A Texas Child

She faced him. “Haven’t you heard of finesse, Levi? You’ve already told him you weren’t getting involved with the drug cartel. You didn’t need to jam it down his throat again.”

“He’s a cop. He knows the truth just like you and I do.”

“Leave him with some hope.”

“When did you get to be so damned considerate?”

“When did you get so hardhearted?”

“Myra—” He slammed his hat onto his head. “This isn’t going to work. Maybe it would be best if you hired the other guy.”

“You gave your word to Stu.”

“Then stay out of it. You don’t need to control everything.”

“I’m only trying to help a man I admire who’s been blindsided by grief and tragedy.”

“I know that, but Stu needs to be aware there is a very good chance that baby is in Mexico and there is no way to get him back.”

She lifted a dark eyebrow. “Is that a fact you can back up? You’re big on facts.”

“Damn it, Myra.”

“You can’t,” she said with a touch of glee in her voice. “Until you can tell him with certainty, you’re not mentioning it again.”

He stepped closer to her, so close he got a faint whiff of her fragrance. The gardenia-scented lotion she wore. It used to weaken his concentration. Now it only infuriated him. “Let’s get one thing straight. You will not tell me what to do. I get it, you’re concerned about Stu and Natalie. I am, too, but my patience is not as good as it used to be. So back off.”

“Fine. Do you need the detective of record on the case?”

He sighed and walked past her. He knew his job and he didn’t need her to explain it to him.

“Levi.”

He told himself to keep walking, but against every sane thought in his head he turned back.

“Thank you.”

He nodded, trying not to look into her dark eyes, trying not to get caught in the allure that was Myra Delgado.

CHAPTER FOUR

MYRA WASN’T UPSET at Levi’s high-handedness. He was on the case and that’s what she’d wanted. But she did wonder what had changed his mind. He probably couldn’t ignore his code of ethics and honor, and he had a soft spot for kids. Of course, Stu was a big pull, too. She was glad her old friend hadn’t been proven wrong. Now Levi just had to find Daniel.

Levi had a rocky relationship with his mother. She’d remarried within six months of his dad’s death, which was something Levi just couldn’t understand. At nine years of age, he’d refused to move with her and her new husband to Virginia. It was one of the few personal things Levi had shared with her. In his childish mind, he’d been hoping his mother wouldn’t go, but she did, leaving Levi with his grandfather. He’d felt deserted by a mother he loved and he’d never quite got over that. It made him tough, independent and, without a doubt, bullheaded. When Levi made up his mind, very little could change it. That’s why she was so surprised to see him today. But the thought of a child being separated from his mother had hit Levi in the heart.

The buzz of her phone interrupted Myra’s thoughts. Looking at the caller ID, she saw it was Tom. She quickly clicked on.

“Hey, sweet cheeks, we finally got a break. You might want to come down to the station.”

She gritted her teeth at the words sweet cheeks but didn’t respond. Tom wasn’t getting to her. He just annoyed her. “What have you got?”

“Brownsville police spotted the Jag on International Boulevard going into Brownsville.” She whipped into another lane, her heart pounding. This was the break they needed. “Have they stopped the car?”

“No. We’re keeping a tail on it to see where he goes and we want to be careful in case the baby’s in the car.”

“I’ll be at the station in a few minutes.”

Clicking off, she took the next exit and pulled into a restaurant’s parking lot. She poked in the FBI agent’s number.

“Steve, could you meet me at the central police station? They’ve spotted Mortez’s Jaguar near Brownsville.”

He quickly agreed. It was all coming together and Daniel might be back with his mother by nightfall. Maybe they didn’t need Levi, after all.

She sped toward the station, found a parking spot and hurried inside. Before she could reach Tom’s desk, she got a call from the D.A.

“Myra, I heard they’ve located Mortez’s car.”

“Yes, Mr. Chambers, I’m at the station now.”

“Good. Stay on it and keep me posted. If something happens to that baby, the D.A.’s office and the police are going to look bad in the eyes of the public and I don’t like looking bad.”

“I’m on it, sir.”

“Have you checked on Natalie?”

“Yes. She’s still the same.”

“I want that son of a bitch caught.”

“I’m on my way to talk to Detective Hadley. I’ll call as soon as I’m finished.”

She knew Clarence Chambers was more concerned about reelection than he was about Natalie, but that was the nature of politics.

Tom wasn’t at his desk. She looked around and a detective sitting at a desk pointed down the hall. “Tom’s in there.”

“Thank you.” Walking down the hall, her heels made a clickety-clack noise. She tapped on the door and went in.

Lieutenant Moyer met her. “Mr. Coyote says he’s been hired by Stu to help find the child.”

“Yes. Considering our investigators are overloaded, I thought we could use a little outside help. Daniel Stevens needs to be found as soon as possible.”

“I’ll allow him to sit in, then. Tom’s in charge.”

She nodded and he walked out.

Levi, Steve and Tom sat at a table strewn with laptops, iPads and phones. She eased into a chair next to Steve, across from Levi and Tom, who was talking on his cell. She wasn’t surprised at seeing Levi here. She knew he would make contact with the lead detective, which was protocol. She was just surprised he’d done it so quickly.

Tom laid down his phone. “Okay, counselor, are you ready for the police to stop the car?”