A Texas Child

Tom ran a hand through his hair. “The driver was Juan Reyes. He works for the Mortez family and was ordered to pick up the car at the Brownsville International Airport. Juan says that’s all he knows. They’re taking him in for questioning.”

“Was there a car seat in the vehicle?” Levi asked, still on his computer.

“Damn it.” Tom reached for his phone again and asked the Brownsville police that question. Laying his cell on the table, he said, “Yeah, there was a car seat.”

Levi leaned back in his chair. “That baby is well hidden in Mexico by now and the law will never find him.”

Myra’s stomach churned. All she’d eaten today had been chocolate, and she had a niggling sense she was about to throw it up. She took a couple of deep breaths. What she’d feared most had just happened. Daniel was lost to them and to Natalie. How did she accept that?

Steve opened his computer and turned it so they could see the screen. He touched the keys. “This is the Mortez home in Brownsville. It sits on about ten acres with several metal buildings that are cooled and heated for those expensive cars. As far as we can tell, César Mortez, his wife and Marco live there. An agent checked the house yesterday and just the servants were there. One said the Mortez family had gone to the Matamoras home for a few days.” Steve clicked another key. “This is their home in Matamoras.”

Myra saw a three-story beige concrete structure with a red tiled roof. What caught her eye was the stone fence around it. It looked like a fortress and Steve echoed her thoughts.

“If Mortez has taken the baby to the Matamoras house, there’s no way in without Mortez’s permission and there’s certainly no way out without it, either. It would take a small army to infiltrate it, and the Mexican police will not help. There are not many Americans who are willing to go in, either. So I say we have a dilemma here.”

Levi studied the house on the screen. He pointed to several spots. “High-tech digital cameras are everywhere. They know you’re coming before you even get there.”

“So we just let him keep the baby?” Myra tried to keep her anger in check at this turn of events. It was hard for her to simply give up as the men were suggesting.

“There’s not much we can do, Myra,” Tom replied. “Not without getting a lot of people killed. After all, Marco is the boy’s father and he’s not in imminent danger.”

Myra jumped to her feet. “Don’t tell me that shit, Tom. Marco brutally beat a woman into a coma in this country and took her child. Natalie Stevens has full custody of that child. Marco broke the law here and he needs to be punished.”

“Marco is a Mexican citizen and I’m not sure what we can do to him in this country except deport him. I’ll contact the Mexican authorities, but I can guarantee you they will do nothing.”

Myra knew he was right, but it didn’t keep her from seething.

Tom looked at Levi. “Now, if Mr. Coyote wants to go in there and tackle Mortez and the drug cartel, he’s welcome to go, but no one from this department will volunteer. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.”

Levi’s eyes were on Steve. “What’s the Mortez family into?”

“We know it’s either guns or drugs, but we haven’t been able to catch them with anything. We’ve raided the house in Brownsville, stopped those vans carrying the expensive cars and found nothing. They seem to know when we’re coming.”

“How do you know they’re involved with the drug cartel?” Levi kept on.

Steve tapped another key and photos popped up. “That’s César, the father, with one of the kingpins of the cartel. Here are more of meetings in Brownsville. The Mortez family is involved with moving guns or drugs for them, we’re sure. We just can’t prove it, but one day they’ll slip up and we’ll get them.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Concerning the baby...” Steve closed his laptop. “Ava Mortez seems like a nice enough woman and I’m sure she’s taking care of the child. The conditions in Matamoras are not as good as they are in Brownsville and Mrs. Mortez spends most of her time in Texas. Once this cools down, she’ll probably bring the baby back to Brownsville. We keep close tabs on that house and we’ll let you know when that happens.”

“Sorry, Steve.” Myra reached for her purse. “I have a friend who is fighting for her life and I just can’t wait that long. If she wakes up and Daniel’s not here, I don’t know if she’ll survive. The only choice for me is to go to Matamoras on my own.”

“Are you insane?” Tom was the first to speak. “Stu wouldn’t want you to do that.”

“Probably not. But I’m going.”

“Myra, it’s not safe for a woman to go there alone. You’ve worked in the D.A.’s office long enough to know that.”

“Yes, I have, Tom. It still doesn’t change my mind.” She turned and walked out of the room.

Steve followed her. “Myra, please think about this. Just give this some time and we’ll flush him out.”

“Natalie doesn’t have time and Stu doesn’t, either.” She looked over Steve’s shoulder and saw Levi watching her. She could read his thoughts in his eyes: You’re crazy.

“Thanks, Steve. I appreciate your concern, but I have a feeling I’m on my own on this.” She continued her journey for the door and her legs were a little shaky once she reached her car. It was crazy. It was insane. But she couldn’t seem to do anything else. Wherever Daniel was, she knew he was afraid and wanted his mommy. She would take things slowly and feel her way.

There was no need to talk to Levi. He’d already made his position clear. Under no circumstances was he going into Mexico. She made her way to her office in the criminal justice building to tell her boss her plans.

Sitting at her desk, she gathered her thoughts. Could she do this? She thought of her parents and Jessie. And then there was Stu and Natalie. Who would help them if something happened to her?

Before she made any concrete decisions, she needed food. Opening her bottom drawer, she pulled out a protein bar and then went down the hall to the kitchen for bottled water. Munching on the bar, she resolved she couldn’t leave little Daniel in Mexico.

She hurried to the D.A.’s office and spoke to his secretary. “Is he available?”

“Depends.”

Myra knew this drill. She wasn’t getting inside unless it was important. “It’s about the Stevens baby.”

“Did they find him?”

Myra lifted an eyebrow. “You know I can’t tell you that.” Oh, turnaround was fun.

“Go in,” the girl said with a frown.

Myra tapped on the door and poked her head around. “Do you have a minute?”

Clarence waved her in. He was on the phone. Laying his cell on his desk, he asked, “Any news?”

She took a seat and told him what they’d learned.

“That pretty much takes it out of our hands.”

Myra smoothed an imaginary speck off her slacks. “I’d like to ask for some time off.”

Clarence nodded. “Sure, sure. I know this has been stressful for you. It has for the whole department. Natalie was very likable and easy to work with.”

Myra shifted uneasily in the chair, not sure how to say what she had to without him blowing a gasket. It was at that moment she realized she could lose her job over this. In the old days, that would’ve stopped her immediately, but she wasn’t young and naive anymore. She had the battle scars to prove it.

“I’m planning to go to Matamoras.”

Clarence pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his big leather chair with a shocked expression on his face. She waited with bated breath for his next words.

“You’re going to try to find Natalie’s baby?” He quickly held up a hand. “No, don’t answer. I don’t need to know that. You do what you feel you have to and leave the department out of it. I’ll let everyone know you’re on vacation and what you do on vacation is your business.”

Myra was positive disbelief was written all over her face. She expected him to try to talk her out of it and, for the first time since she’d worked for him, she admired that he was willing to take a risk because this could surely come back to bite him in the butt. Only if she didn’t succeed.

She got to her feet. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about Natalie. I’ll get Michelle to look in on her daily.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Myra, just realize you can’t save everybody from the bad guys.”

She frowned. “Do I do that?”

“You’re one of my best prosecutors because it somehow eats at you when a person gets away with bad behavior. But sometimes you have to let go. Sometimes the bad guys win.”

He was right. The thought of that monster keeping that little boy was eating away at her like an acid in her stomach. Now she had to really look at her motive and understand what she was doing.

“My advice is to take someone with you. Preferably someone big and strong and not afraid of the devil.”

Levi blasted across her consciousness. He fit the bill, but he wasn’t willing to take a risk and ruin the life he had planned. But there were other men. Surely.

“I’ll think about it.”

Back at her desk, she made notes of what she’d need to carry and checked airline reservations. No way was she driving across the border. Her cell went off and she reached for it in her purse. Mick. Just the man she needed to talk to.

“Hey, Mick, you took your time calling back.”

“Sorry. I got caught up on a case. What do you need?”

“I need a bodyguard.”

“Hell, Myra, I’d guard your body any day of the week.”

Mick was like any other man. He had to get that sexual innuendo in there. But he wasn’t as sleazy as Tom. “I guess you read in the paper about the girl in our office who was beaten into a coma by her boyfriend.”

“Yeah, it was in the paper and on the news.”

“The boyfriend has taken their son into Mexico and we believe he’s hiding out in Matamoras.”

“If you’re suggesting what I think you are, the answer is no. I work in Texas. I have a wife and two kids and I’m not going into Mexico.”

“Do you want to think about it?”

“No, sorry, Myra. But if you need a job done here, I’m your man.”

“Thanks, Mick.”

Fiddling with the phone, indecision gripped her. Everyone was telling her this was insane, so why wasn’t she listening? Maybe, like Levi, the thought of that little boy being taken from his mother had gotten to her. Something needed to be done.

She found herself headed back to the hospital. She needed to see Natalie to resolve all the doubts in her head. It was getting late and the hospital seemed very quiet, or maybe that was just the uneasiness in her. The nurse allowed her to see Natalie for a moment.

Myra stared at her friend, who was only a shadow of the vibrant young woman she used to be. The bruises stood out against her pale skin. When she woke up, how was Myra going to tell her that Daniel wasn’t here?

Dr. March walked in with a chart in his hand. “Good evening, Ms. Delgado.”

“Good evening,” she replied. “Is there any change?”

He scribbled something in the chart. “No. Sorry.”

“If her son was here with his baby chatter, would it be a stimulus for her?”

He closed the chart. “Yes, that’s why we allow her father to visit. A familiar voice can be a trigger to bring her out of this deep sleep. Have they found her son?”

“No. I was just wondering.”

“Keep positive thoughts,” he suggested. “Her body and mind have been traumatized. It takes time to heal.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

She reached out and touched the limp hand on the bed. “Get better, Nat. I’m doing all I can, but you have to help me. You have to get better.”

There was no response and Myra knew there wouldn’t be. As she stood there in the quiet room, with only the hum of the machines, a calm came over her. Doing nothing wasn’t in her nature. If she let Marco have Daniel, she would never be able to face Natalie again. Natalie looked up to her, but it was more than that. Natalie trusted her, and now Myra had to trust her own instincts. She had to tackle the most dangerous job she’d ever attempted.

But first she had to tell Jessie and her parents.

* * *

LEVI DROVE STEADILY toward Willow Creek and home. His services weren’t needed and there was nothing else he could do. Thinking about Myra and her ridiculous plan only pissed him off. She’d been told the risk repeatedly and, as always, Myra did as she pleased. His conscience was clear.

He wasn’t sure why he kept glancing in his rearview mirror. He had no reason to feel guilty. Going to Houston in the first place was a crazy thing to do. He’d sworn he wouldn’t help Myra, but both Stu and the thought of a kidnapped baby who needed his mother had swayed him. And then there was that little matter of living with a conscience that continually mocked his decisions.

The more miles he left behind him, the more his conscience chimed in. Myra’s body would probably be found on the banks of the Rio Grande within days. If there was one thing the drug cartel didn’t like, it was Americans asking questions, and Myra was good at asking questions. It was her forte and it would be her downfall.

He pulled over to the side of the road. Cars whizzed by on the warm September day, the heat intensified by revving motors and blacktop. He told himself he wasn’t responsible for Myra’s actions. Her number was on his phone and he quickly found it. What could he say to her that hadn’t already been said? Could he go back to his safe life and leave her to face an untimely death? Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he knew there was only one answer. He finagled his way back into traffic and headed for Willow Creek.

* * *

MYRA SPENT AN hour with Stu explaining the situation and, though he was upset, he didn’t try to stop her. He left that decision up to her, but strongly suggested she hire guards to go with her. Stu wanted Daniel home with Natalie and he offered to pay for a bodyguard.

Nothing much was said about Levi. Stu only commented that Levi wouldn’t let them down. Telling him Levi already had seemed cruel, so she didn’t.

On the way home, she stopped at a sporting goods store and got appropriate apparel, plus hiking boots. Then she went home to figure out her next move.

After eating yogurt and an apple, she called Jessie and told her the situation and quickly added, “I just wanted you to know in case you don’t hear from me for a while.”

“My, are you sure about this? Let the authorities handle it.”

“It’s a delicate situation, but I’ll try to stay in touch so don’t worry.”

“Oh, please. This sounds a little insane even for you.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes. I’ll admit I’m a little scared, and if I feel the situation is too dangerous once I get to Matamoras, I’ll call everything off. I haven’t lost my mind completely.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“I was going to call Mama and Papa, but they wouldn’t understand and we’d just get into an argument. If they mention they can’t get in touch with me, make an excuse or something.”

“I’m not lying to them, My.”

Myra sighed. She knew Jessie wouldn’t lie. That was one of the things she loved most about her. She was very honest and up-front.

“Okay. I should be back in a few days. Say a prayer for me, and I love you, kiddo.”

“Myra, please ask Levi to go with you.”

“He made it very clear he won’t go into Mexico, but I’ll hire someone, so don’t worry. I’ll call as soon as I get there.”

“Take care of yourself.”

Myra sat for a long time with the phone in her hand. She should call her parents, but it would turn into a big argument she wasn’t in the mood to deal with. Since her parents had moved so far away, she didn’t talk to them as much. If she was lucky, she’d be home before they realized she’d been gone, and by then she’d be prepared for the lecture.

Even she couldn’t make that argument sound convincing. She touched the number to call home. Her mother answered.

“Hi, Mama. I’m sorry I was short today. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I know you’re worried about your friend.”

Myra didn’t expect so much understanding and she was speechless for a brief second. “Yes, it’s been very stressful.”

“Well, then, come home for a few days and relax.”

Myra chewed on her lip. “I can’t right now. I’ll probably be leaving for Matamoras tomorrow. We have a lead on the baby.”

“Matamoras?” She could almost see the worry gathering in her mother’s eyes like clouds before a thunderstorm.

“I’ll be careful.”

“Why do you have to go? Aren’t the police supposed to do that?”

Myra didn’t feel she needed to go into a long explanation. “I just wanted you to know in case you were trying to reach me. I’ll call as soon as I get back.”

Her mother wasn’t having any of it. She called to Myra’s father, “Felipe, talk to your daughter. She’s doing something crazy.”

She explained the situation all over again to her father. “Papa, I have to go. I just wanted to touch base before I left.

“Take care of yourself, bebé. We love you.”

That’s all she wanted to hear, just in case she didn’t make it back.

For the next thirty minutes, she contacted retired police officers who might want to make some extra money, but none of them wanted money that badly. The realization of just how serious the situation was finally began to sink in. She hung up from the last one feeling frustrated. She took a long breath and paced in her living room. What did she do now?

She didn’t have an answer, so went to take a shower. Slipping into shorty pj bottoms and a tank top, new energy surged through her. She emailed Steve, requesting all the info he had on the Mortez family. He replied within minutes and she sat in the living room reviewing the Mortez compound in Matamoras. An outsider had no way in. That left no options, except one. She had Marco’s cell number. She’d tried it a couple of times and he hadn’t answered and she didn’t leave a message. But if she left a message saying she was in Matamoras, he might meet with her. And how stupid would that be, meeting him alone on his turf where justice was a foreign word? What did she do?

Her doorbell chimed and she jerked her head up in surprise. Who could that be? Due to her work and prosecuting hardened criminals, she lived in a gated community. She had to buzz people in and no one had rung the buzzer. It might be a neighbor, but then, they usually called.

She went to the door and stood on tiptoe to look through the peephole. She blinked and looked again. Could it be...? No. She took another glance to make sure.

Levi.

CHAPTER FIVE

“MYRA, LET ME in.”

She released the dead bolt and unlocked the door. Levi strolled in wearing worn jeans, a black T-shirt and a backpack. Mystified, she could only stare at him.

“What?” he asked, as if it was natural for him to drop by her home unannounced.

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugged out of the backpack and dropped it to the floor. “Hell, I don’t know. I have a perfectly good life in Willow Creek, and yet I can’t get the picture of you lying dead on the banks of the Rio Grande out of my head.”

A shiver ran through her at the image. “Are you trying to scare me?”

“Is it working? You ready to change your mind?”

She heaved a sigh. “No.”

“God, you’re stubborn.”

“What are you doing here, Levi?”

He dragged the backpack into the living room and plopped onto the sofa. Unzipping the pack, he pulled out his iPad. “I found I couldn’t live with your death on my conscience, so I’m taking you to Mexico to search for the boy, but you will follow my orders and be as docile as possible.”

“Oh” was all she could say. Her heavy heart suddenly felt lighter and she sat cross-legged in a chair facing him. “Thank you.” She felt she needed to say that.

“Yeah” was his short reply. He was already engrossed in the iPad.

“Do you have a plan?”

He glanced up briefly. “Plans are usually shot to hell in these types of situations. We’ll play it by ear. In the morning, we’ll head out for Brownsville and cross the border and see how it goes.”

“I thought it would be easier to fly.”

That drew a dark scowl. “Tourists are easy targets and that’s what you’ll be getting off the plane in Matamoras.”

“Okay. I’m flexible.”

“Yeah. Since when?”

She took a deep breath. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll have to call a truce with the snide comments. To work together, we at least have to be civil to each other.”

His brown eyes held hers and she resisted the urge to squirm. “You’re right. For us to have any success, we have to work closely together. I’ll have to be able to trust you.”

“Is that a problem?”

He didn’t answer for second. “Yesterday, yes. Today, I have to go on faith. I’m here, so that’s about all I can say.”

She swallowed. “I’ll take it.” She pointed to her laptop on the coffee table. “Steve sent over everything he has on the Mortez family. Or at least what he could share.”

“I already have it.”

That surprised her. An agent didn’t share information with outsiders, or maybe Steve didn’t consider Levi an outsider. But she was still curious. “How?”

“I snatched it from his computer when we were at the station.”

Now she was more curious. “How?”

“I have a thingamajig on my phone....”

“Thingamajig?”

“That’s all you need to know.”

“But how did you do it? Steve was in the room with you the whole time.”

“While Steve and Tom were talking to the lieutenant, I laid my phone against his laptop and, in a few seconds, I had everything on the Mortez family.”

“Sometimes you’re scary, Levi.”

“Remember that and this trip will go smoothly.”

“You know what you did was illegal.” Why she was pointing that out, she wasn’t sure. Maybe just to annoy him, like he was trying so hard to annoy her.

He lifted a dark eyebrow. “In the next few days, we’ll be doing a lot of illegal stuff. Are you prepared for that, counselor?”

“Whatever it takes.”

“Mmm.”

Nothing was said for a few minutes as he worked on the iPad. She watched as he was totally focused on the computer. In the old days, he’d grasped things quickly and his memory was phenomenal. She was sure that hadn’t changed. He paid great attention to detail. It drove her crazy sometimes when he could tell her exactly what she wore on a certain day and with what earrings or high heels. And yet the same man had trouble matching up his socks. She would bet that the socks he had on now were mismatched. It was a Levi trademark.

She remembered so many things about him. His gentle touch when she was down about something. His kind heart and concern for everyone. When he loved, there was no holding back. He gave all of himself and there was never any doubt that he loved her. She had failed their relationship.

Her eyes were drawn to the black T-shirt molded to the muscles in his arms and across his chest. As he worked the keypad, his forearms rippled, reminding her of everything she’d lost. And of everything she could never get back—mainly his trust.

“We’ll leave early in the morning.” His words broke through her thoughts. “And try to make it to Brownsville by noon. Do you have a passport?”

“Yes.”

“I have Daniel’s so we’re set to go.”

She frowned. “How did you get Daniel’s?”

“On my way back, I called Stu and he sent someone to Natalie’s apartment for the boy’s birth certificate and a photo. When I arrived at the home, I faxed the items to a name Stu gave me and I picked up the passport on the way here.”

“You’ve thought of everything.”

“For us to succeed, I have to.”

He reached into the backpack and pulled out a laptop and a phone. “This is a cheap phone you can use while we’re in Mexico. Put all the numbers on it you’ll need. Leave your expensive one here.”