The evil man said, “Be there in an hour.”
And then he hung up.
The phone line went dead.
If anything happened to Camila, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. She collapsed on the table as she hung up the house phone. “I can’t believe this.”
Todd continued to massage her shoulder, but he went to her back until she turned and hugged him.
His strong arms were all she had. She needed his embrace because she had no strength anymore.
Todd rocked her gently. “We’ll get your daughter back, but we’re going to have to follow every direction my security team makes.”
“I’m scared,” she said, ignoring how she drenched his light blue shirt with her tears.
She had no idea how long they stood there, but for today, Todd was her rock.
Car tires squealed on the driveway, and Todd pulled back, still holding both of her hands, which he squeezed. “You can do this, Andrea.”
How did he even know her name? She hadn’t introduced herself. Her mind swirled on the question, and she took her hands back, hugging her waist as she stared at the handsome man with clear blue eyes who was wearing a shirt that displayed all his muscles. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, so there wasn’t a Mrs. in this house.
Her heart raced as she asked, “Why are you helping me? You don’t know me.”
The doorbell rang, and neither of them moved.
“I’d want someone to help me if I ever had a child go missing, and I wish I could help my nephews and niece find their mom. Besides, you are pretty. I don’t want to see you cry.”
Wait. The young boy across the street’s mother was missing? No wonder Pilar seemed to watch out for her young charge. She took a deep breath and realized she shouldn’t judge Todd for helping her because of other bad men.
The doorbell rang again. They both turned, and as she walked beside him, she said, “I owe you, Mr. Morgan.”
He winced as his hand held the door. “Todd. I’m not my brother, Mitch, so please just call me Todd.”
Todd wasn’t a name she heard often back in Guatemala, but, somehow, he made the name sound delicious. She nodded as he opened the door. “Sí, but I still owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said fast, signaling for his security team to come inside.
The electronic equipment they set up was all foreign to her, but she recognized the guns on their hips. Her baby girl shouldn’t be in danger like this. If she got Camila back, she’d ensure her baby was never endangered ever again.
Chapter 2
Todd Morgan prayed, and he never prayed about anything, but Andrea’s plight was horrible. He saw how his nephews and niece cried for their mother, and how his brother ignored his children.
If there was something he could do for them, he would. But there were no clues.
However, with Andrea, whoever stole her child wasn’t as smart as whatever happened to his sister-in-law. They had left a trail.
The phone rang, and Andrea startled. He answered and security gave him details.
The moment he hung up the phone, he met her brown-eyed gaze. “The van heading onto Star Island just passed security.”
Her hands clutched her chest. “Do they have my daughter?”
Hopefully. He kept that to himself. For her, he needed to seem calm and logical. He buttoned his top button of his blue shirt like that would make him seem more official. “Until we open the door, we won’t know for sure. Andrea, I’m going out with you.”
Miguel Ortiz, his head of security, and the rest of his team ran across the parking garage outside the window.
Andrea saw Miguel and sucked in her breath. “They might run.”
If they saw the men. Again, he didn’t say that but offered his hand. “It’s my house, and I want to help you. However, the police are on standby. The moment you get your daughter, run into my house with her.”
She squeezed his hand as if he were a life jacket and they had jumped into the ocean. “Okay. As long as I get her.”
He opened the front door. Miguel stood outside, like a sentinel to guard him, and handed him a briefcase. He didn’t ask questions as he took it.
Andrea tugged on his arm. “What is security handing you?”
“The money,” Todd answered as they walked onto his circular driveway.
A white cargo van roared toward the house from the street as Andrea said, “Ohh. Okay.”
“Here we go.” He held her a little closer, ignoring the spark of awareness she raised in him and hoping it was the adrenaline. The dark-haired woman with blonde streaks blew past his usual defenses that kept women at bay.
The van slammed on its loud brakes in his driveway and, without missing a second, the back door opened.
A woman hopped out holding the baby, but so did two men with automatic weapons. At least one other man was inside the van in the driver’s seat.
Andrea reached out for her daughter. “Camila!”
One of the men stepped in front of the woman and Camila, blocking them from Andrea. “Do you have the money?” he asked.
Snarly was a good word for that man.
Andrea didn’t blink and pointed toward him. “Yes. Mr. Morgan.”
Good. The man’s gaze locked with his. He held out the briefcase and took a step forward, pretending not to see the gun. Todd ensured he sounded sure of himself as he said, “We’ll switch. You can check the money as Andrea gets her baby.”
He took a step forward, with Andrea right at his side. She reached out for her daughter. Todd handed over the briefcase, and Andrea snatched her daughter as he said, “Here.”
“Camila,” Andrea cried as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tight.
The little dark-haired girl with a pink bow and pink sweatshirt clutched her mother like she was holding on for dear life. She cried out, “Momma.”
Todd tapped Andrea on the back and whispered, “Go.”
Her eyes widened, but she held her daughter’s head like she was still an infant, turned, and ran into the house.
The little girl still screamed, “Momma!”
“Shh…” Andrea said as they fled.
Todd backed up slower, but one man had his guns pointed at him while the second counted the money.
From the door, Andrea screamed, “Mr. Morgan!”
Miguel blocked the door. “We need you and your daughter to stay inside, ma’am.”
Then the blue dye the police had placed in the briefcase exploded.
Todd’s entire body tightened. He stepped back to run.
The man with the gun turned his attention toward the second man, and, in that second, Todd took another step back.
Miguel pulled him into the house just as one man shot off his gun.
The little girl screamed. “I’m scared.”
“Me too,” Andrea said.
Another security guard closed the door behind him.
Andrea rocked her daughter. “That is Mr. Morgan. He brought you home to me.”
Todd stayed near the door as adrenaline rushed through his veins. Miguel had worked for him for years and was a military vet, but he absolutely didn’t deserve to die because of him.
The van took off, and Todd flung open the door.
Miguel opened his shirt to reveal his bulletproof vest and then headed toward his security team in the driveway.
He clearly had a plan to talk to the police and the others. Todd closed the door and checked on his guests, who huddled on the couch in the living room. Andrea was rocking her daughter still, though both of them had stopped crying.
Todd walked over with his arms crossed as he gazed down at them. His heart began to beat faster again. “Is she okay, Andrea?”
She swallowed, and her big brown eyes were still pools of water. “Are you okay? I was afraid you’d get shot.”
Him, too, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he knelt down so he was eye level with them as he said as gently as he could, “I’m fine
. Should I call a doctor for your daughter?”
Camila clutched her mother’s neck and cried again. “Mama, don’t leave me.”
Andrea met his gaze with her big, beautiful expression as she held her daughter’s head and rocked her. “I won’t go anywhere, baby girl.”
He’d protect them both for the rest of his life if she let him.
The sounds of the party from his brother’s house grew louder.
Andrea swallowed. “What’s that sound?”
Probably his brother and the others. He stood up and walked toward the front windows. He saw the small crowd of his brothers’ friends, closed the blinds, and turned toward Andrea and her daughter. “The neighborhood is now outside wondering what happened, and the police are chasing the van.”
“I’m fired, then,” Andrea said, shrugging her shoulders. “We’ll never show our faces here again.”
He walked toward them and knelt down on his knees again. “I think it’s better if you both stay here tonight.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Why? Are we still in danger?”
This was the best place to protect her. She might have a husband, but whoever he was, he clearly hadn’t been there to protect his family. Andrea’s story made her sound like she was all alone, so it was up to him.
Todd said in his calmest voice, trying not to frighten anyone, “The men who took your daughter are still at large. It’s best if you’re protected.”
Andrea’s face went white. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” he interrupted, standing. Now that it was decided, he headed toward his phone. “I’ll have the staff set up a nursery.”
“I’m not a baby,” Camila said and stuck her chin out.
Good. Andrea’s daughter had spunk. She was probably as strong as her mother.
He dialed his staff extension as he smiled at the girl. “No, but you went through a lot. I can get you some toys, Camila.”
Her daughter didn’t even blink. “I want my mom.”
“She’s staying with you,” Todd answered and glanced quickly at Andrea. She was one of the most attractive women he’d ever seen. “You’re both my guests.”
Andrea hugged her daughter, letting her go, but gazed back at him with what he hoped was interest as she petted her daughter’s dark hair. “It’s okay, Camila. We’re both staying, and Mr. Morgan—”
“Todd,” he interrupted, but then someone knocked at the door.
He walked back to the front door as Andrea said behind him, “Todd is here to help us.”
The way she said his name made bells ring in his chest.
Camila said, “Okay.”
Good. At least for tonight, he knew they were both safe and sound.
But then he opened the door. Miguel stood with a detective, and they both quickly explained what happened next.
Todd’s shoulders tightened when he let them inside. He walked the men over to Andrea and her daughter, who leaned into her mother for comfort. Andrea’s trusting gaze made his chest harden.
He widened his stance. “The police are going to need a statement. You can stay with your daughter the whole time, and if you’re uncomfortable, your mom won’t judge.”
Camila flinched.
Andrea hugged her closer. “Absolutely, darling.”
Perhaps it was best he let the detective handle this. Todd nodded at Andrea. “And if you need me, I’ll be consulting with security to ensure you’re safe tonight.”
He pressed Miguel’s shoulder to direct him to his office. Todd turned to go, but Andrea’s sweet voice called to him, like a siren song. “Thank you, Todd.”
He looked over his shoulder as Andrea broke through another chink in the armor around his heart. He winked at her. “Don’t worry about it.”
Miguel didn’t stay in his office long. They had a simple plan where if no one went off the estates, the house was secured.
The police were still talking to Andrea, and he asked his maid to show Andrea and her daughter to their adjoining suites.
A few minutes later, he checked on the makeshift nursery as toys were being delivered and set up.
Perfect.
If he had his way, Andrea and her daughter would stay indefinitely, but he’d talk to Andrea in the morning. For now, he headed into his room and did his evening workout, showered, and dressed in his sweats.
The house was quiet and dark when he headed back downstairs. Outside, it was the middle of the night, and no one stirred.
But he wasn’t tired. He headed down, intending to raid the kitchen, but stopped.
Andrea paced near the back door of the patio, which overlooked the Intracoastal and had a view of the Atlantic. He walked over to her, and she jumped for a moment until she recognized him. He kept his distance, though Andrea seemed softer, and his awareness of her grew in every part of his body.
He asked, “You’re still awake?”
“Sí,” she said and lowered her arms, clearly more relaxed. “I never sleep much anyhow.”
Yet she’d been pacing and clearly working out something in her mind.
He asked, “Am I interrupting?”
“In a good way.” She caressed her crucifix, which was under her soft-looking mint-green nightgown and robe that fell to her knees. “I’m just figuring out my life and my decisions and what I want to do next.”
Decisions were always hard. He ignored the hammer in his heart that said ‘she’s mine.’ He wasn’t a caveman, so he crossed his arms. “I can let you go.”
She took a step forward and brushed her hand on his arm and shoulder, sending a spark up his spine. “Please stay. I could use the company, and you’re currently my only friend.”
If he stayed, she’d see that he wanted her. Perhaps it was for the best, so he nodded and headed toward the kitchen anyhow. “I’ll get us a glass of wine. You’ve had a trying day.”
She called out to him, “Now that is the truth.”
He disappeared for one second, found the glasses in the cupboard, and picked out a chardonnay from the vineyard from when he’d visited California last month. As he returned, he turned on the lights in the sitting room, which should have been a library that overlooked water. In the morning, this room was full of natural light. He guided her to the white leather couch and handed her a glass he’d filled.
She waited for him to pour his own glass before she sipped. At the party earlier, no woman had bothered to wait for him, though he’d had two different women offer him sex in the hour he’d been there.
He relaxed near Andrea, and they both sipped their wines in silence. He swallowed. “So, what brought you to our country?”
Andrea flinched, as if she relived the past. “I was escaping violence.”
If he could help in any way, he would. If she was running from a husband or a fiancé, then maybe the kidnapping today had more of a personal reason. “What happened?”
“Huh?” she asked, and then let out sigh as she lifted her face and gazed right at him. “You want my story?”
“Yes,” he answered and refused to break the spell he was under from her gaze. He then added, “I’d like to know more about you.”
She sipped her wine as if it gave her courage. She then closed her eyes, and her face scrunched up like she had eaten something sour. “My parents were killed.”
He placed his hand on hers and felt her warmness. “I’m so sorry.”
She sipped her wine again and gave him a melancholy smile. “They’d want me to protect Camila, which was why I applied for asylum at the border.”
If he pushed about her parents, she’d retreat into memories. However, Todd had one question that burned in his mind about her past. “What about Camila’s dad?”
She shook her head, and her body relaxed. “He’s never been in the picture. He was a mistake. I was young and got pregnant.”
Now she made them both sound old, when there was no way she was older than he was. “You’re still young.”
“Thanks,”
she said. “At twenty-seven, I feel so out of touch with anything young.”
“You’re a mom and still beautiful.” He clinked his glass with hers and she laughed. He held his own glass in both hands and looked down. He had one more burning question to ask. “So, did anything horrible happen to Camila today?”
She patted his knee, comforting him. “Thankfully, no, but they scared her. My calling with the money probably shocked them.”
And he’d sent her inside seconds before the money exploded. He held his glass tighter. “The money was being traced, and they knew it was marked bills, which was why the bullets started flying.”
“Ahh. Now I understand,” she said, sipping from her glass again, and then she bumped her elbow with his. “And I’m glad you’re okay and you had security around us today.”
He’d sworn to protect her, and he’d ensure everything was safe. He lifted his wine to drink again. “We should get whoever did this to you soon. We just need to give the police time.”
She let out a small laugh. “You’re wealthy so they’ll work fast.”
His eyes widened. “It’s not like that.”
She gave him a knowing smile like she didn’t believe his denial at all. But then her face hardened. “What happens if they are related to the gangs of my old country?”
He pressed his hand on hers. “I’ll keep you and Camila safe.”
Her face turned bright red and her lips puckered. “You don’t have to, Todd.”
“I want to,” he said. The way she said his name was like a song he heard in his heart.
She put her glass between her legs, and her eyes were pools of emotion as she asked, “Why are you doing this?”
She must have been able to see that he wanted her. He’d not deny that, but his cheeks still felt hotter. He leaned closer and spoke low. “At first, it was just because you needed help.”
Her eyebrows arched. “And now?”
The air around her smelled like roses. He sipped his wine and let the sweet taste wash through him. “Now I’m starting to like you.”
Her face turned an even brighter red as she clutched the front of her nightgown. “Why?”
She was beautiful, but outward beauty wasn’t that exciting. He finished his wine and then put the glass on the table beside the couch. Finally, he answered her question. “Because you are the strongest woman I’ve ever encountered.”
Secret Caress Page 2
