“Oh my God. What’s going on?” Lacey asked in horror.
“Just keep watching,” Rick said.
Bo’s saddlebags were opened and the brown paper-wrapped drugs were lifted. There were no clothes or any of the items Bo had brought with him to Mexico. Just drugs. Everywhere on the bike.
“Holy shit,” Ava said. “Are those drugs?”
“Yep.”
Lacey shook her head. “That’s not possible. Bo wouldn’t do that. He doesn’t—”
“He does, and he did. In fact, he did it to you, Lacey. He’s been doing it to you.”
Her eyes widened. “What? What are you talking about?”
“Those drugs you see them lifting off Bo’s bike? I saw him and a few of his buddies plant them in your car last night.”
Lacey shook her head. “No. You’re wrong.”
“Yeah. Bo was using you as a mule. This wasn’t the first time, either. These spa trips to Mexico you’ve been taking once a month? Every single one has been so you could bring drugs across the border for him.”
Lacey’s eyes filled with tears. She backed away from Rick. “That’s a lie. You’re full of shit. Bo would never do that to me. He loves me.”
“He loves your car and loves that you were an easy mark.”
“I don’t believe you,” she croaked.
But Rick could tell from the defeated slump of her shoulders that Lacey did believe him. Ava put her arms around Lacey and Lacey crumpled against her and dissolved into tears.
Lacey turned her tear-streaked face to him. “A mule? He used me to transport drugs?”
“Yes.”
“What would have happened if they’d found drugs in my car.”
“You would of been arrested.”
Lacey’s hand flew to her mouth and she cried hard for a few minutes. Then anger took over as she glared at the border where they were handcuffing Bo. “That son of a bitch. He used me. I trusted him.”
Ava held on to a sobbing Lacey as she raised her gaze to Rick. “How did you know?”
“I suspected based on a few things Bo said to me. I didn’t know for sure until I saw them moving the drugs into a removable rear hood on Lacey’s car last night.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Rick shook his head. “It was better that you not know until I had you two in the clear.”
“I understand. I think. But God, how could he do this to her? When I think of what could have happened . . .”
“I know.”
“So what about Bo?”
Rick couldn’t help his smile. “He’s on his own now.”
Lacey jerked her head up and spun around to look at the checkpoint where the agents were putting Bo in an unmarked car. “I hope the ass**le rots in prison for the rest of his life.”
Rick put his arm around her. “That’s a pretty good estimate of what’s going to happen to him.”
Ava frowned. “Aren’t you at all upset about this? He’s your cousin.”
“Yeah, he is. And he’s dirty. And he used two women as drug mules. He has no honor. As far as I’m concerned he deserves everything he gets. So how about a cup of coffee?”
Lacey sniffed and raised tear-stained eyes and a tremulous smile to Rick. “I’d love one.”
“Come on. Let’s go inside this greasy joint and get a burger. And celebrate.”
Ava shook her head and twined her arm with Rick’s. “I can’t believe you knew about this. That you did this. For us.”
They ate, and Lacey washed her face and calmed down a bit. By the time they were ready to leave, she seemed to be okay enough to drive.
“So what are you going to do now, Lace?” Ava asked.
“I’m going home.”
“Home where?”
“To my parents’ house. I need some family time. Bo screwed with my head. I need time to think, to figure out how I could be so stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid, Lacey,” Rick said. “You just picked the wrong guy.”
She sighed. “I made a lot of really bad choices. I need some time to refocus. Some time alone to think about a lot of things.” Lacey turned to Ava. “Can you get a ride back with Rick?”
“Are you sure?” Ava asked. “I can ride with you. We’ll talk things out.”
Lacey shook her head. “I’m not ready to talk just yet. I’m exhausted and pissed and confused. I need some time alone, Ava. Maybe in a few days we can talk.”
Ava nodded. “I understand.” She turned to Rick. “Can I hitch a ride?”
“No problem.” Rick went over to Lacey and laid his hands on her shoulders. “Get clean. And I don’t mean by yourself, even if you think you can, because that shit never works. Get into a program that can help you. Lay off the drugs and alcohol. Clear your head. Once you do, I think you’ll find you’ll get past this—past him—and it won’t be as hard as you think.”
She sniffed, nodded. “You saved my ass. I’m scared shitless, Rick.” She glanced down the highway toward the border and wrapped her arms around herself. “I could be in jail now.”
“Yeah, you could. But you got out in time and you got lucky this time. Use it wisely.”
She sniffed, nodded, and raised her gaze to his. “I’m grateful. When I think about how blind I was—”
He stopped her. “Don’t do that. You aren’t the first woman it’s happened to. You loved him and you let the real you go because of it. Go find that person and get her back.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think she exists anymore.”
“Then make a clean slate and start over. You can be anyone you want to be.”
Her eyes filled with fresh tears. “My best friend is one very lucky woman. I envy her.”
He kissed her forehead. “And you were too good for my cousin.”
“Thank you, Rick. I’ll work on trying to believe that.”
Rick waited while Ava hugged Lacey and they exchanged a few words. He carried Ava’s bag over to the bike and stashed it on the back. Lacey got in her car and took off. Ava walked back to Rick and took the helmet he held out for her. “I heard what you said to her. Thank you for that.”
He shrugged. “She’ll be fine. She just needs some time to realize what an ass**le he was. It shouldn’t take long for the hurt to be replaced by some righteous anger.”