Texas Hold 'Em by Kay David Read Free Book Online

uphold the law when they pinned that badge on you, baby girl.”
    Her grandfather’s words reached right into her chest and squeezed her heart. He’d always been too hard on Gloria in her opinion. She’d wondered why her mother hadn’t gone to him for help when she and Rose had needed it, but she’d never asked. Most likely Silas and Gloria had as many secrets between them as she and Gloria did. Silas, just like Santos, knew nothing about the past she and her mother had shared, though. And he never would, either. No one would.
    Rose looked past him at the light slanting over the mountaintops. At the edge of her dusty yard, a small brown bird flitted through the branches of a cedar tree, hopping and chirping. She spoke without looking at her grandfather.
    “I guess I have to make a choice.”
    “The law’s the law,” he said flatly. “There are no choices as far as it’s concerned.”
    …
    Santos woke up with a bad headache and a hoarse voice. Since leaving Rose, he’d been on the telephone or his computer continuously, half the time simultaneously. Austin had been trying to convince the president of a local chapter to have a sit down, and he’d needed advice and information. From the worn out ranch house, he had tried to work out all the details of the meet. To get closer to Ortega, Smokin’ ACES needed to get the real bikers to trust them. Earning that trust meant doing some things they shouldn’t. He tried to stay on the right side of the line as much as he could. Deep down, though, he didn’t really care how they accomplished their goal, as long as they found the SOB and everyone got out alive.
    He went to the nearest window and stared into the distance. A braid of blue and peach ribbon cut the nearest mountain in half, the morning sun leaving it dark on one side and light on the other. He felt as if he was being divided, too. He wanted nothing as much as he wanted to find the woman he’d put in harm’s way, but when he and Rose had been sitting in her kitchen, he’d begun to truly realize just how thin the line was he was trying to walk. One wrong slip and so many people would be hurt he couldn’t count them all. He’d realized something else, too. Rose could still affect him in ways he thought he’d put behind him.
    He didn’t understand why, either. They had opposite philosophies, opposite goals, opposite everything. Not for the first time, he found himself wondering how they’d ever fallen in love, much less lived together. Now they faced this dilemma.
    The songs were dead wrong—love wasn’t all you needed.
    …
    Midnight came and went the following day before Rose finally fell into bed. She hadn’t seen Santos since he’d come to her house, but she doubted he had left Aqua Frio. He never gave up. Everything was always instantly clear for him, too. She examined every little detail and even after she had all the facts, she would continue to wonder. All he cared about was the assignment. He’d been that way when they’d both been cops, and things obviously hadn’t changed.
    The lights in her bedroom had only been dark for a short time when her phone shrilled. She had the receiver in her hand before the first ring finished. “Renwick.”
    “You’ve got a domestic situation at the Royal Trailer Park.” An independent service in Presidio took over their 911s when Lydia’s shift ended, and the bored voice grated on Rose’s sensibilities. She had argued against the idea, but the county commissioners wanted to save every dollar they could. She wondered how long ago the call had actually come in.
    “Address is 2405 Crown Circle. Caller states strange noises were heard in the yard, possible peeping tom, not sure. See the woman at number two-thirty-two.”
    Rose hung up and reached for her pants. She’d been to that particular address before and warned the man and woman living there to tone down their arguments. It sounded as if they’d done just the opposite. The couple, young and poor,