team when he was shot and lost the use of his arm, but after a lot of physical therapy, he regained eighty-five percent back. He still came when he was needed.
Then, of course, there was Cutter. They'd been working together with Renegade to gather information on Alejandro. Cutter confused the hell out of him. He seemed comfortable in a rich setting, but Kanon knew he could lift your wallet while smiling and talking to you, and you would never know it.
Only one man was missing, but they would get Renegade back.
Chapter Nine
From the surprised look on her face, he knew Amelia was worried that he might have overheard their conversation. What didn't she want him to know concerning Alejandro? Maybe it was as he suspected, they were lovers. At least, past lovers, but apparently he wanted her back since he was letting her rescue runaways. He decided to keep his suspicions to himself. He only hoped she wasn't involved with him now.
Everyone seemed frozen in place. He decided to jog them back to reality.
"Coffee?"
They all began to move at once, even Tony. Something was definitely off here. Maybe Amelia had a side hustle delivering drugs, and the other two were in on it. The Mexican government probably wouldn't look twice at a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes. They would let her cross the border without question. Rescuing people could be a cover.
He didn't know why any of that should bother him, especially if he was a drug runner. For some reason, that didn't feel right, either. Maybe he had been at one time, but he didn't think that was the case now. He didn't have time to dwell on it as Sophia brought him a cup of coffee.
"I thought I would go to the front porch."
"Of course." Sophia turned. "Amelia, can you take it out for him? I wanted to start a stew for dinner tonight."
"I can take it for him," Tony said in his gravelly voice.
"I need you to look at one of my appliances that hasn't been acting right."
Amelia took the cup from her. "I can take it out."
"I’m still not very fast. I hope the coffee won’t be cold before I get there." He laughed lightly. He finally made it, though, and eased down onto the rocking chair with a sigh of relief. When Amelia handed him the cup of coffee, he gratefully took it from her. She started to go back inside. "Join me."
She looked unsure for a moment.
"You did say you hate staying inside, and the rain earlier did cool things down a little. Besides, I like the company."
"Okay, I'll stay for a little while. Unfortunately, I have some work to do in my study."
"That's the worst part of any job – the paperwork."
"You still haven't remembered anything else?"
"Only bits and pieces."
"Your memory will return. You have to give it time."
"I hope you're right."
"I am. I'm a nurse. We know things."
"That's how you were able to care for me so well. I'm not sure if I thanked you for everything you did. You saved my life."
Her cheeks took on a rosy hue.
"Sometimes I think I was meant to be here. You know, helping those that do get away. I started out in a hospital in San Antonio, Texas. I always felt as if something was missing from my life. When the hacienda went up for sale, I bought it."
"It must cost a lot to maintain." Yeah, he was fishing, and he felt bad about it, but he had to know where her income came from.
"It doesn’t cost as much as you would think. We’re self-sufficient here. When my grandparents died, though, they left me an inheritance. I wanted to use the money for good. It gave me enough to purchase this place and hire people to help run it."
"But that doesn't give you much of a social life."
She shrugged. "I'm not much for a social life anyway. I like the peace and quiet that I get being out here."
"Amelia! Amelia!" One of the men ran from the barn.
She jumped to her feet. "What is it?"
"Red burned himself. It's bad."
A few minutes later, a man came out of the barn holding his arm. Amelia made her way quickly toward him.
"It's not that bad," Red said. “It just burns a little.”
Tony came running out of the house. "What happened?"
Red came closer, then turned his arm over. "I was working on the tractor and my arm touched the hot manifold. It's just a burn, but I might've hollered out and scared Pedro."
Renegade stared at the burn mark on Red's forearm. His past flashed before his eyes.
Two men held him down. One man put a branding iron against his skin. He screamed in pain as the odor of burnt flesh reached his nostrils. Right before he passed out, he heard Carlos speaking.
"You belong to me now. You will run my drugs or I will kill you like I did your parents."
He ran away every chance he got. They gave him the name Renegade—someone who deserts the cartel, they told him. He vowed never to stop trying to escape.
When Renegade ran, he was punished. The muscles in his back bunched. Carlos stood behind him. The leather whistled through the air right before it landed on his back. He’d jerked foreword, the burning pain almost too much.
But he never stopped trying to get away.
He was fourteen when he caught Carlos alone. Carlos laughed and asked what he was going to do.
But Renegade had a gun. When he raised it, there was fear in Carlos’ eyes.
Dark clouds hovered overhead threatening rain, and sometimes, he would hear a low rumble of thunder. A wave of exhaustion washed over him. He was so damned tired. He saw what the drugs did to people, and what the cartels did to families.
“You little bastard, I’ll kill you!”
Renegade shot him in the leg. Carlos yelled in pain. He put a bullet in his other leg when Carlos started toward him, cursing him. He didn’t feel any emotion as he shot him in the arm, then the other arm. This was something he had to do. Renegade wanted him to suffer and to know he was going to die.
Carlos began to beg for his life.
Renegade knew he could beg and plead all he wanted. "I'll give you as much consideration as you gave my parents, or when you used the whip on me. How does it feel to know you're going to die?"
"They'll come after you," he spat as blood ran from his wounds.
"No, they won't. They hate you as much as I do. Besides, I'll be long gone by then."
He shot him in the stomach. Carlos doubled over, falling to his side as he grabbed his abdomen, groaning in pain. He looked like a worm wiggling on the ground.
"Then kill me if you're going to do it," he screamed as blood ran between his fingers.
Renegade smiled. "No, I don't think I will. I wonder how long it takes for someone to die after being gut-shot. I imagine it would take a long time." He sat on the ground, crossing his legs in front of him. He knew it would be nightfall before everyone returned. By then, Carlos would be dead, and he would be long gone.
It took longer than he thought it would. Carlos begged the whole time for Renegade to kill him, but he kept seeing his father's proud face. He wasn't about to let his son go to work for Carlos. He knew what kind of man he was.
After Carlos shot his father, Renegade knew Carlos had let his men have his mother before they killed her. His beautiful mother, who wouldn't have hurt anyone. Who’d wrapped him in warm hugs and told him wonderful stories. Carlos had taken all that away.
Carlos was praying and asking for forgiveness as he took his last breath.
Renegade slowly came to his feet. "There is no forgiveness for someone like you. You're going to burn in the fires of hell." He dropped the gun and walked to the barn, saddling a horse and never looking back as he rode away. Mato told him to watch and listen. That was exactly what Renegade had done.
"Renegade, are you okay?" Amelia asked before she hurried inside the house to get something for Red's arm.
He snapped out of the past. "Yes, I'm okay. Just tired. I think I'll rest for a while. I hope Red's arm is okay."
“It doesn’t look too bad. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” She hurried inside as he rose from the chair and went to his room.
He lay down on the bed, willing himself to remember. After he saddled the horse and rode away from Carlos’ headquarters, his mind was blank. No matter how hard he tried to remember, nothing was coming to him. When his head began to pound, he quit trying and closed his eyes, willing the pain to ease.
He had a feeling his memories would return in time. He didn't like waiting. He wanted to know who he was and what kind of a man he had become. He just didn't know whether he could accept the answers.
But when his mind wouldn't stop searching for answers, he got back up. He felt antsy, like he needed to be doing something. The walls of the room were closing in on him, so he grabbed the cane and left. Voices were coming from the direction of the kitchen. He listened for a moment to Sophia and Amelia's conversation about how to put together a good stew.
He decided to keep going toward the front door, but once outside, he wasn't content to sit on the porch. He made a sudden decision and went down the steps, walking toward the barn. He hesitated in the doorway when the only person he saw was Tony.
Yeah, he didn't want to talk with the other man, knowing how much Tony disliked having him here. Before he could turn and go back toward the house, Tony looked up and frowned.
He wasn't going to run away, either. "How's Red?" He stepped inside the barn.
"He’ll live." His answer was clipped.
Renegade's gaze moved past Tony when something else caught his attention. He walked closer to one of the stalls. A pure black stallion was inside, prancing and pawing at the ground. Fire sparked in the horse's eyes as he angrily looked around.
"I wouldn't go near him if I were you,” Tony grudgingly told him. “The horse hates everybody…"
Renegade ignored Tony, speaking softly. The horse was magnificent. His coat like silky black velvet. As he moved closer to the stall, the horse began to calm. When Renegade was next to the stall, the horse whinnied.
“Hey, boy,” he said, still keeping his voice soft. He reached out and ran his hand down the horse’s neck, patting it gently. He continued to talk to the horse for a few minutes, then turned back around and looked at Tony.
"He's a beautiful animal. I don't think he likes the stall very much. He would probably do better in a pen so he could have room to move around."
"What are you? Some kind of horse whisperer?"
Renegade shook his head. "I don't know what I am. I don't think I'm a drug runner, though."
Tony went back to work on the bridle he was fixing. "Why do you think that?"
"Because Carlos Santiago murdered my parents when I was very young. He branded me and forced me to run his drugs. When I was fourteen, I killed him and ran away."
Tony looked up, slowly nodding. “I remember something about him being murdered and thinking it was a good thing. That doesn't mean you didn't continue to run drugs for someone else, unless you got your memory back."
"That's as far as I got in remembering anything. Now you answer a question for me. What is Amelia's relationship with Alejandro?"
Tony's eyes narrowed. "There are some questions that shouldn't be asked, amigo. The sooner you start remembering everything, the better off you'll be. You need to get as far away from here as you can. It'll be safer for you that way."
“Is that a warning?”
“No, friendly advice.”
Tony hadn't sounded a bit friendly. As Renegade returned to the house, his suspicions about what was happening here only intensified. He went inside, then stopped and listened. He heard the rattle of pans coming from the kitchen, but no one was talking. He hesitated for a moment, then went toward his room. When he got to the hallway, he met Amelia.
She frowned. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale. I hope you don't have a fever." She automatically brought her hand up to his forehead.
Her touch was soft and gentle, and he had an immediate reaction. Maybe it was all the stress he'd felt in the barn, or the fact he didn't know which side of the law he was on, or even her, but he couldn't stop his next actions, not that he tried.
He took her wrist and pulled her closer. She drew in a sharp breath but didn't attempt to move away. "Do you know how damn beautiful you are?" Without thinking about what he was doing, he lowered his head, his lips brushing hers. The only thing between them were the clothes they wore. It was still too much. A shudder rippled over her as her arms went around his neck.
He deepened his kiss, exploring her mouth, tasting her. He moved until she was pressed against the wall. His hand moved to her breast, caressing. Her nipple immediately hardened as he brushed his thumb across it. When he ended the kiss, it was all he could do to take a deep breath. He wanted her. In his bed, naked, and beneath him. He didn't know where all these thoughts were coming from, he only knew it felt right.
"I think I should go to the study. I… I still have work to do." She slipped under his arm and hurried away.
He rested his head against the coolness of the wall. “What the hell are you doing?” he muttered.
She could be in league with Alejandro. For some reason, he didn't regret kissing her, though. He'd wanted to from the day he'd opened his eyes and saw her. She might end up being the death of him, but when it came to kissing her just now, he wouldn't have any regrets.
He had a feeling that if he didn't get his memory back soon, he would be in deep trouble. Tony had already warned him away. Don't get too close, and don't ask too many questions. Yeah, questions were all he had.
Chapter Ten
It had been two days since Tony warned Renegade to stay away from the stallion when they were in the barn. Funny, he hadn’t been worried as he approached the horse. He’d had a feeling the horse was unhappy.
As Renegade stood on the porch, he noticed Tony had listened to him about giving the horse more room and put him in an outside pen. He watched as the black stallion pranced around, throwing his head up and down, his magnificent mane and tail waving in the breeze. The horse had spirit, much like Amelia.
Thoughts like that could get him into trouble, especially after he’d kissed her. He grimaced, knowing he should've kept his distance. Since then, she had stayed out of his way, and Sophia cared for his wounds.
At least that was something going in his favor. He was healing quickly, and most of the bandages were gone. He still hadn't regained his memory, but he was no longer using the cane. When he walked out to the pen yesterday to see the stallion, who always ran up to the fence to greet him, he no longer got out of breath. Apparently, his ribs were healing.
He couldn't continue to stay here even if his memory didn't return. He could cross over into the United States without much trouble. His green eyes and command of English would help. He was sure Tony knew someone who could get him a passport. Tony would probably like that, although he'd seen a measure of respect in his eyes when it came to the way he handled the horse.
