by Rita Henuber
“Why?”
“Answer my question and I’ll answer yours,” she retorted. Angry tension filled the air.
“Get me to Miami. I’ll tell you everything you want to know when we’re there.”
“Resorting to bribery now?”
“Yes.”
DEA or drug runner, he knew things and could answer her questions. She was going with him—there wasn’t another option. Stay or go, her career could be destroyed. Maybe it already was. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Danny’s killer. For the first time she felt it was going to happen. She tossed the cell onto the counter and lowered the gun to her side.
“What do you want me to do?”
Rico pinched his eyes closed and let out a loud breath. He’d convinced her.
“First, put the gun away.”
“The gun stays until I’m sure I can trust you.”
Shit. Her with that gun worried him. Pointing it at him her hand had been rock steady. No doubt she would use it.
“Did you tell anyone you knew me?” she asked.
“No.”
“What else?”
“Give me your cell.” He stuck his hand out.
Silently she handed it over, and he popped off the backing.
“What are you doing?”
“Removing the SIM card and battery. With these out your position can’t be triangulated. As soon as they go back in you can be located.” He handed her the pieces. “You want your location known and can’t risk making a call—put it together.” Rico watched her gnaw her lower lip. “You understand they will use that to find you sooner or later?”
She nodded.
“Do it anytime you don’t feel safe.” Was he getting through to her? “Understand?”
“I’m not a child. I understand you’re telling me this so I’ll trust you.”
“How’s it working?”
“The threat level dropped from severe to high.”
“How do I get it to low?”
“Like the government, my threat level never goes below elevated. What else do you want me to do?”
“You have any clothes I can wear?”
“My brother Sammy’s things, shorts and a few shirts.”
“Good. Get ’em. You’ll have to help me change.”
She gave him a withering look.
“Commander, I was hurting when I came here. You beat the crap outta me.” He shrugged and managed a grin. “It hurts to breathe.”
She didn’t move.
“Get the clothes and anything you’ll need.”
She turned and ran down the hall.
“You got anything back there for pain?”
“Yeah.”
That was a relief. The shot they’d given him in the ER wore off hours ago. “What’s taking you so long?”
“I’m grabbing everything I can think of.”
“Stop. We need to be gone ten minutes ago.”
She appeared wearing shorts, a T-shirt and deck shoes and carrying a black duffel and clothes. Looking at her took his breath away. No. He shook his head to clear it. Not her, the pain.
“Can you take Demerol?”
“Yeah.” Right now he’d take animal meds.
“Here.” She jammed two white pills in his hand. Without waiting for water, he downed them.
“Go easy getting me out of these scrubs. I’m pretty sore.”
Opening the drawer beside her, she brought out scissors. “Stand still.”
In seconds the scrubs were on the floor in a heap. Bending over, she held out shorts for him to step into. He grabbed her shoulder for balance and stepped into the shorts. Looking down, he saw her face inches from his dick. What the hell was wrong with him, thinking about sex right now?
“Don’t get any ideas, secret agent man.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he snapped. Buttoning his shirt, he watched her cram a few more things into the duffel. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” She snatched up the scrubs and bag and headed for the door with Rico close behind. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned in time to take the collision head on.
“What the hell are you doing?” Rico growled, holding on to her for balance.
“There are some rules,” she said, making no attempt to back away. In fact, he thought she leaned into him.
He raised an eyebrow. “Rules? What are they?” He circled an arm around her waist, not for balance, but to feel her against him.
“Be up front with me. You need to tell me something, come out and say it. Don’t dance around like you did a few minutes ago. Don’t lie to me. If you can’t—or don’t—want to tell me something, say so.”
“Okay. Can we go?”
“No. There’s more. What happened between us is past. It won’t happen again. This is business only. Understand?”
Her eyes blazed and his aching body quickened. “I understand. Business only,” he said solemnly.
“One other thing. What’s your last name?”
“Cortes.”
She opened her mouth to speak. “No,” he said before she could ask, “it’s not my real name. Anything else?”
“Yeah. You don’t drive my car.”
He laughed. “That junker? Agreed. Now can we go?”
She squirmed out of his grip and hustled out the door.
“You think that old Jeep is going to make it to Miami?” He followed her to the garage.
“We’ll see.” She opened the garage door exposing her beat up Jeep parked next to a black Corvette. Rico whistled.
“I knew it. You are the sports car type.”
“Nope. It’s my brother’s. I take care of it while he’s out on a cruise.”
“Cruise?” Rico asked, as she forced the duffel into what passed as the cargo area of the Vette.
“Sea duty. He’s a Navy jet jockey stationed aboard an aircraft carrier.”
Olivia slammed the trunk shut and clicked the doors open. “Don’t worry about the LoJack.”
Worry? He hadn’t even thought of it.
“Sam shut it down. Doesn’t like the idea of anyone tracking him down.”
“How’d he do that?” Rico said as she helped him jam his six-three frame into the car.
“No idea. Knowing Sam it was probably with a hammer.” She closed the door, went to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.
In a matter of minutes they were on I-95 heading south to Miami.
Chapter Six
Olivia drove silently, wondering about the man sleeping next to her. Could she trust him? He hadn’t offered any proof he was DEA. She’d just have to wait and see. Wait until they reached Miami and he told her more. Not even the thought of losing her career could dampen the excitement of finally having a good lead.
She was close, she could feel it. No thanks to those two asshole detectives working Danny’s case. The three of them were going to have a nice heart-to-heart about why they’d kept Silva’s name from her. She sure as hell couldn’t trust them enough to pass on any info she learned from Rico. For God’s sake, they could be the informants. Her shoulder twitched at that thought.
Like Rico, she no longer knew who to trust.
He stirred and shifted in the seat, attempted to stretch and found no space for his body.
“I’ll stop soon.”
He made a grumpy man sound, turning on his side to face her.
“What makes you think you were discovered?” she asked to break the silence.
“I told you, the boat was rigged with explosives.”
A chill ran through her. Had she been hovering any closer that explosion would have taken down the helo.
“Are you sure? We thought the boat trailing you fired on us, missed and hit you.”
Glancing sideways, she could see confusion in his expression.
“I heard the rescue crew talking about a second boat. As far as I knew, Trini and I were out there alone. You’re telling me there was a second boat?”
She nodded. Rico cussed in Spanish un
der his breath.
“I couldn’t figure it. In our pre-flight briefing, the feds said they were leery of the whole thing and warned us we could be a target.”
“Nothing about me?”
“No. The drugs, that’s all.”
“You knew where to look for us?”
“Yeah. They had a tip. Time, location, everything. Said drugs were being moved from a fishing boat to a go-fast. Nothing about you specifically.”
“Did they locate the fishing boat?”
“No.”
“That’s because there wasn’t one.”
Olivia stared ahead not daring to even chance a glance at Rico. If what he was saying was true, he had been set up. Only by sheer blind luck had he survived. Had the same man who killed Danny been responsible for the detailed tip the feds received? Why had they tried to kill Rico? Was he good cop, or bad guy?
Several miles passed before he spoke. “Finish.” His liquid voice sent a shiver through her.
Olivia gave him the details of the night up to when Defoe went into the water.
They fell silent again.
“Rico, how did you survive the explosion?”
He sighed. She gave him a sideways look and he gave her a lazy smile. “I figured we would have to swim for it. Opened the cabin for a life vest, the trigger device was right there, ticking off in pretty red numbers. Seven seconds left. Survival mode kicked in. I hauled ass and yelled at Trini to go overboard. As my feet left the side, the fucking thing blew—it was filled to the top with fuel.”
He fidgeted in the seat.
“I’m stopping at the next exit for gas. I’ll get rid of the scrubs. You get out and walk around or by the time we get to Miami you’ll be too stiff to move.”
“Don’t worry, when I get stiff I move very well,” he muttered as he turned to face away.
“I heard that.”
Swinging off the interstate, she chose the gas station with the fewest customers. Rico started to speak, but she beat him to it.
“I know, don’t use a credit card.”
Olivia filled the tank and moved the Corvette to a spot outside security camera range, where she helped Rico unfold from the car’s tiny interior. She paid and bought snacks. He stretched and walked a few feet, careful to keep his face hidden from other customers. He didn’t want her help getting back in the car. As he grunted and groaned his way in, she retrieved a couple more pain pills from her bag. They weren’t very strong; a man his size could handle a couple more.
“Here.” Olivia handed him the capsules which he swallowed without hesitation.
“Why do you have these meds?”
“Marine collision.”
“What?”
“Not the kind you had. Interservice baseball. I took a hard hit defending home plate. A Marine the size of a truck found out I’m tougher than I look.” She drove to the on ramp.
“I know the feeling.”
Olivia saw an opening in traffic and floored it, accelerating fast enough to press their bodies into the leather seats.
“You don’t have to go so damn fast,” Rico grumbled. “This isn’t a chopper.”
“Go to sleep,” she shot back.
He moved to look at the speedometer.
“Come on, Olivia. The speed limit is 70. You’re doing 95, and this car is ticket bait. I don’t want to risk getting stopped.”
“I’m traveling with the flow. This is I-95. If I go the speed limit I’ll stand out.”
He scowled.
“Okay.” She slowed the Corvette.
“Thanks,” he muttered. “You always drive like this?”
“Yep, I grew up in Texas. Speed limits there are only a suggestion.”
They both laughed. Levity was good. It relieved the tension.
“I promise I’ll keep it down. But the next time a couple in their eighties pulling a trailer pass and flip me off ’cause I’m going too slow I’m taking it back up to air speed.”
Rico snorted and settled back.
He woke fifty miles down the road as Olivia pulled to the shoulder…and a state trooper’s car pulled in behind the Vette.
“Keep your mouth closed and listen,” she snapped. “You are my brother, Navy Commander Sam Carver. Your date of birth is 10-08-70. You’re on leave from the USS Harry S. Truman. You were in a boating accident and I’m taking you to your place in Miami. Got it?”
Rico said nothing, just nodded.
“And for God’s sake keep that cap on.”
The trooper peered in the window and asked for ID and registration. He took them and she saw no ring on his left hand. Okay.
“I stopped you today for speeding. Do you know how fast you were going?”
“When I saw your lights in the rear view I looked. I was doing 85.”
Olivia used her military voice. “Sir, I’ve been cramped in this car since Jacksonville. Would you mind if I step out and join you?”
He looked past her to Rico. “What’s wrong with your passenger?”
“Accident.”
The trooper looked at her ID. “Lt. Commander Carver, you can get out. Go to the back of your vehicle quickly. Move to the rear passenger side for your safety.”
Olivia opened the door, stretching out her legs and receiving the reaction she’d hoped for. Following the trooper’s instructions, she walked quickly to the rear of the car not bothering to pull her shorts down. A glance at the trooper let her know the view of her butt cheeks had his full attention. Good. She didn’t want him looking carefully at Rico.
“Thanks for letting me get out. I need to stretch.” She pushed her shoulders back, pressing her breasts in his direction. “Sorry about the speeding. I know better.”
He shifted his gaze to examine her ID and the registration. “This says the vehicle is registered to Sam Carver, occupation Navy pilot. Your husband?”
“No. My brother.” She looked to where Rico sat.
The trooper followed her gaze. “Does he have ID?”
“No, sir. He lost everything in the accident.”
“What kind of accident?”
Olivia mover closer to the trooper. “Boating. He disintegrated a five hundred thousand dollar speed boat. He’s damn lucky he didn’t do the same to himself.” The trooper’s expression softened. She knew it would be okay. “Officer, I know I was speeding and I’m sorry. He has me a little crazy.” She looked Rico’s way again. “He checked himself out of the hospital against doctor’s orders. Talked me into driving him to his place in Miami. Which, right now, I’m really regretting.”
“You have any other speeding tickets?”
She puffed out a breath. “Three in Texas, where I grew up. Kid stuff. When I was stationed in Hawaii got stopped, no ticket.” This was no time to lie.
“Why no ticket?”
“I’m a helicopter pilot.” Jackpot. She had his full attention. “I’d been recalled to base to fly a rescue.” She leaned on the Vette. “The officer who stopped me was kind enough to use his lights and siren to help.”
He didn’t say anything.
“And, then there is this one,” she added, chagrined.
“Commander, stand right here while I check your information.”
Olivia waited, chewing her lower lip, while he ran her ID and the car tags. She prayed they hadn’t been put on the be on the lookout list already. Damn it! It had been stupid of her to speed.
The trooper walked her way, smiling. He handed back her ID and registration.
“So, how much is this ticket going to cost my brother?” She took an exaggerated deep breath.
“Nothing. Today you get a written warning.”
“Trooper Cameron, I could kiss you right now. Thank you.”
“I will enter this into the system,” he cautioned. “If you get stopped speeding farther down the road you won’t get off so easy.”
“Promise, I’m done speeding.” She held up her right hand. “Since you have my name and other info—” she removed her glasses and
gave him her best smile, “—call me next time you’re in Jacksonville.”
Before he could answer, a voice on his radio ordered him to respond to an accident. He touched the brim of his Smokey the Bear hat. “Gotta go. And, ma’am, next time I’m in Jax you can count on seeing me.”
Relief flooded through her. She gave him a silly finger wave as he pulled into traffic.
When she settled back into her seat, Rico was staring, gaping really. “What?”
“I seem to remember you giving me a lecture about not lying.”
She nailed him with a wicked look. “I said ‘Don’t lie to me.’ Nothing I said was a lie.”
“Don’t give me that. I heard everything. The invite was a nice touch.”
Olivia turned the keys and the sound of the Corvette’s engine filled the interior. “Since you heard everything, tell me what I lied about.”
Rico was silent. She gave him a sideways glance. “Well?”
“Damn. You’re right.”
“Hmph. I thought so. And, we learned there isn’t a BOLO on me yet.”
“Okay. No more speeding, traffic flow or not,” he said and pulled the cap down over his eyes.
Chapter Seven
He guided her through Miami, deep into little Havana, to what appeared to be a deserted gas station.
“Pull up to the bay on the right.”
Olivia did as directed. With a lot of effort Rico climbed out and went to a small electrical box on the wall next to the bay door. He punched in his code and it slid open. He stood aside and motioned her to drive in.
Inside, he repeated the action with another keypad to close the door.
“Where now?” she asked, taking her duffel from the Vette.
“The stairs.”
Rico pointed to a concrete stairway on the far end of the cavernous room. He switched on lights, revealing a beach mural covering the entire expanse along the steps.
At the top, the walls were a very Miami salmon color. She waited as he opened another electrical box and flipped more switches. Steel hurricane window coverings ground open. An air conditioning unit started humming. Three huge ceiling fans came to life and stirred the hot air. Track lighting concrete block walls covered with art. Enthralled, she stepped to the center of the large room, turning slowly, taking it all in.
Rico folded his arms, leaned against the wall and watched.
