Caught in the Act (39 page)

And yet, Adam’s steady gaze and calm manner felt reassuring. He wanted to see where this was going. He wasn’t going to abandon her. Maybe she should relax her guard and trust him to stay the course.

Before she could decide what to say, someone knocked at the door. “Kari?”

It was Maria.

Adam sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Kari tugged down the hem of his T-shirt and went to the door, opening it partway. Maria was standing there in a white bathrobe, her feet bare, hair mussed. “I need to talk to you.”

“In here?”

“No, outside. Bring your purse.”

Kari nodded and closed the door, saying she’d be ready in a minute.

“Do you want me to go back to Ian’s room?” Adam asked.

“No,” she said, grabbing his shorts from the bed and slipping them on. She had to tighten the drawstring
waistband so they wouldn’t fall off. “We’re going down to the lobby for coffee,” she said, picking up her purse.

On impulse, she leaned in to kiss him goodbye. He returned the kiss with relish, cupping the back of her head to prolong the moment. But when she pulled away, he let her go. “I meant what I said,” he murmured, meeting her eyes.

Her throat tightened. “I know.”

When she opened the door again, Maria glanced inside, getting an eyeful of Adam. With his chest bare and the sheet riding low on his hips, he made an alluring picture.

Blushing, Kari pulled the door shut and they walked down the hall together. “Did you have a good time with Ian?”

Her expression was secretive and a little sad. “Yes.”

“What happened?”

“He kissed me,” she admitted.

She smiled at Maria’s demure confession.

“How was your night with Adam?”

“It was … nice.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Nice?”

“Okay, it was fantastic,” she said, her emotions in turmoil. Maybe this was what she deserved for jumping into bed with him too soon. She’d wanted mindless orgasms and he’d given her complex feelings.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I guess I feel guilty. My sister is dead.”

“But you are not.”

She nodded, aware that Sasha wouldn’t have begrudged anyone a good time. Her sister had been unabashedly hedonistic. She’d have pushed Kari into Adam’s arms and told her to wear him out.

As they stepped inside the elevator, Maria said, “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Anything,” she said, setting her troubles with Adam aside.

“I left money in a drawer at your house. Can you send it to me?”

“What do you mean? Send it where?”

“I’m going home.”

The elevator doors opened before Kari was ready. She entered the quiet lobby, her thoughts spinning.

“I want to see my family,” Maria explained. “And I have to deliver a letter.”

“To who?”

She pulled a crumpled envelope from her robe pocket. Its surface was stained with dried blood. “Armando asked me to give this to his daughter.”

“You can’t put a stamp on it?”

“Her school is near my hometown. It’s no trouble.”

“It’s no trouble? He’s a psychopath!”

She put the letter back in her pocket. “When Chuy pointed the gun at me, Armando stepped between us. He saved my life.”

Kari studied her friend’s serene face and felt like bursting into tears. She didn’t want Maria to get mixed up in another dangerous situation. Not only that, she couldn’t bear to lose her again. “Please don’t go, Maria.”

Her eyes softened with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I can’t stay.”

“Yes, you can. I’ll sneak you across the border.”

She took Kari by the hand. “I need to see my mother,” she said, her voice trembling. “Do you understand?”

Of course she understood. Kari’s mother had been
gone almost twenty years, and she still missed her. She would always miss her.

Maria had left home at a young age. She’d suffered a terrible experience trying to cross the border the first time. Over the past few days she’d witnessed several violent deaths and been trapped in a dark basement.

Anyone in her state of mind would want her mother.

So Kari pulled herself together, holding the tears at bay. “What can I do to help?”

Maria hugged her tight. “I love you, Kari.”

They visited the hotel gift shop, where Kari bought them each a new outfit. Maria chose a sleeveless top and a basic black skirt with ballet flats. Kari found an aqua tank dress and a pair of beige sandals. Outside the hotel, she made a withdrawal from the ATM machine, giving Maria a wad of cash.

“Don’t tell Ian for a few hours,” she begged.

“You didn’t say goodbye to him?”

“I could not bring myself to.”

“Will you come back?” Kari asked.

Maria’s eyes narrowed with determination. “I promise I will try.”

“Call me, okay? I can help you get a visa. There will always be a place for you at my house, and at Zócalo.”

Her mouth trembled. “Thank you.”

Kari embraced her one last time. They clung together, each not wanting to let the other go. Then Maria jerked away, as if too choked up to stay another second. She hurried across the street, tears streaming down her face.

Kari watched her friend’s dark head disappear into the crowd, feeling like she’d lost another sister.

28

Kari stayed in the lobby for another thirty minutes.

Reluctant to return to the hotel room, she sipped coffee and nibbled on a complimentary breakfast pastry. She wasn’t certain she’d done the right thing by helping Maria. The police had asked them all to stay put. Adam wouldn’t be happy. She didn’t know Ian very well, but she’d seen the way he looked at Maria, and she could imagine his reaction. The woman he cared about had snuck away from his bed like a thief in the night. He’d take it personally.

Palms sweaty, she stepped into the elevator, going up. She wasn’t ready to face her relationship issues with Adam, either. She wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and sleep for another twenty-four hours.

The hotel doors locked automatically and she didn’t have a key card, so she couldn’t slip back into the room without waking him. He answered her knock, a sheet wrapped around his waist, his thick black hair disheveled.

Her stomach fluttered with unease.

“Nice dress,” he said, noticing her new outfit.

“Thanks. I bought something for Maria, too.” She handed him his workout clothes, watching while he put them on.

“Ian called to ask where she was.”

“Did you want coffee? I forgot to bring you a cup.”

“I’ll get one on the way out,” he said, putting on his shoes.

“Are we leaving?”

“Yeah. The Tijuana police are meeting us at the port. I don’t want to talk to them without my superiors there.”

He seemed tense, as if he wasn’t looking forward to reliving the ordeal.

“Are you worried about the investigation?” she asked, surprised. “You and Ian were heroes yesterday. Surely they’ll believe your version of events.”

“My credibility isn’t the issue.”

“What is?”

He dragged a hand through his hair, trying to tame it. “I abandoned my post at the hospital, acted outside my jurisdiction, and took on a crew of top-tier cartel members without backup. Not only did I fail to notify the Mexican authorities, I didn’t even contact my own department.” Shoving their dirty clothes into a plastic bag, he leveled with her. “Vigilantism is illegal, Kari. Cops get fired for it.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling small. “Is there anything I can do?”

“You can tell the truth. Maria, too.”

She sat down on the bed, biting the edge of her fist. This was bad.

“Ian was released from duty for entering a gunfight at the Hotel del Oro, so I’m expecting the worst.”

“He got fired?”

“From the DEA. He might be able to work for another federal agency, but I don’t know. Everything is up in the air right now.”

“That’s awful,” she said, her heart pounding with anxiety.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Adam went to answer it, letting Ian inside. “Is Maria here?”

“No,” Adam said, frowning.

“Where is she?”

Kari swallowed hard, looking back and forth between them. “She left.”

Ian’s eyes darkened. “Where did she go?”

“Home,” she said, taking the address from her purse. “I gave her money for a bus ticket.”

He snatched the scrap of paper from her hand. “How long ago?”

“Less than an hour.”

Although the station was only a few blocks away, Ian’s chances of catching up with her there were slim. Mexico’s public transit system was popular and reliable. Buses to the capital left every thirty minutes.

Kari twisted her hands in her lap. “There’s something else I should tell you.”

“What?”

“I think she’s going to deliver a letter for Armando first. She had an envelope addressed to his daughter’s school. She said she promised to help him because he stepped in when Chuy tried to shoot her.”

“Which school?” Ian demanded. “Did you see the address?”

“No,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “I’m sorry. She mentioned that it was near her hometown.”

He shoved the paper in his pocket. “How much money did you give her?”

“Two hundred dollars.”

“Do you have any idea how much danger she’s in?”

Kari shook her head, mute.

Cursing under his breath, he paced the room. “Moreno’s drug cartel is finished. Everyone associated with them is a target. Men will be gunning for Armando, maybe even using his daughter to get to him.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. “I didn’t think of that.”

“You didn’t think at all!”

“Hey,” Adam warned, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Watch it.”

“Get the fuck off me,” Ian muttered, shoving him away.

“You can’t go after her right now,” Adam pointed out. “We have to be at the port in twenty minutes.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to be told that I’ll never work in law enforcement again.”

“They won’t go that far, Ian. You could get reinstated on border patrol. CBP isn’t as strict as DEA—”

“Fuck CBP,” he said, storming from the room. “And fuck you.”

Adam gave Kari an apologetic look and followed him out the door. Although Ian wanted to go after Maria, he agreed to accompany them to the border for Adam’s sake. Ian couldn’t save his own career, but he could stand by his best friend.

Kari felt sick about her mistake. She’d never imagined that Maria’s disappearing act would cause this much
trouble. She also hadn’t realized that Adam might lose his job. Last night she’d been kidding herself.

Everything was
not
okay.

In the harsh light of day, reality set in. They still had to deal with injuries, and emotions, and consequences. Her sister was dead. Maria was gone. Kari couldn’t handle any more upheaval.

As soon as they reached the San Ysidro port of entry, she was separated from Adam and Ian for questioning. Mexican police interviewed her extensively. A CBP officer and an ICE agent took a detailed statement.

After what seemed like hours, she was released from custody. One of the police officers brought her rental car to the detainment area. Exhausted, she got behind the wheel and drove around aimlessly, reluctant to go home.

She couldn’t face the flowers, the aftermath, the emptiness.

Instead of heading back to Bonita, she took the dusty trail to Border Field State Park. Parking near the monument, she strolled down to the beach, wind whipping at her skirt. The wall that separated the United States from Mexico ended here, extending a hundred feet into the sea. Slats of treated wood rose from the water like jagged teeth.

Kari stared at the waves crashing against the fence, wondering what to do about Adam.

Imagining a life without him wrenched her heart in two.

The interrogation process was even worse than Adam had anticipated.

They’d revisited the crime scene for a walk-through
and found out that Moreno’s body hadn’t been recovered. Either his bones were still buried in the smoldering ash or someone had taken his charred remains.

This strange discrepancy, paired with Maria’s very inconvenient disappearance, cast a shadow of doubt on their version of events. It was difficult for Adam to defend his actions; he’d worked with Moreno during the takedown. His boss, Pettigrew, grew more taciturn as the afternoon progressed.

At the end of the day, Adam and Ian were led to Pettigrew’s office and seated across from him. Another intimidating figure, ICE Special Agent in Charge Mark LaGuardia, accompanied them.

Drenched in sweat, Adam waited for the ax to fall.

“The Mexican police are pissed off, and rightfully so,” Pettigrew began. “Rambo officers make everyone look incompetent. There’s no way either of you can take credit for what went down in the shootout.”

Adam exchanged a hopeful glance with Ian. “We’d prefer that, sir.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you prefer, Cortez. I’m just telling you how it’s going to be. You two were never there. An unknown assassin, probably someone within the organization, executed the attack. Is that clear?”

They both nodded, relieved. This way, no disgruntled family members would be coming after them for revenge.

“I can’t keep you in the lanes,” Pettigrew said, looking at Adam.