Borderline (21 page)

“Pablo?” Mac couldn’t help but ask.

“Tanner’s real name. Or maybe I should say his original name. When our mother brought him here, she changed their names. She wanted nothing to tie them to our father.”

This time Delarosa’s smile was sad.

“She sounds like a strong woman,” Mac muttered, not sure what he was supposed to say.

“Mama was. After she had Pablo, she began to wish for a different life. The mansions and clothes were all well and good, but they were bought with blood money. She hated the bodyguards and not being able to trust anyone.”

Mac imagined it might have been trying at times.

“She didn’t know what my father did until after they were married. She loved him very much, yet she couldn’t accept how he made his money. When Pablo turned three, a rival cartel tried to kidnap him. That is when she said no more. She couldn’t justify risking her sons’ lives for the money the drugs brought in.”

Mac shifted slightly in his chair. “I’m surprised your father let her go. From what I’ve heard, he didn’t take kindly to people leaving.”

Delarosa chuckled coldly. “My father was psychotic and quite happy to kill whenever the mood struck him. Yet as odd as it might seem, he loved my mother. Seeing her unhappy broke his heart. He let her go with Pablo, with the only stipulation being I had to stay with him.”

“I imagine it hurt your mother terribly to leave you behind.”

Delarosa didn’t speak for a moment. Eventually he nodded. “You’re right. Pablo told me she was never the same after they left Mexico.”

“Why tell me this?” Mac gestured vaguely between them. “What does that have to do with us?”

“Everything, Detective Guzman. I came to tell you Pablo is loyal and steadfast. He’s always known when I’m in Houston. He’s never told his fellow agents. Yet I’m sure there have been times when he’s come across information that would help me. He’s never called or done anything to give me a heads-up.” Delarosa paused. “He has called after the fact to make sure I’m okay.”

Unable to sit any longer, Mac stood and paced in front of Delarosa, who watched him with understanding eyes. That was something Mac never thought he’d say about Victor Delarosa, that he had kind eyes. Perez stayed silent, a quiet observer.

“I keep an eye on Pablo, merely to make sure he’s okay. I don’t interfere usually. I thought this time it might be necessary.”

“Why would it be necessary?”

Mac stopped and glanced at Delarosa, who snorted.

“I told you I keep an eye on my brother. He cares about you very much. So much in fact, that he came to me for help with Juan. If he hadn’t been worried about you, he would’ve never risked everything to see me.”

“My foster sister was one of Mencia’s victims,” Mac confessed.

“I know. Because Pablo has never asked me for anything, I chose to help him.”

“By throwing Mencia to the wolves.”

It was Perez’s turn to snort. Mac met the man’s gaze. He was surprised to see the humor shining in them.

“Juan was a problem I no longer felt like dealing with. Admittedly I would have gotten more mileage out of him if I had him killed, but sometimes what’s good for business might not be good for other people.” Delarosa picked a piece of lint off his slacks.

“Who?”

Delarosa shrugged.

“For the victims’ families. Closure is good in cases such as these.” Perez spoke up for the first time since arriving at Mac’s apartment.

“None of my reasons matter. What’s important is you judge my brother by his own actions, not by who his family is, because he would never betray either of us.” Delarosa stood and held out his hand. “This will be the only time we talk, Mac Guzman. I’m entrusting you with something far more precious to me than my empire. Treat Pablo well, and I’ll have no problems with you.”

“Thank you, sir, and I will.” Mac shook Victor Delarosa’s hand before escorting them to the door. “I have one question, though, and I’m surprised Tanner never asked you about it.”

Delarosa nodded. “Go ahead and ask.”

“How did Tanner get into the bureau? They would have done a background check, and just changing his name wouldn’t have been enough to wipe out his connection to you.”

“True. My father blackmailed some very powerful people to destroy all links to him. When Tanner and my mother changed their names, they were given entirely new histories and family connections. No matter how deeply they dug, they would find nothing but the normal family. A young man and his mother abandoned by their deadbeat father.” Delarosa shrugged. “I told you, my father might have been a monster, but he loved my mother and would do anything, even blackmail high-level government officials on both sides of the border, to keep them safe.”

“Thank you for telling me, sir.”

Delarosa smiled. “Just don’t tell Pablo unless he asks you about it. He doesn’t need to know the truth.”

“Okay.” Mac could agree to that since he doubted Tanner would ever ask him why the bureau had ended up hiring him.

After shutting and locking the door behind Delarosa and Perez, Mac leaned back against it. That had to be one of the strangest encounters he’d ever had. Yet in a way, it made him glad to know Delarosa had Tanner’s back, no matter what.

He checked the clock and decided it was too late to call Tanner. He’d call him in the morning, and they’d begin the rest of their lives together.

* * * *

Mac stared at his phone for a second before returning it to his ear. “Agent Wallace resigned?”

MacLaughlin exhaled loudly. “Yes. My best profiler up and quit. His resignation was on my desk yesterday before we knew the outcome of the trial. I guessed Tanner hadn’t been happy for a while, but I never thought he’d quit without coming to see me first.”

“That’s surprising, sir. I’ll try his cell phone. Thank you.”

Hanging up, Mac struggled to make sense of Tanner’s resignation. Why would he do it when it seemed like being an agent had been all Tanner lived for?

“Cap, I’m heading out for lunch,” he informed Billingsley as he walked by the man’s office.

“Come in here for a moment.” Cap waved him into the room. “I wanted to let you know Detective Sorensterm has been transferred to a different company. He’ll be working out of the Austin office.”

“I’m glad, sir. I didn’t like him, and he’s a bigoted asshole, but he’s a good cop.” Mac grimaced.

“Yes, he is, and his record is the only thing keeping him with the rangers.” Billingsley smiled. “I told Sorensterm if he said anything about your personal life, I would make sure he was fired. As for the other issue, I’m glad I know, but I’ll keep it between you and me. If you choose to say anything to the other detectives, it’s your decision.”

Mac exhaled and relaxed a little. He wasn’t worried anymore about anyone finding out. He wouldn’t march in parades or anything like that, but he wouldn’t lie either.

“Take off for lunch. I’ll see you when you get back.” Billingsley dismissed him.

“Thank you, sir.”

He waited until he was in his car before he called Tanner’s cell. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he listened to it ring.

“Hello.”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me you quit the bureau?”

Okay. He might have approached the topic a little more diplomatically.

“I meant to, but it slipped my mind while I was explaining about Victor.”

“Why did you quit, Tanner? I thought you liked working for the bureau.”

He started his car and pulled into traffic, knowing where he was headed without making a conscious decision.

“I’ve been a profiler for ten years, Mac. You’ve done homicides. You know how all those bodies can wear on you. I’m tired of the nightmares. I want to do something different.”

“What? Have you given it any thought?”

“Yes. I’ve applied for a position at a center for teens. It specializes in helping gay teenagers who find themselves abandoned by their families.” Tanner sounded excited.

Mac turned on Tanner’s street. “You’re having company for lunch.”

“I am? Who?”

“Me.”

He hung up and parked the car before climbing out. Tanner stood in the doorway as he approached. They looked at each other until Tanner finally nodded and turned to go inside.

“I was going to grill a steak. Since you’ll be eating the one I planned to have for dinner, you’ll have to bring something home with you tonight.”

“Okay.”

Mac didn’t broach the subject again until lunch was ready and they sat to eat.

“Why did you become an agent? I thought you said you always wanted to be in law enforcement.”

Tanner shoved his steak around his plate. “The more I think about it, the more I believe I was trying to balance out the bad stuff my father and brother have done.”

“But none of it had anything to do with you. You shouldn’t be atoning for your brother’s sins,” Mac protested.

“I know that now. It took me a while to figure it out. There are a lot of kids living on the streets because their parents throw them out, and a lot of those kids are hooked on drugs. I want to balance out the bad with something that won’t drive me to a nervous breakdown.”

When Tanner met Mac’s gaze, his eyes were bleak and full of pain.

“I don’t want to deal with dead people anymore. I want to believe I can help someone before it’s too late.”

Mac thought about it. Being a cop could be hard sometimes. It was too easy to become cynical and distrusting of everyone, even your friends. There was a softness in Tanner Mac never wanted his love to lose. If he continued working for the bureau, Tanner would become hard and cold or he’d break. Mac didn’t want either of those happening.

“You’re right,” he agreed aloud. “You need to bring hope to the living. I’ll support you in whatever way you need me.”

“As a friend or a lover?” Tanner didn’t seem certain he wanted to know the answer to his question.

“As a partner, Pablo.”

Tanner’s dark eyes widened at Mac’s use of his real name.

“You talked to Victor,” Tanner said softly.

“Your older brother paid me a visit last night and did his best to convince me you were an honest man.”

Ducking his head, Tanner refused to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Delarosa obviously cares a great deal about you, and he wants to see you happy. Lucky for me, I feel the same way.”

Mac stood, walked around the table, and knelt next to Tanner. He took the man’s hands in his and smiled.

“I love you, Tanner Wallace. It doesn’t matter who your family is or what they do. I see only you.”

Tears welled in Tanner’s eyes, and he fell into Mac’s arms. Mac kissed his lover, turning it into a pledge. Tanner tugged at Mac’s tie, and he let Tanner start stripping him. It didn’t matter if he was late getting back from lunch. All that did matter was Mac proving to Tanner with every touch, word, and deed how much he loved him. Mac figured it would take a lifetime to do so.

Epilogue

“Your sister is buried close to my mother.”

Tanner glanced over at Mac. It was the first time his lover had visited the cemetery since they’d buried her a year earlier. Mac had been busy getting a confession from Juan and hadn’t been able to attend Marissa’s funeral.

Mac’s face was pale, and his hands shook slightly. Tanner didn’t comment on that. Mac was still coming to terms with Marissa’s violent death. Even though her killer had been caught, it would take years for Mac to fully integrate her loss into his life.

A frown creased Mac’s forehead as they approached Marissa’s headstone. “Who put flowers on her grave?”

Tanner noticed the bouquet, and he stumbled to a halt. A dozen white roses glowed in the early morning sun. If he were to visit his mother’s grave, he’d find another dozen.

“Victor’s telling us you’re part of our family now; plus he’s giving our relationship his approval.”

Tanner silently thanked his brother before putting Victor out of his mind. It was time to embrace the man he loved and offer a shoulder to cry on, if that was what Mac needed, because Tanner always understood love meant standing by the person you loved no matter what.

Loose Id Titles by T. A. Chase

Borderline

Ghost of a Chance

* * * *

The DRAGONS Series

Here Be Dragons

Dreaming of Dragons

Fighting Dragons

T. A. Chase

There is beauty in every kind of love, so why not live a life without boundaries? Experiencing everything the world offers fascinates me and writing about the things that make each of us unique is how I share those insights. I live in the Midwest with a wonderful partner of thirteen years. When not writing, I’m watching movies, reading and living life to the fullest.

Find out more about T. A. at
http://tachase.com
.