“Don’t make a rash decision,” he warned.
Andi turned back to him, her face full of determination. And joy. “It’s not a rash decision. It’s absolutely the right thing to do. And I think it’s been in the back of my mind all along. As soon as I said it, I knew it was what I wanted.”
He couldn’t resist going to her and taking her in his arms. “He’ll be lucky to have you. Not all kids are as lucky as that.”
She must have heard something in his voice, because she leaned back and stared at him. “You were one of those kids, weren’t you, Chase?” she asked softly. “There was no one for you.”
For a moment he wanted to deny it, to brush her off with a quick remark and change the subject. But as he stared at her, something shifted inside him. He wanted to tell her about himself. And he saw in her eyes that she wanted to know.
“I wasn’t an orphan, but I might as well have been,” he said in a low voice. “My dad took off before I was three. I never saw him again. My mother couldn’t handle it, so she started to drink. By the time I was ten or twelve, she had a serious problem. She was pretty much drunk all the time, and I ran wild.
“But no one wanted to get involved. We lived in New York, so it was easy for me to hide. And it was easy for the neighbors to ignore us, tell themselves that someone else would surely bring the matter to the attention of the authorities. I managed to stay out of jail until I turned eighteen, then I took off and joined the army. My mother died a couple years later and I’ve never been back.”
She moved to him and slid her arms around him. “It doesn’t sound like there was much to go back for. I’m sorry,” she murmured. “No one should have to grow up like that.”
“I was lucky,” he said. “The army became my family. I trained as a ranger, then the agency recruited me. I finally felt like I’d found my place.”
“And then Mac sent me to spy on you,” she whispered. “No wonder you were angry when you found out. You must have felt so betrayed.”
“I’ve had better days.” His mouth curved up in a humorless smile. “I guess it felt like history repeating itself.”
“That’s exactly what it was. No one has ever been there for you, have they? When the chips were down, everyone has always walked away.”
He shrugged. “I’ve managed to do okay on my own.”
“You can’t live that way for the rest of your life.”
“It’s worked pretty well so far,” he said.
“Don’t you want a family someday?”
“What do I know about families?” he asked. “Nothing, except what they shouldn’t be. I don’t know a damn thing about how kids should be raised.”
“I think you know quite a bit. If nothing else, you know what not to do with kids. Look at Paolo. You’ve done a great job with him.”
“I haven’t had any choice.”
Her mouth curved up in a gentle smile. “I think it’s that way with your own kids. You just kind of jump in and do it.”
“Sort of like what you’re doing with Paolo?”
“I guess it is. I don’t know anything about kids, either. I just know I can’t bear to leave him.”
“If you’re serious, we can talk to someone at the agency. They should be able to cut through all the red tape that would be required for adoption.” He gathered her close, skimming a kiss over the top of her head. It had felt right to tell Andi about his past, about who he really was. A small part of him, a part that he thought had died long ago, was beginning to stir. There was a light at the corners of his life now, a light that was struggling to get in. He cautiously opened the door for it, just a crack.
“Thank you, Chase,” Andi said, and she lifted her face to his. “You’re not nearly as cold as you’d like everyone to think, are you?”
“No one has ever seen that but you,” he answered. “Maybe you’re seeing something that’s not there.”
Her mouth curled into a smile. “I don’t think so. But if you’re worried about your reputation, I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
His heart moved as he looked down at her, and he wanted to pull away. But instead he held her more tightly. How had he fallen for this woman? How had she snuck around the fence he’d erected around his heart? He’d done the one thing he’d always sworn he wouldn’t do, and that was care about someone. Now he wasn’t going to be able to forget about her after she left.
And leave she would. Andi was married to her job. She’d made that clear more than once. A small voice told him to ask her about it, ask her if she’d consider leaving her job to settle down, but he was afraid. Afraid he’d hear an answer he didn’t want to hear.
So he pulled her close and kissed her, pushing the future firmly away. If all they had together were the next couple of days, he’d make the most of it. And if he’d let himself dream about things that wouldn’t be, he’d pay the price after she left.
Andi snuggled closer to Chase, completely content. For the first time in days, it seemed, she didn’t have something to do, somewhere to go. She had the precious gift of time, and she wanted to spend it exactly the way she was right now—with Chase.
His arm curled around her, pulling her closer, and she closed her eyes. Apparently Chase wanted to spend his time the same way. Paolo gurgled from his blanket on the floor, and she opened her eyes long enough to look down at him and smile. He was examining his toes and finding them perfectly fascinating.
Without thinking she grabbed Chase’s hand. “Look at Paolo,” she said. “He’s figured out he has toes.”
Chase leaned over her to look down at the baby. She saw the harsh lines on his face soften. “He’s a smart kid, isn’t he?”
“The smartest.” She beamed at the baby. “And he’s been so good during this trip.”
“You’ve taken good care of him.” Chase transferred his gaze to her, and his eyes warmed. “You’ve been wonderful with him, Andi,” he said. “If you’re really serious about adopting him, I think you’ll make a great mother.”
“I’m very serious about adopting him.” The more she thought about it, the more right it seemed. “As soon as this operation is over, I’m going to start the paperwork.”
“I’d like to—”
He stopped in the middle of the sentence, his hand tightening on her arm. Then he picked up his gun from the nightstand.
“Take Paolo into the bathroom, then close the door and stay in there with him.”
She was already moving off the bed. She’d heard the noise in the hall, too. “Do you think it’s trouble?”
“I don’t know, but I want the two of you out of the line of fire.”
Andi scooped up Paolo and his blanket and hurried into the bathroom. She placed him on the floor, behind the porcelain base of the toilet. It was the most protected spot she could find. Then she closed the door behind him and moved back into the room to pick up her gun.
“I told you to stay in there with him.” Chase’s harsh whisper filled the room.
“I don’t need to be protected,” she said. “I’m not about to cower in the bathroom. What do you want me to do?”
He scowled at her, his face tight with anger. The furtive sound in the hall came again, closer to their room. He glanced at the door, then back at her. She saw the resignation in his face.
He gestured to the other side of the bed. “Stay over there and out of sight. We’ll let him come barreling into the room, then try to grab him. I’d rather not kill him if we don’t have to. I want to know who sent him.”
She nodded and positioned herself on the floor, out of sight of the door to the room. Chase was still between her and the door, crouching behind the dresser, but at least he wasn’t alone in the room. It wouldn’t take long for a gunman to find either of them, but if the room appeared empty, maybe it would buy them enough time to surprise an intruder.
The silence filled her head, magnifying the slightest sound from the room and the hall. She heard Paolo babbling happily to himself in the bathroom. From the
hall she heard the soft whisper of footsteps, moving much too slowly for anyone with legitimate business in the hotel. The sounds were almost at their door now. She imagined she could hear a muffled click as the person in the hall checked his gun one last time.
She glanced at Chase and saw that he was watching her. She gave him a thumb’s-up and a smile, and he nodded at her. Then he looked back at the door.
She’d seen worry on his face. Didn’t he believe she was capable of dealing with the threat? Or was he concerned about her personally? She hoped it was the latter, but she wasn’t sure. In the past several days she’d allowed herself to care about Chase, to hope they had some kind of a future together, but she had no idea how he felt about her.
He’d told her he had nothing to offer her, and maybe he’d told her no more than the truth. She gripped her gun more tightly and stared at the door as her heart contracted with pain.
Don’t think about that now, she ordered herself fiercely. She forced herself to put Chase out of her mind, to think about nothing but the approaching threat.
She heard the quiet click of the lock opening, then the door handle began to turn, slowly and silently. She looked over at Chase and found him watching it, too. He glanced at her and nodded, and she shifted the gun in her hand.
When the door began to ease open, she lowered herself to the floor. The space between the floor and the bottom of the bed allowed her to see the first foot or so of the room door. She saw the darkness of the hall and felt the current of air that swept through the room from the hall, but she didn’t move. Chase was still and silent, too.
She watched a pair of feet clad in military-style boots step cautiously into the room, then hesitate. The man had probably expected to surprise her and Chase, and he was now wondering where they’d gone. In the intruder’s moment of indecision, Chase acted.
He swept out one leg and the man fell heavily to the floor. Instantly Chase was on top of him, holding his gun to the man’s head. Andi scrambled to her feet and moved around the bed to Chase’s side.
He never took his eyes off the intruder. “Cover him,” he said curtly. “I’m going to search him.”
“Got it.” She squatted on the floor, holding her gun steadily to the man’s head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chase thoroughly searching him.
In a few minutes Chase stood up. He held another gun and two knives in his hands. “He meant business,” he said grimly.
Andi looked back at their captive. “What now?”
“You keep your gun on him. I’m going to tie him up.”
In a matter of seconds Chase had removed the man’s belt and tied his hands firmly behind his back. Then he cut off a piece of the man’s shirt and tied his feet together. Finally he turned the man over so they could study his face.
Andi trained her gun on him, as did Chase. The man had a mustache, dirty unkempt hair and nondescript clothes. His boots were the only thing out of the ordinary about him. They looked like U.S. military surplus, and new.
“Who are you?” Chase asked in Spanish.
The man stared at him insolently, then spit out of the corner of his mouth.
Chase looked at him for a moment, his face hard and cold. Andi wondered what he was thinking.
“Move away from him,” Chase said without looking at her. “But don’t put your gun away.”
She wondered what he was doing even as she did as he asked.
Chase shoved his gun into the man’s groin. The intruder’s eyes opened wide, and the insolence disappeared from his face. It was replaced by fear.
“It looks like we’ve found a language you understand,” Chase said grimly. “Who are you?”
The man muttered a name.
“All right, Mr. Santangelo. Now we’re making progress. Who sent you here?”
Sweat sheened the man’s forehead, and he looked frantically at the gun pushed into his groin. He muttered something else, too low for Andi to hear, and Chase shook his head.
“Sorry, Santangelo, being too frightened to tell me isn’t an option. You’ve got two choices right now. You can tell me who sent you, or you can lose a vital portion of your anatomy.” Chase gave him a grim smile and cocked the hammer on his gun. “Which is it going to be?”
The man closed his eyes as sweat poured down his face. Andi watched silently. He would give them the name, she knew. It was only a matter of how long it took.
Finally the man started shaking, then he spat out a name. It was El Diablo.
Chase nodded and pulled his gun away. “I knew you would make the right decision, Santangelo. Now, how long is your buddy going to wait before he comes up?”
Andi saw the start of surprise in the man’s eyes. His gaze darted to the door, and Chase smiled again. “No, he’s not going to save you. He’s going to join you.”
He shoved his gun into the waistband of his pants and dragged their captive to the other side of the bed. Then he turned to Andi. “If he makes a sound, shoot him.”
“Right.”
She knelt next to him and pressed her gun into his head, staring at him with stone-cold eyes. He needed to think she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him.
Chase eased closed the door of the room, and they waited again. Her captive was sweating, and the acrid smell filled the room. It wasn’t long before they heard footsteps again.
The scene was repeated with the second intruder, and it took only a minute for Chase to search, then tie up the second man. He, too, was dressed in nondescript clothing, with the exception of the boots.
When both men were tied up and lying next to each other, Chase asked, “How many more are out there?”
The first man answered quickly, “There was only the two of us.”
Chase stared at them for a while, then looked over at Andi. “Do you think he’s telling the truth?”
She studied the men. The second one was still defiant, but the first man was terrified. She could smell his fear. “I think so.” She glanced up at him. “But you might want to question him again.”
Before Chase could bend down, the first man sobbed, “No, no. I am telling the truth. There is no one else.”
Chase stared down at the men as the silence stretched out. Then he looked over at Andi. “Assuming we believe him, what are we going to do with them?”
Andi knew how the game was played. She gave Chase a bored look. “The easiest thing to do would be to shoot them. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about them. What do you think?”
Some of the insolence drained from the face of the second man, and he began to look uneasy.
Chase studied their captives for a moment, then said, “I don’t know. Maybe they can be useful.”
“I don’t see how. They don’t have any information to give us. I say get rid of them.”
Chase pointed his gun at the first man and tightened his finger on the trigger. “If you say so.”
“No, wait, Señor!” the first man cried. “We have much information to give you.”
Chase pretended to consider. “What do you think?” he asked Andi.
Andi shrugged. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to hear what they have to say. Then we can decide if it’s worthwhile.” The look she gave the two men said she doubted it would be.
Chase stared at the men for a long moment, then slowly put the safety back on his gun. “Okay, fellows. Let’s hear what you have to say. And it better be worthwhile. My partner has a very quick temper.”
Chapter 14
An hour later Andi, with Paolo in his sling against her chest, stood next to Chase outside the hotel room. They listened at the door for a long time, but didn’t hear any sounds from the room. Finally Chase nodded at her and they moved silently down the hallway.
They’d fallen into a natural rhythm as they questioned the two thugs, like partners who had worked together for years. Now they moved together, each knowing instinctively what the other would do.
When they reached the entrance to the hotel, they paused, scanning the str
eet. After what seemed like a long time, Chase said in a low voice, “I don’t see anyone suspicious. How about you?”
“Everything looks clear.”
“Okay, then, let’s go. We’re going to walk around until we’re both satisfied we’re not being followed. Then we’ll stop at the first place that looks promising.”
They had left their two intruders bound, gagged and blindfolded in the room, along with the radio transmitter they’d found hidden in the computer case. Chase’s face had gone grim and hard when they’d found it, but they hadn’t said anything in front of the two thugs. Now they just needed to get away and find a new place to hide.
After walking around Monterez for a couple of hours and making sure they weren’t being followed, they found another hotel that was even shabbier and more run-down than the first, the kind where the desk clerk didn’t ask, or answer, any questions. After they checked into a room, Andi fed Paolo while Chase went through the computer, the case and the cell phone one more time, even though he’d checked them all earlier.
“It looks like that was the only bug,” he finally said.
“It had to be Olasik,” she said.
“Looks that way. I didn’t talk to or deal with anyone but him. And he’s the one who made the appointment at the orphanage, which is where those two clowns were apparently waiting for us.”
“I’m sorry, Chase,” she said as she fed Paolo. “If I hadn’t gotten so upset at the orphanage, we both would have been more alert and might have noticed those two following us.”
“Don’t worry about it. It turned out okay. We even got some useful information from them.”
“Olasik must be the American in El Diablo’s pay that those two thugs were talking about,” she said.
Chase nodded. “No wonder we’ve had such a hard time catching the guy. Something has gone wrong with every operation we’ve run against him.”
“We need to call Mac and let him know.”
Chase nodded again. “I’ve already told him not to say anything to Olasik about the plan for tonight. Something about the guy bothered me. But maybe Mac can set up a little sting operation to catch Olasik himself. He’s been after him for years, and now we know who he is.” He picked up the secure cell phone and began punching in the number to Mac’s pager.
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