Coming to Colorado (8 page)

Ryan pulled out his phone again, acting like he was speaking into it. “I swear you can trust me. You don’t know me, but fuck, I swear. I promise, and if I screw you over, hunt me down and kill me.”

“Fuck.” Davis questioned his intelligence and his wisdom, wondering just how burned he was. “I can’t. Plus, if they are tracking me, then they’d be tracking you, and I can’t put you through that.” He was fucked over, and nothing would go right if he was being watched like a dog. Even if he left his computer here, he would probably be dead soon. These bastards weren’t playing fair. Maybe someone had hacked his phone and his computer without him knowing about it, but he had no idea how anyone would have gotten their hands on either device.

The time for talking was over. He needed to move. Davis stood and grabbed his bag, holding it so it wasn’t obvious he had it in his hand. The sun was still up so the guy outside wouldn’t be able to see everything through the tinted windows, or he hoped so. Davis made his way to the bathroom and dropped his phone into a trashcan in the hall. Once in the dark hall, he’d moved his backpack to the front of his chest, hiding the bag from anyone watching from outside. Right now, he had to keep moving and didn’t have time to check his computer for any software that would trace his location. If he booted it up, they’d have him. Maybe it was a GPS location device that pinged a satellite instead of someone actually monitoring his computer. Whatever it was, he couldn’t keep the damn thing with him.

Once inside the bathroom, Davis pulled his extra money and anything identifying him from the bag. He wished he had time to do a thorough check, but he didn’t. Hopefully, whoever was following him would think he was just taking an extended time in the crapper. Part of him wanted Ryan to take a look at his computer, but it was too risky. If he went back to the bar or the front rooms, they’d see him and grow suspicious. Plus, giving away his password to a stranger would go against every ounce of training he’d ever received.

Davis climbed up on one of the toilet seats, popping the ceiling tile and tossing the bag into the empty space above. He’d come back for the computer later, once he felt safe.

After he’d arranged the ceiling tile back into its proper place, he moved to the kitchen and picked up one of the meals, hoping it was his. He didn’t actually care what was in the
Styrofoam
container, all he wanted was food, and at the moment, any food would do. The cook narrowed his eyes as he grabbed a small loaf of bread from the counter before heading to the back door. He moved quickly through the city, weaving down streets, hopping through alleys, and rushing through courtyards so he was nowhere near the front of the restaurant. After twenty minutes of constant movement, twisting through the city on streets he couldn’t name, he ended up near the water. He had no idea where he was or how he’d get to the place Ryan expected him to be, but he’d find the building and meet Ryan at the time they’d agreed on. Though the guy was a total stranger, he was Davis’s best hope for living past today.

Davis stopped walking and sat at a park bench, taking in his surroundings. There was a greenway with trees where people could hide, and a wide sidewalk near the water. He listened to his surroundings, honing in on any noise that didn’t fit. The area was quiet with few people milling around. More than once on his walk over, he’d checked to make sure that no one had followed him and he was fairly sure he’d dropped his tail.

As far as he knew, he didn’t have any other tracking devices on him. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that he’d checked more than once for any type of bug. His hoodie was clean too; at least he thought it was. Davis breathed in deeply then opened the container of food, happy to find pasta and chicken. He used the plastic fork he’d snagged and scooped up a bit of the pasta, shoving it in his mouth. The moan that escaped his lips was involuntary. Maybe it was because he was starving, but this was the best thing he’d ever eaten.

Upset that he’d been forced to leave everything behind, he thought about his next move. He had some cash on him, but it wasn’t much. He also had some money in a bag he’d stowed in a locker at the bus station downtown. When he’d arrived, he hadn’t even contemplated that someone who knew him had turned against him, but now he had to figure into the equation that the guy trying to kill him also knew about the bag at the bus station.

After he finished his meal and the loaf of bread, Davis realized he was close to the Fleet Center arena. He walked over, seeing that the area was lit up. Cars filled the parking lot, giving him an idea for moving through the city without having to walk alone and draw attention to himself. He only had to wait a few minutes before people started streaming out of the arena. After another minute, a huge group walked out and headed up the street towards some of the restaurants. He followed the crowd then took up with a different group of people, making it look like he was not alone. The group went into the subway and Davis stayed on the street, not sure where his MBTA pass was and if it was even safe for him to go into the tunnels. He didn’t want to purchase a ticket and take the time getting his face on camera. If the person or people following him had access to the cameras throughout the system, it would be easy for them to track where he was going. He was screwed no matter what he did. Davis ducked into another bar then left out the back, winding through another set of alleyways and streets, hiding his face from cameras, and working hard to blend in.

With his phone gone and his computer at the restaurant, he was lost. Eventually, he found a map of the city on a metal sign, and after a quick look, he got his bearings. Davis headed back the way he’d just come, and walked down a few blocks before making a left then a right. He was moving closer to the Charles River, and he felt he was nearly to the place he was supposed to meet Ryan. He crossed over a busy street using a walking bridge then strolled past the building that he believed to be Community Boating. He wasn’t sure if Ryan was already inside, but he was about ready to take a chance and look.

His heart hammered as he debated the wisdom of coming to this place with Ryan. What if it was a set up? The wind blew in from the water, sending a few leaves tumbling down the street, scratching across the pavement, making it sound like someone was walking behind him. The trees creaked above as the wind picked up. A shiver traced down his spine. The area was already creepy, and the day’s events magnified his unease. Could he actually trust Ryan? He couldn’t trust anyone he knew. He needed to call his dad, but did he really want to bring trouble to his father’s door? The man was retired, living on some cattle ranch in Colorado that was far enough out of the way Davis could hide there until the dust settled.

When Duff had moved, Davis hadn’t been invited to the new place. At first, he suspected his father had found another woman, but now he didn’t know. Maybe his dad really thought he was a drug trafficker and hated him. Hell, if Duff knew he was gay, that could also be an issue. But his dad’s place might just give him the cover he needed to figure this all out.

A noise, this one different, sounded behind Davis, sending a jolt of fear through him. He’d been distracted by thoughts of his father and he’d lost focus on his surroundings. Davis wondered what the hell was wrong with him. He’d been foggy all day, and now he wasn’t paying attention. He was going to get himself killed if he wasn’t careful.

*~*~*

Exhaustion was playing tricks on his mind and making him see things. Duff swiped at his eyes, blinked, and took another sip of coffee, but nothing helped. He had to get some sleep. So far, Roger and Mike had found nothing. The security team at the mall hadn’t wanted to cooperate. It took a lot of persuasion from the guys to get into the video control room. Once there, they’d found out that the video cameras in most areas of the garage didn’t actually record anything.

He was very disappointed that they hadn’t found any information allowing them to find Craig and eliminate him as a threat. The man knew too much and had access to things he shouldn’t. Craig was angry and would strike out at them. It would be better if they could take him down before he took down the Wild Bluff team.

“I’m going to go lay down for a while,” Duff said as he stood up.

“Leave me with your phone, that way you can actually get some sleep,” Grant said.

“Sure.” Duff pulled out his phone and saw he had one text message. Earlier, when Roger had called, he’d assumed that Roger had texted him. He opened the application to clear the message and saw that the text was from his son, Davis. He smiled and opened the message so he could read it. When his eyes landed on the word Boston everything stopped. Blood rushed from his head, leaving him about ready to faint.

“Duff, you okay?” Grant asked. The man stepped close, easing Duff to a chair.

“I know why Craig is in Boston.”

All of the men turned to look at Duff. They wanted him to talk, but his tongue was tied, his brain wouldn’t come up with the words to speak so he handed his phone to Grant.

Grant’s brows bunched then he plopped into the chair beside Duff, their gazes met, desperation passing between them. “Fuck” was the only word he said.

Marshal came over and took the phone, his eyes going wide. He pressed something on Duff’s phone. Duff guessed Marshal was trying to call Davis, but Duff felt bad enough, lost enough, that he figured Craig had already killed Davis. His son didn’t know how dangerous the world could be. Sure, he knew about what happened in the military, but he wasn’t like the men who lived here at Wild Bluff, and he wasn’t at all like Craig.

“There’s no answer,” Marshal said before turning to the other men in the room. “Our priority is to find Davis. Craig is secondary. Tucker, get on the line with the cellphone company and see if they can ping Davis’s phone. Billy, send Mike and Roger a recent photo of Davis. Duff, do you have a photo on your phone?”

“I think so,” Duff said.

Marshal knelt next to Duff and handed him the phone. “Pull one up, and I’ll email it to Mike.”

Duff nodded and placed his phone on the table. His hands were shaking too hard to hold the thing. After two tries, he had a photo he’d taken of Davis when he’d visited him recently. His son looked so young and healthy. He’d never meant for Davis to be a part of the ranch, that’s why he’d never invited him. Wild Bluff and the men here did dangerous things that Davis was too innocent for. Now the ranch had found him, and he might not survive.

Marshal took Duff’s phone, pocketing it after making sure the ringer was on. He pulled out his own phone, sending a text. Duff didn’t know who Marshal was texting, but he guessed it was Roger or Mike. He needed to pull himself together. Davis was in danger and he couldn’t let Craig win this one. If he had killed Davis, Duff would stop at nothing to make sure Craig suffered more than he’d ever suffered before.

Chapter Nine

Mike answered the call, hoping that their luck was changing. Nothing had panned out. No one knew anything about Craig and they weren’t getting anywhere.

“Mike here.”

“Hey, it’s Marshal. We figured out why Craig is in Boston.”

“Why?”

“Davis, Duff’s son is in Boston for work.”

“Fuck. Do we know where he is? Have you called him?”

“He’s not answering his phone. I called him just a few minutes ago. We’re looking for the location of his phone, but we haven’t found it yet. You should have a photo of Davis in your email. Craig is tracking him, and we can only assume what he’s got planned.”

Mike hung up and turned to find Roger on his computer pulling up their email. They stared at the photo of Davis, neither one saying anything for a few seconds.

“He reminds me of Duff,” Roger said. “Have you ever met him?”

“Nope, I didn’t know what he looked like until now. We can’t let Craig kill this guy.”

Mike drew in a deep breath. It was time to regroup and revise their focus. They needed to find where Davis was staying and what he was doing. Mike pulled up a program he used to hack into the police computer system. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but if there was anything suspicious out there, he’d find it.

Roger picked up his phone. “I’m calling Marshal.” The man was silent for a few seconds before he turned to face the other way though Mike could still hear him. “Do you have anything?”

Mike hated operating without any information. They were really flying blind and just hoping to get something going with luck or a prayer. Roger tapped him on the shoulder just as Mike found something he thought was interesting.

“Yeah?”

“They are logged on to the cellphone company’s central computer system. They have an area they think Davis is in. They’re shooting over the information.”

“Good. I think I found something. Put me on speaker,” Mike said.

“Sure.” Roger tapped the phone screen and laid it on the table between them. “Guys, I have you on speaker.”

Mike turned back to the computer, looking at the police report he’d pulled up when Roger had interrupted him. “There was a shooting earlier today. Looks like a high-powered rifle. No one was injured, but from eyewitness accounts, it sound like it could have been Davis the guy was shooting at. The man all of the witnesses said was being shot at fled the scene before the cops showed up.”

“Shit,” Duff said.

“We’ll find him Duff. At least we know he wasn’t shot with the first attempt,” Marshal’s voice sounded over the phone.

“We’ll go to the area where his phone was pinging. Once we get there, we’ll tell you what we find.”

“Roger, Mike, thank you. I know this is your job, but thank you for looking for Davis.”

“Duff, you don’t even have to ask. Davis is your son and you’re family, so he’s family too.”

“Thank you,” Duff whispered.

Mike hung up and turned to Roger. “We have to find Duff’s kid.”

“You said it. We need to find him now.”

“What the hell are we going to do?” Mike asked.

Roger started shutting down their computer. “We’re going to go to this address and find the kid, then we’re going to get the heck out of here and get him to safety. Once we’re all safe, we’ll track down Craig, and make sure he doesn’t breathe any more air.”