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Trees grabbed the asshole’s attention again. “Anyway, I’m up for a promotion. If I can sign up three people this morning, that would look real good to my boss. He knows I’m a go-getter, but he wants to see more hustle, so if you could help a guy out…”
The wail of a baby suddenly filled the air, seeming to come from the kitchen. Tessa’s head snapped toward it, her profile telling him her heart was in her throat.
“Shut that damn baby up,” Hector yelled. “Look, I said I’m not interested. I don’t care about your promotion, your sisters, your knowledge of roaches, or your bullshit. Go the fuck away.”
When he tried to slam the door, Trees flattened his palm against the sturdy fiberglass and shoved, wedging a foot onto the threshold so Hector couldn’t shut him out. “C’mon, you don’t mean that. We’re getting to be friends here, I think. We’re having a moment.”
Zy better move this along. Trees doubted his cover would last another two minutes. If the baby in the kitchen was Hallie, Zy and Tessa needed to move now. Trees was more than happy to deal with Hector the Molester on his own terms.
“What the hell? The noise level around here…” A man emerged from the right side of the trailer in a pair of boxer shorts, pulling a T-shirt over his head.
Cash. He presented a problem. Once the little weasel yanked the dirty tee down and finished rubbing his bleary eyes, he would be looking right at Tessa.
Damn it.
Zy poked his head above the chair, signaling to Trees with a finger across his neck.
Abort? Like hell.
Instead, he sent his widest smile to Cash. “You a friend of the family, sir? You’ve got to tell your pal here that he’s missing an opportunity if he doesn’t sign up for Pest-Away’s platinum-level service.”
“I don’t fucking want it,” Hector exploded. “Get your foot out of my house.”
Trees just went on. “Here. Let me get you my card and…”
As he pretended to dig in his pocket, Cash lost interest in the sales pitch. Before he could stop the little douchebag, Tessa’s ex turned toward the kitchen and spotted her.
Shit.
“Tessa, what the hell are you doing here? Get the fuck out.” Cash dashed straight for her and grabbed her arm, tugging her toward the back door.
Zy pulled his Glock.
Fuck. There went the covert operation, plan A. Plan Fucked it was. Trees hoped he and Zy could find a way to end this well.
Hector, who had been watching Cash’s drama with Tessa, turned back to him with a threatening scowl. But Trees was one step ahead, meeting him with the business end of a SIG, planting it against his forehead. “Hands up.”
Hector complied, wide-eyed with shock.
“Just like that. Now step back, motherfucker. Nice and slow.”
The asshole retreated to the middle of the living room. Trees kicked the door shut behind him, never taking his stare off Hector, while Zy emerged from the corner and aimed his barrel straight at her ex’s face. “Let her go.”
“Fuck you.” Cash glowered.
“You don’t want to give me a reason. I’m already half inclined to blow your worthless brains out.”
Wisely, Cash stopped running his mouth and released Tessa.
“Now get your hands up,” Zy insisted.
Muttering curses, Cash did.
“Tessa, in my back pocket are a couple of pairs of cuffs. Get them out. You”—Zy told Cash while she retrieved the handcuffs—“get to the middle of the room, by your buddy, Johnson. No. You can walk with your hands in the air.”
Trees nudged Hector toward Cash until they bumped into one another. “Stand back-to-back. Now!”
Zy motioned Tessa to his side and took the cuffs from her. Then he handed her his gun. “If either one of them moves, aim in their general direction. This sucker is loaded with hollow points, so whoever you hit, we’re talking maximum damage.”
“O-okay.” She nodded, looking resolute as she took the weapon and aimed it at the two scumbags.
“You’re doing great,” he told her in a low murmur. “I’m going to cuff them.”
Then they could start asking questions. And find out if the baby in the next room was Hallie.
“No, you’re not,” said a woman appearing from the kitchen. “Let them go.”
Motherfucking son of a bitch.
The woman was Aspen. She balanced Hallie on her bony hip—and pointed a Glock against her defenseless little head.
At the sight, Tessa looked ready to unravel. “Hallie, baby girl…”
The little one caught sight of her mommy and started wriggling and screaming, kicking and bowing her back.
“Stop it!” Aspen hissed, shaking the baby.
Tessa’s expression turned murderous. Zy rushed in to de-escalate the situation, approaching the other woman slowly with his hands in the air. “All right. Let’s not be hasty. You don’t need the kid. You need information, right?”
Aspen scowled suspiciously. “Yeah.”
“Okay, let’s make a trade.” Zy turned to glance past Cash and Hector, brow raised.
