Family on the Run

by Margaret Watson

  “I haven’t forgotten a thing. But you’re wrong. You weren’t responsible for Richard’s death. That was my fault.”

  She shook her head. “That whole job was a fiasco. I should have left as soon as I realized you were interested in me.” She looked away. “And that I was interested in you. But catching El Diablo was important to me, too important to do the right thing. So I stayed and Richard was killed. I don’t think it was your fault. I’m not sure it was my fault. But it wouldn’t have happened if I had asked to be reassigned.”

  “You don’t know that’s true, Andi,” he said, and he realized with a jolt that he believed it. “None of us has any way of knowing what would happen if we had chosen a different path. It’s not your fault Richard died. Hell, it might not even be my fault. But we can’t go back and change history. So it doesn’t make sense to keep beating ourselves up for what happened in the past.”

  “You’re still beating yourself up,” she said softly.

  “How so?”

  “You quit the agency. I know how much you loved your job. And I know how good you were at it.”

  He stared into the darkness. “That wasn’t entirely because of Richard’s death,” he finally said. “It had a lot more to do with Mac.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mac sent you to spy on us. He didn’t trust us, but neither Richard nor I had ever given him reason not to trust us. That was the worst betrayal of all.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “I was spying on you, and I’ve regretted it bitterly ever since.”

  He turned to face her then. “You were just doing your job, Andi. You have nothing to blame yourself for. I was upset at the time, but that was more about me than you. I was angry with myself because I couldn’t keep my mind off you. Or my hands.”

  “I should have asked to be reassigned right away. You asked me to do that, but I refused. And I—”

  He reached out an arm and pulled her close. “Don’t, Andi. We can’t change the past, and it doesn’t make any sense to try. And it turned out okay in the long run. I love what I’m doing now. Hell, if I hadn’t loved it so much, I never would have taken this job. But I needed the money to expand the company. So here I am with you, again.”

  “It’s not just you and Richard,” she said softly. “It’s Paloma, too. She was getting information for me about El Diablo, and now she’s dead.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for that,” he said immediately. “She came to you and offered her help. Informants know the risks they’re taking. They know what can happen to them and they choose to do it, anyway. Paloma had been working for El Diablo before you came into the picture. She knew what kind of monster he is.”

  Her sigh rippled by his shoulder. “Thank you for saying that, Chase, but the truth is, I should have gotten her out of Chipultipe sooner. If I had, she might not have died.”

  “Did you tell her to stay when she wanted to leave?” he asked bluntly.

  “No. She was the one who always wanted to do more. But I should have known.”

  “You can’t know everything,” he said. “You’re not that powerful. I know you now, Andi. I didn’t really know you the last time we worked together. You’re not to blame.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m just beginning to wonder if it’s worth it.” Her voice was weary. “Too many lives have been lost. And Paolo and you are still in danger.”

  “You are, too,” he reminded her.

  “I don’t count,” she said. “I have to…”

  “You have to what?”

  Silence trembled between them for a moment. He felt her gather herself, felt her turn to him. Then Paolo whimpered behind them, and she scrambled to pick him up. Her relief at the interruption quivered in the air between them.

  He wondered what she’d been about to say.

  Andi searched for a bottle in her pack, then leaned back against the tree. “Poor Paolo. Now he has nothing but this backpack and what’s in it.” She shoved the pack with her foot, then froze.

  “Chase, the backpack!” She turned to him, and he saw her eyes gleam in the moonlight.

  “What?”

  “When Paloma came to my house, when she was dying, she asked me to take care of Paolo. And she told me specifically to take this backpack—she told me where it was in her house—and put his things into it. She was very insistent. I was so upset at the time I didn’t even think about it. But now I wonder why it had to be this particular pack.”

  He was already pulling it toward him. “Let’s take a look at it.”

  He pulled out a small flashlight and trained it on the pack. It was a coarse material, obviously handmade. They could see nothing special about it.

  “I’m going to empty it out.” He looked over at her. “Was there anything in it when you filled it with Paolo’s things?”

  “It was completely empty.”

  Swiftly he took out the contents, then examined the pack. Andi leaned over his shoulder, watching carefully.

  “I can’t take it apart,” he said. “We still need it to carry Paolo’s things. But we’ll examine every inch of it when we get to Monterez.”

  Andi tugged it out of his hands and turned it over. “Take a look at the bottom. Every once in a while it feels like something’s poking me in the back.”

  Chase kneaded the stiff material in his hands. “There’s something hard here,” he said, excitement building. “Let’s take a look.”

  In a few moments he had carefully separated the lining of the pack and pulled out a computer disk. He held it up to show Andi. “I don’t suppose Paloma had a computer, did she?”

  “No.” She stared at the disk. “She was lucky she had electricity.”

  “Then we can probably assume she got this from El Diablo’s house. If this is what she was thinking about while she was dying, it’s probably important.”

  They both stared at it for a moment, then he slipped it back into the lining of the pack. “It’s safe there for the time being.” He looked over at her and gave her a grin. “But I think your Paloma might have handed you El Diablo on a platter.”

  “We have to catch him first.”

  “We will, Andi.” He pulled her close. “We’ll get to Monterez tomorrow, then we’ll have another day and a half to set everything up. We’ll get him.”

  She set Paolo down on his blanket and carefully covered him again, then turned back to Chase. “No one else is going to die because of that monster,” she said fiercely. “And especially not you or Paolo.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, drawing her into his arms again. “I’m suddenly very interested in staying alive.” His mouth found hers in the darkness, and the jungle and all its sounds and smells faded into the background. Nothing existed but Chase. Her need for him pulsed just below her skin, flaring to life at his slightest touch.

  “How do you manage to be so damn sexy?” he groaned as he nuzzled her neck. “I can’t think of anything but you.”

  “It must be the darkness,” she murmured. “It’s hiding all the mud and dirt from the last few days.”

  He leaned back to look down into her face. “I’m not talking about the surface,” he said. “I’m talking about what’s down deep inside of you. I’m talking about Andi McGinnis, the sexiest woman I know.”

  A huge lump formed in her throat. But because she didn’t want him to see how much his words affected her, she gave him what she hoped was a casual grin. “I guess you were telling the truth when you said you love your work. It’s obvious that you don’t get out much.”

  Even in the dim light she could see his eyes darken. “I haven’t wanted to go out much. I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

  Her smile faltered, then disappeared. Emotion gripped her heart. “I never forgot you, either, Chase,” she whispered to him.

  “Then why are we standing here talking?”

  He took her mouth again, and this time she lost herself in his kiss. They moved together as if they’d been
lovers forever, both knowing what the other needed. Chase spread his thin survival blanket on the ground, then eased her down to it. Desire raged to life, trying to sweep away everything else, and she felt Chase tremble with the effort for control. But still they moved slowly, tasting each other, exploring with trembling hands, touching everywhere.

  When they finally moved together, Chase clasped her hands and murmured her name. She opened to him, laying her soul bare, giving him everything inside her. And when she flew to pieces in his arms, she could only say his name, over and over.

  They lay together for a long time, holding each other. She was content to breathe in the fragrance of his skin, to listen to the beat of his heart as it slowed and steadied. Finally Chase moved away, and she murmured a protest.

  He bent down to give her a lingering kiss. “I’m just getting the mosquito netting and some clothes, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He arranged the sleeping Paolo close to them and covered them all with the mosquito netting, then he pulled her into the curve of his body. “Go to sleep,” he murmured.

  “Stay with me,” she murmured back, close to sleep already, twining her fingers with his.

  She felt his mouth brush her hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Andi held that thought to her heart as she drifted off to sleep. And for the first time in a long time, she slept deeply and peacefully.

  Chase awoke the next morning to the faint, faraway sound of a helicopter. Weak sunlight filtered through the trees—they’d slept longer than he’d intended. But that wasn’t surprising, considering how little sleep they’d gotten the night before.

  He listened to the helicopter for a while. The sound didn’t get louder or fade away, and he smiled to himself. He’d bet money that it was checking out the debris on the riverbank at the bottom of the falls. Andi would be glad to know their ruse worked.

  He glanced down at her, but he couldn’t bear to wake her yet. They were twined together on the hard ground, her body pressed intimately into his. He wanted to close his eyes and forget where they were, forget what they had to do. He wanted to stay like this with Andi forever.

  The hell he did. A cold fist of fear clutched at his heart. He wasn’t getting attached to her, he told himself as he eased away. They were going through an extraordinary experience together. It was natural for the adrenaline to run high, the reactions to be exaggerated. Because that was all it was, adrenaline and nerves. Once they were safely in Monterez, they would both revert to their normal selves.

  He wouldn’t need Andi with this mind-numbing, soul-deep need that had filled him until all he could think of was her. It was nothing more than great sex, he told himself. That, and scratching an itch that had been bothering him for three years.

  He slipped his hand into his pocket and fingered the small circlet of leaves. It was nothing more than a prop, he told himself. They would need to look like a married couple when they got to Monterez. The ring wasn’t real. It was nothing more than camouflage to make them appear like a family—a family on the run.

  But his heart contracted as he skimmed a finger along the surface once more, then carefully withdrew his hand from his pocket. It hadn’t felt like a prop, or like camouflage, when he was making it yesterday. It had felt frighteningly real. And that scared him more than anything.

  He didn’t look at her again as he heated water on the stove. He’d smooth out once they were back in Monterez. They’d find Paolo’s relatives, arrange to catch El Diablo when he met with the other drug lords, and that would be that. He would go back to his job in the States, and Andi would go back to her job.

  This job, and the phony ring, would be nothing more than a memory.

  He knew how important Andi’s job was to her. She wasn’t going to be willing to give it up. And there was no reason she should. She was damn good at what she did.

  He scowled as he mixed the hot water with two packets of the freeze-dried food. “Time to wake up,” he called to Andi in his most impersonal voice.

  She stirred, then moved her hands as if she was looking for him. His heart stumbled. “I’m over here,” he said, his voice harsher than he’d intended.

  Andi opened her eyes and looked at him. Her face softened and her eyes lit up. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” he said gruffly. “Come on and eat. Breakfast is ready.”

  She gave him a smile that made his heart stumble again. “Is this room service?”

  “This is as close as you’re going to get for a while,” he said.

  She scrambled out from under the mosquito netting, then stopped. Faint pink color washed over her face. “Maybe I’ll get dressed first.”

  She wore nothing but one of his shirts, and she clutched the gaping edges together in one hand. Turning away quickly, she fumbled in her backpack for clothes, then put them on with clumsy hands.

  The fierce jolt of desire shocked him. He couldn’t want her again. It was only hours since they’d made love. Instead of watching her dress, he turned away and concentrated on his breakfast. In a few moments she sat down beside him and reached for her own breakfast.

  “So what’s the plan for today?” she asked.

  He glanced at her sharply. Surely she wasn’t going to be so casual about what had happened between them the night before. Her head was bent over her food as if it was the most important thing in the world. But she still had the faint wash of color in her face.

  He told himself it would have been better if she’d been completely casual about making love with him, but deep inside, his heart rejoiced. It had meant something to her. But that didn’t mean he was going to bring it up first. He was more than happy to talk about their plans for the day.

  “You stay here and take care of Paolo when he wakes up. I’m going to check out the road again.” He gave her a tight smile. “But I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about El Diablo looking for us along the road, at least for today.”

  “Why?” She sat up straighter and looked at him, her embarrassment forgotten.

  “I heard a helicopter this morning. It was quite a distance away, but it sounded like it stayed in one area for a long time.” She looked so hopeful he couldn’t stop himself from reaching over and touching her face. “I’d guess it saw the stuff we left at the bottom of the falls and was checking it out. The pilot should be reporting our unfortunate demise to El Diablo right about now.”

  “Chase, that’s wonderful!” She launched herself at him and threw her arms around his neck. “What a brilliant idea that was.”

  He found himself hugging her tightly, holding her against him and drinking in her happiness. “Yeah, sometimes I surprise myself.”

  “Not me. I’ve known all along how brilliant you are.”

  He pulled away from her before he could give in to the temptation to stay. “Then I’ll take my brilliance to the road and have a look, just to be sure.” He hesitated, clearing his throat, feeling damned awkward.

  “I made this yesterday afternoon while I was watching the road,” he finally said, pulling the ring out of his pocket. “I figured we’d need to look married when we got to Monterez.”

  She went quiet and still. At last she asked, “What’s that?”

  “It’s supposed to be a wedding ring, but it’s not a big deal.” He scowled. “Put it on,” he said, reaching for her hand. He felt as if he was moving in slow motion, as if every second was an hour. As he slid the ring onto her finger, he said, “It’s part of the show.”

  “I see,” she said, and she bent her head to look at her finger. He couldn’t see her eyes. “This is a good idea.”

  “Yeah, I’m just full of them.”

  He saw her lightly touch the braided leaves with one finger. It looked suspiciously like a caress. Then she looked up at him, her eyes carefully blank.

  “What do you want me to do while I’m waiting for you?”

  “Feed Paolo and have him ready to go.”

  “Will do.” She gave him
a wobbly smile, and he wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her that he wished the ring was real.

  Shocked and faintly scared, he turned abruptly and left the small clearing before he could make a total fool of himself. Thank God he had an excuse to leave, he thought. The tension must be getting to him. Either that, or he was losing his mind. Calling on his training, he forced himself to think about the next step of the trip. Getting into Monterez would either be a piece of cake—or a nightmare.

  It turned out to be a piece of cake to get to Monterez. Three hours later Chase sat in the back of a truck with his arm around Andi. She held Paolo on her lap and gave him a weary grin. “I guess after hiding in the chicken coop in Chipultipe, we were fated to end up with chickens on the last leg of the trip.”

  Crates of chickens surrounded them, headed for the markets of Monterez. He could barely hear Andi over the squawks and screeches of the birds, and the smell was almost overpowering. Andi didn’t seem to mind at all.

  It hadn’t been hard to find a ride. Chase knew that hitching a ride was a common method of transportation in San Marcos, and a truck had soon stopped for them. Chase had tied a bandanna around his blond hair, and they had spoken to the driver of the truck in the dialect of the region. The driver had shrugged when they said they had to get to Monterez to visit their family. He’d pointed them to the back of the truck and taken off again before they’d even sat down.

  Now they were getting close to the capital city. Chase could tell both by the amount of time that had passed and the amount of traffic he could hear around them on the road. The crates of chickens blocked his view, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before the truck stopped and they’d be in the city.

  He bent his head to Andi’s ear. “We don’t want to let our driver get a good look at us when we leave. Try not to let him see your face.”

  He could feel her nod. “We must be getting close. Do you think El Diablo is going to have anyone looking for us?”

  “I hope not, but I’m not willing to bet on it. With any luck he hasn’t figured out yet that we’re not dead.” He took her hand, as much to reassure himself as her. “But just in case, we’re going to disappear into the crowds as soon as we’re out of this truck.”