Falling For A Stranger

by Barbara Freethy

  A long minute of shared intimacy passed between them. She wanted to talk to Drew, really talk to him, and then she wanted to kiss him, and touch him, and take off all his clothes and lose herself in his arms.

  "Ria, don't look at me like that."

  "I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me."

  "I know what's wrong with me, and that's you. We need to talk, Ria."

  "Right now I'm thinking more about getting your clothes off," she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

  He sucked in a quick breath. "Don't tell me that."

  "You said you liked it when I was direct."

  "I'd like it more if we were alone."

  "Right." She needed to get a grip. Her niece was in the next room. "You need to speak to Megan. She's the reason you came over."

  He smiled. "A small part of the reason. If she hadn't called me, I would have called you or showed up announced. But one way or the other, I was going to see you tonight. And just for the record, I've been thinking about getting your clothes off, too."

  Drew paused as Megan's door opened.

  Her niece took a tentative step into the room, giving them both a wary look. "Is this a good time?" she asked. "Am I interrupting anything?"

  "No," Ria said, waving her into the room. "You should talk to Drew about the report, so you can get it done. Nothing like leaving it til the last minute."

  "I had a lot to do this weekend," Megan said defensively. "And it was so nasty of Ms. Hobbs to make us turn in a paper right after the prom."

  "She gave you plenty of time to do it," Ria said.

  Megan made a face at her and then said, "I'll get my computer."

  Drew smiled. "You sounded just like a mom, Ria."

  She shook her head in bewilderment. "Sometimes I can't believe the words that come out of my mouth. It's like I'm channeling my mother. I never did a report early in my life. So why am I expecting Megan to do so?"

  "Because you're pushing her to do the right thing. It's what parents do."

  "When I was sailing around the world, I couldn't imagine myself as a parent. I wasn't sure kids were in my future."

  "Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're great with Megan."

  "Well, she's almost grown, but a baby…" She shook her head. "I could mess a kid up good."

  "I don't think so. You're a natural at mothering. You have good instincts, Ria. You should listen to them."

  "Except when they tell me I should get you out of my life as quickly as possible?" she challenged.

  "Except then," he agreed.

  "Okay," Megan said, returning to the room. "I just have a few questions."

  "You can have my seat," Ria said. "I'll put the rest of this pizza away. You should take some home when you leave, Drew. Otherwise, Megan and I will be eating it for breakfast for days."

  As she cleaned up, she only half-listened to Megan and Drew. Her mind drifted as she thought about what it would be like to share this kind of scene every night. To have a man in her life, a man who cared about her and about Megan—a man who could make her laugh, and make her crazy, and make her life a little bit brighter. She could see Drew in that role. He'd already insinuated himself into every aspect of her life, and now that he was in, she didn't know how to get him out. Worse, she didn't want to get him out.

  But she couldn't live in her imagination. This was the real world. And the real world held danger. Getting complacent would be a huge mistake.

  "I think I've got enough," Megan said a short while later. "I better start typing. Thanks Drew. You're awesome."

  "No problem. Just make sure your paper is awesome, too."

  "I will."

  As Megan left the room, Drew stood up. "What do you think about taking a walk, Ria?"

  She hesitated. "It's late."

  "It's not late. It's seven-thirty," he said dryly.

  "All right, but a quick walk." She went into the bedroom. "Drew and I are going to take a walk. I won't be gone long. I'll have my phone if you need me."

  Megan smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Have fun."

  * * *

  Drew took Ria's hand as they walked out of her apartment building. For a split second, she resisted, then her fingers curled around his. And it felt exactly right to have her hand in his. He tightened his grip on her, wanting to keep her close for as long as possible.

  "I can't remember the last time I held someone's hand," she murmured as they walked down the shadowy street.

  "It's nice," he said, realizing how much he liked having her at his side.

  "It is," she agreed.

  "Are you cold?"

  "No, I'm good."

  They walked for a few blocks without speaking and then Drew steered her toward a bench at the edge of a small park. He let go of her hand as they sat down, and he was surprised at how quickly he missed the contact of her skin against his. But they needed to talk.

  "I went to see my sister and her fiancé today, Emma and Max," he said.

  Even in the shadowy moonlight, he could see Ria tense.

  "As I mentioned before, Max is a homicide detective with the SFPD. I asked him to find out whatever he could about Enrique Valdez. Specifically, I want to know if he's accused of any crimes, if there are any warrants for his arrest, and if there are, how close anyone is to catching him." He could see the anger brewing in her eyes. "I didn't tell them anything about you, Ria."

  "Oh, come on, Drew. I met Emma the other night. She knows you're spending time with me, even if she doesn't know my story. Suddenly you show up at her door with questions about a drug smuggler? If she's as smart as you say she is, I'm pretty sure she already knows your questions have something to do with me."

  "You're right," he admitted. "But she doesn’t know the details."

  "Well, that's great."

  "I would trust Emma with my life."

  "You're not trusting her with your life; you're trusting her with mine and with Megan's," Ria said.

  "Max will be discreet," he argued. "He's not going to mention my name or yours."

  "But he's going to be your brother-in-law, which connects him to you, which connects him to me. I have to be careful of every link, Drew. I have to watch my trail, and since you and I ran into each other again, my trail is covered with clues."

  He heard the frustration in her voice. "I know you're worried, Ria, but I'm trying to help you. You haven't had time to think about going on the offensive. And I understand that. But you can't hide out forever. You need a long-term solution."

  "This isn't a game, Drew. There isn't offense and defense; there's just staying alive, and you're making it harder."

  "No," he said with an emphatic shake of his head. "If you think I'm your main problem, think again. Your biggest problem is in your apartment. Megan is a talker, and she has a boyfriend, and she's going to want to tell him things. And what about her friends, her phone, her text messages? She has a computer. She goes on the Internet. You have no idea what kind of trail she's leaving."

  "Stop," she said, putting up her hand. "I hear what you're saying, but I make sure that Megan is careful."

  "You can't watch her every minute, and she thinks she's safe now. You've made her believe that, and that's good, because you want her to be happy and not grow up paranoid and stressed out. But she's not safe, and someday, she's going to slip, and she's going to tell someone something. If we can find a way to get Enrique Valdez into prison, you and Megan will really be safe," Drew said.

  "Enrique has a long reach and a big organization. Prison won't change that."

  "At the very least, you should be able to get legal custody of Megan."

  "After I'm thrown in jail for kidnapping her?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm the one who's going to end up in prison, Drew, not Enrique."

  "I won't let that happen."

  "Megan may think you're a superhero, but I know better." She got to her feet. "I'm going home."

  "Wait." He grabbed her arm, pulling back down on the be
nch.

  "What? Is there more? Who else did you talk to about me?"

  "No one, but we're not done discussing this."

  "I'm done."

  He ignored her statement. "Why does Enrique want Megan?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Is he after her money? Did she witness something that he wants to protect? What was his motivation for hiding her out on the island? He must have taken her away from her home, her friends, the other members of the family. Why?"

  "He was afraid Megan would tell people that he killed her parents."

  "Would they have believed her?"

  "I don't know. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't have acted. The whole family lived in fear of Enrique."

  "So there has to be something more to his motivation."

  "It might be her money. She comes into an inheritance when she's twenty-five. Until then Enrique controls the money that's allegedly used for her support."

  "So if he thought Megan was dead, what would happen to the money?"

  "I assume the next person in line, which would have been Enrique, would get it all."

  That was interesting. "Maybe Enrique is just as happy that Megan is dead then," he mused.

  "I was thinking that might be a possibility," Ria agreed. "But if he finds out she's not dead, he may have to kill her in order to keep using her money. And he'll have to kill me, too, because I'll fight him til my last breath."

  He heard the defiance and determination in her voice and knew she would do exactly what she'd said.

  "You won't fight him alone," he promised. "Don't argue with me," he said as she opened her mouth. "You may not want me in this, but I'm in. I'm all in. I'm not leaving. I'm not turning away. I'm not pretending you're dead. So you're going to have to deal with that."

  "Oh, yeah?"

  "Yeah."

  Tension flared between them.

  "Then you're going to have to deal with this," she said. She threw her arms around his neck and planted her mouth on his.

  And as he met her desperate, passion-filled kisses with his own, he knew that every word he'd just spoken was true. This woman was his woman. And he'd protect her with every last breath that he took. He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Late Monday afternoon, Drew got a call from Max just as he was getting off work, so Drew headed over to the police station. He found Max in the Investigations Unit. He was on the phone but waved Drew into the chair by his desk. A moment later, he ended his call and leaned back in his chair.

  "You got here fast."

  "I'm curious to hear what you learned."

  "Well, Enrique Valdez is one bad ass. His official residence is in Spain, but he's wanted in three countries, including the United States, for racketeering, drug smuggling, murder and extortion."

  "Then why is he free?" Drew demanded.

  "He's smart, and he runs a loyal organization. A lot of men have taken the fall for him. He's also used his wealth to buy off local police in the countries where he has homes, including the island you mentioned."

  "Isla de los Sueños," he said. "Island of Dreams."

  "That's the one. Unfortunately, while some of his addresses are known, Valdez moves around a lot. He has private planes and luxury yachts at his disposal. He travels with bodyguards, and on one occasion he managed to escape a sting operation by using a body double."

  "That's crazy," Drew said in amazement. Ria hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said Valdez was extremely dangerous.

  "What's crazy is you being involved with this guy," Max said tersely. "I did what you asked. Now I need information. What is your connection to Valdez? Or what is your girlfriend's connection?"

  "I can't tell you."

  "And I can't accept your answer," Max said.

  "You're going to have to."

  "You Callaways are so damn stubborn. You think you can handle everything on your own. Look, Drew, I'm sure you're a hell of a pilot, but chasing down criminals is not your area; it's mine."

  "I made a promise."

  "And I made a promise to your sister that I wouldn't let you go off half-cocked against a super criminal. Do you think I want to sleep on the couch?"

  Drew let out a sigh. "As concerned as I am about your sex life, I still can't tell you the whole story. It's too dangerous."

  "You have to give me something."

  He hesitated, knowing he was about to cross that line Ria was so worried about. But while he knew more about Valdez now, he still knew nothing about Kate except what Ria had told him. "I've heard that Enrique had his brother and sister-in-law killed," he said slowly. "Did that come up in your notes? The brother's name was Reynoldo."

  "It's my understanding the couple was killed in a car accident."

  "The brakes were tampered with."

  "Not according to the police report."

  "Which could have been wrong if Enrique had the police department under his thumb."

  Max nodded. "True. I'm assuming your girlfriend is connected to Valdez in some way. Why doesn't she want my help?"

  "I can't answer that, either."

  "Then let me take a guess." He leaned back in his chair, giving Drew a thoughtful look. "She's done something that could get her into trouble. You don't have to answer. I have a pretty good idea of what's going on."

  "She's not a criminal, Max. She's one of Enrique's victims."

  "Does she know where he is?"

  "No, and she's hoping he doesn't know where she is."

  "You should tell her to consider coming clean with us or the feds. If we give her protection, she'll be safer, and we might have a shot at catching him."

  "Why? Because you would use her like bait?" He couldn't stand the thought of Ria and Megan being some kind of a lure.

  "I never said that," Max replied. "I don't use civilians as bait."

  "Maybe you don't, but I imagine others would see the situation differently."

  "So what are you going to do? Be your own one-man army?"

  "Believe me, I'd love to have a few more troops," he said dryly. "But I'm lucky Ria let me in at all. She doesn’t trust anyone. And she'll hate that I've told you this much."

  "What did she do, Drew?"

  He stared back at Max. "I really can't tell you."

  Max rubbed his jaw. "Did she take something or someone that belongs to Valdez? Emma told me she had her niece with her at your parents' house."

  His pulse pounded at Max's sharp question. Harrison was a smart detective. He was already putting the puzzle together with the limited information that he had.

  When Drew remained quiet, Max added. "If she did, Valdez won't stop at anything to get that something or that person back."

  "Ria knows that," he said heavily.

  "You have to let me help you, Drew. Talk to Ria. Convince her to at least speak to me. I'll do everything in my power to make sure she's safe and that the right people go to jail."

  He nodded, then got to his feet. "I'll tell her. Thanks, Max."

  "I wish I could do more."

  "Maybe you can. I'll see what she has to say. I appreciate your discretion."

  "We're going to be brothers," Max said with a smile. "Emma has been very explicit in explaining to me what Callaway family loyalty entails. You can trust me."

  "I do, but I have to get Ria to trust you, too, and that will be more difficult."

  "Maybe bring her by the house one day. She can talk to Emma and me in a non-threatening situation."

  "That’s a good idea. I'll see if I can make that happen."

  "In the meantime," Max said. "Watch your back."

  It wasn't his back he was concerned with; it was Ria's.

  * * *

  Ria worked in the yacht club office on Monday. She didn't enjoy office work usually, but she was happy to have something to take her mind off of Drew. She couldn't stop wondering what he was doing, because she was fairly certain he wasn't at all done interfering in her life. Part of her was tou
ched that he cared enough to be that concerned about her. But the other part of her wondered if he wasn't just getting caught up in the challenge.

  Drew was a rescue operative. It's what he did every day, and now he had a chance to save someone he knew, someone who wasn't a stranger, and he wanted to be successful. He wanted to pull her and Megan out of Enrique's clutches. But Drew was not used to battling someone like Valdez. She just had to convince of that fact, which would not be an easy feat. But there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

  Megan came by the office a little before five. She'd had Lindsay's mom drop her off at the club after the school play rehearsal. Megan had won a small part in the production and was excited about being on the stage. And that school play was another reminder of how entrenched Megan was getting into life in San Francisco.

  "Can we eat here?" Megan asked as Ria locked up the office. "I really like their club sandwiches."

  "Sure," she said. She wasn't really in the mood to shop for groceries or to cook.

  They grabbed a table in the restaurant and while they waited for their food, Megan filled her in on all the prom gossip. Ria didn't have to say much. In fact, just a nod now and then seemed to be all Megan needed to continue on to the next story, which was fine. Ria wasn't in the mood to talk anyway, and she liked the fact that Megan felt comfortable enough to confide in her.

  She couldn't remember having such conversations with her mother, and Kate had been long gone by the time she was in high school.

  While Ria held herself responsible for Megan's well-being, in many ways Megan felt more like a sister than a niece.

  Megan paused as their food was set down before then. Then she jumped back into conversation.

  "So is Drew coming over tonight?" she asked.

  "I haven't spoken to him," Ria replied.

  "How was your walk last night?"

  "It was fine."

  Megan shot her a quick look. "You seemed kind of upset when you got back."

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  "Did you guys have a fight?"

  She sighed. "Megan. I said I don't want to talk about it."

  "Well, I do. I like Drew."

  "You've made that abundantly clear."