Angel Falls

by Connie Mann

  A vicious curse hissed from his throat.

  Wrenching free of his grasp, she whirled away. She could make it. She had to. She yanked the chair out from under the knob. Her fingers had just touched the rough wood of the door when Jax grabbed her from behind.

  Hand in her hair, he muttered, “Guess we’ll do this the hard way.”

  Regina fought with everything she had, knowing that if she didn’t get away, Brooks and Eduardo were dead. She couldn’t fail them. She kicked backward and heard Jax yelp. She fumbled for the doorknob as Jax’s beefy arm came around her neck. Without thought, she bit him as hard as she could.

  She only had seconds to savor his furious roar. Before she could form another thought, another plan, everything went completely black.

  I love you.

  Brooks tried to find a comfortable spot on the lumpy mattress and replayed her whispered words over and over in his mind. She loved him. The thought was astounding. Amazing. Humbling.

  So how did he feel about her? He didn’t even want to think about it, because it made him squirm. Feelings were such unpredictable things, slippery as eels, refusing to be neatly categorized and analyzed. Besides, it could never work. She lived in Brazil, in an orphanage with a bunch of kids. And when he wasn’t injured, he went wherever Uncle Sam sent him, always knowing he might never come home. Well, he used to before he quit. But hadn’t he known all along, on some level, that he’d be going back? The realization made him uncomfortable.

  But do you love her? An annoying little voice prodded.

  He ran a hand through his hair and groaned, the movement jarring his side. How could he think about something like love? His mother loved his father, and look what that had gotten her. Irene loved Noah, too, and she was dead. Regina loved Eduardo and had to give him up. From where he sat, the odds for love working out were too low to consider it a safe risk. And yet . . .

  Beside him, Eduardo stuck one foot in his mouth, and Brooks chuckled, glad for the distraction. “How do you do that, kid? It looks painful.”

  He tickled the boy’s tummy and turned his mind to yesterday. Something about what happened at the Falls didn’t sit right. He mentally replayed the scene, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He knew he’d suffered a mild concussion, but still, he had missed some obvious clue, some important piece of the puzzle.

  He’d just given the baby one of the full bottles Regina had left when his cell phone rang. He looked around, grateful Regina had put it within reach on the bedside table. Maybe that was her, calling from the airport, saying she’d come back to the States with him. Even as he thought it, he called himself three kinds of fool. Yeah, right. As though she would.

  As though he’d asked.

  “Brooks.”

  “Good morning, Senhor. I trust you slept well.”

  At that voice, Brooks’ insides turned to ice and the hair on the back of his neck stood up straight. Raul wasn’t dead. Regina and the baby were still in danger. Hadn’t Jax said he had everything under control?

  Jax.

  Brooks didn’t want to believe it, but like lock tumblers clicking into place, the various inconsistencies of the past few days suddenly lined up with military precision. The picture they painted chilled him to the core.

  Jax had Regina.

  “What can I do for you, Raul?” Keep it casual. Don’t push. Find out what he wants and what he knows.

  “It seems you and I did not finish our little discussion yesterday.” He made that annoying tsk-tsking sound. “Senhorita da Silva interrupted at such an inopportune time.”

  “That’s not quite how I remember it,” Brooks returned mildly.

  “Nevertheless, I find I’d like to continue our little chat. In person.”

  Brooks discovered he was more than ready to end this never-ending cat-and-mouse game. “Where and when?” he returned immediately.

  “Today, on the Argentine side of the falls. Twelve o’clock.” Raul laughed as though he’d made a joke. “Like your John Wayne and his shoot-outs in front of the saloon at high noon. Fitting, don’t you think?”

  Fitting would be shoving the man’s impeccable teeth down his throat, among other things, but Brooks swallowed the words. Instead, he made a noncommittal noise as his mind sorted and discarded multiple scenarios in rapid-fire sequence. He could (a) get the baby out of the country and come back for Raul, or (b) finish this once and for all. With option B, what would he do with Eduardo during Raul’s little John Wayne fantasy?

  Even as he formulated and sorted his options, one thought clanged in the back of his mind. Where was Regina? He remembered her aversion to Jax, and his jaw clamped shut with such force his back teeth rattled. Jax had her. Panic sent a burst of adrenaline spurting through his system. He needed two plans. A way to keep both Regina and the baby safe.

  “Where’s Regina?” he demanded.

  “Isn’t she with you?” Raul asked innocently.

  “Cut the crap, Raul. Where is she?”

  “From what I understand, she and your friend Jackson were planning a little picnic before her flight.”

  The last of Brooks’s doubts were ripped to shreds, and the heaviness of betrayal settled over him. Jax and Raul were in this together. Brooks ran his hand over his face as another certainty assaulted him. Regina was no more with Jax willingly than he would suddenly sprout wings. He cursed his blindness. The man he’d known for years, faced death with more times than either could count, considered a friend—Jax had betrayed him. And he hadn’t seen it coming.

  And now, Jax had Regina. Brooks didn’t need Raul to spell out what that “picnic” entailed. The knowledge boiled sickeningly in his gut.

  “I’m not meeting you anywhere, scumbag, unless you prove to me—beforehand—that Regina is safe and completely unharmed,” he spit the words out, placing special emphasis on the last two.

  “What kind of proof?”

  “I want to see her, and I want to hear from her lips that she’s okay.”

  “You want too much.”

  “Take it or leave it, Raul.”

  The other man chuckled, an evil sound. “You forget that you’re not calling the shots here, Senhor.” He chuckled some more, then stopped abruptly. “You will show up at noon—with the baby—or I’ll make sure you get to watch your girlfriend die a very slow, very painful death. I’ll call you later to give you the exact location for our meeting. The catwalks over the falls are lovely this time of year, don’t you think?”

  Then the line went dead.

  Brooks tossed the phone onto the bed beside Eduardo and levered himself to his feet, hunched over and gasping. His wound still burned like fire, but the dizziness wasn’t as bad as last night. He stood completely upright and slowly began pacing the room, the pain in his side burning off the haze in his brain. He needed a plan, and he needed it now.

  The picture of Jax and Regina intruded into his thoughts, speeding his pace—and his determination. His only hope was that Raul had taken him seriously and believed he wouldn’t show without proof Regina was alive and well.

  He shoved a hand through his hair. Well was such a nebulous term. Brooks spotted the Gideon Bible lying beside his gun and stopped short as another thought struck. Like his mother, Regina believed God controlled everything, protected those who asked. He hadn’t believed that in years, but facts were facts. Due to his blundering, Regina should have died yesterday, but she hadn’t. She credited him—and God—with protecting them.

  Brooks rubbed the back of his neck as the truth slapped him, hard. Right now he had nowhere to turn but the God he’d abandoned long ago. “God, it’s gonna take another miracle. I should have seen the truth about Jax. Don’t let Reggie pay for that. She’s gone through too much.” Reggie’s tentative smile flashed in his mind and he swallowed hard, emotion making his voice rough. “Please, keep her safe.” He paced toward the door, turned back. “I know I don’t deserve your help, but I’m all she’s got. For her sake, will you help me get us out of this mess?”<
br />
  He paced some more, forcing images of Beatrice Simms and her son away. Then he flipped through his mental Rolodex, trying to decide whom to call. He needed help, but who had the horsepower to get him what he needed in such a short time? He stopped and checked his watch as the answer occurred to him. Then he reached for his phone and dialed. “Francisco Lopez, por favor.”

  “I’m sorry. Senhor Lopez is not in the office yet. May I take a message?” a nasally male voice inquired politely.

  “This is Brooks Anderson and I need to speak with Senhor Lopez now!” He barked the last word, then lowered his voice and spoke very slowly and clearly. “You do whatever it takes to get him on the line pronto.”

  “I-I, um, certainly Senhor. Hold the line, please.”

  Brooks looked down at the bed and saw Eduardo staring up at him with wide trusting eyes. “Don’t worry, kid,” he murmured. “We’ll keep you both safe.”

  “Senhor Brooks. What is it? I’m told it’s urgent,” Francisco said as he came on the line.

  “I don’t have much time, so I’ll be brief. I need your help.”

  “Of course. Name it. Is the baby all right?”

  Brooks glanced at the bed, where Eduardo sucked on his fist. “He’s fine. And I intend to see that he stays that way.”

  “How can I be of service, Senhor?”

  “Raul Carvalho has Regina and wants me to trade Eduardo for her,” he stated bluntly.

  The other man gasped. “Surely you won’t do any such thing.”

  Had the other man been able to see Brooks’s face at that point, he would have been chilled to the bone. “Not on your life. But that’s where you come in. Here’s what I need.”

  Several minutes later, Brooks hung up, satisfied that the other man would do exactly as he’d asked. He quickly fed Eduardo and wrestled the squirming baby into a clean diaper, then shoved all their gear into one bag. Weakness still hit him in waves, but he forced himself to march through it without slowing his pace. He didn’t have time to baby himself now. He could recuperate later.

  With quick efficiency, he changed his bandages, rewrapped the cloth around his middle, swallowed several pain pills, and some more antibiotics. Ten minutes later, he and Eduardo were in the back of a cab and on their way. He’d set phase one in motion. As soon as Raul called, he’d implement phase two. Please, God.

  Hang on, Regina. I’m on my way.

  26

  IN THE LIBRARY OF HIS PORTO ALEGRE HOME, FRANCISCO LOPEZ REPLACED the receiver with hands that shook. He covered his face with his hands and admitted the bitter truth. He was a coward. Eduardo’s life, as well as Brooks and Regina’s lives, were in danger, and still he didn’t give them the information that could turn the tables, that could help protect the boy.

  He picked up the receiver to call Noah, then reluctantly set it back in its cradle before dialing. Noah and Carol had enough to worry about right now. He would have to handle this on his own.

  Pushing the sleeve of his silk robe aside, he checked his diamond-studded watch. He had a lot to do and not much time to do it in. As he dialed a familiar number, the housekeeper came through the door, a silver breakfast tray in her hands.

  He covered the receiver with one hand and said, “Thank you, Luisa. Just leave it.”

  By the time he’d completed the tasks Brooks had assigned him, he barely had time to gulp down the now-cold coffee and hurry upstairs to dress.

  He passed his wife on the sweeping staircase. Even at this early hour, she was elegantly attired for the day, every dark curl carefully lacquered in place, her makeup artfully hiding the lines around her eyes. “Good morning, Francisco.” She tilted her cheek up for his kiss, which he dutifully supplied. “Who called so early this morning?” she inquired.

  Francisco forced himself to meet her assessing look straight on. “Some important business I have to attend to. It may be late tonight before I get back.”

  For a minute, she looked as though she might say something else, but then she simply said, “Say farewell to the girls before you leave. They miss you when you’re not here.” She sailed down the remaining stairs without a backward glance.

  Not for the first time, Francisco wondered when he and this woman he’d once loved so desperately had become strangers who shared the same address.

  Returning his thoughts to the day ahead, he hurried upstairs to his dressing room to change. As he went, he asked God to keep his family safe.

  And to forgive his cowardice.

  Regina woke to a world of pain. Her whole body seemed to be one mass of aching, throbbing flesh. She slowly opened her eyes, but the sunlight had her slamming her lids shut again. Instead, she tried to isolate where the pain was coming from.

  She tried to swallow and realized her throat had almost swollen shut. An image of Jax with his arm around her neck flashed into her mind and she remembered. Nausea inched up the back of her throat as she wondered if, while she was unconscious, he’d finished what he started. She cautiously straightened her legs and tears of relief leaked out the corners of her eyes when she realized there was no pain. He hadn’t. Though she couldn’t help but wonder why not.

  She tried to move and twin spasms shuddered up her arms from wrist to neck. It took her a minute to realize her hands were tightly bound behind her. Through slitted eyelashes, she took inventory of her surroundings. Water rushed nearby, so she had to be near the falls. Trees surrounded her, and off to her left she could hear children’s voices above the sound of the water. Must be near one of the trails.

  “So you’re awake,” a male voice said above her.

  Regina looked up, but the sunlight behind him kept his face in shadow. He raised a hand, and Regina saw a cast on one arm and the familiar diamond ring on his left hand. Raul!

  Shock loosened her tongue and the words slipped out before she thought. “Haven’t we already played this scene, Raul? You hoping to do better this time?”

  His backhanded slap knocked her head backward and the ring split the skin above her cheek.

  Instantly, he tsked and pulled a snowy handkerchief from his pocket. He dabbed at the blood on his hand, then wiped her face. She tried to pull away, but he gripped her chin with his other hand. “Hold still. Lover boy wants you all in one piece.”

  She sent him a malevolent look, but he merely chuckled. “Brooks won’t show up here,” she declared. “I’m nothing to him. He and Eduardo are long gone. You’re wasting your time.”

  “How touching. Both of you trying to protect the other. Too bad your efforts will be in vain. No, Regina, he’ll be here. Both he and the boy. Then we’ll finish what we started.” He pulled her switchblade from his pocket. “And this time, I think I’ll keep this with me.”

  Just then, Jax appeared beside Raul, holding one of her blouses. “Excellent,” Raul said. “Put that one on her. We don’t want Senhor Brooks to think we’ve in any way mistreated his little whore.”

  Regina kept her eyes on Raul while Jax pulled her to her feet and untied her arms. He quickly stripped her torn blouse from her and shoved her arms into the other one. As soon as he shoved the last button through its hole, he wrenched her arms behind her again and retied them. She bit back a scream as he tightened the knots until she thought he’d dislocate her shoulders.

  “Ease it just a bit,” Raul commanded and Jax instantly obeyed, then shoved her back on the ground. Raul carefully crouched down against a tree, one hand on his bandaged side, and sent her an amused smile. “Now, we wait.”

  Regina studied the man across from her, saw the malice lurking in his eyes and wondered anew that she’d been so blind. How could she not have known all along that he didn’t really care about her, that his words of love were as false as his smile? “This was all part of your plan all along, wasn’t it, Raul? Meeting me—courting me, as you put it—was a lie, a way to get to Noah.”

  “But, of course. You didn’t really think a man like myself would be interested in marrying a common prostitute, did you?”


  She flinched at the familiar condemnation. Would she never escape her past? But then she remembered other words, another opinion. You deserve better, Brooks had said. Your sins are gone, Christ had told her. The quiet reminders echoed in her heart and she clung to them. Not everyone saw her as Raul did.

  At the thought of Brooks, panic bloomed in her heart. Was he already in the woods somewhere nearby? Maybe he just needed a bit more time to get into place. Raul looked much too relaxed, so he must be confident Brooks would appear. Worry for Eduardo raised its head, but she shoved it away. Brooks would take care of the baby. She knew that with absolute certainty. She couldn’t think of a way to help except to keep this man talking, giving Brooks whatever time he needed to do whatever he planned to do. “Revenge is not the answer, you know.”

  “Sometimes it is necessary. My sister’s blood cries out for vengeance. Even the Bible you and Noah put such stock in advocates an eye for an eye.”

  “It also says that vengeance belongs to God.” Her throat clogged, but she forced the words out. “Irene, Eduardo, Brooks, none of them deserve this. Irene deserved to live and raise her son. Just let me go. End this now. Don’t make it worse.”

  “As I told your friend Brooks, it’s nothing personal. He knows as well as I do that one of the sad facts of war is that the innocent suffer. And die.”

  Regina’s whole body shook as rage swept through her. “Nothing personal!” she cried. “Yo-you heartlessly blow up my best friend and then say it’s nothing personal! You disgust me.” She turned her head away and braced for another blow.

  Raul lunged to his feet, and she cringed. Then he stopped and appeared to change his mind. She released a pent-up breath when he pulled out his cell phone instead, punching buttons quickly. “Your lover awaits, Senhor,” he drawled into the phone. “Would you like to see her?”