Recruitment: Regulators Book 1 (a Cowboy Gangster novella) Read online

  “It should be you and Clint,” Cochise suggested. “Most of the men are yours. You’re their boss.”

  “You don’t think they’ll listen to you?” He chuffed. “My men respect the fuck out of you and Clint. They’ll do whatever the fuck you tell them to.”

  “Amen.” Sanchez smiled.

  Clint rubbed his mouth; obedience wasn’t the issue—of course, Cruz’s men would take orders from the Egyptian. With a job this big—and this dangerous—Cochise had intended to stay close to Clint. He wasn’t comfortable leading a separate team on a separate route—too far away to help if the cowboy got into trouble.

  But Clint agreed with Cruz—the Egyptian was the best choice to lead the other team.

  • • •

  While Clint spoke with Cruz and the other men, Cochise discreetly extracted himself from the group—then startled Axel by grabbing his arm.

  “Come with me.” He spoke low so as not to draw attention.

  With the large Egyptian latched on, Axel had no choice but to comply. Cochise led him through the spacious dwelling and out the back door to the rear porch where he released him.

  “Is… something wrong?” Axel typically felt at ease with the Egyptian. Right now—not so much.

  “Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

  “Regarding…”

  “This job.” Cochise walked to the edge of the porch, his breath tense as it puffed out in steamy bursts on the chilled air. “It isn’t some joy-ride, road-trip bullshit.” He turned around, a tightness in his face that unsettled the younger man. “Our jobs get messy. People die. If there’s even a one percent chance you can’t pull that trigger and snuff out a life—you need to stay home. Out there—having someone’s back means their life is literally in your hands. Clint’s life will be in your hands.” Cochise came closer, looming over Axel. “Don’t you dare take on that responsibility unless you know one hundred percent you can follow through.”

  Axel caught a flicker of something in the Egyptian’s gray eyes he hadn’t seen in a long time—fear. For his brother. Axel held his stare, unwavering; this was not the time to flinch.

  “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect Clint.” Though he was shaking inside, Axel maintained an even keel to his voice. “His life means more to me than my own—I would die for him.”

  Cochise stared at him for a long, somewhat frightening moment. He took a deep breath and released it hard. “I believe you.” A fresh look came into his eye that Axel wasn’t familiar with. “But don’t you fucking die, either. You almost dying before nearly killed him. He can’t take another loss—not one like that.”

  Axel nodded. “Then I won’t die.”

  “See that you don’t.” The Egyptian’s words bore an uncharacteristically affectionate tone as he stepped around him, running his hand over Axel’s head as he went—tousling his hair and leaving Axel stunned.

  CHAPTER 7

  Cruz and Sanchez headed home to gather their men.

  “I’ll see if I can find Cory,” Axel told Clint.

  “He isn’t here,” Adrian said. “Cal drove him home.”

  Clint sighed. “I’ll go by and talk to him tomorrow. Give him a chance to sleep it off and calm down.”

  “I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” Anthony said. “I don’t think he’s going to let this go.”

  Axel rubbed his eyes. “Maybe… maybe I should just… stay home. If it’s bothering him this bad…” He shook his head. “If I go, he’ll insist on coming with us.”

  “No,” Anthony barked abruptly. “No way. Whether you go or not, he isn’t. We had an agreement and I expect him to stick to it. I insist.”

  “Me, too,” Clint said, and Cochise nodded his agreement with the other two men.

  Upon leaving the mansion, Clint, Axel, and Cochise drove home in relative silence. Cochise parked at the curb in front of his house and the three of them exited the car.

  “Talk to your family,” Clint told him. “Get things squared away with them, then we’ll talk about the job.”

  “You can send Hope home with Luke,” Axel added.

  Cochise nodded silently and walked up to his house.

  “Is he all right?” Axel asked as he and Clint turned toward their home.

  “He doesn’t want to leave again after just getting home.” Clint slid his arm across Axel’s shoulders and kissed his head. “I don’t either.”

  “At least, I’m going with you this time. Kane isn’t going with him.”

  Clint chuffed. “He’d tie Kane to the bed before he let him go on a job with us.”

  “But you wanted me to go.”

  “You and Kane are different people. He doesn’t belong out there. And it’s probably best; Cochise doesn’t need another person to worry about while on the job.”

  Axel thought about his brief “conversation” with Cochise earlier and knew Clint was right. He couldn’t imagine the Egyptian’s state of mind if Kane, or one of his kids, were out there with him.

  They entered the house and Axel turned up the thermostat. Clint made a fresh pot of coffee, then leaned against the counter, waiting for it to brew. His eyes never left Axel.

  “Something on your mind?”

  “Where did you and Cochise disappear to?”

  Axel cleared his throat and shrugged. “He just wanted to make sure I understood what I was getting into with this job, and that I was prepared.” He sighed, moving up to Clint. “He’s going to be leading the other team. I think he just wants to know that I have your back.” Axel kissed him. “You’re his brother, he loves you.”

  Clint nodded. “I know.”

  The back door opened and Luke came through with his bundled-up baby sister. Axel took Hope and unwrapped her, kissing her soft cheeks. “Hey, beautiful, did you have a good time with Zoe and the boys?”

  The infant cooed and wriggled.

  Clint took her and cradled her in the crook of his arm.

  “Did she behave herself?” Axel asked Luke as the boy removed his jacket.

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you?”

  Luke laughed. “Yeah.” His humor quickly faded as he took a seat at the kitchen table. “What did the agent guy say? Do you know how long you’ll be gone?”

  “That’s hard to say.” Axel glanced at Clint, then sat across from Luke. “It’s going to be a long trip, and the weather will probably slow us down. But we should be able to stay in touch, so we can send you regular updates. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it won’t take us as long as we think.”

  Clint returned the baby to Axel when the coffee was ready and fixed two cups. He joined them at the table, placing one cup before Axel. “I don’t want you to worry about us, all right?” Clint told Luke. “We’re going to see if you can stay with Abel and Devlin while we’re gone. So, have fun with the twins and don’t stress about us. We’ll be home before you know it.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “A couple of days, probably.”

  “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

  Clint thought about it as he sipped his coffee. “I’d plan on a couple of weeks, at least. Like Axel said, it’s going to be a long trip with large, heavy vehicles. That alone will be time-consuming. And the weather. I don’t see us making good time.”

  Luke shifted in his chair, eyes lowering to the table. “Is the weather the only danger?”

  How much should they tell him? He was only thirteen—but he’d already lived through hell. He understood the dark side of the world. But too much information might cause him to worry himself sick the entire time they were gone.

  “Whatever comes our way,” Clint said, “we’ll handle it. There will be a lot of us out there. We’ll be all right.”

  Luke hung his head. “But if you keep having to leave… Hope will grow up without you. How will she know you’re her dad?”

  Ouch. The boy didn’t mean to hit Clint where it hurt, but Axel saw the cowboy flinch as if he’d been gut-
punched.

  “It’s only a couple of weeks,” Axel said. “We’re going to have plenty of time together as a family. All of us. Trust me—Hope won’t have any doubt in her mind about who her fathers are.” That last bit was as much for Clint as it was for Luke.

  Even so… the cowboy remained wounded.

  • • •

  “How dangerous will it be?” Zoe asked.

  “Don’t know yet. Everything we do is dangerous. We can handle it.”

  “I admire the things you do for these kids,” Zoe told him. “But I hate that you’re constantly putting yourselves in danger. I don’t like that at all.”

  Kane agreed with his niece. “Neither do I.” Right from the start, he’d known they would never have a “normal” relationship or family life. Cochise would never be that nine-to-five working man that he’d mentioned before. Their lives would be easier if he were. But easy wasn’t always better. Cochise would wither and die in that life atmosphere. The man was a warrior, and he lived to fight battles. These days, he was fighting for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. Kane worried about him every second he wasn’t home, but he wouldn’t be the one to ask him to lay down his weapon and give up the fight.

  “I’ve spent my entire life facing danger,” Cochise said. “Even as a kid. I’ll be fine.”

  “If you need help,” Donald said, “you can recruit me. I’ll go with you.”

  “What?” John looked at him sharply. “No.”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Zoe stated.

  Tae stared at his older brother, fear on his face.

  “I’m with them,” Kane said. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Cochise looked at the young man. “No. Absolutely not. You will never go on a job with me.”

  “I helped you before.”

  “You did. And thank you very much. But I’ll be damned if I put you in that kind of danger again. That’s the end of it. Capisce?”

  Donald nodded. “Yeah. Got it.”

  “Good.”

  Relief poured through the faces of his family and John smacked his arm. “Don’t do that again.”

  Donald smiled at him. “I was just trying to be helpful.”

  “Well… be helpful by staying safe at home—with me.”

  “Amen, son.” Kane nodded at the boy.

  Cochise gave John an approving look.

  • • •

  “Get the men assembled,” Cruz instructed Sanchez. “While I talk to…”

  Sanchez nodded. “He won’t like this.”

  “I’ll make him understand.” Cruz entered the house and passed through a few of the rooms—all empty—and found Benny in the kitchen with Carmen and Roberto, the three of them making cookies. “Hey.”

  “Where have you been?” Benny asked.

  “Over at the Santini mansion. Have you seen Matteo?”

  Carmen perked up a little at the mention of his name, casting Cruz a shy glance.

  “He was here a couple minutes ago.” Benny glanced sideways at Carmen and pursed his lips. The girl didn’t notice and continued instructing her little brother which ingredient to add next. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

  Cruz chuckled. “I’ll see if I can find him.” He left through the rear patio and encountered Matteo returning to the house. “We need to talk.”

  “Is everything all right? You went over to the Sanitini mansion today, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is there some kind of trouble?”

  “No. But we are going on a job with them.”

  Matteo frowned. “A job?”

  Cruz gave him a quick briefing. “They need all hands on deck.”

  “When do we leave?”

  Motioning the man to take a seat at the patio table, Cruz joined him. “By all hands, I mean most of them.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “I think you should stay here.”

  “Why?”

  “First of all, because you’re one of my top trusted men and I’m not going anywhere unless I know my family is protected. You won’t be alone. I’ll choose four or five others to remain here on the property as well. But you’ll be in charge.”

  Matteo stared at him uncertainly. “You said first of all… what’s the second reason?”

  Clearing his throat, Cruz adjusted in the chair. “Carmen.”

  He frowned. “What about her?”

  “You make her feel safe. She needs that right now. She’s been through hell and she’s still settling in, getting to know everyone. But you’re the one she feels safest with. And say what you want, I know you don’t want to leave her.”

  A wavering smile touched his face. “I… I like her, a lot. But I have responsibilities to you, to this family. I won’t cast them aside so I can hang out with a girl.”

  “I know,” Cruz said. “I’m fully aware of your loyalty. Which is why you’re going to stay here and look after my family. And be here for Carmen as well.”

  Matteo sighed. “She isn’t my girlfriend. We haven’t even spoken that much. Why do you think I make her feel safe? Did she tell you that?”

  The hopeful tone in his voice was rather adorable. Cruz smiled. “No, but she doesn’t have to. I see the way she looks at you, the way she is around you. Because of all she’s gone through, I think she’s a little wary of men, but she isn’t afraid of you. She trusts you… even if she doesn’t fully realize it yet. I don’t think it would be good for her if you went away right now. And since she’ll probably become my sister—because Papá has already fallen in love with the lot of them and will never send them away—that makes you my potential future brother-in-law.”

  Matteo smiled. “I like the sound of that, but don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself? You don’t know that she’ll ever fall for me.”

  Cruz rose from the chair and winked at him. “I think she already has, brother.”

  • • •

  “I talked to Abel.” Axel entered the bedroom, phone in hand. “Of course, he said it was okay for Luke to stay with them.”

  Clint stood over the crib, watching his baby daughter. She had fallen asleep in his arms just a short while ago. He nodded. “Good.”

  Axel tossed the cell onto the bed and walked up behind Clint, sliding his arms around him. “About what Luke said earlier…”

  “It’s fine.” Clint exhaled. “I was thinking the same thing the whole time I was gone on this last job.”

  “And it bothers you.” Axel pressed his lips to the nape of his neck. “But that will not happen. She’s already bonded with you. When you were gone, just the smell of your jacket would calm her fussing.” He smiled. “My smell doesn’t do that.”

  Clint pulled his arms tighter around him. “It does for me.”

  “What?”

  Twisting around, Clint hugged him and buried his face in his hair. “Your smell,” he groaned. “The smell of your hair, your body, your clothes, your pillow—if I could bottle it up, I’d wear it as cologne, take your scent with me everywhere.”

  Axel shivered as Clint ran his hands slowly up his back. “Your scent is my favorite fragrance, too.” He hugged Clint harder. “When you were gone, I would hold your pillow and breathe you in. I never took off your jacket.” He swallowed. “If I wasn’t going with you this time… I don’t think I could let you go. I don’t know how Kane does it… or Cochise. Maybe they’re just stronger than me.”

  Clint pulled back and cupped his face, gazed into his eyes for a moment, then kissed him soft and deep. “I really want to take you to bed right now,” he admitted with a rasp, “but I need to talk to Cochise.”

  Axel sighed, resting his head on Clint’s chest. “Tonight,” he whispered. “After we spend some time with the kids, and they go to bed…” He raised his head. “… then we’ll go to bed and not sleep.”

  “I can work with that plan.” Clint kissed him a little harder and groaned into his mouth.

  “What’re we going to do about C
ory?” Axel asked with a note of distress. “Do you think I should stay home?”

  “No. I said I’ll talk to Cory tomorrow. He needs to understand that we’re partners. I may not always take you with me on a job, but sometimes I will. He has to deal with that.”

  “Okay.” Axel kissed him, stroking his stubbled jaw, loving the coarse texture beneath his fingertips—and aching to feel it against his naked body. He shuddered. “Don’t be gone too long.”

  “I won’t.” Clint crushed him in a searing kiss then stepped back, exhaled, and walked out of the bedroom at a quick stride before he said “fuck it” and fucked his fiancé then and there.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Cory… babe, calm down. Let me get you some coffee.”

  “I don’t want any fucking coffee.” Cory paced back and forth between the living room and kitchen, fists clenched.

  “Maybe not,” Colton replied calmly, “but you need it.”

  Cory didn’t argue and strode into the living room. “That fucking agent stood right there and told them the dangers—told them the traffickers would be fucking hunting them the whole way—and Clint is still taking Axel.”

  Colton brought the coffee and gave it to Cory. “I would think you trusted Clint enough to make this call. He wouldn’t take Axel with him if he had even the slightest doubt that Axel could hold his own.”

  Turning abruptly, Cory snapped, “Shay could hold his own with the best of us—it didn’t fucking save his life. Or mine. The only reason I survived is because that fucker let me live.”

  The guilt of his involvement in those past events poured into Colton’s eyes—and stabbed Cory with guilt of his own. Though Colton had no part in Shay’s death, he had been in league with the young man’s executioner and helped orchestrate the situation that nearly took Axel’s life as well as Clint and Cory’s life. After the fact, everyone understood that Colton hadn’t supported Vincent’s psychotic agenda—he’d only been there for Clint. Colton was part of the family now. In the end, he had become the hero—disabling Vincent before he could beat Axel to death.