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Benny kicked harder. The heel of his church shoe connected with a leg. More cuss words. He jammed his hand in a pocket, searching for something, anything that would help. His fingers closed around a handful of marbles. The marbles Mr. Daniel had let him pick out at the store last week. He let two drop.
The man tossed him into the trunk. “Scream and I’ll kill you right now.” His hand mashed Benny’s mouth and nose. “You understand? I don’t need you alive to make this work.¿Entiendes?”
Benny nodded. The hand pressed harder. It squashed his nose until he couldn’t contain the whimper of pain. “Please, sir,señor, por favor. . . .”
“Shut up!” The man used his teeth to rip a piece of tape from a huge gray roll. He slapped it over Benny’s mouth. His lips were mashed together, trapping the air in his chest. His wrists were next, the tape so tight, he thought his bones might break.
The man’s wide, bloodshot eyes stared as he ripped off more tape and wrapped it around Benny’s ankles. His breath coming in noisy blasts. The smell made Benny want to throw up. It mixed with the odor of oil and gas. He tried to cough and strangled on his own gagging. Shudders shook his body.
The man straightened, slapped his hand on the trunk lid, and grinned. “Enjoy the ride,m’ijo.”
The trunk lid slammed shut.
Chapter Two
Shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand, Deborah Smith fanned herself with a wedding program. For early October, the air felt warm and humid, but still it was a beautiful day for a wedding. She gave up, tossed her gum in the trash, and snagged a plastic cup of foamy punch from the buffet table set up in the massive field that passed as her partner’s front yard. Her throat ached for something stronger.
Deborah sipped the punch and concentrated on the cool, sweet wetness. Perfect. No need for anything else. Not even a cigarette. She’d just keep telling herself that.
She turned her back on the tables laden with food and studied Ray and his new wife, Susana. He had one arm draped around her shoulders. A grin lit up his face. The two stood on the front porch of his stone house, surrounded by well-wishers who’d crowded them since they’d arrived at the ranch in a rented Cadillac courtesy of one of Susana’s many uncles.
A shot of tequila. Just enough to take the edge off. One cigarette. Deborah turned and snatched a raw carrot from a vegetable tray. She chomped on it and chewed.God, help me overcome my weaknesses, please!One day, one hour, one minute at a time. Her parched throat ached with a thirst punch could never quench.
“Detective Smith! Where’sTíoDaniel? Have you seen him?” Marco Acosta, Susana’s son, barreled toward her. “I needtío.”
Deborah held her cup high and grabbed his arm with her other hand. “Whoa! Slow down, kiddo. What’s the problem?”
The boy plowed to a stop just short of toppling a table. “I can’t find Benny. He’s gone!”
“Well, I saw your uncle . . .” Deborah scanned the crowd. The object of her scrutiny stood talking to his wife. The tense set of his shoulders and the way he held his head said things were not going well with Nicole. As usual. His gaze caught Deborah’s. She jerked her head. He backed away from Nicole. His wife threw her hands in the air. He turned his back on her.
Deborah tried to focus on the boy in front of her. His dark curls were damp with sweat and his agitation showed in the red spots that darkened his brown cheeks. He danced around her like a nervous puppy about to make a puddle on the carpet.
She couldn’t help herself. Her gaze slid back to Daniel. She watched him stride across the yard. He had a runner’s body. Stop it. Married man. Not happily married, but married nonetheless. Daniel gave new meaning to the phraseuntil death do us part. He’d been fighting a divorce forever. He reminded Deborah of a moth flying too close to the candle, getting his wings singed over and over.
“What’s up?” His attempt at a smile didn’t reach his coffee-colored eyes. “Is mysobrinogiving you a hard time?”
“Is everything all right with your wife?” Deborah shoved her hair behind an ear and ducked her head. “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
“Don’t worry about it. Nothing’s changed. I just thought that since she came today, we were . . .” His voice trailed off. “Anyway, what’s going on, Marco?”
Marco squatted and retied a tattered sneaker. “Benny forgot his clothes in your car so he went to get them.” He sounded miffed at his foster cousin’s behavior. “He never came back. I waited like fifteen minutes or an hour.”
Daniel winked at Deborah, his expression lighter. “Knowing Benny, he’s out there trying to pet a skunk.”
“No. No.” Marco popped up like a kid who’d had one too many juice boxes. “I went to look for him. The door to your car is open. His clothes are on the ground, but he isn’t there.”
“I’m sure he’s fine, but maybe we should go track him down.” Deborah stuck the carrot stick in her cup and tossed it in the trash can. A quick search would give her something to do until she’d been at the reception long enough to leave graciously. “I’m not doing anything else.”
“That’s your fault—”
Deborah felt a hand on her back, She whirled. “Hey! No touching!”
“It’s just me.” Alex Luna stepped back, both hands in the air. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just saying if you hadn’t turned me down, you would’ve had a date for this shindig. With plenty of sparkling conversation.”
“I don’t date police officers, especially ones I work with.” The excuse came easy. The truth was Alex’s occupation had nothing to do with her reluctance. The thought that she might somehow have to reciprocate his obvious interest made her heart ditch its regular routine. She stuck two more pieces of gum in her mouth. “Let’s find Benny so Marco can stop worrying.”
“Benny’s missing?” Alex, ever the cop, practically stood at attention. “How long?”
