The glitter in her eyes flickered and dissipated. “It happens in romance novels, but it’ll never happen in my life. I’m so afraid if I let myself fall in love with someone, he’ll end up dead.”
“You’re so cynical.”
“No more than you, Nick. You avoid relationships because you’re afraid they’ll interfere with work. I avoid them because I’m afraid they’ll take away the control I need not to go crazy with suffering. I can’t endure losing someone I love again. I just can’t. Right now I don’t even know if my brother’s still alive. Maybe he’s gone, too.”
I smoothed away more tears that streamed from her eyes. “Please don’t cry.” I’ll make everything right for you. “I’m sure your brother is okay.”
“You don’t know that. All this talk is upsetting me. Please just help me forget what I don’t want to think about.” Her gaze roved over my nakedness, and I knew right away what path we’d be taking.
When her fingers raked through the hair on my chest and then trailed down toward my erection, I lost all desire to argue and claimed her lips in a desperate, hungry kiss.
* * *
Our lovemaking delayed breakfast, but I still craved my morning run. I peeled back the covers and walked over to my dresser. “Do you mind if I fix our breakfast when I get back from my run?”
“No, of course not. Can I go with you?” Selena sat upright in bed, the covers sliding down to reveal her bouncing, beautiful breasts. “A little exercise might clear my head.”
We hadn’t discussed exercise with Dr. Mendez. “Okay, but you probably shouldn’t do anything too strenuous.”
She laughed as she bounded out of bed naked, her demeanor back to happy and carefree. “I can’t imagine running would raise my heart rate as much as what we did just now.”
My eyes scanned all her curves. The tantalizing view and her candor sent another erogenous surge to my cock. The woman’s turning me into a nymphomaniac. I walked to my closet and pulled a terrycloth bathrobe from a hook and held it out to her. “Here, put this on. Then you can go to your room to fetch some running clothes.”
“What do I need clothes for? No one else is here.” She dashed from the room butt naked, leaving the robe in my hands.
I’d pulled on shorts and underwear and was slipping on shoes and socks when she returned, wearing short pink running shorts and a white tank top. She looked so adorable, I wanted to rush over and kiss her on the forehead. Who knows where that could lead. Instead, I clasped my hands behind my back.
“I’m ready.” She bent over and squeezed the empty toes of her shoes with her fingers. “The shoes are a little large, but I think they’ll work. I wore an extra pair of socks to fill them out more.”
“Yeah, my mom has big feet for a woman five feet tall.”
Selena laughed. “I’m just the opposite. I don’t know any women my height who only wear six and a half.”
“Well, I think you look cute in those pontoon shoes.” I put my hand on her back and started moving toward the door. “Now let’s go.”
We stepped out the back door, strolled across the patio and down the stone stairs onto the sand. The sun burned bright in a clear sky; the sea was a rich sapphire blue. The tide had gone out, leaving jagged rocks, weathered black by the water, exposed on the beach and jutting out of the water. Once we reached a flat stretch of sand close to the sea, I turned toward her. “We can just walk instead if you want.”
“Come on, Nick, let’s run.”
I started out at a slower pace than normal, but she easily matched my strides without breathlessness. I turned my head toward her, captivated by the trickle of sweat that slid down her chest and disappeared between her breasts. When I stumbled over a rock, I jerked my eyes back in front of me. “Is this pace all right for you?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.”
Clearly, Selena worked out hard and often. Hell, she’d given me a run for my money half the night. I’d never made love to a woman with such an insatiable appetite for sex. But it wasn’t just sex that held me in a trance. Her energy and her adventurous personality excited me as much as her voluptuous body.
As we jogged along, our feet sinking into the wet sand, we passed more beachside homes, hotels and undeveloped stretches of rock and sand. Inland, the arid mountains looked so much like Tucson with their arid granite slopes only thinly vegetated with cactus and desert grass.
We rounded a point and then all at once, Selena gasped and jerked to a stop. “We have to get out of here.” She turned and sprinted in the other direction, scattering wet sand everywhere.
A group of dark-skinned men leaned up against a cliff of rock. One of them spoke loudly on a cell phone in Spanish. He sliced at the air and shouted, obviously angry. I thought I’d seen the man’s face before. But where? I turned and sprinted to catch up with Selena. “What is it? Do you know those men?” I said breathlessly.
“Yes, the man yelling on the phone is the one I dreamed about yesterday.”
What if he’s in drug trafficking? I heard a shout and looked over my shoulder to see one of the men pointing toward us. “Damn. They’ve seen us. Quick—let’s run up to that hotel and see if we can blend into the crowd.” I diverted toward the buildings. A security guard tried to stop us, but I pulled out my wallet, handed him a one hundred dollar bill and he allowed us to pass. Fortunately, there were dozens of people sprawled out at the pool and seated in the restaurant.
“Where should we go now?” Sweat dripped from Selena’s panic-stricken face.
“Let’s head for the lobby and see if we can get a taxi out of here.”
We walked briskly up the walkway and into the lobby. “Are they still following us?”
I stepped behind a pillar and peeked out the enormous window toward the pathway that led to the pool and beach. “I don’t see anyone coming yet.”
“Did you hear that?” Selena cried.
A staccato of gunfire broke into the peaceful morning and panicked people screamed and jumped from their chairs.
“Who the hell are these people? Come on, let’s go.” I grabbed Selena’s hand and we sprinted out the front door and jumped into the back seat of the closest vehicle marked taxi. A dark-skinned man with a puffy face dozed in the front seat of the blue van.
“Buenos Dias. Vamos a Starbucks, por favor.”
“Si, Senor.” The man yawned and started the ignition. I looked out the window to see if our pursuers had exited the building. Just as the driver pulled out of the driveway, the men ran out the front entrance, waving their weapons. I exchanged a strained expression with Selena.
“Those men after you?” The man’s eyes widened, and he jerked into an upright posture.
“What men?” Every muscle in my face tensed as I forced out the false words and donned a calm expression.
“It’s good if you don’t know him. You’re more likely to live longer. Very dangerous man.”
“Who is he?” Selena wrung her hands in her lap, and I pulled one of them free, giving it a squeeze.
“Everyone in Mexico knows of Manuel Suarez. He’s the most powerful leader of the Southern Baja cartel. He and other members of his gang have murdered thousands of people. This part of the state was safe and peaceful—until he claimed this territory.”
“Manuel…” Selena’s voice came out slow and monotonic—as if she were in a trance.
“They’re following us,” said the man. “We’re as good as dead.” He nervously scratched his chin and stamped on the accelerator.
“Damn.” The van shook and shimmied, and my voice sounded halted from the vibration. I looked through the back window at a rapidly approaching taxi. We sure as hell aren’t going to outrun him in this clunker. There was only one thing I could think of to do. When the car drew up alongside ours and a window lowered, I leaped into the front seat beside the driver.
“What the hell you doing?” The plump man’s flabby body twitched in response to my startling intrusion.
“I’ve got to get rid
of them. Just keep your foot on the accelerator.” Gripping the steering wheel, I swung the truck over sharply, so it struck the side of the sedan once and then again with greater impact. The van shifted erratically from side to side from the sudden impact, but I regained control in time to avoid oncoming cars on the two-lane highway. “Are you okay?” I glanced over my shoulder at Selena, relieved to see her safe. The attacking car had veered off of the road and bounced over some boulders before coming to a dusty stop in a grove of mesquite trees.
Selena whooped. “That was awesome driving. You did a great job getting rid of them.”
The driver unmasked his eyes, which he’d tightly covered with his hands.
“Sorry about that. You can go ahead and take back the wheel.” Once he’d taken control, I scooted a comfortable distance away.
“Where you learn to drive like that?”
“Sometimes I rent cars from the Audi dealership and take them for a spin on a Tucson racetrack. I pay them well enough; they let me practice some crazy maneuvers.”
“That sounds like a total blast. Will you take me sometime?”
Looking in the rear-view mirror, I saw the excitement glittering in her exotic eyes. I turned and gave her a smile. “It’s a definite possibility.”
Sweat beaded on the man’s brow. He wiped it off on his forearm. “Are you two out of your minds? By now, they’ve probably looked up the registration number on this van. I’m a dead man. And more than likely they’ll track you down, too.”
“What’s your name?”
“Hector.”
“Don’t worry, Hector—I’ve got an idea. We lost them for now. Let’s drive to my house. I’ll store your van in the garage, and you can stay with me until we resolve all this.”
“I’ve seen how these people operate. There’s little chance we’ll escape. But I’m glad you’re not going to leave me out there to die.”
When we reached my house, I got out of the car to punch in the code to my garage before driving the van into the garage.
I wanted to slap myself to see if this were all just a dream. Twenty-four hours ago, life was all about work. Since rescuing Selena, my life had turned to mayhem, my brain had turned to mush, and murderous drug cartel leaders were on our tail. I turned toward Selena and Hector. “I need to make a quick phone call. Why don’t you two make yourselves comfortable in the living room and then I’ll whip up some breakfast after that.”
“Would you mind if I fixed something?”
“No, of course not. There’s already freshly ground coffee and water in the coffee pot in the kitchen. You can flip on the switch to get that brewing and help yourself to anything you want from the fridge.”
“Thanks, Nick.”
Once Selena disappeared into the kitchen and Hector sat down in the living room, I walked over to my desk and picked up the phone. “Hi, Michael, Nicholas here.”
“Nicholas, I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. Some of the research and development people from the Defense Department want to attend the test next week, and I wanted to run that by you.”
“Yes, that’s fine. Please go ahead and schedule that and plan to roll the red carpet out for their arrival. By the way, I need Jocelyn to cancel all my phone conferences for today and tomorrow. Oh, and I need to you to call my mother and let her know I can’t make dinner tonight. I meant to call her last night, but it just didn’t get done.”
“Are you serious? What’s the matter with you, Nicholas? I don’t understand why you’ve been so inaccessible and why you’re not here when we’ve got something this important coming up,” said Michael. “So much is riding on next week. This isn’t like you.”
“I know, Michael. And I’m on top of it. I’ve run into a bit of trouble down here. But I’m getting a handle on it now. I’ll catch up on emails and give you another call this afternoon.”
“Okay, boss. But you’re worrying me.”
“There’s no need to worry, Michael. You know I always deliver when it counts.” I hoped he didn’t detect the hesitation in my voice. I could run a company and deal with presidents and military commanders, but wasn’t so sure I could handle the sexy woman I’d rescued from the Sea of Cortez and the wave of trouble that had washed in with her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
We dined on fresh fruit and oatmeal. While Hector and I shoveled the last bites of oatmeal into our mouths, Selena picked at her food and stared at her plate.
Hector finished chewing a piece of papaya and spoke, his lips wet with juice. “Amnesia. That must have been really strange.”
Selena set her teacup down and dropped her hands into her lap. Her lips trembled and her shoulders sagged. “It was. Nicholas pulled me from the water and I had no idea how I got down here. And now bits and pieces are starting to come back. But I still have no idea why I would be involved with a man like Manuel. I’m a schoolteacher for heaven’s sake. I can’t imagine that I’d risk their safety by being involved with someone like that.”
“You must not have known he was dangerous,” said Hector.
“That’s what I was thinking,” I said. “Hey, just relax and eat. They’re never going to find us here.” Seeing her distress wrenched my insides, making me wish I’d passed on breakfast, but I didn’t understand why now that we were safe, she was still so upset.
Selena scooped up some oatmeal with her spoon and then set it down in the bowl.
“Don’t be so sure,” said Hector. “People must have seen you at the hotel. Anyone asked for a description would have talked out of fear. And these drug people are all linked in with the police. They’re probably looking through records right now. He’ll have your photos, names and addresses out in his networks today, and they’ll track you until they find you.”
Every muscle in my body went rigid. Maybe we’re not so safe. “The police know about Selena’s near drowning and where she’s staying because I reported it. I thought her brother or a boyfriend might be looking for her. I never envisioned a development like this.”
“If the police know your address, Manuel and his men will be onto you in less than an hour.”
“Oh, no,” Selena gasped. “This is all my fault. I just wish I knew why this man wanted to kill me.”
My voice sounded more like a desperate man in love than a company executive. “Don’t worry—I won’t let them get to you. I’ll pay them off if necessary.”
“But I don’t wan—”
“You can’t negotiate with people like that anyway,” said Hector. “They’d still kill us all because we know too much.”
“Let’s watch the news and see if there’s a report on the hotel shooting.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Hector.
Tears streamed down Selena’s cheeks and her voice trembled. “I’ve been nothing but trouble for everyone ever since this accident.”
I reached out and rubbed my hand over her shoulder. “Let’s forget about blame for now and just find a way out of this, okay?”
She met my gaze and held it and her lips curled up in a trace of a smile. “I could tell your work partner was upset with you. The rest of the day, I want you to work.”
“Work? We’ve got to get the hell out of here, I’m telling you,” said Hector.
“Don’t worry, Selena. I’ll handle what I need to at the office this afternoon.” I stood from the table. “But first, let’s watch the news.”
We sat in a row on the long leather couch, watching the big screen TV.
“One person dead, two injured in a shooting that took place at the Casa Bonita hotel. The shooter, Southern Baja drug cartel leader Manuel Suarez, killed a hotel security guard and critically injured two hotel guests when he was denied access to the hotel from the beach. He was apparently pursuing a couple jogging on the beach. The woman was described as medium-height, tanned and Hispanic. The man, described as tall and muscular with wavy light brown hair, is believed to be an American. One witness said he believed the man was Nicholas Gallero, the CEO of Gal
lero Avionics.”
“Damn,” I said, pounding my fist down on the coffee table.
“Is that who you are?” Hector said.
“None other,” I said grimly.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“Wait. Let’s hear the rest.”
“This is the first time gang violence has broken out in a hotel or resort setting in the normally peaceful Cabo San Lucas. The Mexican government is concerned this incident will hurt tourism and the Marines have been called in to pursue Suarez and his accomplices. We’ll have a follow-up report on this at the top of the hour.”
I hit the off button on the remote and gripped my chin between my fingers. “Okay, we need to make a quick decision here. If we’re not safe here, our choices are to run for another location or flee for the airport.”
“They’ll be watching the airport,” said Hector. “We’ll never escape that way.”
“Okay, well let’s pack up a few things and make a run for La Paz. If you don’t mind, we’ll make this trip in my Lincoln SUV. The windows are dark, and it drives like a bat out of hell.”
Hector wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Would you mind taking me to my brother’s house? It’s on the way out of town.”
“Of course not. Do you think you’ll be safe there?”
“I think I’ll be safer there than at my place with a car they’re looking for or with you.”
“Okay, let’s get you there before anyone sees us. I’ll give you my phone number so I can get your van back to you after this ends.”
* * *
We dropped Hector off at his brother’s house and then merged back onto the highway. Selena sat beside me in the front seat, biting her lip and shifting around.
I realized the odds were against us, but played the role of eternal optimist, hoping it would put her at ease. “Relax, we’ll be arriving at a spa in a couple of hours. Then we’ll have nothing to think about except what food to order or what spa treatment to sign up for.”
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