Esteban snorted. “You have no idea.”
The distant sound of an engine had both of them tensing. Esteban’s gaze darted toward the road behind Beau, confirming what that sound meant. His men were coming up the mountain from the direction of Chattanooga and would be here any minute. No doubt there were others coming in from the direction of Mystic Lake too. He and Sierra were surrounded. He had to get her out of here, fast. Dealing with her brother would have to wait for another time.
Beau backed up, still pointing his pistol at the other man. “Call your men. Tell them not to shoot at my truck. Call them, or die right here, right now. I’m out of patience.”
“Damn it, lawman. I want my sister.”
“Until I know why you’re here and why you faked your death, I can’t assume that you won’t hurt her. She stays with me.”
Esteban swore.
“Call them. Now.”
“Okay, okay.” He slowly pulled out his phone, eyeing Beau’s pistol as he did. Then he punched in a number.
“Put it on Speaker mode. And speak in English,” Beau warned.
Esteban ordered his men to stand down, to wait for him. Then he ended the call. “What now, cop?”
“Drop your phone. I don’t want you calling them back and changing your orders the second I back away.”
Esteban pitched it onto the road.
Beau brought his boot down hard on the screen, crushing it.
Esteban’s jaw tightened. “You owe me a new phone.”
“I’m sure you can afford to buy another one. Sierra and I are leaving. You and I will continue this conversation another day. In the meantime, if anyone harms one hair on her head, nothing will stop me from hunting you down. Understood?”
Esteban narrowed his eyes. “Why would you care what happens to her?”
“The same reason I care what happens to any innocent victim. I mean it. One hair.”
“Same goes for me. You hurt her, copper, you die.”
“I would expect nothing less from aloving, caringbrother such as yourself who’s led her to believe you’re dead and whose men shot at her twice today.” Sarcasm dripped from every word. An angry tic in the side of the man’s jaw told Beau his barb had found its target.
“Lie down on the road with your hands behind your back,” Beau ordered. “Don’t get up until I’m gone.”
The engine was louder now. The vehicle coming up from Chattanooga was dangerously close, probably around the next curve.
“Do it,” Beau ordered, quickly backing toward his truck, his pistol trained on the other man.
Esteban flipped his visor down, then did as ordered, positioning himself with his head turned so he could watch Beau.
The muffled distant sound of a second engine whining up the mountain from the direction of Mystic Lake had Beau swearing and racing the rest of the way to his truck. He hopped into the driver’s seat, unsurprised to see that Sierra’s brother hadjumped up the moment his back was turned. He was running away from them, arms waving as yet another dark-colored SUV barreled around the curve toward them.
“No dispares,” Esteban yelled. “Don’t shoot.”
Sierra stared at motorcycle guy, then shook her head as if trying to focus. “What happened between you two? What in the world is going on?” She clutched one of the other pistols that Beau had tossed in his backpack at his cabin and was aiming it through the hole where the windshield used to be, right at the SUV.
Hoping to avoid another barrage of gunfire, he grabbed the gun from her and set it in the console. “Get on the floor.”
“What? No, I don’t—”
“It’s the safest place in the truck. The engine block should keep any bullets from hitting you if they fire at us.”
She didn’t move, clearly aggravated.
