Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
I walk to the arched doorway and ring the doorbell.
Nana’s housekeeper, Maybelle, answers. “Mr. Falcon,” she says.
“Hi, Maybelle. I’m here to see Nana.”
“She’s in her library, reading.”
“Oh. She hates to be disturbed when she’s reading.”
“She does, but you know she has a soft spot for you and her other grandchildren. I’ll be happy to disturb her.”
“Thank you, Maybelle. I appreciate it.”
She holds the door open for me and I enter the large foyer, adorned with marble floors and a crystal chandelier hanging from a high, coffered ceiling.
To the left of the foyer is a sitting room where we kids were never allowed to go. I always longed to jump on the plush sofas and elegant armchairs, but now that I’m old enough to sit in the room, I have no interest in it. It’s too…formal.
To the right is the dining room with a huge cherry table and sixteen chairs. Who the hell needs sixteen chairs?
Maybelle clacks along the marble tiling and turns left down the hallway toward the library.
Nana’s house is on the north side of Bellamy Ranch. I live on the east side of Bellamy Ranch. Nana is far away from the old barn near the border.
A few moments later, Maybelle returns. “Go ahead into the library.”
“Thank you again.” I stop, trying to keep my cowboy boots from making horrible noises on the marble.
The house is decorated in a western Texas theme—lone stars, bluebonnets, and Texas landscapes everywhere. The oak double doors to Nana’s library are cracked open, and I knock softly and then enter. The walls of the library are lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and southwest artifacts and framed maps adorn the spaces between the books.
I inhale the crisp scent of parchment and leather bindings. I love Nana’s library. We spent many happy hours in here as kids as she read to us from the classics—Robinson Crusoe, the Swiss Family Robinson, Oliver Twist.
We were the best-read kids in Texas.
My grandmother sits in a brown leather recliner, a book on her lap, spectacles on her nose, and a smile on her still beautiful face.
“Nana?”
Her eyes light up as she removes her reading glasses. “Falcon, darling. Come on in.”
“I know you hate to be interrupted when you’re reading.”
She closes her book and sets it on the oak table next to her chair. “Nonsense. I always have time for my favorite grandson.”
It’s a joke. She says that to all of us.
“I need your help.”
“Of course. Anything.”
I could beat around the bush, but Nana would hate that. “I need to get my hands on some cash. Large quantities of cash.”
Her thin eyebrows shoot up. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Trust me, I don’t either. And I can’t tell you why, Nana. I can only tell you that it’s very important.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble, Falcon?”
“I’m not. I swear it.”
I can’t lie to my grandmother, and I haven’t. I just hope she doesn’t ask me who’s in some kind of trouble.
Watching one of her grandchildren go down would kill her.
“How much do you need?”
“I’m not actually sure of the amount. But I think a million will be enough.”
Her mouth drops open slightly. “A million dollars?”
Of course a million dollars, Nana. But I don’t say the words. I simply say, “Yes.”
“That’s a lot of money, Falcon.”
“I know. And I could take it out of my trust fund, but I’m not sure how I could get that much in cash.”
Nana frowns and glances around the library. “And you know I keep cash on hand here.”
“I do. Dad trusted me with that information when I turned twenty-one. I promise there’s a good reason for this. And I will pay you back out of my trust fund.”
“I don’t need you to pay me back, Falcon. All I need is your promise that you will stay out of trouble.”
How can I make that promise? I’m paying off a drug cartel.
“Of course, Nana,” I say, keeping my voice as steady as I can. “I’ve always stayed out of trouble, haven’t I?”
“Yes, you have.” She smiles and pats my hand. “You were always a good boy. You’ve always taken such good care of your sisters and brothers. Always been a good leader and a good example for them.”
Yeah.
I’m feeling like a big shithead.
But she’s right when she said I always protect my sisters and brothers. That’s what I’m trying to do here. Hawk and I are the ones who flushed the cocaine. We had no idea Eagle was behind it.
However, for all we know, Diego Vega could’ve had spies in the area. He may already know we got rid of it, and that’s why they’re threatening Eagle.
No. If he saw us, he’d have come straight to us. He probably thinks Eagle took it and sold it himself, pocketing the money.
Maybe this is all a test, because a couple hundred thousand dollars’ worth of cocaine is not a lot to someone like Diego Vega. If it had turned out to be a good place for a dead drop, that old barn would be filled with drugs buried underneath its surface.