Page 41 of Chris

Yes, after Valeria had run off. Chris had enough information to know that. He wondered if that was because Jorge thought her father helped her to get away. He didn’t ask because that wouldn’t be smart, but he still wondered.

Sure enough, two large barns took form on the horizon. With the lack of animals around the fenced in sections around the barns, he had to wonder if the structures were being used to house something with a heartbeat, bricks of cocaine, or both.

Likely the latter.

“The barns are a good distraction, or … ruse,” Chris noted, trying to keep up the con of why he was here in the first damn place. For business. “Any aerial shots would only show the barns, and any animals or whatever else. Thermal imaging would show the heat of the animals and confuse the systems. It fits well with the ranch, and nothing looks out of place.”

“Exactly.”

At around three miles, the duffle bag hanging from Chris’s grasp became heavier. He wasn’t out of shape—at home, he went into a gym three times a week, and jogged every morning on a treadmill just to wake up before jumping in the shower. He maintained his image and body because he preferred to be healthy, but no fucking human should walk in the dead heat for this long.

“And the barns are only the beginning of the ranch,” Jorge said, glancing back at him once more. “There is a great deal more to see, and my men will show you around for the tour tomorrow after you’ve settled in for the evening. I have something else I need to handle, but I will come around to check in throughout the day. You’ll have lodging here—one of the smaller houses on the property—and full run of the place to look around and see what you think. Sound good?”

Chris nodded. “Sounds fine.”

Time to get this job started.

“Are you lost?”

Feminine laughter, two distinct tenors, rang out in the darkness. The amusement at his expense didn’t offend Chris, but he took a moment to figure out where the sound was coming from.

Apparently, following the fence line would not take him back to the main pathways of the Lòpez ranch that would lead to the houses, but rather, behind them. Or in this case, one house. Chris wasn’t told to explore on his own after he settled into the residence he would use during his stay, but he also hadn’t been told not to explore, either.

He figured, what was the harm?

This late at night, it seemed like the only people around were the guards. He wasn’t going inside any of the houses, or other buildings. This wasn’t snooping, and he enjoyed a good walk in the evenings and mornings.

He found the source of the laughter sitting on the back wraparound porch of a one-level bungalow. Sitting on a hanging swing, each with a wine glass in hand, two familiar women looked his way. Only one was smiling though.

“Abril,” he greeted, stepping away from the fence to approach the house, “and Valeria. I wouldn’t say I’m lost, no … more like looking around.”

“Careful,” Abril said, tipping her wine glass up to her lips as though she might take a drink, “my brother doesn’t like it when people snoop.”

“Does he also take a problem with people who like to walk?”

Abril made a noise under her breath. “Depends on what you’re walking toward.”

Consciously, Chris’s gaze drifted to the quieter woman sitting beside Abril on the bench. Valeria, that was. She didn’t avoid his gaze, but he could see she wasn’t going to engage him in a conversation like this, either.

That bothered him.

Valeria was, after all, the entire reason for him being here. He kind of needed her to talk to him, amongst other things. Like trust him, but that was a task for another day … or evening. It wasn’t something he could do tonight, anyway.

“Care for a drink?” Abril asked after emptying her wine glass. “Liquor, water, or coffee, I mean.”

Chris nodded. “Water would be great.”

“I’ll just be a minute.”

The woman was quick to stand from the bench, giving Valeria a quiet word that Chris wasn’t able to hear, before disappearing into the back of the house. He walked closer to the porch, coming to a stop on the bottom step, but not moving further. It was enough for him to let Valeria know he would engage her though.

That’s all he wanted.

“You like wine?” he asked.

Valeria smiled, glancing down at the glass in her hand. “Not particularly, but I do like getting away from my house for an hour. Abril is one of the few people I can relax with like this without … having to hear about it.”

He heard what she didn’t say.