9 Ways to Fall in Love

by Caroline Clemmons

  “Glad you’re up and around. Jake will be here before long. You and Kate can get out of this hellhole.”

  “You’re not going?”

  “I’ll go home when Chavez is dead. I can’t leave these people alone. The minute we leave they’ll be slaughtered.”

  “Maybe the padre can broker a peace treaty?”

  Brody looked at the padre talking to several small children. He appeared to be a man who cared about his flock. He was a man of God looking for a peaceful resolution to this mess. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to speak with him about going to La Hacienda to see if Chavez would be willing to talk peace.

  “Maybe, but I don’t know if Chavez is a man of God. Maybe money is his God.”

  “Let’s ask him tomorrow,” Kate said.

  “No, tonight you leave with Jake and A.J. I won’t be far behind.”

  “You honestly think we’ll leave you here?” A.J. said.

  “I’m not giving you a choice.”

  “You’re getting awfully mouthy for a man who probably doesn’t have a job when he gets stateside.”

  “I don’t have to work for Falcon Securities, and you know it. How many offers do you get a year to work either for the government or private industry?”

  A.J. rubbed his freshly shaved chin. “Quite a few.”

  Brody laughed. “All we have to say is we once worked with Falcon and the bid goes out and the price comes back high.”

  “Okay, so you can get another job. But you better call Jake and tell him we need another day to settle this mess.”

  “Yes,” Kate said. “I think by tomorrow we should have this situation wrapped up.”

  “I want you and A.J. safe. My biggest fear is Chavez will get one of you again. I can’t take that chance.”

  “Call and ask him to hold off for tonight. Might be a storm brewing to the west.”

  Brody looked out and felt the wind whipping up. “What are we going to do tomorrow?”

  A.J. turned to walk away. “Blow the damn place up.”

  ***

  Dallas, TX

  Tony was in Frank’s office when Jake walked in with a Monster drink in his hand. If his agent thought he’d done wrong, it sure didn’t show in his face. As a matter of fact he looked rather smug. That pissed Frank off. Frank sat behind his desk while Jake flopped into the chair Zoe had vacated earlier. “You fly Brody to Mexico to get Chavez?”

  “Yeah, him and a CIA agent he’d kidnapped.”

  Frank jumped up from his seat. “Have you gone completely crazy, Jake? I know I don’t need to tell you how dangerous that was, or what a mess it put me and this company in.”

  With his ankle resting on his thigh, Jake folded and unfolded the hem of his jeans. “No, boss you don’t. I already know. But I had a choice. I could either fly Brody there safely, or he’d try to fly the plane himself and kill them both.”

  Frank clamped his mouth shut. He hated it when one of his agents had a good come-back. “So you aided and abetted?”

  “Yes, sir, I did.” Jake tipped his canned drink and gulped.

  Frank said with a grunt, “You shouldn’t have, Jake. I don’t like it one bit.”

  “I don’t either, Frank, but in a way I kind of agree with Brody. How long were we going to sit here and let A.J. rot?

  “I’m doing everything diplomatically that I can besides declare war on Mexico.”

  “Well, maybe we should’ve considered that.”

  “Believe me, if president Davis and I weren’t such good friends, I probably would. You have to remember, I was the best man at his wedding.”

  “Doesn’t all this strike you as funny?”

  Jake hooked his arm over the back of the chair and looked at Tony. “One of our agents was taken, and suddenly we can’t do anything to get him released. I mean, absolutely nada.”

  “Politicians can be slow,” Frank replied

  “But the Mexican government, along with the Assistant CIA Director, sent us in there to arrest Oscar Chavez,” Tony said.

  “Later we learned Oscar wasn’t even there,” Jake added.

  “Right, but when we want our guy back, everyone hides behind politics,” Tony said. “And when have we not been able to retrieve an agent?”

  “I asked Davis if I could go in and get A.J. He’s been working on that clearance.”

  “Well, Brody couldn’t wait any longer. He and A.J. have been friends too long.”

  “What about this CIA agent?” Frank asked.

  “I’m a little perplexed about that,” Jake said.

  “Brody had been working the streets night and day, trying to find anything that would give him an edge up so he could go after Chavez. Absolute silence for two weeks.”

  “I couldn’t find anything either,” Tony said. “I tried every unconventional thing I could imagine. And I’m a pretty creative guy.”

  “Then suddenly out of the blue, one of Brody’s snitches comes up with this info about a woman named Kate Stone, as in CIA agent Kate Stone.”

  “We’ve worked with her before. She provided some of the Intel we received about Chavez,” Frank said.

  “That’s who he took to Mexico to draw Chavez out. Rumor is that she and Chavez had a thing, and she’d left him. Said he’d do most anything to get her back.”

  Frank stood, put his hand on his desk and leaned forward. “You mean to tell me he took an innocent woman in there and traded her for A.J.?”

  Jake shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

  Hands up, he continued, “Brody only intended to entice Chavez. He had no intention of giving up Kate.”

  Frank cradled his head with his hands. “I’ll be getting a call any moment from the CIA wondering where their agent is.”

  “Jake, You’re picking them up tonight?”

  Tony walked over and hitched his leg on Frank’s desk. “Know what I think?”

  “What?” Frank asked.

  “I think it’s time we make our own plan.”

  ***

  Mexico

  Kate and Brody set about getting the village ready for future attacks. Clearly she and A.J. weren’t flying out, but she wished A.J. would seriously reconsider. Oscar was using him for something and Kate had a bad feeling.

  After all this time, she knew Oscar was capable of anything, and Kate could swear to the man’s brutality. Anyone who sold young boys and women into slavery had no conscience, and without that a man would do anything.

  For years, Oscar had been on the CIA’s radar, but no one could infiltrate his camp. Not until she was assigned his case. While Oscar could have any woman, he couldn’t have her.

  And for some reason, he would only settle for her. So, in a matter of days she was out of Mexico City and at La Hacienda. For a year after her initial rape by the man, she’d played his lover until her cover got blown.

  She had no proof, but Kate had always suspected that Assistant Director of the CIA, Ben Reed, had exposed her cover. She couldn’t come up with a reason for him to turn on her, but she’d bet her career he had. The motivation had always baffled her. What did Reed have to gain?

  One look at the guy and it was obvious he was a seedy character with his comb over, expensive suits, and girlfriends up the wazoo. There were times his ethics had been questionable, but no one in the agency could pin a thing on him.

  Yet, a week after Reed learned she’d gone undercover, Oscar Chavez puts out a hit on her. Before the death of her partner, she’d received a distress signal. When she checked back to confirm, Reed, not her partner Josh, took the call. When she tried to explain, he told her not to worry. He’d taken care of everything.

  Two days later, Josh Walker’s body was found stuffed in the trunk of his car with his throat cut. That’s when Colanglo called her off the case. Within an hour Kate had managed to free the victims from the tractor trailer and make it to the extraction point.

  When she showed up two days later for debriefing, Reed had looked astonished. That’s when Kate
knew. Knew with every cell in her body that Ben Reed was dirty, and he’d ordered a hit on her and probably murdered her partner.

  She expressed her concerns to Colanglo. He didn’t agree, but he didn’t disagree either. However, he did decide she needed out of the Washington office.

  Before the transfer came through, Reed sent her to Iraq to get Intel from one of her sources. While there she’d almost been killed again. Four of her men didn’t come home.

  Brody walked toward her, and her heart sped up. Blood zinged through her veins. Tall and lean, Brody was far more gorgeous than the average guy. Even battered, he had one of those faces and a body that belonged on a poster. Tall, light hair and beautiful hazel eyes. The]]]

  And her hormones took notice in a big way. The sight of him practically had her drooling all over herself. And it didn’t help that sometimes she swore the man could read her dirty thoughts, making her cheeks burn like fire.

  She wondered how a normal life would feel. Home every night at six, to bed by ten, and up in the morning for coffee over the newspaper. Could a person like her get used to that? The bigger question was why did looking at Brody Hawke invoke those images?

  She sat across from the church, near a campfire. She didn’t need the heat scorching her face, but the light chased away the darkness. And nighttime would soon be upon them. Brody squatted down next to her.

  “I think we’re as ready as we can be.”

  “You think they’ll hit tonight?”

  “Probably.”

  “Do we stand a chance?”

  Brody rubbed his jaw. “I had hopes the padre would help, but he doesn’t seem to want any part of this war. Claims God will take care of the innocent and punish evil.”

  “You don’t believe that?”

  “How old is Chavez? Thirty-five?”

  “Yes, I think that’s correct.”

  “And he’s still alive. Maybe God needs a little help.”

  Before Kate could have a normal life, Oscar had to be shut down, and the only way that could happen was if he was dead.

  Chapter 14

  Chavez waited until his soldiers filed out of the vehicles before stepping onto the porch. Earlier, he’d been swimming for a while with Diaz, trying to calm down to the point he could speak. But with everything going wrong, there was no way in hell he could relax.

  Every inch of his body hurt. That fucking Falcon agent had done a job on him. And for that Chavez put his name on a bullet and planned to deliver it personally. His jaws tightened at the thought of the beating he’d taken. The son of a bitch.

  When his half-assed army assembled in front of La Hacienda without the prisoner they were sent to capture, Chavez flew into a rage.

  “Can you not do anything right?” He swung out his arm and shouted, “You out number them, you idiots.”

  “But they were very clever. They dug a trench and set it on fire. We were not expecting them to do that,” Diego Rodriguez said.

  “Now they have two Falcon Securities agents leading them. They were smart and cunning,” another man muttered in the back of the group.

  Chavez turned away in disgust. “I’m surprised so many of you survived.”

  Unable to tolerate their stupidity any longer, Chavez went into the house and slammed the door. Without stopping, he grabbed a pack of smokes and a glass of tequila before slumping into the big chair. Pain from the cut on his lip shot through him when he lit his cigarette. He winced and tossed the Marlboro aside.

  Damn Brody Hawke.

  This whole plan hinged on one Falcon agent they had to recapture. For this to all come together, Roddio had to die. Without him, the plan wouldn’t work, and Oscar wanted this over and done with. The whole fucking mess had him second guessing his decision to trust so damn many strangers.

  He had been promised full reign to do anything he pleased if this Ron Rafferty became president of America. Also, President Gomez had to go as well. Even though he held no importance, the greedy bastard was a pain in his ass. Gomez always wanted more money, more drugs, and more young Mexican girls. Chavez didn’t like being used and taken advantage of by anyone.

  Besides, the police and every other politician in Mexico were already in his pocket. Chavez wondered how long it would be before he had to hide away to be left alone. The more drugs, arms, and anything he sold on the black market, the more money for all. And nobody messed with his business.

  Chavez looked at the portrait of his mother. She was a saint, and he loved her with all his heart. He made the sign of the cross and sent up a silent prayer for her pure soul. Losing her had been difficult. It pained his heart. She meant so much to him. He’d always thought everything he did was for her. To provide all her heart’s desire. Anything she asked for instantly materialized.

  Now that she was gone, he learned a bitter truth. He’d continued out of an insane sense of greed to have more. And he was good at his job. From a young age, he’d known how to make connections with the right people for the right products. That was his calling.

  Surely with enough riches he would become a happy man. But a man without a woman, children and his family was a lonely man. His empty bed mocked his manhood. While he could have almost any woman in the world, he longed for only one.

  But that could not be. Happiness eluded him, left him bare and hungry. Now, he had no family. His father had been shot in the streets of Mexico City when the police raided a house filled with known criminals.

  “Oscar, how are you after your swim? Do you feel better?”

  Oscar scowled. “No, I do not feel better. The men I sent to get the prisoner back returned empty handed. How do you expect me to feel?”

  Angel smacked his forehead. “We don’t have the agent?”

  Oscar was not a happy man, and his friend wasn’t helping the situation. Angel only managed to heighten the heat.

  Angel had not changed out of his swimming trunks. Instead he had slipped on a colorful flowered shirt and shoved his feet into a pair of leather sandals.

  Always the player, always the con man, and always the fool.

  “No.”

  “Maybe we can capture the one named Brody?” Angel said.

  “He’s too dangerous.” Oscar touched his tender ribs. “The man tried to kill me with his bare hands.”

  “You are right. The one called A.J. is strong too, but his wound has weakened him, and that makes him easier for us to handle.”

  “Yes, that’s why he is the perfect one to set up.”

  “What do you intend to do about this Kate woman. Kill her?”

  Oscar’s head came up and he glared at Diaz. “No one touches her.” He pointed his finger. “You hear me?”

  Angel nodded his head. “Of course, Oscar. Whatever you say.” He shrugged. “I have no quarrel with her.” He sipped his drink. “I just thought you might want revenge because she is the one who provided Falcon Securities with the layout of the compound.”

  Oscar threw the glass of tequila into the fireplace. “We have no proof of that.” Why was he so weak when it came to Kate? Did he still love her? No, a man cannot love a woman who had betrayed him as she had two years ago. “Besides, it was all a set-up from the beginning.”

  “That is correct. But she is CIA. If she goes back to America, what will she do? Maybe alert the authorities the agent was here and we held him hostage?”

  Oscar jumped to his feet and paced the floor. “I do not know, but I will figure out something. In the meantime, you are not to touch her. Do you hear me?”

  Kate had to die...probably by his hands. Pain speared his heart with the efficiency of a sharp knife. Sadness clouded his whole world.

  “Yes, Oscar. We have been friends far too long for anything to come between us.”

  Oscar reached out and slung his arm around Diaz’s shoulder. “You are like my own brother. Ever since my family was killed, I have only you.”

  “And with my family gone, you are all I have left.”

  “Then it’s settled. W
e’ll do this. You will be the distributor in the US while I take care of matters here.”

  Angel smiled. “We’ll be rich.”

  “We are already rich, my friend.”

  “Then we will be richer. The most powerful men alive.”

  Angel held up his glass and Oscar grabbed another glass and toasted to their friendship and the honor they held for each other.

  Oscar could be called many things, but never a fool. Diaz showing up at La Hacienda six months ago with this crazy plan to make them all-powerful and destroy the United States soured his stomach. None of it added up.

  First, they planned the Falcon raid with the purpose of kidnapping an agent they could use for a scapegoat to kill the US president. Then Kate Stone shows up, and Diaz tries to kill her in the tunnel. Oh, Chavez knew it was Angel, for only three people knew about the tunnel, and his friend Angel was the third man out.

  Chavez watched Diaz walk toward the kitchen. Little did his childhood friend know, Oscar had plans of his own. The lure of money, wealth, and power meant nothing to him. He had all that. He didn’t need to kill anyone to maintain his place in the world.

  So far, this plan had cost Oscar a small fortune and made it much more difficult for him to do business. He had yet to see where all this benefitted him. Seeing Kate was the only thing so far that had raised his interest, and even that had come with a price.

  ***

  Brody’s phone vibrated. The caller ID brought up Tony’s picture with a 911 message. “Tony?”

  “Brody you’re on speaker with me, Jake, and Frank. What’s going on?”

  Brody kicked at the sand with the toe of his boot. “I guess you know I’m in Mexico. But Frank, don’t blame Jake. It all comes down to me. I would have gotten here one way or another.”

  “I realize that,” Frank said. “But your ass isn’t clear yet.”

  “Did you get A.J. out?”

  “I have A.J. secured.”

  “What’s been happening there in the desert?”

  Brody let out a frustrated breath. “Other than a living hell?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I arrived here and walked right into a trap. I knew I would. That didn’t really surprise me. But I should have never taken Kate. She doesn’t belong here.” Brody looked across the village at Kate and smiled briefly. “Tony, I want you to check into a snitch that goes by the name, El Toro. He’s in the Greenville area off Vanderbilt. The bastard gave me all the bogus information.”