by Laura Marie
The sound of him clearing his throat interrupted her thoughts. She blushed at the fact that Gustavo caught her staring at him.
She felt compelled to say something, anything that would eliminate her attraction to him and the blush against her cheeks.
“You clean up nice, Gus. You’re not as scary looking as back in Mexico,” she stated then smirked before looking back out toward the scenery one more time.
“Thanks, I think,” he replied then walked toward her. Now he stood next to her and took in the same sight she was so fascinated by.
“You…Elloisa…look better without the habit,” he teased, and she chuckled as she recalled what she looked like dressed as a nun.
“Let’s go inside and get settled in. There’ll be plenty of time to explore the property and sit by the lake,” Gustavo stated, and she immediately followed him inside.
He made her feel safe, and she was beginning to feel at ease with him even though he was always in soldier mode. His commanding voice should have irked her or angered her after her stint with Armando. Instead, Gustavo’s control, his authority, and his demeanor enticed her, put her at ease and unfortunately for her…turned her on.
He was there as her protector, nothing more. “Mi soldado,” she whispered then shook the thought away. He is not my soldier and he could never be mine.
* * * *
The days had passed slowly, and Gustavo could tell that Elloisa missed her family. She referred to things her brothers had said or described some custom her mother taught Elloisa during conversations with him. The information she was giving to Gustavo was then checked out and confirmed by the agency. Gustavo knew she was reluctant to tell him more information than necessary. She didn’t fully trust him, but they were working on it.
Gustavo was getting a better understanding of Elloisa and her experience with Armando. It was sad in a way. She had been so young and completely unaware that she was being duped. Knowing what kind of a monster Armando was, Gustavo was certain the man had fallen in love with Elloisa. If he had only wanted her for revenge or even as a pet, she would have been dead long before a year’s time.
Gustavo had spent a few months at one of Sintorez’s offset locations not too far from the estate in Durango, Mexico. Not many people were allowed on the Sintorez estate, but he managed to sneak around and get close enough to record who came and went and to also see his prize possession, Elloisa.
The night she escaped was vivid in his mind. He remembered the way she looked standing on the balcony dressed in white and the sadness he saw in her eyes. He never would have guessed that she was planning her escape and buying time. He had wondered how she had gotten away from him. Armando had his hands all over her as they stood on the balcony. Gustavo wondered if Armando had made love to her. It wasn’t right for him to think about it. After all, Elloisa had been Armando’s woman. Of course they shared his bed.
Gustavo cringed at the thought but was also surprised by the jealousy he felt. She was not his señorita. She was a witness, an informant for the case. He had to remember that.
* * * *
They spent a few hours walking the property and getting to know the area.
“I want you to remember a few things, Elloisa in case we need to get out of the house quickly and we are separated. I want to show you something.”
She followed him over some rocky terrain. Her sneakers weren’t cutting it. Just as she slipped on a rock, Gustavo grabbed her around the waist, catching her before she fell. Her face landed against his chest, and his arms pressed over her breasts. It was an awkward way to be caught but also pleasurable. Gustavo had quick reflexes. He helped her get balanced then took her hand and led her carefully over the rocky hill. There were branches and trees that surrounded a cluttered area and that was where Gustavo took her.
“This morning I found this spot.” They approached what looked like a cave between two large boulders. It was hidden beneath the brush.
She looked at him strangely, wondering if he intended for her to enter the dark, confined space. As he pulled her closer to it, she stopped short, causing him to stop as well.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, standing there in front of her all macho and casual. He more likely was used to dirty caves, stinking jungles, and who knew what else because of his line of work. She was a completely different story.
He gave her hand a small tug. “Come on. It’s not bad.”
She shook her head. He took a step toward her. He was a breath away from her when he spoke.
His beautiful brown eyes sparkled with mischief.
“I’m not fond of caves, Gus.”
“You don’t have to live in it. I just want you to able to get here if you’re in trouble.”
He reached his other hand toward her cheek and caressed it. “You trust me, don’t you?”
Son of a bitch. There he was, using the old “you trust me” bit. And with those gorgeous eyes and that sexy smile, of course she trusted him. She would go anywhere Gustavo asked her to go. Shit.
She released an annoyed sigh.
“Okay, soldier. Onward.”
He chuckled then pulled her along with him and inside of the cave.
It was dark and cold, but Gus was prepared as he shone the light inside. There were three duffle bags, a lantern, and a plastic container filled with stuff.
“I want you to know how to get here to hide. I brought some supplies from the house so at least you’d have food and warmth until help arrived.”
She swallowed hard. “Where would you be?”
His expression turned serious.
“It’s in case I get into some trouble. The most important thing is to keep you safe and alive.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I want you to be able to get here and to hide. Sintorez and his men cannot capture you.”
She nodded in agreement. Then he took her hand and led her out of the cave. They walked for a while, and then he had her lead them back to the cave. It was trickier than she had thought and nearly got lost. Gustavo pointed out familiar landmarks, and then he got out his knife and made markings in the trees. He was ensuring that in case of an emergency she could get to the cave safely.
“Let’s head back. It’s getting late,” he told her and began to walk. He remained holding her hand long after they traveled over the rocky terrain.
* * * *
It was late in the afternoon, and they were working together in the kitchen, trying to prepare dinner.
“I thought you knew what you were doing,” Gustavo teased Elloisa as he took the paring knife from her and took over the job cutting the carrots.
“I do know what I’m doing. You said thin slices, fancy ones, and that’s what I was doing.”
“No, like this,” he told her then sliced the carrots perfectly. Elloisa rolled her eyes then laughed. She was amused to think that such a large man, a trained killer, was capable of getting angry over sliced carrots.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked Elloisa on the defensive as he nudged her with his hip.
“Nothing, Gustavo,” she said then smiled. She was caught off guard at the silly, girlish feelings he gave her.
She was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable she felt with him.
The simple fact that she was attracted to a man came as a shock.
Since arriving home, looking through family pictures, reminiscing about the earlier years, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever truly fall in love. Did she even have the right to? Would a man accept her for who she was? What about for all her faults and for being with a man like Armando?
The thoughts and tears emerged, stinging her eyes.
She quickly moved away from Gustavo and walked towards the glass slider doors in the kitchen.
She wrapped her arms across her, feeling the chill and Armando came to mind.
Would he always have this control of her? Would her past with him always be a wall an unbreakable barrier? She plac
ed her head against the cool glass and stared at the magnificent lake.
She felt so alone, so isolated, and she wondered if that was all her future held.
She jumped when she felt Gustavo’s warm, strong hand on her shoulder.
“Elloisa, did you hear me? Are you all right?” he asked, but she wouldn’t look at him. Those big brown eyes made her confess so much too easily. He was either very good at his job or he actually sympathized with her and cared.
She couldn’t be sure, but she hoped he really cared.
* * * *
Gustavo turned her toward him, and immediately he could see the tears in her eyes.
“Was it something I said?” he asked, wondering if he brought back bad memories. He didn’t want to say or do anything to hurt her.
“No. I’m fine,” she replied in a whisper then turned towards the glass.
Gustavo knew she was lying because she always looked him in the eye when she spoke.
He gently touched her chin, tilting it towards him with his hand.
She looked straight up into his eyes.
“I don’t want you to be afraid of me ever. You can trust me, Elloisa. I will do you no harm.”
She was silent a moment as if thinking about his statement.
“Not intentionally you won’t. I’m fine, really,” she said on the defensive then turned away and walked out of the kitchen.
Gustavo watched her go. He wanted to follow her, take her into his arms, and show her, prove to her that he was telling the truth.
This was the worst assignment he had ever been on. He was attracted to Elloisa, was growing more and more affectionate towards her every day. He was becoming protective, angrier and angrier at Armando and what he had put Elloisa through.
If he ever came to face to face with Armando Sintorez, he would kill him slowly being sure to cause the piece of shit as much torture and pain as he had caused Elloisa and her family.
They spent the days going over emergency plans of action. She had impressed him with her ability to quickly pick up on clues and little details he left for her. As feminine and sexy as she was, Elloisa faced danger, obstacles, and difficult tasks with determination and courage. Whether she believed it or not, she was a soldier.
Chapter 13
“What took you so long to contact me?” Armando asked with anger apparent in his voice. This idiot should know better than to piss a man like him off. Obviously the agent was worried about blowing his cover.
There was no doubt where the agent’s loyalty lay. Sintorez, didn’t trust easily and this agent had yet to prove his loyalty to Armando.
“It wasn’t safe until now.”
“Where are Elloisa Givani and her family?” Armando asked.
“Jerry, Teressa, and Mathew Givani are in a safe house in New Jersey right on the border. Jack and Salvatore are still in New York and close to the main office. They’re aware of everything involved with the case.”
“And my Elloisa?”
“I have no idea. Only one agent has been assigned to her, and so far I have no idea who he is reporting to or where they could possibly be.”
“Why is that? How can that be? You’re an agent. You should be able to find out. You’re disappointing me. You don’t want to disappoint me.” Armando strengthened his tone and the agent got the message.
“We can get to the parents and brother easily. I could set up whatever you want. If you want them dead…”
“No! I want to make Elloisa suffer, and by merely harming them, I can do that. If I kill them, then she will get even angrier, and she knows too much. Now, who is this agent she is with? Are they always alone?” Armando couldn’t help but think about Elloisa with another man. The agent, whoever he was, would more than likely be attracted to her. What man in his right mind wouldn’t be?
“They are always alone and I’m afraid you know who the agent is.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was in Mexico at your compound. He went by the name Miguel Martinez. He’s really Agent Gustavo Montoya.”
Armando was furious but silent.
“He’s a dead man. I think I’ll take care of him personally when the time comes. Put a good scare into the Givani family. I want Elloisa shaking and begging for forgiveness when she comes back to me.”
Armando hung up the phone, and the agent began preparations.
Armando leaned back in the chair behind his desk and thought about the agent.
He more than likely was excited that such a well-known and notorious man like Armando Sintorez would trust him to handle such an important strategic action. Never mind the fact that Sintorez paid a hell of a lot more than the agency did. Little did that imbecile know that he was as good as dead once Armando got his Elloisa and returned to Mexico.
His head throbbed. The conversation with the agent aggravated him.
He caressed the lump on the back of his head. Luckily, he had recovered from the concussion. All he could think about as he rested in bed was how Elloisa had tricked him. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. While he recovered and Ramos and his men searched for her, he thought about what had made her change. Initially, upon bringing her to Mexico, she had shown such commitment and love for him as no other woman ever had. His Elloisa was passionate, not coy. He had gotten her to forget her family and New York and solely focus on him. She had become his everything until Ramos began to abuse his own woman. But Armando knew she had to learn her place. He could not show the men that his woman had control over his emotions. Nor could he give her power over him when he had spent so many years trying to prove that he was a ruthless killer.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed as he looked at her picture on the wall. It was a lovely portrait of Elloisa in the gardens. When she returned to him he would punish her for what she did and she would know that she could never leave again. Besides, her family would be dead, so there was nothing to go back to the States for.
Now, to find out about Gustavo Montoya. That should be pretty simple.
* * * *
“How well do you think Elloisa is doing, Jerry?” Teressa asked her husband as she sat on the couch in the living room.
“Probably as well as we are. I know she’ll be safe with Gustavo. He’s an excellent agent, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with her life.”
“I think Dad is right, Mom. Gustavo has quite the reputation, and he and Elloisa seemed to hit it off real well,” Mathew added.
“I noticed that. Maybe she’ll trust him enough to give him all the information she knows and he can help bring down Sintorez and his gang,” Jerry added, and then they heard the back door open.
“Fire!” they heard Agent Ramirez yell from the kitchen, and Agent Thomas ran through the living room.
“The shed outside is going up in flames. You all stay right here. Don’t go outside. We’ve already called the fire department,” he told them then went towards the back door.
“Come over here next to me, Teressa,” Jerry ordered, and both she and Mathew started walking across the living room.
Something came crashing through the front window. It exploded and the fire spread everywhere, including all over Teressa.
“Mom!” Mathew screamed then grabbed the throw blanket that was on the couch. His father ripped off his shirt, and they covered their mother with it then rolled her body across the floor. They were patting the fire out that was engulfing her body. She was screaming then suddenly went silent as the last flames were put out.
Ramirez came in with a fire extinguisher. Jerry hadn’t even realized that he was on fire as well. His hands were injured, but his concern was Teressa.
“Get an ambulance quickly!” Jerry yelled and he could hear the sirens in the distance.
“Oh my God, Teressa. Please, Teressa…Please keep breathing,” Jerry exclaimed, and both he and Mathew were coughing from the smoke.
“Let’s get her outside, Dad. Hurry!” Mathew yelled, and they quickly lifted Teressa and brought h
er outside.
* * * *
Three houses over, the agent and his accomplice watched, waiting for the Givani family to emerge unscathed. The mother seemed to be right in the line of fire. Oh well…not exactly what he had planned, but as long as she survived, then Armando would be all right with it.
Quickly they disappeared from the area.
As soon as they were at a safe distance he made the call.
“The job is done.”
“Did anyone get hurt?”
“No one is dead,” the agent replied then heard the click on the other end.
* * * *
Gustavo and Elloisa finished eating dinner. Elloisa was getting ready for bed while Gustavo finished taking a shower.
He got dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt.
He just started to pull on a pair of socks when his cell phone rang.
He quickly flipped it open. It was line three. The line that connected directly to John Falcon.
“Yeah!” Gustavo said into the phone.
“We’ve got a situation, Gus. Someone got to Jerry, Teressa, and Mathew.”
“What? How? Are they all right?”
“There was a fire, an explosion, and Teressa is in the hospital. She has second-degree burns. She’s unconscious, but the doctors say she’ll make it. Mathew and Jerry have first- and second-degree burns on their hands, and both are suffering from smoke inhalation. So are Ramirez and Thomas.”
“How the hell did Sintorez find them? What am I going to tell Elloisa? She’ll want to come back.”
“She can’t come back. Not now. Sintorez obviously has men in the area. You need to keep her safe. I’ll do what I can to connect her with her family over the phone. Keep an eye out and prepare to leave on a moment’s notice if necessary.”
“Keep me posted, John,” Gustavo said then hung up the phone.
He ran his fingers through his damp hair. This wasn’t going to be easy for Elloisa.
