He paused took a breath, and she drank that in. What a strange world he lived in. Who had ties to the CIA in real life? It sounded like a movie…

“When they heard about the situation, they sent an advisor down to work with me. Someone in his office had a big mouth, because they told a co-worker, who just happened to be a drinking buddy of Edgar’s, about the situation.

“Now I suppose that any human being with a scrap of decency would have pity on hostages, but not this guy. He decided that information on our operation might be worth something to someone. Edgar found him a buyer. We’d made arrangements for the exchange at a little airfield outside El Quelite. When we arrived the kidnappers were waiting. We were poised to do the exchange, and then they struck.”

“Who?” she asked, breathless.

“A rival cartel,” he said softly. “Edgar and his pal sold us out to them. They swooped in, killed everyone in sight and took the money. Only five of us got out alive.”

She stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond.

“When I recovered from my wounds, I started investigating what happened,” he said, his voice growing hard. “I found out about Edgar from one of the drug dealers, and when I came up to the States, I found him and his friend. I watched those bastards for weeks, waiting for just the right moment. I waited until they went out drinking one night and ambushed them in the parking lot. I killed the CIA leak first, but I underestimated Edgar—he pulled a gun on me and shot me. I woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed.”

“What did he tell the police?” she asked softly.

“He said he thought it was a random act of violence, that I’d been trying to mug them,” Sean said softly.

“I didn’t bother contradicting him. I figured that I’d do better pretending it was a crime of opportunity rather than a hit. They’re a little too excited about the death penalty in Texas to take chances. They offered me a plea bargain and I took it.”

“And Edgar just got away with it?” she asked softly.

“Until I got back to him,” Sean said with dark satisfaction. “He killed my men, Sandra. He deserved to die.”

“Why did you get caught in the first place?” she asked softly. “I’ve seen you in action. I wouldn’t have thought a man like Edgar could get the drop on you.”

“Honestly?” he said, his voice still toneless. “I lost my cool. I’d intended to follow them for a while, learn their habits and make it a clean hit. Instead I lost my temper. When I saw them drinking and laughing together I couldn’t stand it. I had to get them. And I had to do it right then.”

“I guess I can understand that,” she said softly. “The world probably is better off without him. Did you ever consider going to the police with the entire story? I mean, before you decided to kill them yourself.”

He gave a quick bark of laughter.

“No, that was never an option,” he said softly. “Not with the CIA involved. They don’t like any kind of publicity, and they’ll do whatever it takes to keep information on their little mistakes from coming out.

They preferred to let me handle things, and when I finally found a way out of prison, they were more than happy to assist in my disappearance. They owed me, you see.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she said. She rolled over toward him, running one finger along the bridge of his nose. In the moonlight he was little more than a stark profile beside her, cool and almost untouchable.

She let her finger trail down the smooth curve of his throat, then trace along his chest until she reached his stomach. She laid her hand flat, watching his chest rise and fall, and wondered how she had ever met up with this strange and terrifying man. She knew then, right there in the moonlight, that he was worthy of her love. She was glad Edgar was dead. He’d deserved what Sean had done, no questions asked. She just wished he’d been able to get to him sooner, that he hadn’t wasted five years of his life in jail.

“I love you,” she said suddenly, realizing it was true. He froze, a profound stillness coming over him. Even his breathing seemed to stop, and then his hand came up over hers and clenched it tight.

He started to reply, but was cut off abruptly as a booming explosion tore through the night.

He rolled over her suddenly, one hand covering her mouth. He pushed her head down into the sand, his body covering and protecting hers. A second explosion ripped through the darkness, and then silence drifted back over them.

“I’m going to let you look up,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t say anything and don’t move, or they might find us.”

She nodded her head, and he shifted his weight. She rolled over and looked out across the water. A mass of fire lit up the night where their boat had been moored.

“Skip and Jose were on there,” she whispered numbly. “We have to get help!”

“They’re dead,” Sean said softly. “There’s no way they could have survived that. We’re supposed to be dead, too.”

She looked at him blankly.

“Why else would someone blow up the boat?” he asked. “They wanted to kill us, Sandra. The good news is that they probably think they succeeded. We just have to keep it that way.”

Chapter Eleven

Sandra trudged through the underbrush doggedly, ignoring the insects buzzing around her painfully exposed flesh.

She felt like a boiled lobster.

The hot sun tore into her pale skin ruthlessly, and she cursed the skimpy bikini she’d worn for their midnight swim. Still, she struggled forward, refusing to complain. Whining wouldn’t do either of them any good.

The night had seemed endless. Sean had insisted that they remain still and out of sight until morning, and even then they’d spent a few more hours hiding. He’d gone out looking around a few times and had spotted two men watching the remains of the boat. They’d left a few hours later, climbing into a jeep and driving off down the sandy beach.

She’d thought they should stay and wait for help. After all, there couldn’t be that many midnight explosions on the island. Someone was sure to notice eventually. Sean nixed that idea immediately, telling her it was too dangerous. Whoever rescued them would probably talk about it to someone else, and then the attackers would learn they were still alive.

So here they were, trudging through the jungle in the direction Sean insisted would lead them to a village.

She had no idea what they would do when they arrived. After all, it couldn’t be too often that white tourists in bathing suits appeared out of the jungle asking for a phone, but he seemed to know what he was doing. She certainly had no clue, so she was content to let him lead her.

Surprisingly, they reached the village after only an hour of walking.

She’d expected them to go right in, but he’d installed her in the bushes and went by himself. Ten minutes later he was back wearing a loose pair of cotton pants held up with a rope and a faded, button-up shirt.

When he handed her a ratty T-shirt and oversized jeans, she’d never been so happy to see anything in her life.

“Where did you get these?” she asked.

“I traded my watch for them,” he said. “The farmer said he’d give us a ride into a town with a phone, too.”

“Won’t he tell people about us?” she asked.

“Probably,” he said. “Although I’ve asked him not to. The people in this village are very close-mouthed, they don’t like outsiders.”

“How do you know that?”

“I research every place we go,” Sean replied. “It isn’t an accident that we came to this particular island.

You never know when you might need a bolt-hole, and a small village like this one can be a great place to lose yourself. I promised him more money if he gets us out of here without anyone seeing us.”

She nodded her head, amazed at how he managed to pull these things off. He handed her a small pair of sandals made from braided rope and she slid them on her feet. He reached down, pulled her up, and they were off. Twenty minutes later they crouched beside a narrow, one lane track. After what seemed like hours, they heard the sound of a sputtering engine. Sean stood up and waved as he recognized the farmer, who drove a pickup that had to be at least thirty years old. The cab was tiny, but she felt so happy to be on her way to civilization that she didn’t mind sitting awkwardly on Sean’s lap.

Two hours later, after bumping across the road and hitting her head on the roof of the truck every two or three minutes, she had a blinding headache. She hardly even noticed when they pulled out of the jungle into a small village. She did notice, however, when the truck passed through the village and hit a paved road. Their surroundings grew steadily more modern until they reached what could only be a tourist area, several hundred feet of beachfront lined with graciously aging hotels. Twenty years earlier this place had been a real hot spot.

The truck pulled to a halt in front of one of the buildings. With Sean’s muttered thanks to their driver in a language she didn’t understand, they were left standing in front of the hotel as two startled doormen looked around for their bags.

Sean had her sit in the lobby, and half an hour later he came back and escorted her up to a well-appointed suite, possibly the best the hotel had to offer. She collapsed on the bed, utterly exhausted, and barely paid attention as he went into the other room to talk on the phone. After a while he joined her, pulling her into his arms and kissing the back of her neck softly as they fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning she found herself alone. She considering calling down to the desk and asking for him, but she didn’t want to do anything to draw attention to herself. After all, someone had tried to kill them.

The last thing she needed was to call down and ask for him by name, especially if he hadn’t used his real name. She didn’t even know what names they were using. Was he Sean or Joe?

Instead she took a long, hot bath and tried to calm her thoughts. She seemed to be getting used to this life on the run, she realized wryly. The things that would have driven her crazy just a few months ago, the uncertainty, the fear she managed to push to the back of her mind. For the first time in her life she was living for the day, not of the future. Refreshing in a way. Zen.

She snickered at the thought as she toweled off and pulled on a fluffy bathrobe. She walked into the main room. There was a shadow, a man talking on the phone. Her heart leapt. Sean? No, Valzar.

“What are you doing here?’ she asked coldly.

He dropped the receiver back in the cradle, and then turned to her.

“I’m here to take you away,” he said, eyes watching her without expression.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Sean won’t like this and you know it.”

“I’m here because Sean asked me to come,” he said softly. If she hadn’t known better, she might have said he had pity written on his face.

“That’s not true,” she replied. “Sean doesn’t trust you. He wouldn’t leave me alone with you.”

“Yes, I’m afraid it is,” he said. He walked toward her, and she clutched the robe more tightly to her chest, backing away from him. He smiled, but there was no happiness in his expression.

“For reasons I still don’t understand, he cares for you,” Valzar said. “He’s worried. Last night scared him, made him realize that his enemies are still out there. He needs to be alone, chica. You’re his weakness.”

She shook her head, denying it.

“I’m not his weakness, you are,” she said bitterly. “You’re the one who got him into this, and for all I know you’re the one trying to kill him. You need to leave us alone.”

“You need to realize what kind of man you’ve been sleeping with,” Valzar said. “Sean is not the kind of man who can settle down, who can afford a family. None of us are. Sean needs to be free so he can do his work.”

“Sean’s tired of his work,” she said, her voice cold. “He’s been out of your business for five years—all he wants is to sit back and enjoy his freedom. Why can’t you just let him do that?”

“I’m not the one he has to protect,” Valzar said, his voice gentle. “You are. He sent me here because he wants me to spirit you away, to make you disappear. He wants you to be safe. You’ve made him desperate, and desperate men do foolish things.”

“You’ve made no secret of the fact that you want me dead,” she said. “Why should I trust you now? This is some kind of game you’re playing, and I won’t be your pawn in it.”