by Joanna Wayne
Leave it to Buerto to find a dark, deserted spot like this. His blueprint was intact.
Jaime’s head was held high and her back, arrow straight, as if she were the one in total control. Rio pointed his gun at Buerto. He could easily put enough bullets in the shoulder bag to destroy the canister but the spray of chemicals would kill both Jaime and Buerto.
There had to be another way. Once she stepped inside that plane, her safety would be out of his hands. Once the canister was on that plane, an incalculable number of people could die, starting with Jaime and her four brothers.
Cutter and Nick would fly into the rescue, but there would be nothing they could do. One vial of RKO and a man of unspeakable evil had claimed all the power.
Jaime climbed the first narrow step with Buerto right behind her. Impulsively Rio’s finger tightened on the trigger. He worked for the CIA. His job was to keep the deadly chemical from leaving the country. His conscience demanded he stop it from disappearing into enemy hands at any cost.
His heart felt only desperation. He could not lose Jaime.
Still he held the gun steady, his finger poised on the trigger and ready to shoot.
In the blink of an eye, Jaime went down hard on the plane’s steps and Buerto fell on top of her. Jaime’s hand came up and slammed into the vial. The liquid seemed to spray from it in slow motion. The images of the drops falling on Jaime imbedded in Rio’s mind.
A cry of agony tore from his throat as he raced to the plane to hold Jaime in his arms.
Buerto was on his feet again by the time Rio got there. He yanked his gun from the holster and aimed it at Jaime. Rio exploded. He kicked the gun from his hands and then slammed Buerto’s head against the side of the plane. When he looked up, four Collingsworths had their guns aimed at Buerto.
Rio grabbed Jaime and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Jaime. So sorry.” His voice cracked and his eyes burned.
“Then kiss me,” she whispered, “and I’ll think about forgiving you, especially since you just saved my life.”
“The vial of—”
“Water. It was only water, wasn’t it, Buerto? You played a bluff and you lost.”
“It almost worked. If you hadn’t tripped, it would have.”
“I didn’t trip. Now will someone find the key and unlock me from this monster? And take that bag from him, Zach, before he drops the canister of RKO and kills us all.”
Rio kissed her hard, not sure his heart had started beating again yet. “How did you know?” he asked when he came up for air.
“I didn’t at first. But then I thought about his saying that some terrorists were suicidal enough to actually handle RKO. Buerto has no regard for anyone else’s life, but he’s not suicidal. That’s why he killed Poncho with a knife.”
“That was a damn risky thing to try, Jaime.”
“I know. I’m really glad it worked.”
“I love you, Jaime Collingsworth.”
“I love you right back, Rio Hernandez. Now get up and help them arrest Buerto so that you can take me home. I have a very dirty back.”
JAIME SAT BACK AND RELAXED. It had been one hellacious night, but finally she knew exactly what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.
All that was left was to convince Rio to go along with it.
Chapter Sixteen
The first Sunday in May was Lenora’s homecoming. The whole family, including Rio, was at Jack’s Bluff ranch to celebrate. He wasn’t officially family, but Jaime could live with that.
The day was gloriously sunny and delightfully mild. Since no one could compete with Lenora’s Sunday brunches, they’d decided to have a barbecue. The men had smoked a large brisket, pounds of ribs and four chickens.
The women had made potato salad, baked beans and Trish’s famous chocolate cake to go with the homemade ice cream they’d churn later. Jaime’s job had been to warm the rolls. They were only slightly burned.
Rio fit in amazingly with her family, especially her brothers and Nick. In fact, he fit in almost too well. The men were monopolizing all of Rio’s time with questions when she had other plans for him.
“So Buerto is spilling the beans all over the place,” Bart said. “Interesting, considering he was so macho when things were going his way.”
“Let me see if I have this straight,” Nick said. “Rafa is a childhood friend of Buerto’s who just happens to be in a position of authority in the cartel.”
“Right, and when Buerto questioned him about selling the deadly chemical to the cartel, he thought the timing was perfect, considering that Detonation Day was in the advanced planning stage.”
“And then he stole the files for Buerto,” Langston said, “all for a piece of the ransom?”
“Exactly.”
“Has Rafa been arrested?” Zach asked.
“He has, and I think they have enough on him and on Carlos to put them both away,” Rio said. “Unfortunately, that won’t make a dent in the cartels. It’s going to take a lot more work to bring them down.”
“But they won’t have the canister of RKO at their fingertips and neither will any other terrorists,” Nick said. “And they have apparently called off Detonation Day. I’d say you and Jaime did a hell of a job. There’s no telling how many lives you saved.”
Rio beamed. “Jaime deserves most of the credit. You should hear the CIA singing her praises.” He looked around, spotted her and smiled.
Jaime smiled back. She’d already decided that this was the day that she’d approach Rio with her proposition. Now that she’d made the decision, she couldn’t wait to confront him.
He wouldn’t protest too loudly with all the family around and she wouldn’t be too tempted to hurl one of her gorgeous new Jimmy Choo red high-heeled sandals at him if he said no.
So why was she still so nervous?
Finally Rio left her brothers and walked over to where she was standing.
“There’s a new foal,” she said. “Take a walk with me to the horse barn and I’ll show him to you.”
“You can walk though hay in those shoes?”
“I walk quite well in these shoes.” She added an extra wiggle to her sway to demonstrate.
But now that she’d got started she couldn’t wait until they reached the barn. She took his arm and tugged him to a stop beneath oak tree. “I’ve been thinking about our capturing Buerto and recovering the RKO.”
“Really? I try hard not to think about that night.”
“We made a great team.”
He pulled her into his arms. “We make a great team.”
“Yes, but we’re not fully a team.”
He tipped his Stetson. “Is this where I’m supposed to fall on my knee and pull out a ring?”
“No, it’s where I’m supposed to quit beating around the bush and say what’s on my mind.”
His eyebrows arched. “So this the scene where you dump me?”
“Absolutely not. But you know how I said I’d never found my passion in a career?”
“I recall that.”
“That’s changed. I now know what I want to do with my life.”
“Am I supposed to guess?”
“I want to be an investigator, and don’t laugh. I know I have a lot to learn but I’m a fast learner.”
“I think that’s a—”
“Wait. I haven’t finished. I’ve already talked to Cutter. He likes the idea. He thinks I have potential and great intuitive skills even under pressure.”
“I’d have to agree with that.”
“He says I showed great moral courage.”
“I’d drink to that.”
“He says I’d be an asset to the Double M Investigation and Protection Service.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
She took a deep breath and held it. “I’d like it if we were partners on a case sometime.”
“Fine by me, as long as you don’t throw yourself in the path of danger.”
“Then you don’t think my
becoming an investigator is a ridiculous idea?”
“No, but you don’t need my permission to do anything you want, Jaime. You’re a free spirit. I love that about you, but—”
She groaned. Why did there always have to be a but?
“While we’re talking partners, I think we should go all the way.” He dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring.
She stared at him in shock.
“I love you, Jaime, with all my heart. I have since the first day we met. I will until the last day of my life.”
“And I love you, Rio, so much that I can’t even imagine life without you in it.”
“Will you marry me, Jaime?”
Her heart tripped madly and she could swear the earth moved beneath her feet. Still…“What about those things you said about never wanting to be married?”
“They were spoken by a fool. I finally wised up.” He stood and pulled her into his arms. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”
Her heart was so full her chest could barely contain it. “Yes. That would be a definite yes.” She couldn’t wait to tell the world and especially her mom.
Jaime Collingsworth had finally got her man.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5034-9
COWBOY DELIRIUM
Copyright © 2010 by Jo Ann Vest
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