Well, kind of. She's a bank manager and her family owns a ton of banks across the nation.”
The crunching gravel ceased on Lloyd's end. His voice dropped down to a deadpan grunt, “I'm listening.”
“She has access to tons of accounts. I thought she'd be able to help me get proof of Pete's transgressions against the Bandits.”
Lloyd grunted under his breath. It was a sound of slight surprise and approval. “Well, as long as you're not thinking with your dick.”
“Trust me, I'm not.” Tyler turned as he met with one end of the living area. As he did, he caught Miranda standing in the hallway, watching him. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright with passion and ferocity. Tyler swallowed the lump in his throat, discomfort clogging his thoughts. Had she heard all of that? “Uh, I'll have to call you back, Lloyd.”
Anger and hurt simmered in Miranda's thoughts. Her feelings would have to wait until later, though. She stepped up to the shamefaced Tyler and simply stated, “I found something. We should get Jack and Naomi.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
In the warm glow of a lantern, the four huddled around the dining room table. Naomi picked olives out of a jar, popping them into her mouth. Jack stood behind her, hands on the back of her chair as Miranda smoothed the map. Tyler stood awkwardly, unwelcome to Miranda's side and a third wheel on Jack's side. He tried to ignore his tenuous placement.
Through the window, he watched the sun descend below the trees. A blanket of blue light filtered across the window and splashed over the trees. Leaves rustled gently and, in the distance, a coyote howled to the open sky.
“So, I've found Pete's taking an awful lot of money out here.” Miranda tapped a spot she circled in pencil on the map. Beside her, the still-open laptop hummed in exertion. “San Marta is about a ten hour drive from here. Got to get through New Mexico and into Texas, but it's on the border.” She leaned over the crisp new map the men had bought at the general store. She smoothed out the folds as she pointed to the town. “Short of weapons, I'm not sure why he'd be withdrawing that much money down there.”
Her gaze flickered to the others, gauging their reactions. Personal pride bubbled through her head. It wasn't every day you got to track down suspicious activity. Well, not when you were a small town bank manager.
Naomi's brow creased. She glanced at Jack and Tyler with apprehension. “Has he made any major purchases or gone anywhere?”
Jack and Tyler exchanged glances. They both were thinking the same thing. Pete was known for being stingy and enjoying the comforts of his turf. He rarely overspent and never left Temple, Arizona. Together, they shook their head.
“Someone did say Pete's got a side dish, somewhere.”
“He's cheating on Lillian?” Tyler wrinkled his nose as his lips twisted into a scowl, “What a cuss.”
“That's just what I heard,” Jack shrugged.
Naomi glanced from Miranda to the men. To no one in particular, she asked, “So, what does him withdrawing a lot mean?”
“Pete might be involved with drugs,” muttered Jack. “And if it's drugs, a cartel might be involved.”
Tyler's eyebrows rose. A small tidbit toyed amongst his thoughts. Just before leaving, Pete announced a truce with a rival club. “He did buddy up with the Cobras recently.”
The light went off inside Jack's hand and he added an exuberant, “Yeah, he did, didn't he?”
“Well, if we get to San Marta, we might pick up a scent.” Miranda went on, ignoring the superfluous information. She turned the conversation back on course. They needed to discuss what she found out and make a plan, not discuss the gossip surrounding Pete. This new information may be their only option at survival. “At least I can question the bank manager there, see if they've seen anything weird.”
Tyler's brow furrowed. He wasn't sure