Love Inspired Suspense March 2016--Box Set 1 of 2 by Melody Carlson

Author:Melody Carlson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781460395158
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Diego ordered two burgers with fries. The cook and the female clerk bantered with each other while the hamburger patties sizzled on the grill. Their conversation moved back and forth between Spanish and English. The sound relaxed him. He was home. One of his sisters lived five blocks from here.

The thought brought a mixture of relief and anxiety. Relief because it was always good to come back to where he’d grown up. Anxiety because he knew that if Agent Brown or anyone in collusion with him got wind of where they were, he’d be putting the people he cared about at risk. His back was against a wall. Until Gabriel made contact, he needed a place to hide.

“Here you go, sir.” The clerk pushed two greasy containers toward him. She was an older woman with a tattoo of a cross on her forearm and a nose ring. “You look familiar.”

He studied the woman closer, but shook his head.

The woman pointed a finger at him, recognition spreading across her face. “Carmen’s boy.”

The mention of his mother’s name was like a knife stab to his heart.

The woman rested a hand on her hip. “Little Diego, all grown up.”

Diego blushed, feeling as if he were twelve years old again.

“I owned the bakery down on S. Austin Street for over ten years.” The woman narrowed her eyes. “What brings you back to the neighborhood?”

“Just a visit to see my sister Claudia.” No one but his sisters knew about his work. To everyone in the old neighborhood, Diego was still a gang member.

“Oh, yes. She’s still there. Those boys of hers are getting so big. They’ll be glad to see their uncle.”

Again, that slicing feeling through his heart at what he’d given up. Though it was a different neighborhood and different gang territory, he’d always hoped that what he chose to do made the whole city safer for those he loved.

He returned to the car and handed Samantha the food. He took a few bites of his burger, letting the flavor explode in his mouth. Samantha munched on her fries and dabbed her chin with the paper napkin.

“We’ll be going to my sister’s house.” He hoped it wouldn’t spook her too badly. When he did make contact with his sister, it was always at the hospital where she was a nurse. “The way I got it figured, I can purchase a gun using some old contacts. I’ll send Claudia to buy us a phone. We’ll get some sleep and be out of this neighborhood in less than five hours. Maybe by then we’ll hear from Gabriel.”

She set her burger down and turned to face him. “You mean it’s not safe here.”

“It’s safer than anywhere else I can think of. The gangs tend to stay in their own territory, but there is always spillover, and I can’t risk that somebody here might be talking to someone elsewhere.”

Her mouth stretched into a tight line. Then she turned away and stared out the window.

“I wish I could say it was totally safe, but that would be a lie.

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