Page 68 of Jacqueline's Quest

Chapter 10

Jaqueline stood in front of the burned-out carcass of her home. In the distance, firefighters worked to contain the pastureland fire as well. She couldn't be sure, but she'd suspected all of her head of cattle had been killed as well or stolen. This... This had been one the thing she feared the most going against the powerful. Retaliation. Disbelief filled her. How had this happened? How had she not been alerted? Sure, they were in the middle of an operation, but her fail-safes had fail safes. Tears fell freely as she stared at what remained of her home. Thirty-plus years she spent there. Her parents had made an old adobe house a home and she'd turned it into a fortress for her and her brother. Then, in a blink of an eye, it was gone. She couldn't even find Bebito.

The swirl of red lights bounced off the charred remnants of the house as firefighters continued to spray down hotspots. The scent of burnt wood permeated the air along with the metallic hint of copper. She still needed a shower. Already her skin had become sticky from the blood coating her dress and arms. She’d been so close to jumping in the shower with Murray and celebrating their victory when her world came crashing down once more.

She stared out over the expanse of her land and shook her head. The urge to fall to the ground and allow the sadness to swamp her overwhelmed her. It would be so easy to give up. What did it say about her if she did? Did the Nieto Cartel win if she walked away? With as many dead bodies she'd seen inside the club, she might not have to worry about the cartel anymore. Yet, for all the dead people, she hadn't seen Raul among them or handcuffed outside with Duncan or the other Federales. She hadn't seen much of anything because figuring out which was friend or foe had become downright impossible. And, if Raul wasn't with them, who knew the kind of hell they were all in for, especially his daughter. In her estimation, the truth was out, Bex would be the next likely target.

They had to warn Asher.

“I’d say, looks like a total loss, but...” Murray shrugged. “The arson team is going in, in a second. They should be able to tell where the fire started and with what, if we’re lucky.”

Jaqueline glanced up at him. The glint in his blue eyes said he wasn’t convinced they’d figure it out. “Well, we know who we think it is.”

He nodded. “We do, though we can’t be sure.”

True. It was paranoid of her to believe Raul or his men had anything to do with her house burning down, however it wasn't a coincidence either. If she followed her line of thinking, it would mean some of the Federales were beholden to Raul. It would mean they knew what was coming and ambushed them. Which would also mean, Raul had been in the loop about their plan to attend the auction. They would have had to have set the fire to her home believing she'd be killed in the raid as well, destroying any evidence she might have left behind for her investigation of the cartel.

“We have a rat,” she said. “I don’t know who though.”

“We’re of the same mindset,” Murray agreed. “No way your house would randomly catch fire the same night we’re taking down the cartel. There are no coincidences here.”

“Who though?”

“Guess it depends on how much we trust our contacts,” Murray muttered.

“Santiago and Miguel,” she said. “They’re the only two embedded within the club.”

"One is a Federales and the other is FBI. I don't think Tex would place someone inside an organization like the Nieto Cartel without first being sure the person wouldn't be on the take." Murray scrubbed his chin. "Then, of course, Santiago has been deep undercover for over a year. Anything is possible."

It didn't sit well with Jaqueline. She'd seen Santiago with Hannah and saw the fiercely protective demeanor he gave off while around Murray's sister. It would be so easy though to believe he was the culprit in all this. No. She mentally shook her head. It wasn't him. Which left Miguel.

They didn’t know much about the man other than he’d been the bartender at the club. He hadn’t given off any bad vibes, but if he was doing Raul’s dirty work, would he? Not like he could broadcast his intentions. However, she’d watched him while he’d been at Luca’s house. Seen how twitchy nervous he’d been. How he couldn’t leave fast enough. The possibility was there, but then again, weren’t they all by that point a little on edge? She scrubbed her face then grimaced as the scent of blood assailed her again.

“There’s no reason to continue to stand here,” Murray said. “We can go back to the hotel, grab a shower then head to the hospital.”

She’d received a text from AJ after retrieving her phone from her belongings. Hannah and Christian were being kept overnight at the hospital for observation. Scotty, unfortunately, had to be rushed to surgery. No one, for the moment, was being allowed to have visitors. A pang of worry filled her. Christian never did well on his own. She’d been surprised by how well he’d held up during the raid, but at some point, he’d break down. Her brother needed her and after three long years, being so close, yet so far away, didn’t sit well with her, she needed him as well.

“Bebito,” she whispered. “He’s out there still.”

“I’m sure he did the right thing and ran away. He’ll come back when he thinks it is safe,” Murray said, trying to reassure her.

“You’re right.” She glanced back at her home now burned to the ground. “He would have stayed safe for me.”

A yip drew her attention away from Murray. Jaqueline narrowed her eyes as it came again. Bebito. When the yip came a third time, she raced to where her truck had been left since they'd taken Murray's Jeep to Luca's place. The front of the truck had seared marks all across the hood and driver side door. The windshield was blackened with bubbles along with the seal and below the windshield wipers.

“Bebito?” The dog popped up. His beautiful fur had been singed but, he didn’t appear seriously injured. Jaqueline wrapped her arms around him and hauled him out of the bed of the vehicle. “You’re safe.”

“Looks like he’s a lot stronger and more cunning than we thought.” Murray scrubbed the pup’s head.

“Excuse me,” a man wearing a white uniform said, joining them. “Are you Jaqueline Herrera?”

Jaqueline nodded. “Yes.”

"I'm Investigador Sisneros," the man said. "I believe we found the origin of the fire if you'd like to follow me."

She placed Bebito back in the truck then pointed at him. “Quedar.”

Bebito whine then laid down.

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