Jesse & Caden - The Renegade Lovers

Chapter 13: The Betrayal

The border town of Nogales simmered under the relentless Arizona sun, a melting pot of desperation and opportunity. Jesse and Caden had holed up in a rundown motel on the outskirts, biding their time until their contact could arrange their passage into Mexico.

Jesse stood at the grimy window, peering through a gap in the curtains at the dusty parking lot below. His fingers tapped an impatient rhythm against his thigh, never far from the gun tucked into his waistband.

"Would you relax?" Caden called from his sprawl on the sagging bed. "You're making me nervous just looking at you."

Jesse snorted, not bothering to turn around. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting your beauty sleep?"

"You should try it sometime," Caden retorted, propping himself up on his elbows. "Might improve that sunny disposition of yours."

Finally, Jesse abandoned his post by the window, flopping down onto the bed beside Caden. "Fuck you," he grumbled, but there was no real heat behind it. He allowed himself to be pulled into Caden's arms, some of the tension easing from his shoulders.

"That an offer?" Caden murmured, nuzzling and kissing Jesse's neck.

Jesse elbowed him half-heartedly. "You're insatiable, you know that?"

"Can you blame me?" Caden grinned, pressing a kiss to Jesse's temple. "I've got the hottest husband in all of Arizona."

"Jesus," Jesse groaned, but he was smiling despite himself. "You're such a sap."

"You love it," Caden countered, his hand sliding beneath Jesse's shirt, continuing to kiss his neck and ear.

Before things could progress further, a sharp knock at the door had them both freezing. In an instant, they were on their feet, guns drawn and aimed at the flimsy barrier.

"Who is it?" Caden called, his voice deceptively casual.

"It's Leo," came the muffled reply. "Open up, boys. I've got news."

Jesse and Caden exchanged a look. Leo Harris was an old associate, one of the few people they still trusted. He was their ticket across the border, the man with the connections to set them up with new identities in Mexico.

Caden moved to open the door, keeping his gun ready but out of sight. Leo slipped in, a wiry man with nervous eyes that darted around the room.

"Jesus, you two look like shit," he observed, taking in their disheveled appearance.

"Fuck you very much," Jesse retorted. "You got our papers or what?"

Leo hesitated, fidgeting with the brim of his baseball cap. "About that... there's been a complication."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "What kind of complication?" Caden asked, his voice dangerously low.

Leo swallowed hard. "Look, you gotta understand. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment, Leo was stammering out excuses. The next, he was on the floor, blood pouring from his broken nose as Jesse loomed over him.

"Not this shit again," Jesse mumbled under his breath, then snarled aloud "You fucking rat," grabbing Leo by the collar and hauling him up. "Who did you sell us out to?"

"The feds," Leo choked out, terror evident in his eyes. "They're offering a reward. Enough to set me up for life."

"You son of a bitch," Caden growled, his gun now trained squarely on Leo's forehead. "After everything we've been through?"