Secret Rendezvous
A short story
By: Sharon C. Cooper
Copyright 2012 by Sharon C. Cooper all rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For permission, contact the author at www.sharoncooper.net
ISBN: 978-0-9855254-5-3
Book Cover: MTheresa Art Designs
Published by: Amaris Publishing in the United States
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Dear Reader,
Former Navy SEAL, Quinn Hamilton, is a special operative for the U.S. government and has been secretly dating CIA counter-intelligence officer, Alandra Pargas, for eight months. She’s brilliant, excited by danger, and the sexiest woman he’s ever known. Together they are a force to be reckoned with - inside and outside of the bedroom. But while Alandra is on assignment in Guerrero, Mexico, she’s captured by the country’s most dangerous drug cartel, and Quinn sets out on a black op of his own to save the woman he can’t live without.
Secret Rendezvous is the short story prequel to Rendezvous with Danger. Join me as we visit an old friend, Quinn Hamilton (first introduced in Blue Roses) and meet his love interest, Alandra Pargas.
Enjoy!
Sharon C. Cooper
Chapter One
“Hey, baby, where are you?” Quinn Hamilton merged into traffic going south on interstate 405 toward Huntington Beach, California.
“I’m still in Mexico, about an hour from the airport. God, I’ve missed you. It’s …”
When Alandra’s voice faded, Quinn thought the call had dropped. “Alandra? Hello?” He fiddled with the steering wheel’s volume control in his Escalade truck. “Hello? Lan?”
“Hey, I’m still here. The reception is awful. What I was saying is that it’s good to hear your voice. I’ve missed you.”
“Yeah, baby, me too. I can’t wait to see you. I have big plans for you tonight.”
“Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty, Papi. Tengo planes grandes para ti tambien.”
Quinn laughed. “Girl, don’t play with me. Somehow, I doubt your plans for me are as big as my plans for you. I already don’t think I’ll be able to control myself. We have five weeks to make up for.”
“I know, and I’m going to make it worth your while.”
“Oh, yeah, now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.” He had just arrived in L.A. after spending a month in the jungles of Belize on a mission, and he needed some relaxation. He drove a little faster, anxious to get to his vacation home overlooking the Pacific Ocean where he and Alandra would spend the next five days in seclusion.
“I just hope I don’t miss my plane. Traffic is literally inching along,” Alandra said.
“Was there an accident or something?”
“I’m not sure. I’m still a ways back, but hold on. Let me step out and see if I can tell what’s going on.” Seconds later Quinn heard her say, “Oh crap.”
“What?”
“There’s a road block or checkpoint ahead. They’re stopping people, and it looks like cars are being searched. No wonder traffic is backed up.”
Quinn swore under his breath. He didn’t like the sound of that. A former Navy SEAL and now a special operative for the U.S. government, he was suspicious of anything that involved spot-checking cars, especially in Guerrero, one of the most violent states in Mexico.
“I know you know this, but make sure you’re in the far right lane, or whichever lane you can use to make the quickest exit. They’re looking for something…or someone. Are they federales?”
“I don’t know yet, but I should be able to tell when I get a little closer.”
“Lan, please tell me Harry didn’t put you on an assignment that has anything to do with dr—”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.”
Damn. Why the hell would he send her there by herself if it involved anything with drugs? As one of the CIA’s best counterintelligence agents, Alandra Pargas, could take care of herself, but that didn’t stop him from worrying about her or hating her job. Alandra’s boss, director Harry O’Brien, a total jerk in Quinn’s opinion, had given her the assignment that landed her in Mexico off and on for the past few months.
“Q, I will tell you this though. Something strange happened yesterday.”
“Strange like what?”
“Well, maybe not strange, but unnerving. Yesterday morning there was a scuffle across the street from my apartment. I looked out the window and three men were roughing up this kid, who was maybe…oh, I don’t know, seventeen or eighteen. Anyway, the kid handed over some money, but they kept saying ‘Where’s the rest of it? Where’s the rest of it?’ It definitely sounded like it was drug related.”
“Did either of them see you?”
“At first I didn’t think so. I had grabbed my camera so that I could get a better look and when I zoomed in, I recognized one of the men as being my neighbor, Tomás. Now this is where it got strange. A few hours later, I left my apartment, and he was standing against the wall outside my door.”
“Alandra, I don’t like this shit. Did he say anything to you?”
Seconds passed before she spoke. “He said, ‘I know who you are,’ and then he walked away.”
“What?” Quinn yelled. “Are you saying your cover is blown?”
“As far as I know, it’s not. I’ve only used the name, Selena McKenzie, since I first arrived. There is no way he could know my real name. I think he was only trying to scare me.”
Well, he sure as hell scared Quinn. “I can’t stand you being so far away by yourself.”
“Aww, are you worried about me? Will you come looking for me if I’m not at our secret rendezvous spot on time?”
He never thought he’d ever feel this way about a woman, but he’d move heaven and earth to get to her. “You just get here. We’ll talk more about this Tomás guy when I see you.”
“Uhh…Quinn...”
The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose with those two words.
“What’s wrong?” He slowed down, not realizing he was going ninety miles an hour. “What’s going on, Lan?”
“I have a serious problem. I’m using the zoom on my camera and though there are a few cars ahead of me, from here it looks like the federales and some other men are showing my photo. And …oh damn, Tomás is one of them.”
Quinn swerved over to the shoulder of the highway and parked. “I need you to listen to me very carefully. Tell me exactly where you are. Tell me everything you see. Then you need to get the hell out of there.”
“I’m surrounded by cars. I can’t drive out of this mess.”
He heard rustling - and then, nothing. “Alandra!”
“I’m here. I’m here. I’m putting my camera away and gathering my stuff from the back seat.”
“All right, now tell me how many federales, or whoever the hell they are do you see? Are they carrying weapons? And where are you? Baby, I need as much information as you can give me before you exit that car.”
> “Q, there’s no time.”
“Tell me, dammit!”
“Okay. Okay. I’m on Zihuatanejo, a two-lane highway going north. There’s a gas station, Pemex, and a storage unit next to it that has a lot of tires outside near the street. I see a half-wall on my right with advertisement of some sort. There are about six men going from car to car, two per car. Some are carrying machine guns and all are wearing military uniforms. Some look like federales, but the ones with purple bands around their left arms look harder…more dangerous. There are several SUVs with dark windows parked on the side of the road, near the checkpoint. Quinn, I have to get out now, or I’ll miss my opportunity.”
He darted back into traffic. A short distance ahead, he exited and returned to the interstate. He had to get back to the airport. Thank God, she had the phone he’d given her. The one with the tracking device his friend had invented. He’d be able to track her if the worst happened. But his goal was to make sure the worst didn’t happen.
“I’m glad you’re on the phone I gave you. Keep it on and put it in your pocket or somewhere I can still hear you.”
“But if I’m caught and they find it… it’ll lead back to you.”
“Don’t worry about it. Once we figure out exactly where you are, we’ll take care of the phone on this end.”
“What? How?”
“Alandra, baby, please, just leave it on. Every so often I want you to shout out where you are or what you see.” He knew all of her training would kick in once she hit the ground running, but that didn’t keep him from worrying about her safety.
“Got it,” she whispered. “And Quinn, I love you.”
“I love you too, and I will find you.”
“Damn! I can’t believe this shit,” he growled and slammed his hand against the steering wheel. This was why he hated her job, and knowing that she was in danger made him want to spit bullets. The CIA had their protocol for getting their agents out of dangerous situations, but Quinn could get into Guerrero and out before the CIA could mobilize a team.
He dug through the inside pocket of his jacket for his back up cell phone, his pulse pounding in his ears. He didn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to her. Alandra was everything he wanted in a woman. Strong willed, highly intelligent, and sexy as hell. They were perfect together. Eyes the color of honey, the face of an angel, and a curvaceous body made for loving. She was truly the total package, and he’d kill anyone who laid a hand on her.
He called a friend who owned a plane.
“Didn’t I just see you?” Terry Haines answered by way of greeting.
Quinn had run into Terry when he’d gotten off the plane twenty minutes ago.
“Yeah, man, but I have a huge favor.” He darted in and out of lanes hoping he wouldn’t get pulled over for reckless driving. “I need to get to Acapulco as soon as possible. Can you hook me up?”
“How fast can you get here?”
“Twenty minutes.”
He disconnected and speed-dialed the next person, not caring about the California hands free driving law.
“Yeah,” Cameron answered on the first ring.
“Wiz, I need your help.”
Cameron Miller earned his nickname “Wiz,” during their SEAL days for his uncanny ability to manipulate any computer or anything remotely related to a computer.
“You don’t sound too good. You okay?”
Hell no he wasn’t okay. The woman he loved more than life was in trouble and he was trying like hell to get to her before it was too late.
“I’m on my way to Mexico. Can you use your fancy equipment to trace this number?” He gave Wiz Alandra’s number, but not her name. He had yet to tell his friends he was seeing someone exclusively. Based on his bachelor for life motto, they probably wouldn’t believe it anyway. Besides, he wanted to keep their relationship quiet due to the work he did and the enemies he’d made. The last thing he needed was to have an adversary use her to get to him. “I’ll call you back when I get to the airport.”
“You got it. Anything else?”
“Yeah, call José in Acapulco. I’m heading that way and I’m going to need his help…and a helicopter.”
“Q, man, if you’re in some kind of trouble just say the word and I’m there.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. Right now I need you to stay near the phone and the computer. Let José know that this is a rescue mission. I need to get into Coyuca de Catalán once night falls and out of there even faster. I’ll call him with more details soon.”
A moment passed before Wiz spoke. “Who needs rescuing?”
“A friend.” Quinn’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. He didn’t want Alandra anywhere near the heartless bastards who ran drug cartels in Guerrero. He could still hear her in the background shouting out her location every so often. He not only wanted her to keep the phone on so that he could trace her location, but he wanted her to feel as if he were there with her.
Quinn blew out a ragged breath. He wanted to punch something or someone. He had to keep reminding himself that Alandra was a trained agent. She could kick ass better than some men he knew.
Wiz whistled through the phone. “Damn, this must be some friend. I seem to remember a certain ruthless drug lord who told you that if he caught you back in Guerrero again, he’d cut off your head and send it to your mother. Are you sure you don’t need me and Malik to roll with you?”
Malik Lewis, a fellow operative and another one of Quinn’s best friends, had saved his butt plenty of times, but right now there was no time to get everyone together. Besides, the less people involved the better.
“I’m good, man.” Quinn gave him additional instructions and disconnected just as he arrived at the airport.
Seconds later Alandra’s breath came in short spurts through the cell phone. She called out that she was climbing over yet another wall. He knew she heard dogs barking and yelling in the distance because he could hear them.
“They’re getting closer,” Alandra whispered. Quinn had been a part of more missions than he could count, some more dangerous than others, but this was personal. Nothing compared to hearing fear in his woman’s voice. So help me if anything happens to her...
Chapter Two
Alandra had been in western Guerrero several times in the last few months and knew the area, but not well enough to identify a good place to hide. She’d been running for at least fifteen minutes with no definite destination in mind, but tried to formulate a plan to get out of town, or to at least lay low until Quinn arrived. There was no sense in going back to the small apartment she’d rented - sure that it had already been searched. She had a sick feeling that whoever these people were, they weren’t the federales.
Her assignment - blend into the culture and teach English to school-age children, while discretely gathering information about Los Hermanos, the most dangerous drug cartel in Mexico. For the most part, keeping her true identity a secret had been easy. Her long curly hair and bronze skin was similar to the natives thanks to her Hispanic father, but her light brown eyes and full lips, compliments of her African American mother, probably had people wondering about her nationality. But something went wrong. Apparently, she’d asked the wrong questions to the wrong person, otherwise, she wouldn’t be running down another filthy alley. And what did Tomás have to do with all of this?
“You two stay in this area and search all yards. She couldn’t have gone far.” Alandra stopped in her tracks and looked around when she heard several men yell out orders in Spanish. Thankfully, she’d announced her latest location to Quinn a couple of minutes earlier since she probably wouldn’t be able to say more anytime soon. She ran back a few feet and took cover in a dark doorway.
“No. We searched this area already,” one of her pursuers disagreed in Spanish. “We should look near Ignacio Comonfort and let them do the area near Zapata.”
Alandra had learned the language as a child, so she understood their frustrated argui
ng over which way to go. So much for running she thought. These guys had radios and someone was barking orders at them. According to one of them, they had several men spread out over a three-kilometer radius, which explained how they were able to get close, considering her head start.
She pulled her baseball cap from her backpack and put it on while listening to how they planned to split up. Though the awful smell of urine and trash assailed her nose, she forced herself to stay put as two men headed in her direction each carrying AK-47s. She could take them, but Quinn would probably tell her to, “Sit tight and don’t do anything stupid.”
After the two men passed, she jetted out of her hiding spot with all intentions of running in the opposite direction, but instead she ran dead smack into a hard chest. Crap, a third guy. With the wind knocked out of her she landed on her rear, and scrambled to back away.
“¡Aquí esta ella! ¡Aquí esta ella!” the man yelled, alerting them of her sudden appearance.
Alandra threw a spinning sweep kick at his ankle, knocking him flat on his back, but the other two gunmen charged at her. This was not how she saw her day going when she woke up this morning. With a front kick to the groin, she incapacitated one of them; and a roundhouse kick to the head took care of the second man. It wasn’t until Alandra heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gun fire from behind her did she freeze. Uncertainty coursed through her veins as she contemplated her next move. But before she could react, she felt a sharp numbing sting at the side of her neck. Unable to scream, fight or call for help her muscles stiffened, paralyzing her from the neck down, and she crumbled to the ground. Her head connected with a brick shortly before her world went black.
****
What seemed like hours later, Alandra’s eyes fluttered opened, and every muscle in her body ached. She’d been tased before during a training op, but whatever these people used had more juice than a regular taser. Her head hurt like hell, her stomach felt queasy, and her lips were numb from her mouth being stretched open by a gag.
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