Page 40 of Rescuing Baylee
“So, does that mean all this is over?” she waved a hand at the house.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Let’s see what Morgan figures out.”
Baylee turned back to the stove and finished the eggs, setting two plates at the table. She’d cut up her strawberries from the farmer’s market as well, and they ate in silence. Landon didn’t know how to feel about the information that Hector was dead. He hadn’t even seen the man or spoken to him. Luis was even more of a ghost to him. He’d seen mug shots, of course, but that was it.
He ate his eggs and berries, stealing glances at Baylee. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, frowning. “It just seems abrupt.”
“Yes. Well, we’re not out of the woods, yet.”
They finished breakfast, and Landon washed up the plates, setting them in the dish drainer. Then he paced. Baylee sat on the uncomfortable couch and stroked the cat. “What did they mean, I did them a favor?”
Landon sighed. “Well, Chino Vega may have aspired to be bigger than he was. Tango Blast has a lot of members in Austin, but there are other gangs trying to take over. Maybe they planned to take him out, and you helped them. Gangs and gang members sometimes have a weird value system.”
“And maybe they didn’t want Hector in there at all.”
“Well,” he said, leaning back against the chair, “the Vega family was making a lot of noise and drawing a lot of attention to them. They don’t want that. They prefer their operations to fly under the radar. Shooting up a hospital and chasing cops around the city isn’t doing that.”
Baylee frowned, and he could understand why she was at a loss. This operation had taken on a life of its own, and now, suddenly, it seemed like it was going to be tied up in a neat little bloody bow.
It was too easy. Even when the information rolled in, he was going to look at it with an extra-critical eye.
Baylee pushed her plate aside. “So, if they did put a stop to the hit they had on me, what do we do?”
Sighing, he shrugged. “I have as many questions as you do right now, but I think we go home.”
“Can we take their word that they’re done with me?”
He huffed out a breath. “I wish I could answer you. I don’t know, honestly. What we would probably do is keep a few people posted on you for a while, just to make sure there are no more incidents. We listen to the chatter on the street. And we go back to real life.”
Baylee frowned. “It seems too easy.”
He winced. “I know. We just need more information.”
They got that information an hour later when Cass knocked on the front door. Landon gave her a shoulder hug as she came in, Gunnar at her side.
Siggy hissed at the dog, but the dog didn’t even seem to notice the cat. Cass let him go and he immediately went to Baylee for scratches. Landon chuckled as the cat streaked up the stairs.
Cass looked tired. Knowing her, she’d been up for days tracking down leads and talking to her informants. The womanhad been the best partner he’d ever had, and he appreciated the extra work she’d put in on this case.
“Have a seat,” he said, waving her to the couch.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Baylee said. “We have water or water.”
Cass laughed, her voice raspy. “I’ll take a bottle of water. Thank you.”
Baylee retrieved the bottle, handing it off before sitting on the opposite end of the couch. “So, is it real?”
“The murder? Yes. The note? Yes. The message? Yes. It all seems legit.”
Landon eased out a breath. His former partner was one of the few people he’d trust the word of. “So, you think we could go home?”
She held up a cautioning hand. “Give it a few hours and let them finish the murder investigation. I think we’ll know more later today.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It seemed very weird walking into her silent apartment later that day.