by Elle James
Chase met Maggie’s gaze. “Like the bartender said. He pays the cartel to leave him alone. Without weapons, we don’t stand a chance. From what I’ve heard, the cartel has everything from semi-automatic rifles to submachine guns. They aren’t afraid to employ them in crowded tourist areas, either.”
“Cabo is dependent on tourism, as are lots of other places in Mexico,” Carson said. “They’ve lost a lot of business and millions of tourism dollars due to cartel shootings, kidnappings and hangings.”
“You’d think the government would clean up their cartels before they go broke,” Lana said.
Carson laughed. “Unfortunately, the men in charge of the government can be as corrupt as the cartels. And if they don’t go along with the thugs, they’re killed.”
“Why did we come here for our delayed honeymoon?” Lana pushed to her feet, her brow furrowed. “Should we catch the next flight home to Montana?”
Trevor lifted her hand to his lips. “If you want to go home, I’ll get us on the next plane out.”
She frowned. “I didn’t fly all the way to Mexico to turn around and fly home the next day. I want to put my swollen feet in the sand and swim in the ocean.” She swept a hand across her small baby bump. “But I don’t want to put our baby at risk.”
“I’m calling now,” Trevor pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Lana covered his hand with hers. “No,” she said. “I refuse to believe it’s as bad as all that. Tonight’s the deadline. Let’s wait and see what happens.”
“If we stay, I’m going to help out my buddy,” Trevor said, “once we come up with a plan that doesn’t involve getting killed.” He shot a glance toward Chase. “You do have a plan, don’t you?”
Chase shook his head. “Unless you have a stash of weapons in your suitcase, I’m fresh out of ideas.”
Carson raised a hand. “I might know where someone, who will remain unnamed, might have a stash of illegally acquired weapons.”
“Yeah?” Chase looked up, hopefully. “Like what?”
“A couple of AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, one HK MP7 submachine gun, a P226 pistol, some C-4 explosives and remote detonators, to name a few.”
Chase and Trevor’s eyes rounded.
“Holy crap. Sounds like we might be in business,” Chase said.
Maggie shook her head. “Just remember, even if you have weapons and ammunition, there are only the three of you who know how to use them. When Delgado shows up, he’s not coming by himself.”
Carson cracked his knuckles. “We can handle a few more.”
“How about a thirty or forty more?” Maggie said.
“And remember, you’re in a tourist town,” Lana said. “When the bullets start flying, there will be civilian casualties.”
“Lots of bullets means lots more injured.” Gina raised her hands. “Just sayin’.”
Chase crossed his arms over his chest, a frown pulling his brow low. “The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that I need to go alone and unarmed.”
“Or, not at all.” Maggie crossed to stand in front of him. “You don’t stand a chance of coming out of it alive.”
He curved a hand around the back of her neck. “Would you miss me if I didn’t come back?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t even given me a chance to secure a life insurance policy on my new husband. I can’t let you die now.”
His mouth curved. “And here I thought you might be remembering why you married me last night.”
“Actually, I do remember,” she whispered.
“Yeah?” He tipped her face up to his, ready to kiss her when she finally admitted she loved making love to him.
Her lips twitched on the corners. “I did it to piss off my father.”
Gina laughed out loud. “That’s rich. Chase, you don’t know her father. I fully expected him to be here by now to drag her ass back to the States, where he’d stand behind her ex-fiancé with a shotgun or a lawyer to see that wedding through.”
Chase frowned. “Is that true? You married me to piss off your father?”
She stepped away, lifting her chin. “Why else would I marry a stranger I barely knew?”
Was that it? Had Maggie married him to get back at her father? A hard knot settled in Chase’s gut. Deep down, he’d hoped she’d married him because she might have fallen in love with him.
Who was he kidding? Only fools fell in love at first sight. Fools like him.
Chapter 7
Maggie held her pose for as long as she could, determined not to give in and tell the truth. She remembered why she’d married Chase. The night was coming back to her in bits and pieces. The kiss at the wedding chapel had been the catalyst that had opened the door to get her memories flowing. Hearing the bartender and Chase describe the scene at La Casa Loca brought those memories to life and crowding back into her mind in a jumble of sights, sounds and sensations.
Making love with Chase in the wee hours of the morning had been icing on the wedding cake. She’d loved every minute of it and wished she could relive it all—except for the altercation with Raul Delgado of the Jalisco cartel.
The man had sidled up to her as soon as Chase had ducked out to find a restroom.
She’d ignored Delgado’s approach and concentrated her attention on the drink in her hand.
When Delgado had grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him, she’d been shocked by the strength in his grip and his insistence she go with him.
She’d struggled to free her arm from his grip, but the wiry man was strong, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Then Chase had swept in to the rescue, jerking Delgado back by the collar.
The fight that ensued had been a nightmare of flying fists, with every one of Delgado’s men wanting a bit of the action.
Chase pummeled Delgado in between fighting off Delgado’s minions. He’d stopped one guy from pulling a handgun by knocking it free of his hand with a well-placed sidekick, sending it flying across the floor. Thankfully, the gun had been impossible to find in the darkness of the dimly lit bar.
When he’d subdued eight cartel thugs, including Delgado, Chase grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar. They jumped into the first cab they could flag down on the street and had him drop them a couple blocks from their resort.
From there, they’d walked the three blocks to the rear entrance of the hotel, keeping to the shadows until they were safely inside and on their way to the third floor, laughing all the way up the staircase. When they’d reached Chase’s room, he’d lifted her in his arms and carried her across the threshold, kicking the door closed behind them.
Yeah, she remembered.
Everything.
Down to the number of times she’d called out his name and the way he’d brought her body alive with one orgasm after another.
She’d loved everything about his lovemaking. He’d been concerned about her wants and needs before slaking his own desires. The man had been absolutely right about knowing what a woman wanted. He’d known exactly where to touch her, how much pressure to apply and how long to extend that pleasure before seeking his own.
All these thoughts and feelings rushed back at her like a tsunami, threatening to overwhelm her and drag her under. The depth of her longing for this man scared the living daylights out of her.
So, she did the only thing she could. She pushed him away. Maybe, if he didn’t feel obligated to defend her, he would give up on the idea of meeting Delgado on his own, unarmed.
“I’ll fix this for both of us,” she said. “I’ll go back to the States on the next plane out. Then you won’t have to meet Delgado and his thugs. They won’t be able to use the threat of hurting me to make sure you show up. No one gets hurt, and you can go on with your vacation.”
Chase gripped her arm. “Whether or not you leave, I’ll still have to deal with the cartel leader. He’ll come after me unless I leave.”
“Then leave.” Maggie touched a hand to his chest. “L
eave with me. We can take the next plane out of Cabo San Lucas. The two of us. Together.”
“You’d do that?” He stared down at her, his hands cupping her elbows. “You’d come with me?”
She nodded. “You bet. Let’s pack our bags and get the hell out of Cabo.”
“What about getting that annulment?” he asked.
“What annulment?” Trevor asked. “You can’t be serious about annulling your marriage already, can you? Damn, Chase, you moved fast. I told you that you needed to get a life, marry and settle down, but I thought you’d take a little more time than one day.”
Chase stared down into Maggie’s eyes. “Maybe the heart knows more than the head sometimes.” He couldn’t believe he said those words, but once they left his mouth, he knew the truth of them.
Maggie stared up into his eyes, without blinking. And she didn’t refute his statement. She’d come a long way in her thinking about their insane marriage since that morning. Something had changed in her attitude and demeanor at the wedding chapel. Had it been the kiss?
For Chase, it had definitely been the kiss. Their connection had loosened the hold the alcohol had placed on his memories and let them run free again, flooding back into his mind to relive the magic of the evening before. And it had been magical. From dancing a sexy salsa, to saying I do at the little wedding chapel, to making love to his new wife until nearly dawn.
“We’d hate to see you leave and miss the beach and fishing,” Trevor said. “But it might be for the best if you both got the hell out of here.”
Maggie nodded.
“Okay then.” Chase clapped his hands together. “Let’s get our stuff and get to the airport. We can make flight arrangements there.”
Maggie spun and headed for her room.
Chase followed.
Maggie stuffed her red dress into the suitcase and hurried into the bathroom for her toiletries.
“You okay with this?” Chase asked.
“I wouldn’t have offered to leave with you, if I weren’t,” she called out from the bathroom, and then emerged with her toiletries kit in hand. She jammed it into her suitcase and zipped it.
Chase stuffed his shaving kit into his duffel bag and hefted it onto his shoulder. “Ready?”
She nodded. “I am.”
They headed back into the living room.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Gina said. “I hate that you’re leaving me so soon. Are you sure you’re up to facing your father?”
“I wasn’t the one to walk out on the wedding,” Maggie said. “If my father doesn’t understand that, I’ll keep moving. It’s about time I left his house and his corporation and went out on my own.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he busted a gasket when you left the church before he arrived,” Gina said. “I’m sure he was hot when he had to tell all the guests you’d left.”
“I just couldn’t stay and face all of them. It was too humiliating,” Maggie said.
“Wait,” Trevor said, shaking his head. “What church? The one you two got married in last night?”
“No, the one she didn’t get married in back in the States,” Chase said. “I’ll fill you in another time. Right now, we need to get to the airport before it’s too late to book a flight out today.”
Trevor chuckled. “Like I said, I can’t take you anywhere without you causing some kind of trouble.”
Chase frowned at his friend. “I don’t cause the trouble.”
“The bar in San Diego two years ago?” Trevor reminded him.
“I didn’t know the woman was married. She didn’t wear a ring, and she didn’t tell me that little detail.”
“What woman?” Maggie asked, her eyes narrowed.
“A woman whose name I don’t remember.” He slipped his hand around her elbow and guided her toward the door, anxious to get her out of the resort before Delgado showed up, and before Trevor spilled all the sordid details of his past romantic escapades. “She doesn’t matter. What matters is getting you to the airport and out of Mexico before Delgado has a chance to figure out we’re making a run for it.”
Stopping short of the door, Maggie looked up into Chase’s eyes. “Do you think he’ll follow us there and shoot up the airplane? I couldn’t live with myself if other people were caught in the crossfire.”
The concern in Maggie’s gaze made Chase’s heart squeeze tightly. He’d do anything to keep her safe. He hoped he could do just that. Cartel members could be all over Cabo San Lucas. For all they knew, Delgado already had people stationed at the international airport. They’d have to go in wearing disguises, much like they had when they’d visited La Casa Loca.
“I wouldn’t put it past Delgado to start a war at the airport,” Carson said. “He’s really bad news. Only last week, he hung five members of an opposing gang from a bridge at the southern end of Cabo.”
Maggie shivered. “Now, I’m even more convinced I wasn’t meant to come to Cabo. I should have known it was tempting fate to go on a honeymoon without a groom. I’ve had nothing but bad luck since Lloyd ran out on me.”
“I hope you don’t think everything that’s happened was bad luck,” Chase said. He, for one, was glad she’d come to Cabo. For a die-hard bachelor, meeting Maggie had been nothing short of a miracle. She liked to dance, was fun at a party, cared about people and kissed like nobody’s business.
“He’s right, Maggie.” Gina reached for Carson’s hand. “If you hadn’t come to Cabo, you wouldn’t have met Chase, had the party of your life, gotten married and had sex with one hunky SEAL. And I wouldn’t have met Carson.” She lifted her face to the man.
Carson growled hungrily and dropped a kiss on her lips. “That’s right. We wouldn’t have crossed paths if you hadn’t come to Cabo when you did. I’ve been considering moving back to the States for a while. Had you and Gina waited much longer, we wouldn’t have met.”
Gina kissed Carson. “I think Chase is much better for Maggie than Loser Lloyd.”
“I’m not looking forward to going back to the States and facing my father,” Maggie said. “He’ll find a way to make this all my fault. He thought Lloyd hung the moon.”
Gina snorted. “You’ll just have to convince him that Chase is the right man for you.”
Maggie tilted her head, frowning. “Why would I do that? We’re getting an annulment.”
“That might take longer if you don’t stay in Mexico to take care of it,” Gina pointed out.
Maggie grimaced. “On the other hand, I won’t need an annulment, if I’m dead.”
Chase frowned. “We’re not giving Delgado that option. Ready?”
Maggie nodded and stood back while Chase opened the door.
“Maggie, girl!” a deep familiar voice boomed from the hallway. “You don’t know how hard you were to find.” An older man with a shock of graying-blond hair and a shadow of a beard stepped through the doorframe.
Maggie ground to a halt, and her jaw dropped. Her father wrapped her in a giant bear hug.
“Daddy?” she said when she could breathe again. “What are you doing here?”
The older man paused inside the suite and stared around at the guests with one eyebrow cocked. Then he turned to face Maggie. “I came to bring you back to the States. I’ve spoken to Lloyd. He sends his regrets and is ready to go through with the wedding.”
“Are you kidding me?” Maggie crossed her arms over her chest. “I wouldn’t marry Lloyd if he were the last man on earth. He cheated on me, Daddy. Did he tell you that?”
“All men can be led astray at different points in their lives,” her father said. “Lloyd just got an earlier start than most.”
“I’m not going back to San Diego.” Maggie scooted closer to Chase. “And I’m not marrying Loser Lloyd. That’s over. I never should have agreed to marry him in the first place. We weren’t meant to be together.”
“You agreed to marry him. He’s ready to go through with the ceremony to live up to his side of the promise.”
Anger burned in Maggie. She loved her father, but he could be obtuse and obstinate at the same time. “He broke that promise for good when he didn’t show up for the wedding, because he was too tired from boinking the wedding planner.”
“That’s over. He’s waiting for you to come back. We can hire a JP to perform the ceremony and have you off on the honeymoon of your choice by the end of the day.”
“Daddy…” Maggie cupped her father’s cheeks between her palms. “I love you, but I’m not marrying Lloyd. In fact, I’m already married.”
“What?” Her father’s cheeks burned a bright red, the color extending all the way out to the tips of his ears. “What the hell?” He glanced at the occupants of the room. “Will someone tell me what she’s talking about?”
Maggie held up her left hand. The one with the plain wedding band on her ring finger. “I got married last night. It’s too late for me to marry Lloyd, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t. He’s not the man for me.”
“But how?” Her father looked around at the faces in the room. “How did you know this person you married? You were set to marry Lloyd yesterday. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“It made sense to me. Didn’t you marry mama after knowing her for only three days?”
Her father’s frown deepened. “That was different. We didn’t have two nickels to rub together.”
“I don’t have much more than that,” Maggie said. “And what difference does it make? Sometimes your heart knows what your head is afraid to admit.” She hooked her arm through Chase’s. “Daddy, this is my…husband…Chase Flannigan.”
Her father glared at Chase, and then shot an equally wilting glance at his daughter. “Please tell me this is some kind of joke.”
Maggie lifted her chin and met her father’s glare head-on. “No, this is not a joke. We have the marriage certificate to prove it.”
“How can you be married to this man when you were engaged to marry Lloyd?” her father demanded.
“Daddy, you aren’t listening. My engagement to Lloyd ended the moment he decided to run off with the wedding planner and leave me waiting at the altar.”
