Page 31 of Valor

But he couldn’t deny the truth of her statement, so he remained quiet.

“Why is this so important to you?” Emily shifted in her seat. “I mean, obviously you loved your brother. I totally get that part. But killing Hernandez won’t change the fact that Oliver is gone. All that will do is put a dark stain on your soul.”

He clenched his jaw, then suddenly decided she may as well understand what he was dealing with. “My brother had to take care of our sick mother because I was too busy making money and building houses. I had a girlfriend and wanted to propose, so I was saving my money for a stupid ring. By the time I figured out that Oliver had gotten involved in drug trafficking to make ends meet, it was too late.” He shot her a grim look. “If I hadn’t been so selfish, none of this would have happened. I sent some money home to Oliver and my mom, but obviously not enough. The drug money was easy, yet it didn’t take long for Oliver to realize he was in way over his head.”

“What happened then?” Emily asked when he paused, lost in the painful memories of the past.

This was the worst part of the story. But he forced himself to tell it anyway. “As soon as our mom passed away, Oliver called to tell me he wanted out of the drug business. He wanted to go straight. Then he told me that Domingo Hernandez wouldn’t allow him to leave the organization. That walking away was not an option. Next thing I know, Oliver was found dead of a gunshot wound to the back of his head.” He swallowed hard, and added, “My younger brother was shot execution style as a warning to anyone else who thought it would be easy to turn their back on Hernandez and the drug business.”

She paled. “That’s horrible.”

“That’s reality.” He took a deep breath to get his anger and frustration under control, then continued. “Hernandez is slippery. He moves around a lot and has a cadre of drug enforcers protecting him. Still, I was getting close to the guy, working my way up in the organization. Then I got shot by someone I believe was working for Hernandez. I didn’t tell any of the guys on my crew that I was Oliver’s brother, but I suspect Hernandez figured it out and tried to get rid of me.” He shrugged. “You know the rest.”

“Why on earth wouldn’t you just go to the police?” She sounded exasperated. “Seriously, Owen, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. A carpenter turned drug dealer seeking revenge against the man who killed his brother?”

“I did contact the police.” He tried not to sound defensive. “I spoke first to a Denver cop named Will Minor, then he put me in touch with a Colorado DEA agent named Colin Granger.”

“Really?” She looked shocked. Which didn’t say much about what she’d thought of him before now.

Yet she’d claimed to care about him, despite thinking the worst.

“Yes.” He shook off the foolish thought to finish his story. “I figured I needed help getting to Hernandez. Granger told me to feed information about big drug buys to Will Minor. Even after I worked my way into Wyoming, I was supposed to use the Colorado cop as my liaison.”

“When did you make that call to the police? Before or after you were shot?” Emily asked.

“Two weeks before I was shot.” When she opened her mouth, he held up his hand. “I know what you’re going to say. I don’t know for sure who set me up. Hernandez, Granger, or Minor. For all I know, all three of them could be working together. Regardless of who is responsible for shooting me, you can see why I’m not jumping on theturn-myself-inbandwagon. I believe one or both law enforcement officials are in deep with Hernandez. That they’re getting paid to look the other way. I don’t have any other explanation for how we’ve been tracked from one place to the next. Not to mention why Doc and Dee were murdered.” Their deaths still haunted him. “At this point, I can’t trust anyone.”Except you, he silently added.

“I wish you’d have told me about this earlier.” Emily looked upset. “I am sure Doug will find a way to protect you. He mentioned that he’s had to ferret dirty cops out in the past. I am confident he’ll do the same for you. If Colin Granger or local cop Will Minor are involved, Doug will track them down and make them pay.”

“Maybe.” He wasn’t convinced Doug would even believe him. Granted, her brother had been smart enough to figure out one of the local Cody police officers was involved. Seeing Doug in action last January had convinced Owen the guy would do whatever was necessary to see that justice was served.

Including arresting Owen for the crimes he’d committed. No matter what Emily said, there was no mistaking the anger simmering in Doug’s eyes over the way Emily had taken care of him. His brief interaction with Doug back in January had not been the least bit friendly.

Her brother would always hold him responsible for what she’d gone through. And Owen couldn’t blame the guy. Sure, he had done everything possible to make sure Emily hadn’t been physically hurt, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been scared out of her mind. The fact that she’d treated him with kindness and respect had been humbling.

And how had he repaid her? By making her a target too. She’d been attacked in her own home and nearly killed.

“Owen, please?—”

“No, Emily. I can’t risk running into another dirty cop.” He grimaced. “Realizing one of the Cody cops was involved was bad enough.”

“Yeah, I remember.” She stroked Bear’s fur as the little guy snuggled against her. “Still, the fact that you went to the DEA in the first place is important information that changes everything.”

He swallowed a sigh. Her loyalty to her brother Doug was admirable. But the guy was not going to believe Owen’s version of events over a fellow DEA agent. Especially since Owen had participated in transporting illegal drugs. “No, it doesn’t.”

“Yes, it does,” she insisted. “Let’s pull over in Ranchester. I’ll find a phone to call Doug. He’ll work with you on this.”

He was tired, crabby, and not in the mood for her Pollyanna attitude toward life. He hadn’t slept in what felt like forever and didn’t want to keep rehashing the same thing over and over. He wasn’t turning himself in, and that was the end of it!

He was about to shut down the conversation once and for all when he caught a glimpse of a dark SUV behind him. The vehicle appeared on a straighter than usual stretch of highway, but then quickly disappeared as he took the next curve.

The image of Angela and Emily speaking together flashed in his mind. On the heels of that came a surge of anger. “You already called your brother, didn’t you?”

Emily bit her lip and reluctantly nodded. “Yes. Don’t be upset. I know Doug will help you.”

He wasn’t upset; he was deeply wounded. He’d trusted her.

But she’d betrayed him.

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