Falling For A Stranger

by Barbara Freethy

  "Where did you go?"

  "We moved around a lot the first few months. Megan was pretty shaken up. It took a while for her to start breathing more freely. We took some self-defense classes, so she'd feel like she wasn't so vulnerable. I even learned how to shoot a gun, but I was afraid to keep one in the house, so that didn't do much good. I knew I wasn't going to win in a gun battle against Megan's uncle, so I concentrated on staying hidden." She paused, trying to get a read on what Drew was thinking, but he wasn't giving much away. "I couldn't go to the cops, because Enrique is Megan's guardian, and to answer your original question, in the eyes of the law, I kidnapped her."

  Drew sat back in his seat, his gaze reflective, thoughtful. "Did Enrique hurt Megan?"

  "Not physically. She told me that he scared her, that he threatened her. He said if she didn't want to end up like her mother, she needed to be loyal to him." She paused. "I forgot to mention that Megan saw her parents' car go off the road. She was looking out her bedroom window, watching them leave. I guess Kate had decided at the last minute to go with Reynoldo to meet his brother. But, of course, they didn't make it. Megan said she started screaming and went running down the hill, but no one would let her get to her parents. I thank God for that. I wouldn’t have wanted her to see them like that."

  He shook his head, his jaw tight. "That's too much for a kid to see."

  "Yes. And for a long time she had nightmares, but she's better now."

  "She speaks perfect English without a trace of an accent. Surprising for a kid who grew up in Spain, in what I assume was a Spanish-speaking household."

  She nodded. "Kate wanted Megan to speak perfect English and perfect Spanish. She worked a lot with her. She felt certain that at some point they would be back in the States, and she wanted to be sure that Megan could fit in. Megan hasn't spoken Spanish since the day we left the island. Sometimes, I forget that's her first language. And since she's been spending so much time with kids her own age, I only occasionally notice a trace of an accent."

  "What did you do to the bodyguard so that he wouldn't show up on the boat?" Drew asked, returning to the events that occurred on the island.

  "Megan put sleeping pills in his coffee."

  "You should have killed him. You would have saved Valdez the trouble."

  Her eyes widened. "Wait. What do you mean I would have saved Valdez the trouble?"

  "The bodyguard was stabbed to death two weeks after you left the island."

  "Juan told you that? You didn’t mention it before," she said, suddenly suspicious about his new information.

  "It wasn't Juan; it was Tim. I just got off the phone with him."

  Anxiety shot through her as she stood up. "Your friend? You told Tim about Megan and me? You said you didn't."

  "It was last week before you and I reconnected. I mentioned to Tim that you were haunting my dreams. It wasn't a surprise to him, because I was distracted on the job. He said he had some friends on the island, and he could ask them if any new information had come to light in the last few years. I forgot all about our conversation until he called this morning."

  "So Tim called his friends on the island and asked about me?" Her stomach turned over. "I have to go. I have to pack. As soon as Megan comes home, we'll get out of here. She won't want to go, but she'll have to. The prom is over. The fairytale of normality is done. The clock struck midnight."

  He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shake to stop her ramble. "Ria, don't panic. Tim doesn’t know you're alive. And I told him to drop it. Nothing has changed."

  His words took a little of the edge off, but she still hated the idea that someone else had called people on the island to ask about her. If anyone started hearing rumors that a woman who looked just like her had been spotted in San Francisco, it could get back to Valdez. "What exactly did he tell you when he called just now?" she asked.

  "He said Valdez's niece was on the boat. I knew there was supposedly another passenger, but I never really asked who that was, or if I did, it didn't matter to me. I was only focused on you." Drew paused. "He also told me about the bodyguard. But he reconfirmed that everyone thinks that both of you are dead."

  She walked over to the window and glanced outside. Everything looked normal on the street below. So why did she feel like her entire world had just been spun on its axis?

  "It's going to be all right, Ria."

  She turned back to face him. "I'd like to believe that's true, but I can't afford to be wrong." She swallowed hard. "What are you going to do now, Drew, now that you know the whole story? Are you going to turn us in?"

  "Of course not."

  A wave of relief followed his words. "Now that you know, you're an accessory to my crime."

  "I'm not worried about that. I'm more worried about the long-term plan. You're playing defense, Ria, and you can't do that forever. You need to find a way to attack Valdez, to beat him. Hiding out forever isn't a reasonable solution."

  "And attacking and beating a crime lord doesn't seem too reasonable either," she said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  "We need to think."

  "No. We don't need to do anything," she said pointedly. "I told you my story, but I'm not asking you for help. I'm handling this."

  "You're in over your head."

  "I'm a strong swimmer."

  "So am I. And there's no way in hell I'm walking away from you or Megan. If you pack up and disappear, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth. And I will find you."

  She wanted to ask him why he would go to that much trouble, but she couldn't get the words out. Fortunately, their conversation was over for the minute. She could hear Megan's voice in the hall.

  "They're back," she said. "Let's not talk about any of this in front of Megan, all right?"

  He nodded.

  She checked the peephole by habit, then opened the door. Megan and Eric walked into the apartment. Megan had exchanged her prom dress for leggings and a tank top, and Eric now wore jeans and a t-shirt. They looked happy and tired.

  "Sorry, we're late," Megan said. "It took forever for the tow truck to come."

  "Yeah, my dad said to apologize," Eric said.

  "It's fine. Did you have fun?"

  "We had a great time." Megan's smile went from ear to ear. "But I need a long nap."

  "I'll text you later," Eric said.

  "Okay," Megan replied.

  There was an awkward kiss between them, and then Eric left the apartment. Megan closed the door behind him and said, "The most amazing night of my life."

  Megan's words filled Ria with happiness. "It was that good?"

  "The best. Eric wants me to be his girlfriend." She paused, looking over at Drew. "Sorry, I didn't even say hi to you."

  "No problem," Drew said. "I'm glad you had fun."

  "What did you tell Eric?" Ria asked.

  "I said yes, of course," Megan said. "He's such a cool guy. I have to tell Lindsay I have a boyfriend now."

  "Didn't you just see her?" Ria asked.

  "An hour ago. Eric asked me to be his girlfriend when we were in the car," Megan said, as she texted Lindsay with rapid-fire fingers. When she was done, she added. "I'm going to take a nap."

  "I figured," Ria said. "I have some lessons this afternoon. So you'll be in the apartment the rest of the day?"

  Megan rolled her eyes. "Yes, I won't leave the apartment." She grabbed a banana out of the fruit bowl and paused, a light of curiosity in her eyes. "So what did you two do last night?"

  "We went for a helicopter ride," Ria said, feeling as if last night was now already a distant dream."

  "Don't forget the sail that followed," Drew added.

  "Wow. You got to go up in his helicopter? No fair. I thought you said you couldn't take us up," Megan complained.

  "It was my friend's helo," Drew said. "And I'd be happy to get you a ride some time."

  "You better. It sounds like you had the perfect night," she added, giving Ria a smile.
<
br />   "It was good. I'll tell you more about it later." After Megan left, she turned back to Drew. "It's your turn to answer my question."

  "What's that?"

  "What are you going to do now?"

  "Who said I was going to do anything?"

  "You're a man of action. And you like to solve problems. I'm fairly certain you're going to do something, and I don't want you to. This is my problem, not yours."

  "We'll talk later, Ria."

  "That's not an answer."

  "It's all I have right now." He walked over to her. "I need to think. What you told me is a lot to take in."

  "I know."

  "But I'm not going to hurt you, Ria. And I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you or Megan." He kissed her hard on the lips, then left.

  As she closed the door behind him, she couldn't help thinking that she should have run when she had the chance. While having Drew on her side was wonderful and somewhat reassuring, she now had to worry about him, too, and there was no way she was going to let anyone hurt him, either.

  Chapter Seventeen

  After leaving Ria's apartment, Drew drove home. He took a shower, changed his clothes and debated his next move. The night had certainly been incredible. Being with Ria again had been even better than the first time. But with the morning had come reality and revelations. His mind was still spinning from Ria's story. One thing was clear; he needed more information on Enrique Valdez. And he needed to get that information from someone who wasn't involved or biased. While Ria might trust her sister implicitly, he needed to be sure that Kate hadn't spun Ria a tale just to get Megan away from the Valdez family. Although, Kate's death certainly lent credence to her earlier assumption that her life was in danger.

  Drew ran his fingers through his damp hair as he considered his options. He had friends in the Coast Guard's drug enforcement unit that he could call on. If Enrique Valdez was an international drug smuggler, he would no doubt be on their radar. He could also talk to Max and Emma, see if they could tap into Valdez's criminal activities. But he had to be careful. If he asked the wrong person, he could put Ria in danger, which was exactly what she was afraid of. He didn't want to blow her trust in him, but he also couldn't stand by and do nothing.

  Which left him with the two people he knew he could trust—Emma, and her homicide detective fiancé, Max Harrison.

  He pulled out his phone and texted Emma to see if she and Max were home. She told him to come on over, so he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

  Ria might not want his protection, but he would give it anyway, because he cared about her. She was an amazing woman, beautiful, strong, and brave. He still couldn't believe how daring she'd been to rig explosives to a boat and fake their deaths in order to escape from a criminal overlord. And it had worked. Everyone thought she was dead. If he hadn't seen her on the wharf months earlier, he'd still be haunted by dreams of a beautiful woman lost at sea.

  Ria was definitely one of a kind—a survivor. She'd lived through the divorce of her parents, her mother's remarriage, the death of her father and her sister, and now she was raising her teenage niece, a generous and unselfish act that made him admire her even more.

  It was clear that she and Megan adored each other. They were clinging together like the last two survivors on a life raft.

  But it wasn't just them anymore. He was involved, and he was not going to let anything bad happen to either one of them.

  A few minutes later, he pulled up in front of Emma's building. She lived in a ground floor flat with a backyard garden that was rare in the city, and as he walked into her apartment, he was impressed by the charm of her home. It wasn't super girly; that wasn’t Emma's style, but there were fresh flowers and paintings on the wall, and the décor was a mix of male and female, oversized furniture and a big screen TV contrasted by soft pillows and throw blankets.

  "You finished decorating," he murmured with approval. The last time he'd been in her apartment she'd just been moving in.

  "Almost," she said, sipping on a smoothie.

  "Did you just work out?" he asked, noting her yoga pants and workout top.

  "Yes, I had to work off some stress this morning."

  "Wedding stress?"

  "No. Work stress. I've got an arsonist torching cars in the Sunset District, and it's pissing me off that I can't find him."

  "You will," he said confidently. Emma was like a bulldog when it came to catching firebugs. She didn't quit, even when the odds were stacked against her. In some ways she reminded him of Ria. They were both ready to battle whenever they had to.

  "So, what brings you to my apartment on a Sunday morning?" she asked, sitting down on the bar stool in front of the island in her kitchen.

  "I have a question. I was hoping to talk to Max, too. Is he here?" He glanced toward the bedroom where he thought he could hear the sound of running water.

  "Taking a shower," Emma said. "He should be done in a sec. He's not one for long showers, unless, of course, we're taking one together."

  He groaned. "I do not want to hear about that."

  She laughed. "I know. I just love to make you uncomfortable. You're so easy." She paused. "So, does this have something to do with Ria?"

  "Yes."

  "I thought so. I liked her. She's a little on the quiet side, but you two looked good together." Emma paused, speculation in her eyes. "When you introduced her to the family, you didn't mention it, but is she the woman from your past—the one you thought was dead?"

  "Smart girl," he said.

  She sipped her smoothie, then shot him a cocky smile. "I'll take that as a yes. So what's her story?"

  "I'd rather tell both you and Max at the same time."

  "That sounds intriguing. And maybe a little worrisome," she added, concern filling her gaze.

  "Hey, Drew," Max said, as he came out of the bedroom wearing jeans and a t-shirt. "I didn't know you were coming over."

  "Max," he said with a nod. "Sorry to intrude on your Sunday."

  "We're not doing anything."

  "Drew has a question for both of us," Emma put in. "I think it's serious."

  "I'm right here. I can speak for myself," Drew said with annoyance.

  "So talk," she told him.

  "I need to get some information on someone. I'm pretty sure he's a successful international criminal. And I'm wondering if you can help me."

  "An international criminal?" Emma echoed. "What on earth is Ria mixed up in?"

  "Who's Ria?" Max asked.

  "She's the woman Drew brought to the house the other night," Emma told her fiancé. "I mentioned her to you."

  "Emma," Drew interrupted. "Can I talk now?"

  "Sorry," Emma said. "Go on."

  "I can't go on until I ask you if this is something you'd be willing to do for me on an unofficial basis. It does involve Ria, and I don't want to put her in danger. And I can't say anything more without your agreement. I know it's a lot to ask."

  "If she's in danger, then you could be in danger," Emma said, a frown pulling her brows together. "I don't like the sound of that. Of course we'll help. Won't we, Max?"

  "If you have any reservations, just say no," Drew said.

  "I can ask some questions without making it official," Max said. "What's the name?"

  "Enrique Valdez. I don't know much about him, except that he allegedly runs a criminal organization with a home base possibly in Spain, and that he also has a private estate on an island called Isla de los Sueños. I'd like to know what exactly he's involved in and how close anyone is to catching him and putting him in jail."

  "I'll look into it," Max said.

  "How does Ria tie to this Enrique Valdez?" Emma asked. "Wait. She was on that island, and so were you."

  "You never forget anything, do you?"

  "That's why I'm good at my job."

  "Yes, I met her on the island. Her sister was married to Enrique's brother. Both her sister and her sister's husband were killed in a suspicious car acciden
t two years ago. Ria believes that Enrique is responsible for her sister's death."

  "And she wants vengeance?" Max asked.

  "Actually, she just wants to make sure she doesn't end up in the same kind of accident," he said, deciding not to mention Megan for the moment. "She told me that Valdez has a long reach. And that he has reason to dislike her. I don't want my questions through you to trigger anything. That's why I need this done off the record. My name can't come into it. There are people who know that Ria and I were together on the island. I can't put her in jeopardy."

  Emma sighed. "I thought she was so nice, but now she sounds like a lot of trouble. Can't you find anyone trouble-free to hang out with?"

  "Not anyone this beautiful, sexy or interesting," he said. "Some people are worth a little trouble. And look who's talking—a serial arsonist was stalking you when you and Max fell for each other. Talk about trouble. That word should be your middle name, Emma."

  "Very funny," she said, making a face at him.

  "And true," Max said.

  She shot her fiancé a pointed look. "Let me give you a tip, Max, agreeing with my brother instead of me is not the secret to a happy life."

  "Got it," Max said. "What about me helping your brother?"

  "That would be appreciated."

  "I have a friend who should be able to help," Max said. "And I understand the need for discretion. He won't ask why I'm asking, because we do have international criminals come through San Francisco. But even if he did, I would not mention your name."

  "I appreciate that," Drew said.

  "I actually have to go into work for an hour," Max said.

  "What? I thought we were going to the movies," Emma protested.

  "Sorry, babe. I got a call. Potential witness. It won't take long," Max said, giving her a kiss. "I'll make you dinner tonight."

  "I've seen you cook. We'll go out," Emma said.

  Max grabbed his keys off the table. "I'll be in touch, Drew."

  "Thanks."

  As Max left, Drew found himself facing Emma's inquisitive gaze. She was not going to let him off as easily as Max.