Ransom in Rio

by Theresa Lynn Hall

  She nodded, making a deliberate attempt to keep her gaze away from his blue eyes. A solid, muscular arm pulled her to him and he held her gently. Not too close, but close enough for her to feel his strength and inhale his masculinity. She breathed in the scent of his cologne as her face rested lightly on his chest. The feel of soft cotton and warmth from his skin beneath her cheek calmed her. She didn’t want to move. For the first time in forever, she felt safe.

  “If this is too hard for you, we can continue later.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered into his broad chest. She pulled away and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Let’s go have dinner. I really need to eat before I leave here. My blood sugar can’t get any lower.”

  She followed him back to the table and noticed he’d devoured half of the basket of chips. The waitress came seconds later with a hot, fresh refill and they both ate quietly for a few minutes.

  “She said I was right. She said I’m always right. And that she doesn’t want to end up like Jace. She said never call her again.”

  Almost choking on his tea, he sat the glass back down and blinked several times. He cleared his throat. “Really?” He wiped his mouth with his red cloth napkin, placed it back in his lap and stared across the restaurant. He was obviously choosing his next words carefully. “I don’t want to speculate on what she means. I need facts. I’m going down there.”

  “Down where?”

  “I’m going to Cozumel to see what I can dig up.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “No. It’s safer if you stay here. Go to work as usual. Keep the same routine so no one would suspect anything. I don’t like what Selena told you, and it makes me worry a little.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it like that until now. Now I'm more worried than ever.”

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. Try not to worry too much. It’s my job to protect you. And I’m very good at my job.”

  “What do you mean?” Her voice sounded shaky in her ears.

  “You hired me. It’s my job to investigate for you, which means I also have to keep you safe from anything I may find out.” He picked up his glass of tea and winked at her from behind it. “You’ll be in good hands.”

  Her stomach clenched, and she looked away. She noticed the long, jagged scar on his left forearm again. He must’ve caught her looking at it, because he glanced at it too.

  “What happened there?” she asked, nodding towards his arm.

  “Afghanistan.”

  “Oh.” She reached for her tea, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.

  “You mean you’re not going to ask a bunch of questions?” He held his arm up. “Most people have to know all the sordid details.”

  “No. Your answer said enough.”

  He only nodded and picked up another chip.

  For some reason, she really didn’t want to know anything about him ever being hurt or in danger. She actually didn’t want to know anything more about him at all. Getting to know him meant caring. And right now, she only needed to know that he was invincible and capable of doing his job. Nothing else mattered.

  ****

  Lexi had offered to drive Brayden to the airport, but he refused to let her. It was probably better that she hadn’t. She had a lot of work to catch up on, anyway. Besides, Brayden had somehow completely persuaded her to leave the investigating to him and to resume her normal life as much as possible. She wasn’t so sure normalcy would ever be possible again, but she had to try. Today had been a good work day. She’d finished a lot of the projects she’d been working on, and it felt good to be back at work. She turned her chair to stare out the window. The dreary winter days were causing her to have cabin fever. Spring couldn’t get here fast enough. She’d actually never been fond of the cold. Jace had always liked winter and loved being outside no matter what the temperature. She hated winter more than ever now. The sight of snow would always remind her of the day they’d lain Jace to rest.

  The door to her office opened, jolting her from her thoughts. She stiffened and spun her chair to see who had barged in unannounced.

  “Lexi, did you get the order placed for the armoire shipment?”

  Leave it to her father to burst in barking orders. “Yes, I did that this morning. Is there a problem?”

  “Actually, there is. I spoke with your uncle in Rio, and he said that the last order was received damaged.”

  “What? How?” She knew she shouldn't have trusted that new shipping company. Jace had warned her that he thought changing companies was a bad idea. He'd wanted to keep their old company—against their father’s orders—but their dad had insisted it was time to make changes in order to save money. If shipments were being damaged, it was going to cost them more than they were saving.

  “I don’t know. But I want you to go down there to check out the next shipment when it arrives. Matter of fact, you’ve been working really hard lately. Go for a few weeks and enjoy a vacation. It’s Carnival next week. You should go with your tia. She has been asking about you.”

  “Dad…I have a lot of work to do here. I mean, as much as I would love to see Aunt Sophia, I just can't leave.” Truth was she couldn’t leave because she was investigating Jace’s death. Something her father could never find out about.

  “Nonsense. You need a vacation. You haven't seen your family in Rio in a couple of years. I'll pay for your trip, since it's business.”

  Lexi stared at her father, not able to say anything to continue the debate. She guessed she could tell Brayden to call her in Rio with any news. Maybe her dad was right. She wasn't sleeping well, and she was tired of trying to pretend that Jace was going to walk through the door every morning and hand her a cup of coffee like he used to do.

  “It's starting to snow.”

  Lexi turned to look out the window. “Yeah.” Maybe getting away would do her some good.

  “It's nice and warm in Rio right now. Don't forget that when you pack.”

  She knew that was her dad's way of ending the conversation. It had never really been up for discussion. She imagined it was the same conversation he'd had with Jace a few weeks ago.

  “I'll have Mrs. Bowers get your plane tickets.”

  “I'll be ready to go.”

  The only thing left to do was call Brayden McCoy to let him know she was leaving the country.

  “I'll call your aunt and uncle and tell them you'll be coming. I'll also arrange for someone from the company to meet you at the airport.” Her dad turned and left her office without another word. Not a thank you, not a good-bye, and certainly not an I love you. He was a man of little emotion. Luckily for her, she didn’t require his affections or need them anymore.

  The biggest problem with being the daughter of Henry Ramos was the fear of becoming just like him. According to her last boyfriend, it was too late. Casey had compared her to a cat that only showed emotion when she felt like it and not when it was wanted or needed. The comment had hurt her so much she'd walked out of his house, never speaking to the man again. The last she'd heard of Casey, he was practicing law in South Carolina, married with two kids and another baby on the way. Good for him. He'd been spared a life of misery.

  Lexi covered her face with her hands. It was time to get herself together. There was packing to do and phone calls to make. The first would be to Brayden. It had been several days since he’d left. He hadn’t contacted her with any news. Hopefully, he would be able to tell her something before she left the country. She picked up her cell phone from the desk. If he didn't answer, she'd leave him a message with her Aunt Sophia’s number. He could contact her in Rio if he needed to. She waited for the call to go through.

  “McCoy here.” His voice sounded gruff, nothing like the last time she'd seen him.

  “Brayden? It's Lexi Ramos.”

  “Lexi. Are you OK?” Now his voice hinted of worry.

  “Yes, I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know that Dad has me going to Rio. I'll be in Brazil checking on a shipment
. I'll be staying with my aunt and uncle for a week or so. I wanted to give you the number in case my cell isn't cooperating while I'm down there.”

  Lexi waited impatiently for him to reply. “Are you there?”

  “Yeah, I'm here.”

  Something was wrong. He sounded weird.

  “Have you found anything in Cozumel?”

  She heard him exhale loudly. “Yes, I did. I would have rather met with you in person when I got back to Texas, but I guess I'll brief you on it over the phone.”

  Lexi flinched. His tone was cold, but his words were tactful. Rather than try to figure out his mood, she’d listen to what he had to say. “Well…”

  “On second thought, I’m flying to Rio. When are you going to be there?”

  It seemed like forever before she could react to what he’d just said. Was the news so horrible he had to tell her in person? Was he hoping for a free trip to Rio since she was paying all the bills? Lexi squeezed the pencil she’d been using to scribble on her desk calendar. Her nerves were shot from dealing with her dad and now this. She didn’t bother hiding her irritation.

  “Look. Mr. McCoy, I don’t know what part of this I need to explain. I’ve hired you to help me. I sort of thought that meant you had to tell me everything you discovered about my brother’s death. Please, correct me if I’m wrong.” She waited for him to say something.

  He didn’t.

  “I need to know what you found out,” she prompted.

  She could hear him shuffling papers, slamming something against a table. Then more clicking and shuffling. Her patience was running out. “Mr. McCoy, I’m sorry, but if you’re not willing to work with me on this, maybe we should just…”

  “Miss Ramos, I apologize for offending you.”

  She felt a quick stab at the sound of him calling her by her last name. She didn’t know why it mattered, but it did.

  “It’s fine,” she said apologetically. “I just need to know what you’re not telling me. It’s alarming, to say the least.”

  He seemed to hesitate a few seconds. “Your brother didn’t charter the boat, it was done for him. I don’t have a name, but money talks down here, and I was able to find out the boating company he used. A woman paid for your brother and two other men to go out that morning. She paid cash. The captain of the boat said that he doesn’t remember much because he fell sick and passed out. One of the men brought the boat back into the dock and called for an ambulance. The captain woke up in the hospital later that evening with no memory of being out on the boat or coming into the dock. He didn’t know that your brother was found dead the next day. At least not until I told him. After that, he wouldn’t speak to me anymore. He asked me to leave and never come back.”

  Lexi swallowed the lump in her throat. No more crying. “Now what?”

  “I’ll meet you in Rio.”

  “That’s not necessary. I’d rather you stay there and get me the answers I need. Why would you even think of leaving Cozumel? Rio has nothing to do with my brother’s death. He hasn’t been there in five years.”

  She paced her office and reminded herself not to get upset, but her emotions went haywire. What had happened to her brother? And why was Brayden insisting on going to Rio? “If you think you’re coming to Rio for an all-expense-paid vacation, you’re wrong. I’m not paying for you to come to Rio. I’m paying you to give me answers.”

  “Miss Ramos, I’ll pay for the plane ticket and all of my own expenses. But like it or not, I’m coming to Rio.”

  ****

  “She’s the orneriest woman I’ve dealt with…at least in a while,” Brayden said. He stared out at the water as it lapped the dock. There was something about her attitude that he liked.

  “Uh huh.” Luke Johson looked up from the case file he’d been studying and grinned at him.

  He was relieved his friend had agreed to go along. He valued Luke’s expertise and advice over anyone else’s.

  “I don’t want to tell her this, but I have a bad feeling about her suddenly going to Rio.” He also didn’t want to tell her that he’d found out more than just the boat her brother had gone out on. What he'd found in Cozumel was more than he’d bargained for. Not just in Mexico, but in Texas too. He hoped he was wrong, but he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight. He didn’t think she’d killed her own brother, but he couldn’t bet money on her being totally innocent of everything he’d found out, either.

  Thankfully, she’d given in to him going to Rio. He wondered why she was so adamant on him not going. He took the file folder from Luke, packed it in his briefcase, and snapped it shut.

  “That’s that,” he said.

  “What are you gonna to do?”

  Brayden shook his head. “I don’t know. I hope I’m wrong. Or at the very least, I hope she’s innocent and knows nothing of what’s been happening.”

  Luke sipped his ice tea and shook his head. Brayden knew what he was about to say. They’d served two tours together and were as close as brothers. Half the time they could carry on whole conversations without saying a word. Luke had jumped at the chance to go with him to Cozumel for a little R & R. His job as a Texas Ranger was wearing him thin.

  “Why don’t you go back to the FBI, Brayden?”

  “You know why.”

  Luke leaned back in his chair. “Actually, I don’t.”

  “I don’t want the stress. I need to have time for myself. I like being my own boss.”

  “You like being in control. Ever since you got back and found…well, ever since you got back home it’s like you enjoy being alone. I’m surprised you asked me to come with you to Cozumel.”

  Luke was right. Little by little he was shutting out the world around him and settling in for a life of seclusion. Up until Lexi Ramos’s phone call, he’d thought he was doing pretty well for himself.

  “Look, I hear you, but I’m happy. I’m good. I asked you here to help me with this case, and I’m enjoying spending time with my good friend. Life is good.”

  “Life would be better with a woman in it. A redhead to be exact.”

  “Don’t say it,” Brayden warned. He already knew where this was going. Luke’s laugh filled the outdoor cabana. People actually stopped eating to look at them.

  “You know me too well. I was going to ask what is it about this girl that has you so smitten?”

  “I didn’t think you even knew the word smitten. Find a new word, because I hate that one and I’m definitely not smitten.” He said the word as though it were poison on his tongue. He’d never been infatuated with any woman, and Luke knew it.

  “You’re something, that’s for sure. I haven’t seen you like this in a while. She’s the first woman you’ve talked about.”

  Brayden dismissed Luke’s comments with a wave of his hand. “She’s my client. I’m just worried about her. She’s been through a lot, and if what we’ve found out is true, she’s about to go through a lot more.”

  “Exactly. So remember that when you start feeling a little smittish.”

  “That’s not a word. Besides, I don’t mix business with pleasure. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m just yanking your chain. If you feel something for her, and I think you do, be careful. You know the rules. Don't mix them up.”

  “I can keep it professional.”

  “What if she's guilty? Can you keep your attraction out of it and just see the facts?”

  “She's not.”

  “Not guilty or not innocent? And how do you know which? I’ve seen serial killers cry like babies when their mommas saw them in jail. Didn’t change the fact that they’d chopped someone up a day earlier. Crazy people can love and have remorse. It’s all in the perception.”

  “She’s not crazy.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Sure you did. I’d tell you the same thing. I know it sounds nuts, because I don’t really know her, but there’s something about her that gives me a gut feeling that she’s innocent.”
<
br />   “So you admit you are falling for her?”

  “I’m not admitting anything.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not ready for another failed relationship. I’m doing good all by myself. Or bad, according to you.”

  “I just think it’s time to quit being a loner.”

  “I’m not a loner. And who are you to give relationship advice?”

  “I’m the guy who talked you off the ledge, remember?”

  “Whatever. It wasn’t like that. And besides, Lexi is different. She doesn’t need a man in her life. I get the feeling if she lets one in, it’s because she wants him there and not because she needs him. And to be clear, I have no intention of becoming her man.”

  Brayden raked a hand through his hair. He gave up trying to hide his irritation. “Look, I don’t know when or how this conversation derailed to start you nagging on my love life—or lack of. So what if I’m attracted to her? She’s still my client. Nothing more.”

  Luke put up both hands. “OK, man. Calm down. You win. Just be careful. You have a big heart, and I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” Luke sipped his ice tea, then shook his head. “I’m going to go back to my office and turn over the information you gave me to the FBI. I think you’re on to something big here. I hope you’re right about her, Brayden.”

  “I am. She’s innocent.”

  “If you think she’s innocent then you should pray for her. Sounds like she’s gonna need it.”

  Brayden glanced at his watch then back to Luke. “I have. And she does.”

  4

  Thunder pounded in the distance as Kristy drove under the sign for Terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International airport. Lexi was grateful for her friend’s company, especially since it looked as though the flight might be delayed because of the weather. She was already nervous about this trip, and the rain wasn't helping.

  “Texas weather. Snow last week, thunderstorms this week. Looks like spring is on its way with all this rain we've been having.” Lexi glanced up at the sky, just before Kristy pulled into the parking garage.

  “You're nervous, aren't you?” Kristy asked absently as she circled the dark building for a parking spot.