Caught in the Act (22 page)

“My sister can be really nosy. She didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay.” Kari wouldn’t see any of Adam’s family members again, so the incident didn’t matter. It
shouldn’t
matter.

“Where’s your van?” he asked, glancing around the neighborhood.

“I took the bus. More incognito.”

His brows rose, but he didn’t say anything. They stared at each other for a moment, acknowledging the strange context of their relationship.

Relationship?

Well. Whatever it was.

“I’ll drive you home,” he offered.

She accepted with a nod. The part of town he lived in was quiet and middle-class but not the best place for a single woman to be walking around after dark. She hadn’t planned to stay at his house so long.

He grabbed his keys and led her toward the garage. His car was midsized, a basic black, clean and sleek but unpretentious. She could tell that he took care of his belongings, and suspected that he owned the home. On the surface, he was a responsible, respectable guy. Underneath, he was a hard man with a tragic past.

He held the door open for her.

They fell into a charged silence on the way to Kari’s house. She had so much to think about, so many questions to consider. Would Adam notify his superiors that she’d asked him to let her pass through? Should she tell him about her sister’s debt and repeat what Sasha had said about Chuy Pena?

If he truly couldn’t help her, there was no reason to meet him again.

He pulled into her driveway ten minutes later. “Thanks for the ride,” she said, reaching for the door handle.

“Hang on a sec.”

“What?”

“Am I going to see you again?”

“Why, so I can get you off?”

A muscle in his jaw tightened. “Maybe if you’d tell me what you’re involved in, I could help you.”

“You already said you couldn’t help me.”

“No, I said I couldn’t wave you through. There’s a difference.”

She glanced away, feeling cynical. He wanted two things from her: sex and information. And if they hadn’t been caught
in medias res
an hour ago, they might not be having this conversation.

He cupped his hand around her face, meeting her eyes. “I like you, Kari. I like spending time with you. Under any other circumstances, I’d want to get to know you better. But the smuggling thing is kind of a deal breaker.”

He said the last sentence with a smile, and she couldn’t help but smile back. Damn him for being funny, along with devastatingly handsome and killer sexy. There was no defense against a man this appealing. “I have a lot to think about,” she whispered.

He traced her cheekbone with his thumb. “Can I kiss you goodnight?”

She studied him for a moment, bemused by his polite query. He had no qualms about being dishonest, spying on her, or urging her down on her knees, but he was enough of a gentleman to ask for a kiss?

She turned her head slightly, brushing her lips over the pad of his thumb. “No.”

His gaze darkened at the subtle caress. Never in her life had Kari said no when she meant yes, but he seemed to understand what she wanted. For some reason, a bit of forcefulness turned them both on.

He slid his hand into her hair, holding her in place as he brought his lips to hers. It was a tasting kiss, light and sensual. Instead of crushing their mouths together, he licked her parted lips and teased her seeking tongue.

His earlier kisses had been about thrusting his tongue deep, filling her mouth. This kiss was like oral sex for her.

And if he did that as well as he did this … OMG.

“I think I need another shower,” she said when he broke contact.

He groaned, glancing at the front of her house. “Let me in.”

“No.”

His eyes returned to hers. “No, as in ‘break down the door and ravage me, bad boy’?”

“No, as in definitely not.” Kissing her fingertips, she touched his taut cheek. “Goodnight.”

15

Maria glanced in the mirror before she left the house, wondering if she should change back into her old clothes.

The hand-me-down dress was sexy, she supposed, with its black and red floral design and the thin straps that crisscrossed over her back. Although it wasn’t Maria’s size, the stretchy fabric conformed nicely to her smaller frame. Kari said it suited her coloring better, too.

Shrugging, she put on her “cute” shoes, a pair of simple black flats. Tossing her pepper spray in her purse, she walked out into the sultry night.

She hadn’t picked up any new information at the hotel this week. She hadn’t summoned up the nerve to ask Armando about Sasha, either. He seemed like a decent person, not an emotionless monster, but Maria didn’t feel safe around him.

Even so, Kari needed help, and Maria wanted to do her part. While her friend was feeling out Officer Cortez, Maria could seek advice from Agent Foster. As far as she was concerned, he was an untapped resource.

She had his phone number written down on a scrap of paper in her purse. He hadn’t given it to her, of course, and he wasn’t pleased by her call. His brusque tone had hurt her feelings a little, but it hadn’t surprised her. He was in a dark place in his life. She got the impression that he wanted to hide from her.

Sighing, she picked up the pace, arriving at the café a few minutes early. Foster was already there, waiting by a bike rack outside. His clothes weren’t quite as ragged as usual, but he still looked like a rough character, a rawboned thug. His jaw was scruffy and his black T-shirt sported a tear near the hem.

He waited for her to come forward, his eyes wary.

“Let’s go there instead,” he said, jerking his chin toward a dive bar across the street.

She stared at the low-class establishment, hesitating. Nice girls didn’t go to bars like that. Denny’s looked so innocuous and well-lit in comparison.

“We can drink soda. No one will bother you.”

“Okay,” she said, following him.

He put a hand on her bare shoulder, leading her to a booth in the corner. A couple of gray-haired bikers watched her pass by, their eyes bold. Foster ignored them, so she lifted her chin and tried to look classy. After gesturing for her to sit with her back to the bar, he slid into the space across from her. A waitress came to take their drink order.

“Two Cokes?” Foster requested, glancing at Maria.

She nodded at the waitress, a chubby woman with exaggerated makeup. “Fine.”

“Any rum for yours, honey?”

“No thanks.”

Disappointed, she left to fill the order.

Maria studied Foster while they waited. His eyes looked bloodshot, but the muddy green color was still nice. The keen intelligence was still there.

“I don’t have any money,” he said.

“I’ll pay for the drinks.”

He gave her an impatient look. “That’s not what I meant.”

The waitress appeared with two Cokes, two napkins, and two paper-covered straws. Maria thanked her and turned her attention back to Foster. “I need help, not money.”

“Do I look like I’m in a position to help anyone?”

“Agent Foster would not deny me.”

He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Agent Foster doesn’t
exist
.”

She unwrapped her straw and slipped it into her glass. “What do I call you?” she asked, taking a small sip.

His gaze rose from her lips. “You don’t.”

“Bueno,”
she said, getting annoyed. “I understand now. When you need help, I am there. When I ask for a favor, you are not.”

“What do you want?” he growled.

“Advice.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

He glanced around the bar, deliberating. “Have you mentioned my name at the hotel?”

“No! I’m not stupid,
señor
. I would never do anything to danger you.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, as if she’d said something funny. “What kind of advice do you need?”

“My friend is in trouble with the law,” she said.

“Is she a citizen?”

“Yes. She brought me here.
Entiendes?
”

“Sí,”
he said shortly. “Do you owe her money for that?”

“No, no. Just
gratitud
.”

He rubbed a hand over his shadowed jaw. “Go on.”

“She is in debt … sort of … to a drug lord. But she can’t pay. So he asked her to bring something over the border for him.”

“Something illegal?”

“Yes. If she gets caught, will she be arrested?”

“Of course.”

“What if she fears for her life? She is afraid to go to police, afraid to say no … you see the problem.”

“People who break the law get arrested, Maria. Unless she has a gun to her head, she will face the same consequences as anyone else.”

“What should she do?”

“Go to the police.”

Maria sipped her soda, thinking. “There is another person involved. A captive.”

Foster smiled. “Sounds like a
telenovela
.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“If your friend is worried, for herself or someone else, she should go to the authorities immediately. Drug lords can’t be bargained with. Even if she cooperates, she’ll lose. Women who won’t talk to the police are easier to manipulate. And when they disappear, nobody knows what happened.”

She frowned at his words, filled with foreboding. “What if the police can’t help?”

“This isn’t Mexico, Maria. Here in the U.S., we try to protect innocent women.”

Although she heard the “we” in the last sentence and
understood its implications, she couldn’t prevent the memories that sprang to the surface of her mind. The police in Mexico weren’t always helpful. Sometimes they stole innocence rather than protecting it.

Foster was the only lawman she’d ever trusted. Even after what she’d gone through at El Caracol, she wasn’t afraid of him. He’d been strong, kind, reliable. It was a shame that he didn’t exist anymore.

“I will tell her what you say,” she murmured.

“In the meantime, don’t go back to that hotel. Some serious shit is going down there, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She made a noncommittal sound. For the sake of appearances, she should continue her maid duties. “If I can’t convince my friend to go to the police, I will get more details for you. Could you pass on information? Would that help her?”

“Maybe.”

“Okay. I see what I can do.”

“You’re a magnet for trouble,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Do you ever get tired of saving people?”

Her gaze wandered over his face, taking in the familiar lines and angles. Although he looked different with the longish hair and beard, he wasn’t unattractive to her. “Someone saved me once,” she reminded him.

This dilemma was killing her. Enable Sasha or let her die. Turn her back or go to jail. No decision felt right.

Pushing away from the couch, Kari walked over to the bookcase, dragging out a thick, leather-embossed photo album. She sank to her knees on the carpet, opening
it. Page after page showed a happy family. Baby Kari in her father’s arms. Kari as a downy-haired toddler, holding a newborn Sasha with her mother’s help.

The two sisters standing in a kiddie pool, smiles as bright as the sun, their tanned arms wrapped around each other.

She flipped to the final pages, drenched in sorrow. There were several of Kari and Sasha in sexy outfits, dressed up for a wild night.

The last good times.

They hadn’t gone out and had fun together in years. Not since Sasha had hooked up with Carlos Moreno.

She closed the album, her heart heavy. After her father died, she’d been forced to sell his furniture stores to pay off their debts. She and Sasha had split the amount that was left over. Kari had used the money wisely, investing in her future. Sasha went through her portion in record time and had nothing but a closetful of clothes to show for it.

Maria walked in the front door a few minutes later, wearing the dress from the picture Kari had just looked at. It suited her slim, elegant figure.

“Hot date?” Kari asked.

Maria collapsed on the couch, chuckling. “Not quite. How about you?”

She sighed, biting down on her lip. “Adam has been spying on me. He saw Chuy and his partner leave the house.”

Her eyes widened with dismay.
“Hijo de puta.”

“He didn’t agree to help me at the border, either.”

She muttered a string of Spanish curses. “Why did he lie about his mother?”

“Just an excuse to stop by, I guess.”

“That bastard.”

“Yes.”

“Did you two …” She made the hand gesture.

“No!”

“Maybe you should.”

“Maybe I should what? Offer him sexual favors in exchange for help?” She placed a palm to her chest, disproportionately indignant for a woman who’d been caught on her knees less than an hour ago.

Maria shrugged. “It’s not wrong if you want him.”

“Your mother would be appalled to hear you say that.”

“Yes,” she agreed, smiling.

“Speaking of sexual favors, where did you go in that getup?”

Maria glanced down at her dress. “Do I look like a lady of the night?”

“No, I was just teasing. It’s very cute on you.”

She rested her arm on the back of the couch. “I saw Agent Foster. He said you should go to the police.”