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Muffled grunts and voices sounded, and he heard feet scuffling, but what sounded louder than all of it was Brooks’s maniacal laugh. What a tool, Sel thought. He even had a stupid, evil laugh.
Sel headed back to the storage room to hide until Brooks left to kidnap someone else. If he could get the men free, they could escape and lie in wait for Brooks when he returned.
Brooks whistled like some creep as he walked by the storage room, drumming hands on his legs. Sel watched through a thin crack in the door as he disappeared through the door at the end of the hall and then he heard the big door open and close again. Waiting to make sure Brooks wasn’t playing around, when he didn’t hear the man, he ran back to the door and opened it to see Brooks was gone.
Running to the other door, Sel burst through it, seeing eyes staring at him. All the men except for Indio, who was still knocked out.
Bennie, Dex, Marius, and Avery, the ranch hand Ruben spoke about often, mostly because he liked him, but he smelled from never showering, were all staring at him, including a man he didn’t know, an African American, wearing cowboy boots.
“Hi guys. I figured I’d come rescue you.”
*****
Dante picked up the phone while walking around outside, with Bruno sticking close to him. When Antonio answered, he was laughing. “What did my kid do?”
“Uh, Tony, it’s…serious.”
His tone changed instantly. “What the fuck, Dante? I thought you were going to watch him!”
He knew that was coming and what’s more, he knew he deserved it. “I know, Tony, I know. I had him surrounded by our men, and he still slipped out, but that’s not an excuse. He should have been with me, all the time.”
“Fucking little punk. Why the fuck now, Dante? Where is he? What’s happening?”
“It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you when you’re on your way. Get on your plane and get here. Just be warned, I’ve already had the sheriff call the feds.”
“That serious? Dante, he’s not…he’s not in that kind of danger, is he?”
“We’re figuring it out now. He switched trackers with someone, which is why we didn’t know he was missing right away. He did this on purpose.”
“Of course he did. My wife will blame the Carrillo blood in him. I don’t even know what to tell her.”
Dante was possibly more afraid of Selena than he was his brother. “Tell her by the time you all get here, she can drag him herself. I’m going to turn over this entire fucking ranch until he’s found.”
When he was off the phone, he sidled up to Bruno. “Where the fuck is he?”
“A car is waiting to take us to the location of Dayton Binx’s tracker.”
“Good. I want Lonnie and Tango along with us.”
“Yes, sir.”
Vic was calling him, so he picked up immediately. “Vic, anything?”
“We’re at the scene, and there’s nothing, Dante. Wait,” she said, making him want to throw the phone as he had to do just that, wait. “My deputy just found the tracker and a tablet.”
“All the tablets are 1234 pins.”
“Got it. Okay, yeah, it’s one of yours. It was at this location. I’d say it’s a clue, but where is your nephew?”
“Good question. The feds?”
“They’re coming all the way from Salt Lake, so it’ll be a while before they can get here. It’s us and your people, Dante.”
Lonnie and Tango came out of the bunkhouse with Bruno. “I have our head of security and a man who was a detective in Denver and a sheriff for a mountain town. I think we’ve got the best people we can get.”
“Lonnie and Tango, I know,” she said of the two. “I love Tango and Lonnie has grilled me endlessly, so maybe this will get him working instead of asking me questions. Get them here. They’ll find something, I’m sure of it, plus the sun’s going to be up soon.”
They all traveled to the scene together, and as they neared it, Dante saw the sunrise in the rearview mirror. The light would help, of course, but what it may illuminate also scared him half to death…
