Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(98)

Dave walked up just as Zara asked, “Why is there a picture of Mags up there?”

Meat frowned. “You have to be mistaken.”

“No. I’m pretty sure that’s her. She looks a lot younger, though.” She turned to Dave. “Can you bring me that picture so I can see it better?”

“Which one?” Dave asked, turning to look where she was pointing.

“It’s right in the middle. The woman with the long black hair. She’s got her head back and she’s laughing at something.”

Dave froze—then he slowly turned to stare at Zara. “You know her?”

“Maybe,” Zara said. “I mean, she looks like my friend Mags, who I knew from the barrio in Peru. But it can’t be her, can it?”

Meat looked from Zara to Dave . . . and blinked in surprise at the instant change in Dave’s demeanor.

The entire time he’d known the big, burly bartender, he’d been jovial and easygoing. He was serious about protecting the women who frequented his bar, and he didn’t hesitate to kick out anyone who was causing problems, but for the most part, he was laid-back.

But the man standing in front of Meat right now was anything but laid-back.

Dave reached for the picture and removed the thumbtack. He put it down on the bar in front of Zara. She picked it up and examined it more closely.

“I swear this is her,” Zara said, her confusion easy to hear.

“Where did you see her last?” Dave asked in a voice so intense, almost desperate, everyone around them stopped what they were doing to stare at him.

“In Peru. In the barrio. She took me in, and she’s kind of the leader of the group of women I was friends with. We saw Meat and Black get beaten up by Ruben and his friend. It was Maria, Carmen, Gabriella, Teresa, Bonita, and Mags.”

“Mags,” Dave said. “Short for Margaret?”

Zara shook her head. “I don’t know. She only went by Mags. Do you know her?”

Dave pointed at the picture in her hand. “That’s my wife. She went missing ten years ago—and I haven’t stopped looking for her since.”

The bar had gotten so quiet Meat could hear the person next to him breathing.

“Rex?” Gray asked in disbelief, from behind Meat and Zara.

He nodded once. “That’s me.”

“Holy shit!” Ball exclaimed.

“I can’t fucking believe it,” Black said.

“Her family nicknamed her Magpie, and shortened it to Mags,” Dave said. “I wanted my own special name for her, so I called her Raven, because of her long black hair.” He leaned forward and pinned Zara with his gaze. “You’re absolutely positive the woman you knew as Mags is the one in this picture?”

Zara nodded. “Yes. She didn’t laugh a lot when I knew her, but it’s her.”

Dave picked up the picture and stuck it into his back pocket. He walked down the length of the bar and lifted the heavy pass-through that led into the room.

“Dave, wait!” Zara called. “There’s a lot I should tell you about her! About the situation she’s in.”

But Dave didn’t even slow down. He moved toward the door with a determined stride.

Meat looked around at his friends, who were all staring in disbelief at the man they’d come to respect. It was going to take a while for it to sink in that the bartender they knew and loved was actually Rex, the mastermind behind the Mountain Mercenaries.

“Where are you going?” Gray called out as he neared the front door.

Dave turned his head and said, “Peru,” before opening the door and heading out into the parking lot.