Badlands. Jill Sorenson

a problem.”

      “I don’t like problems.”

      Shane broke the news about Brett’s accident and claimed he had the situation under control. No need to worry Ace with too many details. Shane was optimistic his brother wouldn’t be on the loose for long. Owen had limited resources. The girl and her kid would drag him down. In this heat, they couldn’t outrun Shane on foot.

      “Let me talk to Roach,” Ace said.

      “He’s back at camp. Keeping an eye on things.”

      “Just handle it,” he said, and hung up.

      Shane said he would. If he didn’t, he’d be a dead man.

      He had a third call to make, to Jorge Sandoval. It couldn’t be traced, but it could be triangulated. The government might scrutinize all communication signals from the same basic area, and there was nobody else out here. He drove twenty more miles to the town of El Centro, pulling over at a dusty truck stop.

      Shane got out and glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before dialing. Dirk waited in the backseat, an impatient look on his face.

      “This is Jorge Sandoval.”

      Shane had planned for Owen to make this call. It was the only reason Shane had brought him along. He didn’t trust Gardener to do it right, so now his only option was disguising his voice. “Do you have the money?”

      Jesus. He sounded like Cookie Monster.