Half an hour later, Danny opened the connecting door between the two rooms. Solana lay on the bed beside Maria as the two of them napped, but Bailey stood at the window, staring out. She turned, dejection showing in her slumped shoulders.
Quietly he walked across the room and took her in his arms. She leaned against his chest. “Thank you for coming after me,” she said. “I . . .”
“I was so scared when I couldn’t find you in the cafe,” he murmured against her hair. What he wouldn’t give to hold her like this all the time. “Are you okay?”
She stepped away from him, and some of the sass returned to her eyes. “Let’s see. Joel’s been kidnapped, I’ve hidden in a cellar, and you know how I hate being in dark, dank places. I called you and you didn’t answer. I’ve been chased. Twice. I missed our flight and have no idea how I’m going to get this child to her grandparents. I lost Maria’s medication for her headaches, and I understand when she has one, it’s very painful. The medicine was in a bag with her prescription and contact information for the grandparents that I left at the cafe. And last of all, I’m holed up here with you.” She folded her arms across her chest, but a tiny smile played at her lips. “What’s not to be okay about?”
His heart swelled with pride. Bailey had more courage than anyone he knew. She might get knocked down, but she always bounced back up. He held up his hands. “Hey, I’m just trying to help.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“And maybe the medicine isn’t lost.”
“What do you mean?”
He nodded toward the bed. “Solana found a bag you left behind and gave it to me. It’s in Angel’s car.”
“Really?”
For a second, he thought she was going to throw her arms around his neck. Then she caught herself and stepped back.
“What if he loses it?”
“He won’t. And he’ll be here soon. Let me text him to bring it to the room when he gets here.” Danny quickly sent Angel a text and received an acknowledgment. “He’ll bring it, but he’s not sure how long before he’ll get here.”
“That would be one worry gone—Maria’s already mentioned her head hurts. If we just hadn’t missed the flight.” She massaged the back of her neck, then loosened the clasp holding her golden hair in a ponytail and shook her hair out, sending it tumbling around her shoulders.
He wanted to smooth her hair back, to feel the silky strands in his fingers once more. There had to be a way to make her see that they could work things out. “I’ll fly you home,” he said softly. “Then go with you to take Maria to her grandparents.”
“You will?” Her eyes widened, then she shook her head. “Thanks, but I really think I should go to the police. It’s what I should have done first.”
“I’ve already tried that. It won’t do any good.”
Maria cried out in her sleep, and Bailey rushed to the bed, but Solana soothed her with soft Spanish words.
Bailey waited until Maria settled into a deeper sleep, then motioned him to the connecting door. “We don’t need to talk where she can hear us.” Once they were in the other room, she turned to him. “What do you mean, you’ve already tried the police?”
“I went there after I didn’t find you in the alley. Angel warned me it would do no good, and it didn’t. Once they found out the Calatrava was involved, it was like . . .” He struggled to find the right word. “There was nothing they could do about it.”
“Solana and Juan warned me as well.” She rubbed her arms. “In the restaurant today, I saw a man from the village where I served as a missionary. When I first heard the gunshots, I thought he was after me, but then I didn’t see him again and they wanted Maria. I’m still not sure he isn’t part of this.”
“Why do you think he—”
“It’s a long story.” She tilted her head. “You seem to know this Angel pretty well. Just who is he?”
“I don’t really know him. I met him once when we were kids, but he just showed up today.”
Maria cried out again, and Bailey walked through the doorway and peeked into the other room, then returned. “I’m so afraid she’ll wake up—”
“And you want to be there for her. Solana will let you know.”
Bailey swallowed and looked everywhere but at him. When her chin quivered, he pulled her to him again. “It’s going to be okay.”
At first she resisted, then as he stroked her back, he felt the tenseness ebb. “We’ll keep her safe.”
She stiffened and pulled away. “Maria is not your responsibility.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “She is now. Solana too.” He had to convince her to give up this idea of the police. “When we get to Logan Point, we’ll turn all of this over to Ben.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you talking about Sheriff Ben Logan? I thought you two—”
“Were like oil and water?” He chuckled. “I discovered he wasn’t such a bad guy. He’ll know what to do.”
A soft knock at the door stilled his heart. Angel? He turned to Bailey. “Go in the other room and lock the door.”
As soon as Bailey closed the connecting door, he looked through the peephole. It was Angel. Danny jerked the door open. “You scared me to death. You could’ve texted.”
Danny’s phone whistled, and Angel grinned. “That’s probably my text.”
“Did you bring the bag?”
“It’s in the car.”
“I told you to bring it to the hotel. Bailey’s worried because Maria has the beginnings of a headache.”
“So she doesn’t have seizures?” The frown lines in Angel’s face smoothed out.
“No, but there’s something else—we have to talk Bailey out of going to the police.”
“That could be a fatal mistake. I will convince her.” He started for the door.
“Wait. I have another question first. I’m not sure you should continue to be a part of getting them back to the States.”
Angel’s eyes narrowed. “If you want to get to your plane, you will need me, amigo.”
“Then tell me how you knew those men would be there today.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I saw you watching Joel this morning at the cafe. Then I saw you look away as one of the men who took Joel stared at you. What’s your stake in this?” Had his overactive imagination read Angel wrong?
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Angel tried to brush past him, but Danny blocked his way, then stood in front of the door with his arms folded. “You’re not going in there until I get some answers.”
For a minute, he believed Angel would bulldoze past him, and he wasn’t sure he could take the Mexican. In fact, he was pretty sure he couldn’t. Then like mercury, Angel changed. His stance relaxed, and he slapped Danny on the back.
“I like you. You stand for what you believe.”
Danny stared him down. “Answers.”
Angel shrugged. “The man who stared at me was a minion of the Calatrava. I did not want him to recognize me. But he probably did.”
“Okay,” Danny said. “Why the interest in Maria?”
“A long time ago and not so long ago, I knew Maria’s mother. I told her I would always protect her and the child. Unfortunately, I failed to protect Claire.”
“How did she die?”
Something flashed in Angel’s eyes. “A reaction to an antidepressant that she wouldn’t have been on if . . .” He cocked his head. “Now I have a question for you. Why are you here?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said earlier today that I didn’t have a dog in this hunt. What interest do you have?”
Danny squared his shoulders. “Bailey was my fiancée once.”
Sympathy filled Angel’s eyes. Finally the Mexican nodded. “If she was my woman, I would fight for her too.”
“She’s not my woman. We were engaged once, and I still care about her. That’s all.”
“Sure. And if you are through asking questions, let’s go make plans to get out of Chihuahua. We should’ve been gone five minutes ago.”
Danny turned the knob on the connecting door. “I told her to lock it.”
He rapped twice and waited. Seconds passed. He knocked again. Why didn’t she open the door?
“Do you have a key to her room?”
“Somewhere.” He felt his pockets, then checked the dresser. There it was. He grabbed it and hurried through the exterior door to their room that Angel held open. The Mexican yanked the key from his hand and opened Bailey’s door.
The room was empty.
Joel moved the ice bag he’d put on his left eye to the right one and stared at the open wall safe. It was supposed to be foolproof and could only be opened with the combination. He should know by now that nothing was foolproof.
Behind him, Sergeant Chavez cleared his throat. “I hope you didn’t have any nice jewelry in there.”
“No.” He didn’t feel the need to explain that what jewelry Claire had owned was in a lockbox for Maria when she was older.
“I have to say, whoever did this knew what they were doing.”
“Yeah.” Or had the combination that was stored in an encrypted file on his now-gone computer. Which just went to show he’d been right in believing any computer could be hacked. Not that it mattered, anyway. The machine could be replaced and the files restored. But it would take time. What if whoever did this recognized the number encrypted in one of the files? Or the file he needed failed to back up?
Then he’d have to use the backup to the backup. And it was where no one would think to look. Unfortunately, after this morning, it’d be hard for him to get to, and without that number, the millions of dollars in the account would do him no good.
Chavez closed the safe. “I’d like to have an itemized list of what was in the safe.”
“There was nothing there but insurance papers and my work computer.”
The sergeant took out a pen and pad. “Is it backed up?”
“On the company server.” He didn’t trust Chavez. The man was looking for something to pin on him, and Joel didn’t have a clue why. “If you want a look at my hard drive, you’ll have to talk to Edward Montoya.” He’d be surprised if his boss gave Chavez the time of day. “Are your men through with my house? I’d like to put it back together.”
Not that he cared about his house—he just wanted Chavez and his men gone. Then he could start looking for Maria. At least Claire’s car hadn’t been bothered, so he’d have wheels.
“If not, they will be finished soon. The safe seems to have suffered the most scrutiny.” Chavez turned to leave. “Oh, don’t leave Chihuahua anytime soon.”
“What do you suspect me of?”
“Should I suspect you of something?”
“No, of course not.” Joel hated this cat-and-mouse game. Why didn’t Chavez just spit out what he wanted? It had to be money, because there was no way the sergeant could actually suspect him of anything—he’d never even had a parking ticket. And if it was money, he wished Chavez would just give him an amount. He was tempted to name a price, but if he was wrong, the sergeant would probably arrest Joel for trying to bribe him.
Chavez hung around for a few minutes longer, then called his men off. “If you hear from your niece, let me know.”
Joel nodded. In a pig’s eye he would. As soon as Chavez was out the door, Joel scrolled through his contacts for Bailey’s number. He’d give it one more try. This time the call didn’t go straight to voicemail.
“Joel?” Bailey’s voice sounded hesitant. “I was afraid you were dead.”
“Not quite, but thank goodness you’re all right,” he said. “Is Maria okay?”
“Yes. How did you escape?”
He rubbed his ribs that shot pain through him every time he breathed. At least the ice had brought the swelling in his eyes down enough for him to see. “It’s a long story, and I’ll explain when we’re together. Where are you?”
She hesitated.
“Never mind. Meet me . . .” He tried to think of a safe place.
She answered before he came up with a plan. “There are men after Maria, maybe the same ones who took you. I don’t think I should bring her to you. I’m taking her to the States, and you can meet up with us at your parents’.”
“She’s my niece. Do you think I’d put her in danger?”
“I don’t know, Joel. I don’t know anything anymore, other than I want to keep her safe.”
“She’s my sister’s child. No one will keep her as safe as I will. Where are you? I’ll come and get her.”
“No. I have to hang up.”
He stared at the dead phone. Then clicked on an app he’d put on Bailey’s phone. Her location popped up. Casa Grande.
7
Bailey slipped her phone into her pocket. She was not handing Maria over to Joel. Not until they were safe in the States. Where was Danny? She’d carried his instructions to lock the door a step further and herded Maria and Solana into the bathroom.
“Bailey! Where are you?”
She opened the door. “In here.”
He whirled around, scowling. “What are you doing in the bathroom?”
“It seemed like a good idea. I thought if someone broke in, they would think the room was empty.”
The lines in his face relaxed. “Good thinking.”
Once they were out of the bathroom, Bailey realized Angel had joined them. Like before, he carried himself with the assurance of someone used to being in charge.
“Mr. Angel, you came back!” Maria wiggled from her arms onto the floor, and Angel bent over and picked her up.
“Yes, little one, I came back. And now we must leave.”
When he straightened, Bailey held out her hand. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Bailey, and you must be Angel. Did you bring Maria’s medicine?”
He shook her hand, bowing slightly. “Yes, I am Angel, and no, I did not bring the medicine. It is in the car, but we need to leave right away—every minute we stay in Mexico is dangerous.”
Since she’d decided against going to the authorities, Bailey agreed with him. “We’re ready. What’s the plan?”
“My plane,” Danny said. “That’s our next destination. We’ll go down the stairs and out the back. Angel will go in front, and I’ll be behind you three.”
Sounded like a plan to her. “I’ll carry Maria.”
“If you get tired, I can help,” Solana said.
In the hallway, a couple strolled by, giving them a curious stare. Bailey turned to Danny. “Joel called. He wanted Maria.”
“What? You didn’t tell him where you were, did you?”
“No. I told him he’d have to come to the States to get her.”
“Good.”
Angel opened the door to the stairwell, and they trooped down the stairs. By the time they reached the lobby, she felt a little silly with the cloak-and-dagger when no one seemed to pay any attention to them. Maybe everything was going to be okay. They rounded a corner, and she gasped. “There’s Joel.”
He stood outside the doorway, trying to get in. She faltered. His face looked as though it had been used as a punching bag, and both of his eyes were swollen and bruised. In her peripheral vision, she glimpsed a man running toward her.
Angel grabbed Maria from her arms. “Follow me!”
She half turned. “Where’s Danny?”
“Behind you. He’ll make it. You help Solana.” Angel shot out the exit door, and she grabbed Solana’s hand and together they ran after Angel.
Once outside, Angel raced toward a dark blue SUV. “You two, get in the backseat.” He handed a wide-eyed Maria to Bailey before he hopped into the driver’s seat and started the motor. She barely had her seat belt fastened before he shot forward.
“We can’t leave Danny!”
“There he is.” Angel pointed toward the door they’d exited.
Danny ran toward them, and as the car
slowed to a stop, he hopped in. “Go!” he shouted. “He has friends.”
“Where’s your plane?”
“At Chico’s Airfield outside of Chihuahua.”
“I know where it is.” Angel made a hard right turn.
Bailey held Maria tight as they barreled out of the hotel parking lot.
“Joel must have brought the Calatrava to the hotel, but how did he find us?” Danny turned to look at her. “Did you tell him?”
The accusation in his voice burned her, and she gritted her teeth. “I told you I didn’t. I don’t know how he knew.”
“You have to know.”
In her lap, Maria started to cry, and Bailey narrowed her eyes at Danny. “This is not the time to discuss the matter.”
His gaze skittered to Maria. “But we will discuss it later.”
“Fine.” With the lump in her throat threatening to choke her, she sank against the seat beside Solana. Tears stung her eyes, but she would not cry. Danny acted like she’d brought the men after them.
Maria burrowed against her chest. “Is Mr. Danny mad at me?”
“No, honey.”
“Why are the bad men chasing us again?”
“I don’t know, Maria.” Bailey stared out the window as Angel made another turn. How did Joel know where they were? Did he lead those men to her? She couldn’t believe he would do something like that, and if he had, she was the worst judge of men ever.
Her cell phone dinged, and she slid it from her pocket. “It’s Joel. He wants to know where we are.”
Angel looked in the rearview mirror, his eyes wide. “Do not answer him. He’ll lead the cartel to us again.”
Danny reached from the front seat for her phone. She moved it out of his reach. “I’m not totally stupid. I didn’t text him back.”
Her phone chimed again, and she read the text, then hugged Maria. “And he said to tell you he loves you.”
“Will we see him again?” Tears rimmed Maria’s eyes.
“I’m sure we will.” Bailey shifted her gaze to the front and caught Angel staring at her from the mirror with a cell phone pressed to his ear. Why was he helping them? She tilted her head. “Who are the Calatrava? Who runs the cartel?”
Silence in the Dark Page 6
