The Lawless Kind by Matt Hilton Read Free Book Online Page A

hope, and it was best that she understood the implications of trying to snatch a child from under the watchful eyes of footsoldiers primed against the unusual. They were waging constant war with neighbouring cartels, all of them jostling for the largest slice of pie, and it stood to reason they’d be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Recently one gang had slaughtered thirty-plus members of a rival outfit, gunning them down during a daring raid on their headquarters, the story making the international news due to its brutality and efficiency, so I didn’t doubt that we were facing dangerous and capable enemies who were likely to launch a counter-attack.
    After I’d said my piece, Kirstie had looked shocked, and had agreed to remain at the staging post we’d set up on our arrival in Jorge Molina’s hometown of Hermosillo. That made me feel a little better about the arrangement. If I’d had my way, Kirstie wouldn’t be coming into Mexico at all, but Harvey, and then Rink, had argued that we needed her to look after Benjamin. None of us could care for a small child – not while possibly fighting all the way back to the US. At least Kirstie was no shrinking violet, no damsel in distress requiring saving by one of us. She was tough, I could tell, and determined, and also trained in the use of small arms. Apparently her grandmother had instructed both Annie and Kirstie in firearms, a skill that Kirstie had kept up since being manhandled off the street by Jorge’s henchmen. The grandmother had perhaps foreseen a day when it would be necessary for her family to take up weapons, but she could never have guessed it would be under these circumstances.
    I checked in the rear-view again. Kirstie had hidden her auburn hair under the cap I’d given her at the airport hotel, and had her chin tilted down so that the peak concealed part of her face. Her gaze was hidden in shadow, but it was as if she sensed my scrutiny and looked up. I caught a flash of pale grey, before one eyelid flickered in a wink. My response was to wink back, and Kirstie nodded at my weak attempt at offering support.
    ‘You OK back there?’
    ‘As well as anybody could be under these circumstances.’
    ‘You should eat something,’ I said. We had dined on coffee and sandwiches but Kirstie had had no appetite while going through our final plans. ‘Grab something from the cooler back there.’
    ‘I’m not sure my stomach would take food just now.’
    ‘Nervous?’
    ‘No, anxious.’
    Beside me in the passenger seat, Rink stirred from a light slumber. Despite snoring gently, he’d been aware of our brief conversation. ‘It pays to eat and drink when you can: you never know when you’ll next have the opportunity.’
    ‘Do you want something?’ Kirstie flipped open the lid of the cooler box we’d prepared.
    ‘Yeah, toss me some mineral water and one of those taco wraps, will ya?’
    ‘What about you, Joe?’
    I shook my head. ‘I’ll get something once we swap drivers.’
    ‘Yeah. Best you don’t distract him.’ Rink accepted a bottle of water and his food, while glancing around at the scenery. It was featureless desert on one side, with only a few stray spindly bushes dotting the hilly horizon, while on the other there was a narrow strip of tilled land that was surprisingly green. ‘Good to see you’ve managed to drive this far without killing us all,’ Rink said. ‘I’ll take over soon, before the traffic grows any heavier.’
    Rink often pokes fun at my motoring abilities, even though I’m skilled in tactical and defensive driving. He doesn’t trust me to remain on the right side of the road. Usually I counter by telling him the left side is the right side back where I come from, but Kirstie wasn’t familiar with our usual banter. I let his jibe go.
    ‘Just finish your food and go back to sleep,’ I told him. ‘You too, Kirstie. Try to have a nap because we can’t be sure when you’ll get any decent sleep.’
    ‘I