CHAPTER 11

Oakley sat down in the tiny office and let out a sigh. "Our driver on the boat was Gomez Lucas, aka el Tigre and the passenger was Bahadur Javed."

"So we have no idea what his plan was." Houston sat with his feet propped up on the desk in the small office at the Border Patrol, a bag of ice on his neck.

"Nope - we didn't find anything in the boat or in his possession that would point us to a reason for him coming over. There's been some chatter about his death but that's about it." Susannah Temple was sitting on the window ledge after once again refusing the offer of a seat. "I'm just relieved that it was wrapped up this soon."

"You think you are." Matt grimaced. "I've still gotta explain this hickey on my neck to my wife." He grinned as the other two began laughing.

"Oh, I do have some good news – good for the team anyway. McManus is being transferred to New York." Temple smiled.

"So who is in charge now?" Chris Oakley sipped on his coffee.

"Yours truly, thank you very much!"

"Congratulations!" Matt rolled the chair over and shook her hand. "So Hitler will be terrorizing the Big Apple now." He looked at his watch and stood up and stretched before putting the laptop in its case.

Popping his head inside the door Jared Taylor gave the group a big smile. "Did Susannah tell you the news?"

"Yep, congrats to both of you…make that all of you." Oakley laughed as the rest of the group crammed into the tiny room.

"I believe we're due for a celebration folks. My treat – think you can handle a nice juicy steak and a beer or two?" A whoop went up from the group and they piled out of the office and headed to the Tack Room at La Posada.

The next afternoon Catey squealed when she saw her dad pull to a stop and shut off the engine in the driveway of the Houston home. "Daddy!" CJ had her by the hand as Matt pulled his bag out of the back of the truck and walked up to them.

"Hey there, Lady Bug. Have you been good?" Reaching down he took both of his ladies in his arms and gave them a hug, receiving a kiss on the cheek from his daughter as he and CJ exchanged a kiss. "And has Mama been good?"

"Of course – I'm always good. Here's your new phone by the way." She gave him a grin as he put it in his shirt pocket.

"It was kind of nice just driving along out there without one." Sheila and Madre Rosa walked out onto the back porch and he gave each one a hug and the housekeeper a kiss.

"So where is this hickey I heard about?" Sheila grinned at her boss but sobered up when he pulled the collar of his denim shirt aside to reveal an angry-looking bruise about the size of a quarter on the left side of his neck as the three women inspected it.

Later on that night after taking Catey for a ride on one of the horses, giving her a bath and putting her to bed, Matt and CJ were snuggled up in the recliner in the den together watching TV with Rosa and Sheila. A few minutes later the housekeeper spoke quietly. "Well that didn't take long." She picked up an afghan that was on the back of the couch as CJ extricated herself from the recliner.

"He's had a hard few days." Sheila watched as CJ carefully removed his boots and helped Rosa to cover him up before leaning over and kissing his forehead.

"I really worry about him. He's always wanted to help people and that's good, but…" The older lady shook her head. "He gets in the middle of such dangerous situations."

"I'm just glad he had the new vest on." CJ sat down on the couch, tucking her feet up underneath her. "The old one didn't have the collar on it."

"What made him decide to get the new one?" Rosa watched as CJ started smiling and Sheila giggled.

"His other one was getting too tight - he's put on a few pounds in the last year or so." The lawyer looked over at her husband. "I think he looks better but he keeps complaining. What he's not stopping to consider is that it isn't fat – most of it is muscle from where he's been working out." They got quiet for a minute. "But then he and Michael do share a lot of breakfasts at the Waffle Hut and there are almost always doughnuts around the station." The three giggled then began quietly laughing as Matt snorted and then began snoring.