He should feel relieved. This mess was almost over. Mission accomplished.
So why was his chest contracting so tightly he could barely breathe? Why were his nerves jumping and his pulse racing like he’d just run a marathon?
Nicole rode silently in the passenger’s seat of the rental car they’d picked up in Baton Rouge. He’d chosen a rental company that would send a driver to his grandmother’s house to get them and take them back home tonight. He cast a side glance at Nicole.
I love both of you.
He’d waited half his life to hear her tell him she loved him. And, damn it, when she had, her father’s presence had overshadowed what should have been his. He’d even had to friggin’ share Nicole’s declaration of love with the infernal man. Daniel gritted his teeth. He couldn’t ask Nicole to exclude her father from her life for his sake, so any future he tried to build with her would always include the man who’d offered him to the enemy like a Thanksgiving turkey. Her loyalties would always be divided.
Irritation plucked at him, and he shifted in the driver’s seat, restless and ready to get out to sea.
“We’re almost there,” Nicole said, reading his mood correctly. “The road to the marina is just past this turn a few miles.”
He nodded and used the rearview mirror to check on Pilar. The little girl met his gaze in the mirror, and her doelike brown eyes turned his heart inside out. Nicole wasn’t the only one who’d miss Pilar. And wasn’t that a kick in the pants? A hardened undercover counter-terrorist agent letting a little girl’s giggle and innocent eyes burrow under his tough hide. “Pronto, tadpole. Pronto.”
Pilar nodded, and her grin reflected her eager anticipation of seeing her father.
When they reached the turnoff to the marina, Nicole directed him to the crushed-shell parking lot and aimed her finger to a large boat moored at the end of the wooden pier. “That’s it. The Serendipity.”
Daniel cut the engine and studied the cabin cruiser. “The marina manager has the key?”
“He’s supposed to. I’ll get it and meet you two down there.”
Daniel climbed out of the car and retrieved the cane he’d been using the past two days. The loose shells made walking more difficult, and he had his head down, watching his step, when Nicole gasped.
He looked up to see what had startled her, then followed the path of her stunned gaze to the manager’s office.
Senator White stalked down the sidewalk toward them. On his heels were two well-dressed Hispanic men.
Daniel stiffened, alarms clanging in his head and white-hot fury roiling inside him.
He’d given her a clear mandate, specific directions. No one else could know about their meeting with Jake. Her father was not to be involved or informed of their plans beyond their need to use the boat for the day.
Had she defied his directives and betrayed his trust? Again?
Acid bit his gut hard as he saw his future in clear focus—Nicole deferring to her father, Nicole not trusting him, Nicole second-guessing him and undermining their relationship because of her shaky faith in him. Which, in truth, meant he had no future with Nicole.
Swallowing hard, Daniel choked down the bitter taste of his hurt and anger, and cut a narrow-eyed gaze to Nicole. “I told you your father couldn’t be trusted. Apparently, neither can you.”
A wounded look crossed her face, and she opened her mouth to defend herself. But Daniel knew all he needed.
“Take Pilar and go wait at the boat. I’ll handle this.” He hobbled forward, hating the disadvantage he was at because of his damn knee. With his free hand, he unzipped his jacket for faster access to the sidearm in his shoulder holster. The patter of footsteps behind him told him Nicole and Pilar were following him rather than doing as he’d ordered.
When he sent Nicole a glare, she raised her chin and scowled back. “He’s my father. I’ll talk to him.”
“Nicole, honey, how are you?” The senator’s booming voice reverberated across the marina. He drew Nicole close for a hug, and she gave her father a tight smile and a peck on the check.
“Dad, what are you doing here? I told you we didn’t need help with the Serendipity.”
The senator cocked his head. “Just the same, it is my boat, and I prefer to be the one who pilots it. Besides, I thought it would be nice to have the opportunity to get to know your Mr. LeCroix better.”
Her Mr. LeCroix? What did he mean by that? Daniel wondered but shoved the thought aside in the interest of more pressing matters. Like the two men standing with Nicole’s father.
“Who are you?” Daniel asked the men, his tone less than polite.
“Ramon Diaz,” the taller of the two men said, stepping forward to shake Daniel’s hand. “I’m the attaché to the Colombian embassy who has been working with the senator and Miss White in returning Pilar Castillo to our country. And this—” he indicated the shorter yet well-muscled man with him “—is Jorge Menendez, my associate.”
Daniel sized Menendez up. The bulge at the waist of his coat was, no doubt, a gun, and the eagle eye with which he regarded the group told Daniel the term bodyguard might be more accurate than associate.
Diaz turned to the little girl, who scuttled closer to Nicole’s legs, giving the stranger a wary scrutiny. “And this, I presume, is Pilar.”
Nicole shook Diaz’s hand, as well, her expression guarded. “What brings you here today, Mr. Diaz?”
The attaché chuckled. “I’d think that was obvious. Pilar Castillo is a Colombian citizen, and I’m here to take custody of her.”
Daniel tensed and, from the corner of his eye, saw Nicole square her shoulders.
“We’ve been in New Orleans for days,” Diaz continued, “trying to make just such arrangements. But you disappeared with her.”
If he was simply here to take custody of Pilar, why did Diaz feel he needed a bodyguard for the meeting? Was the muscle for his protection or for Pilar’s? Did he expect trouble from the goons who’d tried once to kidnap the girl?
“How did you know we would be here?” Nicole asked, echoing Daniel’s next thought.
“The senator told me,” Diaz returned blandly.
Nicole sent her father a stunned look, which the senator met with a guilty frown and shake of his head.
“I called him to see if he’d had any news from you, Miss White,” Diaz explained, “and he filled me in on your little jaunt today.”
“Only after you threatened to go to the media with accusations that I was an accomplice to kidnapping and harboring an illegal immigrant,” Senator White growled, then shot Nicole an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, honey. I was in a bad position, and God knows the last thing I need is any more scandal or bad press.”
Nicole scowled her disappointment in her father and faced Diaz. She gave the attaché a tight, businesslike grin. “Well, as much as I appreciate your help in finding Pilar’s father and keeping this whole situation amicable, the truth is your assistance is not needed. We’ve found Judge Castillo and are meeting him today to return Pilar to his custody.”
Daniel’s gut dropped, and he gritted his teeth. Merde! Why had she told Diaz their plans? Too much was still at risk. Too much could still go wrong. Embassy official or not, Diaz was a wild card, an unknown, and Daniel didn’t trust him.
Diaz and Menendez exchanged a startled look.
“Castillo is coming here?” Menendez asked.
“No,” Nicole said. “Were going to him. Meeting him at a neutral location.”
“Where?” Diaz asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Daniel cut in before Nicole could show all their cards. “We have the matter under control. Your embassy doesn’t need to get involved.”
“LeCroix, is it?” Diaz asked shifting his attention to Daniel. “We are already involved... As is proper protocol.” His eyes narrowed as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his dress pants and twisted his mouth in a thoughtful moue. “But I’m not an unreasonable man. If you have a custody transfer set up, there i
s no point in changing those plans.”
Daniel’s neck prickled with suspicion, but Nicole released a relieved sigh and flashed a bright smile. “Thank you.”
“On one condition,” Diaz added.
Nicole’s smile dimmed, her eyebrows pulling together in a dubious frown. “What condition?”
“We accompany you to the rendezvous point to verify the exchange for the Colombian government.”
Daniel squeezed the grip of his cane. “No way in hell.”
Blinking her surprise, Nicole shot him a dark look. “Daniel, why—?”
“No. We go alone, as planned.” His returned look asked her to trust him. Their plans had been leaked, but he could still salvage the mission. All that mattered was seeing Pilar safely delivered to her father. He only asked for Nicole to have faith in him, give her cooperation.
Diaz heaved an impatient sigh. “It seems to me you have but two choices. One, you allow us to go with you and verify that the girl is, in fact, given back to her father, or two, I call the local sheriff and Coast Guard and have you arrested for kidnapping, child endangerment, child trafficking and anything else I can make stick. This will become an international incident, because I will see to it your government is called to task.”
“Now see here,” Senator White started, aiming a finger at Diaz.
“Dad.” Nicole gripped her father’s arm and sent him a pleading look for calm. Turning back to Diaz, she employed another ingratiating smile. “Mr. Diaz, what if we verified the transfer for you. We could send you proof, say pictures of Pilar with her father, or—”
“Pictures can be altered,” Menendez countered.
Daniel cursed under his breath. “We’re wasting time here.”
Pilar’s wide brown eyes darted from one man to the next, clearly alert to the tension in their voices. Daniel gave her a brief considering glance. His goal was to get Pilar back to her father. Diaz had thrown a monkey wrench in that plan, but not an insurmountable obstacle.
As much as he hated changing their plans, getting locked in a diplomatic stalemate benefitted no one. He nailed a grim stare on Diaz. “Fine. You can go with us and verify.” He hitched his head to Menendez. “But your associate stays here. Take it or leave it.”
Menendez glowered at Daniel before exchanging a silent but pregnant look with Diaz. The attaché sniffed and scratched his nose, then nodded. “Sí, he will stay here.”
Menendez’s expression clearly displayed his hatred of this plan. “Diaz—”
The attaché raised his hand to quiet his associate. “Shall we go, then?”
Senator White rallied, as if afraid the situation could backfire if he didn’t hurry. He put a hand on Nicole’s and Pilar’s shoulders and directed them down the pier.
Daniel opened his mouth to stop the senator but reconsidered. If things went sideways, the senator was safer on the Serendipity with them than alone here with Menendez. Sighing his resignation and taut with apprehension, Daniel followed the rest of the group to the senator’s cabin cruiser.
While the others boarded, Daniel slipped out his cell phone, hoping to send Jake a quick text, warning him that the attaché and senator were accompanying them.
No signal. Enfer!
The two-way radios they’d brought for communication with Jake would only work when they were within five miles of him.
Before Diaz could enter the living space, Daniel pulled him aside and searched him for weapons. He found the man’s 9 mm
Beretta in an ankle holster and confiscated it, much to the attaché’s displeasure.
“This is a simple custody transfer. Why would you need a weapon?” Daniel asked coolly.
“Because the same people who took Pilar in Bogotá, who tried to kidnap her in New Orleans, are still out there. Anything could happen.”
“I’ve thought of that, and contingencies are covered.” With a nod of dismissal, Daniel strode inside the main cabin.
While Nicole’s father headed to the cockpit and piloted them out of the marina, Nicole opened an overhead bin and removed a child-size life jacket for Pilar. After helping the girl into hers, he showed the men where the other life preservers were stored in case of emergency, then followed the girl out to the bow to watch the waves. Diaz followed the women outside and planted himself in a deck chair.
Joining the senator upstairs in the cockpit, Daniel stepped close to Nicole’s father, so his low tone could be heard over the rumble of the engine and whipping slipstream. “Do you keep any weapons onboard?”
The senator cut a startled look to him, then nodded to a compartment beside them. “I have a loaded gun—a Colt .45 single-action revolver that was my grandfather’s—locked in there. I thought it was prudent to have some means to defend myself and my passengers in light of recent news about pirates and the violence crossing the border out of Mexico.”
Daniel arched an eyebrow. “If you’re looking to defend yourself against pirates and drug runners, you better consider an automatic rather than a single action.” He sighed. “But keep the Colt handy. Just in case.”
The senator gave Daniel a long, hard look. “Listen...LeCroix, I know we have a lot of history. You have every right to hate me and what I did.”
Daniel gave him only a brief glance of acknowledgment before setting his jaw and turning his attention to the Gulf.
“I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done. But I’d do them all again, if it meant saving my daughter’s life. She is everything to me.”
Daniel kept silent, searching the horizon for signs of trouble.
“Nicole has deep feelings for you, LeCroix.”
Though he tried not to show any reaction to that statement, Daniel felt his muscles give a telltale twitch.
“And because of that, I’d like to bury the hatchet.”
When the senator paused, Daniel glanced at him. “Bury it where? In my back?”
Nicole’s father shook his head. “I’m trying to offer a truce. A cease-fire for my daughter’s sake.”
Flexing and balling his hand in agitation, Daniel faced the senator. “I have deep feelings for Nicole, too. I’d like to think we have a future together, but recent events have proven that’s nothing but a pipe dream.”
The senator drew his gray eyebrows together. “Recent events?”
“Like our extra passenger, Diaz. You put your political well-being ahead of your daughter’s safety.”
The man’s eyes widened. “I didn’t—”
“I don’t trust you, and I’m learning I can’t trust Nicole when it comes to you, either.”
Senator White raised his chin, and his expression hardened. “Do not ever question my motives regarding my daughter. Her safety and happiness are my top priority. Always.”
“Then act like it.” Before heading back down to the lower level, Daniel slapped a scrap of paper with the GPS coordinates of the rendezvous spot on the dash and aimed a finger at the locked compartment. “Have your weapon ready in case it’s needed.”
On the ladder to the main deck, Daniel cast a glance to the senator to be sure he’d complied. Nicole’s father slid the Colt revolver in the waist of his pants at the small of his back and met Daniel’s gaze with a nod.
* * *
Nicole stood with Pilar at the bow of the Serendipity, trying to soothe the knots in her stomach and cool the burn in her heart. If the tension over the Colombian attaché’s surprise appearance and her impending goodbye to Pilar weren’t enough, Daniel’s earlier caustic comment ate at her, leaving her stinging and raw.
I told you your father couldn’t be trusted. Apparently, neither can you.
Daniel had avoided her for the past hour and a half as they cruised out into the Gulf of Mexico, and she had tried to stay busy, keep her mind off the newest rift between them, by entertaining Pilar.
The little girl had shaken off the tension from the confrontation on pier, clearly focused on seeing her father, the seagulls clamoring near the boat, and the spray of water splashing
her face as she hung over the railing at the bow. Suddenly Pilar’s face brightened, and she pointed toward the horizon. “Papi!”
Shielding her eyes from the glare of sun, Nicole squinted at the spot Pilar indicated.
“Mira, Nicole! Papi!” Pilar squealed and waved an arm excitedly.
Sure enough, a small boat with two men aboard rocked in the waters ahead of them. One of the men, his hair as black as Pilar’s, stood and waved an arm back at Pilar. The second man wore a telltale cowboy hat.
The girl’s shouts and excitement brought Diaz and Daniel to the railing, as well. Daniel lifted a pair of binoculars and confirmed that the other boat was Jake and Pilar’s father. “Anchor here!” he shouted to the cockpit. “Let them come to us.”
Her father gave a nod of understanding, and the drone of the Serendipity’s engine quieted.
Daniel raised a hand radio to his mouth. “Serendipity to Connelly. You there, cowboy? Over.”
“Roger that. Over,” Jake’s voice crackled over the radio.
“We have extra company. Over.”
“So I see. What’s the plan? Over.”
Daniel cast a glance at Diaz and scowled. “Same plan. We’re anchoring here. Copy?”
“Roger that.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened, and he stared across the Gulf at the small fishing boat that was even now turning toward them. Raising the radio to his lips again, he added, “Greek protocol.”
Nicole furrowed her brow, shooting him a question in her glance. He returned a hard stare but said nothing.
Having dropped anchor, her father came down from the cockpit and joined her at the bow railing. He put his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve done well, Nicole, caring for Pilar the way you have. You can be proud.”
The Reunion Mission: The Reunion MissionTall Dark Defender Page 16
