by Wendy Davy
“I want to see you. Be at my hacienda by seven o’clock tonight.”
“I’m already on my way.”
“Very good. Oh, and Jonas? Make sure no one follows you this time.”
10
Gage’s cell phone rang, and he slid it from the clip on his belt. He glanced at the caller ID and his brow furrowed.
Cara perched on the edge of the sofa. “Who is it?”
He leaned forward, planting elbows on knees. His sapphire eyes held hers. “It’s Jonas. He shouldn’t be calling again so soon.”
A few tremors still coursed through her from when Gage had tackled her to the ground earlier, and this didn’t help. She waited for him to answer.
Gage placed the phone to his ear. “McKenna.” A moment passed, and he nodded. He held out the phone. “Jonas wants to talk to you.”
Nerves fluttered in her belly as she accepted the call. “Jonas? Are you all right?”
“I can’t talk long.” His voice sounded labored.
“I’ve been so worried. It’s good to hear your voice.” She exhaled and ran a hand through her hair as relief flooded through her.
Gage watched her, his features remaining on alert.
A rustling sound came through the phone. “I just wanted to touch base with you. I may not be able to contact you again for a while. I needed to know that you’re still with Gage.”
“Of course I’m still with him. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“How many times have you threatened to leave the island?”
“How did you…” She glanced at Gage.
“Gage didn’t say a word.” Jonas spoke as if reading her thoughts. “We’re twins. I know you better than anyone.”
“I thought I knew you, too.” In spite of trying to avoid the sting of deception, it came as if on its own accord. “I feel as if I don’t have a clue anymore.”
“What I do is not who I am. You know me.” His voice became more intense. “And, I know Gage. Stay by his side, Cara. No matter what happens. And, if I don’t make it back…”
Her chest constricted. “What do you mean if you don’t make it?”
“Just promise me, OK?” He sounded winded again.
“I’ll promise to stay with him if you tell me what you’re doing.” She gripped the cell phone tight. “Why are you so out of breath?”
Jonas paused, and Cara hoped he was considering telling her.
“I’m going to visit Mercado,” he finally admitted. “And I’m not exactly planning to use the front door. I’m hiking in the back way so I can check out the place first.”
Alarm skittered through her. “Be careful.”
“I will. I need to talk to Gage again.”
“But—”
“Now, Cara. Put him on.”
She held out the phone. “Jonas needs to tell you something.”
Gage took the cell phone. “I’m here.” He listened for a moment. His gaze caught hers. “Are you sure he was referring to Cara?” Worry lines creased his forehead, and his lips thinned into a tight line. “I don’t like the sound of it either.”
Cara’s fear rose to near panic level, and her heart thumped wild.
“You shouldn’t go back in alone.” His voice deepened, turning gravelly and low.
Her mind spun with wild imaginations. “Jonas doesn’t have backup?”
Gage held up a palm as he continued to listen. “It’s too risky.”
She fought back tears. For the past several years, she’d thought Jonas was living a life in ministry, travelling to foreign countries to aid those in need. To find out he risked his life on an everyday basis overwhelmed her. She wanted to snatch the phone away and demand Jonas explain, but she doubted she could pry it from Gage’s strong fingers.
“You know what Mercado will do if he finds out she’s your sister.”
Cara scooted closer to Gage and her shoulder bumped his as she strained to hear Jonas’s reply on the other end. She thought she heard her name mentioned, but couldn’t be sure.
“All right. I’ll do what I can. Talk to you later.” He lowered the phone.
“Wait.” Panic surged through her and she lunged forward, knocking the cell phone from Gage’s hand. She ended up sprawled across his lap, hand dangling over the sofa’s edge as the phone skittered over hardwood.
“Jonas already disconnected.” Gage’s calm, rational voice broke through her frenzy.
She pressed her forehead against the sofa’s arm, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent frustrated tears from spilling over. “I didn’t get to say goodbye. What if he doesn’t come back?”
Gage gave her an awkward pat on the back as if he had little experience consoling a woman. “If anyone can get out of this alive, Jonas can.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
His hand stilled and then gently stroked with more confidence. Warmth infused her skin where long fingers traced. She should get off of him. She should ask him to stop touching her. But right now, she needed comfort and reassurance, even if from a large, overbearing and very reluctant bodyguard.
Thoughts of her parents’ deaths intermingled with her fears for Jonas, and she could no longer hold the tears at bay. She cried, strung out across Gage’s lap, embarrassed at her lack of control, yet unable to stop herself.
“Shh. It’s OK.” He drew her into his arms and cradled her against his chest.
The scents of the sea clung to his skin and surrounded her while his heart’s steady rhythm thumped against her ear. She drew up her knees and allowed him to hold her, glad she wasn’t alone.
Moments passed, and when her tears abated Gage’s voice came so close his whiskers scraped her skin. “If I’d known I was going to hold a beautiful woman this close twice in one day, I would’ve shaved.”
Cara froze. Lord, what am I doing?
She placed hands on his shoulders and pushed away.
Gage released her and his gaze dashed over her swollen eyes and then settled on her puffy lips. She’d never been one of those lucky women who could cry and not look frightful afterward. But, Gage didn’t look at her as if she’d turned into a sniveling mess. He looked at her as if he wanted to kiss her.
But, that couldn’t be the case. He didn’t even want her here.
When she had first met him she’d been convinced bitterness and pride was all that remained inside his heart. Perhaps she was wrong. She didn’t know what to think of this new possibility. Too much had happened in a short time span. A mere few days ago she’d boarded a flight thinking she’d become part of a humanitarian effort, and now look at her. She’d lost her freedom, her sense of all that’s right with the world, and had been sent to live under a stranger’s roof. Now, she’d thrown herself across his lap and had cried on his shoulder.
Embarrassed all over again she swiped away residual tears. “You said if anyone can live through whatever Jonas is facing, it would be him. Tell me what he’s up against.”
Gage pressed a hand to his knee, massaging his injury, and his gaze took on a faraway look.
“You look as robotic as Jonas did when he first told me my life was in danger.”
“We’re not unfeeling hunks of metal.” He answered, but continued to stare into some unseen place and time. “We’re flesh and blood men. We have strengths and weaknesses. My primary weakness is physical.” His gaze finally met hers. “Jonas’s is emotional.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the only person on the planet he’s willing to break the rules for. He gave me the go-ahead to tell you who we are.”
11
Cara looked at Gage as if expecting a simple explanation. But nothing about their situation could be considered simple. Still reeling from having Cara stretched out across his lap, Gage stood, picked up his cane, and stepped outside to regain perspective.
It had been too long since he’d held a woman, felt that kind of softness. More than that, he hadn’t realized how much he needed to be needed until she’d clung to his chest. Cara unset
tled him, yet fascinated him. To make matters worse, he’d contemplated kissing her. Probably would have if she hadn’t pushed away.
Allowing himself to explore his attraction to her was probably the worst idea he could entertain. With a man like Mercado after her, Gage could afford no distractions. Aside from that, she was Jonas’s sister. Instantly sobered, Gage forced himself to refocus.
As he overlooked the vast Atlantic Ocean, he remembered the hours he’d spent under Mercado’s control, convinced he was going to die. He thought of ways to explain to Cara what happened, but the words would not come easily.
During the time inside Mercado’s compound, he’d made peace with God, or so he thought. Since he’d had to live with the outcome, the peace he’d once found had evaded him and his faith had wavered. In the months of recovery, his conscience prodded him to turn back toward God, but unanswered questions lingered. Why was a merciless killer still walking free, while he could barely walk at all? He looked down at his leg, and his brows drew together. Life wasn’t fair. This wasn’t fair.
“I didn’t deserve this.” Gage’s voice cracked. He hadn’t meant to say the words aloud, but since he had, he might as well start from there. “You’d think God would make a special effort to protect those who spend their lives helping others, wouldn’t you?”
Cara stepped beside him, warmth and compassion filling her eyes. “How do you know He hasn’t protected you? You are still alive.”
“The only reason I’m still alive is because Mercado thinks I’m already dead.”
She lifted a brow and leaned a hip against the wooden railing. “He did this?” She glanced at his leg.
“With his own hands. And the help of a sledge hammer.” Gage ground his teeth against the painful memory as if it was happening all over again. He’d never forget. Never.
Cara didn’t look at him with pity as so many others had. Rather, a steadfast determination shone in her eyes. “Who is this monster?”
“He’s a ruthless drug smuggler who wants to dominate the supply of cocaine entering the United States. If he aligns himself with the Serrano Cartel there will be no stopping him. He’s already orchestrated the torture and murder of hundreds of rival cartel members.”
Cara shivered and hugged her arms around her middle. “What does Jonas have to do with all this?”
“He’s working as a mule for Mercado.”
“He’s what?”
“He transports cocaine across the border, into Mexico and then to the U.S.”
“No.” Cara shook her head. “He would never do that. He is not a criminal.”
“It’s all right.” Gage hurried to reassure her. “The drugs are being destroyed before they hit the streets.”
“Who does he really work for?”
“The Drug Enforcement Agency.” Gage waited a moment for the implications to sink in. “I used to work out of the Bogotá office. He still does.”
Cara paled as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Let’s sit.” He guided her to one of two rocking chairs adorning the porch.
She sat with a hard thump, and he eased into the other chair.
Gage’s bent knee protested, but he ignored the pain. “A few years ago, the DEA teamed up with multiple federal agencies to commence Operation Vanquish, which was meant to take down both the Serrano Cartel and all their international counterparts. Several high-priority targets were identified. Mercado was one of them. I worked the money laundering side, while Jonas went in as a mule.
“We’d been on the case for a couple of years when Mercado discovered I was an agent. He tortured me for days before Jonas got to me. I was barely still alive.” Gage’s leg throbbed as he remembered the horror. “A few days ago, Mercado identified another undercover federal agent who was sent in to replace me.” He’d never met Marc Duley, but he knew him by reputation. The man was an honorable family man who’d left behind a wife and two children. The thought made Gage want to retch. “Mercado shot him, execution style in a small village outside of Cartagena.”
“A small village?” Cara’s eyes grew wide. “I followed Jonas to a village. Mercado thinks I witnessed him murder a federal agent?”
Gage nodded. “You pose a huge threat. It’s a risk for him to enter the States again to conduct business until he knows you’re not able to testify against him.”
“That explains why he wants me dead. But, why didn’t Jonas just tell me all this from the beginning?”
“At first, he thought the less you knew, the safer you’d be. But, circumstances have changed.” Gage didn’t want to cause Cara more distress, but she had to know how grave the situation had become. “Mercado suspects you followed Jonas into the village. If he discovers you two are related, he’ll use Jonas to get to you.”
Cara gripped the arms on the chair so tight her knuckles lost all color. “Then he’ll kill us both.”
“He’ll try. Jonas is one of Mercado’s best mules, or so he thinks. If Mercado discovers the truth, there’s no telling what he’ll do. Especially since he’s already taken out two agents.”
“Why hasn’t Mercado been arrested for what he did to you? You can testify against him. What about Agent Duley’s murder? Jonas was there. He can testify, too.”
“We can, and we will testify against him, but not yet. For now, Jonas has to remain undercover. His objective is to obtain the written accounts of the drug smuggling operation. When Mercado falls, we’re taking the entire cartel down with him.”
“That makes sense. But, how did Mercado find out you and Agent Duley were federal agents to begin with?”
Gage shifted, uncomfortable with the way things went down. “I was forced to blow my own cover to protect an informant. I tried to escape the compound, but I didn’t make it out before Mercado did this to me.” He gestured toward his leg. “Anyway, I don’t know what tipped Mercado off to Agent Duley. That’s something Jonas is looking into.”
“Jonas could be walking straight into the lion’s den.”
“Yes. He is. But, there’s no time to send in someone else.”
“Jonas wouldn’t be in such danger if I hadn’t flown to Columbia.” Tears welled in her eyes. “This is my fault.”
“That’s not true. Jonas was in danger long before you even knew where he was and what he was doing.”
Cara let out a humorless chuckle. “I suppose him calling his job a mission was his way of being as truthful as possible, without giving away too much.”
“Clever.” Gage lifted a corner of his lips. He’d always liked Jonas. Even from the beginning, Gage’s instincts told him he could trust the man. He also liked the fact Jonas looked out for his own. He’d like to think any brother would go to such lengths to protect his sister, but he’d come across many in his day who wouldn’t. “He’s a good man.”
“Smart too. He’s earned two college degrees, including a Masters in Psychology. Why would he sign up for something this dangerous?” Cara looked toward the ocean as if searching for answers.
Gage had an idea as to why. He shared some of the same reasons. “Countless lives will be saved if Mercado and his affiliations are destroyed. Maybe Jonas wants to feel like he’s making a difference with his life. Maybe he really wants to help people.”
“Sounds like he is a missionary after all.” She rubbed her forehead. “I’m all for helping people, but I can’t lose him. He’s all the family I have left. Is that selfish?”
Gage wrapped his fingers tight around his cane to prevent reaching for her. “Jonas wanted you to know so you could prepare yourself for the possibilities.”
She shook her head as a new determination shone in her eyes. “Mercado has done enough damage already. I won’t stand idly by while he gets away with murder.” She nipped her lower lip. “What can I do to help?”
His stomach churned as he recognized the look on her face. Jonas often wore the same expression when confronting adversary. Jonas never backed down, and Gage feared Cara wouldn’t either. “I’ll tell you exactly w
hat you’re going to do. You’re going to stay as far away from Mercado as possible.”
12
Cartagena, Columbia
Alejandro studied the faces in the photograph sitting on his desk. His beloved brother, Eduardo, stood with his arm draped around Santiago and Rafael, life shining in his dark, deep set eyes. He’d been the kind of brother Alejandro looked up to until the day he’d been killed at the hands of the Serrano Cartel’s biggest competitor, the Velez Cartel.
Alejandro had found the killers and exacted his revenge. He’d tortured and then decapitated the members responsible, effectively damaging the Velez’s entire infrastructure. Eduardo would’ve been proud. After all, his brother had taught him everything he knew about the drug business.
Alejandro returned his attention to the thick, spiral notebook on his desk. He studied the detailed accounts of drug routes, contacts, and shipments written within the pages. He preferred old fashion record keeping, the kind where only one copy existed, as opposed to computer records. Digital files could be traced, duplicated, and distributed across the world instantly. But, the information contained within the notebook’s physical pages could be destroyed easily enough, if need be.
Satisfied the ledgers were in order, Alejandro gathered receipts, stored them in the notebook’s pocket and closed the cover, anxious to enjoy his son’s company. After securing the records inside a hidden safe, he stepped outside. The sun’s warmth soaked into his skin, and Carlos’s laughter brightened his mood. He still ached for his brother, but having a son to pass his legacy to eased the pain.
Perhaps he would expand upon his family one day. He wouldn’t mind having a daughter to dote on. Or, perhaps another son. But, could Eve handle having another child? She’d nearly died in childbirth when Carlos was born. He shrugged. Maybe it was time to find a new wife anyway. Setting all business aside, he gathered Carlos into his arms and hugged him tight.
Carlos wriggled away. “I’m chasing a lizard. Want to help?” Big, round eyes begged.
Before he could object, Alejandro found himself caught in a game of hide-and-seek with Carlos and an eight inch long rainbow lizard.
