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  Letting out a long breath, he pulled her into him. “It’s okay.”

  “I mean it,” she said stubbornly. “If we get out of this, I want you to quit.”

  Kissing the top of her head, he pushed his hand down her hair. “It’s okay.”

  Of course she knew that he was FBI, and this was the job. Going into extreme danger, accomplishing a mission, getting in, getting out. But this time it was up close and personal. He didn’t have back up. They didn’t even know if anyone from the department knew about the mission. She blinked back sudden tears.

  “Hey.” He pulled back, using his thumb to trace her eye and stopping when he felt the tears. “Lex,” he softly accused.

  Swiftly, she swiped at the tears. Being the damsel in distress or this woman that broke down when faced with danger was not her style. “I’m being such a bawl baby.” She hated it.

  He squeezed her closer and let out a light chuckle. “It’s okay.”

  This made her laugh. Since Sam Dubois had been back in her life the past few weeks, it felt like she was hardly the same kick butt and let me spin you all day long PR person.

  “What?”

  Another rush of tears hit her as she thought about what Sam had to do tomorrow and as she thought about her father. “I don’t want you to get hurt or killed, Sam. I’m sorry. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t fallen for that lying piece of garbage Marco.”

  “There’s that taste in men thing again.”

  This made her snort and then choke on a laugh.

  He kept her close, stroking her hair. “Pshaa, after this is over, we can get on with the rest of our lives.”

  She gulped out another light laugh. “Seriously?”

  He let out a small sigh. “What?”

  “How can you be joking about this? You’re basically employed to go kill two men tomorrow.”

  He paused for a second then pulled back and softly kissed her lips, whispering, “Maybe I don’t look at it like that.”

  She smiled. “Of course you don’t. It’s a job. A mission. Something James Bond-ish, right?”

  Gently, he traced a path over her eyebrow, down her jawline, and across her chin. “Or maybe I get to save the woman I love,” he whispered, kissing her again and sending chills through her.

  She was overwhelmed by the way Sam loved her. The way he was willing to lay down his life for her took her breath away. Again, she regretted being so stupid all those years ago when she walked away from him. She regretted not telling him the truth. Not having the courage to fight for them. Another round of tears fell, but passion bloomed inside of her.

  Sam gently tried to push her back, but she wouldn’t let him stop kissing her, pulling him back to her. “Just kiss me.”

  The feel of his strong arms around her and his bare chest and the fact they might not live to see another day woke every part of her. For a blissful moment, he matched her passion, kissing down her neck and pushing his hand down behind her head and over the silk nightgown covering her back.

  Returning his kisses, she moved down his neck and to his chest, every part of her burning, wanting, needing him.

  Without warning, he stopped, forcefully pushing her back, but keeping her in his grasp. “Lex.” He was breathless.

  She knew the war that was going through him because she felt it, too. They were committed to God. They wanted to wait. They’d been waiting for so long. More tears. At her weakness. At her need. “Sam, I just…I just want something to hold onto.”

  In one, quick motion, he put his lips back on hers. This time it was softer, slower.

  She didn’t know if Sam’s willpower had broken. She didn’t know if hers had either. All she knew when the door was flung open and she saw Rico’s face was that she wished she had a gun.

  Chapter 5

  Sam sprang out of bed, berating himself for not being focused. He had come to her room to comfort and protect her. Instead, he’d gotten distracted like some foolish teenage boy.

  Rico’s laugh was loud and deep. He was dressed in the same white pants from earlier, but he wore no shirt, and his hair was mussed.

  Sam knew Rico hadn’t come into the room to report anything about the Santiago’s or Marco. No. He’d come for Alexa. Sam clenched his fists.

  Rico’s hand flew to his chest as he laughed again. “I should have known to give you a different guard.” Appreciatively, his eyes raked over Sam, sizing him up.

  Sam wasn’t worried about taking Rico on if that’s what he wanted. Sam could guarantee that any hand to hand combat training Rico had learned fighting in this guerilla drug war wouldn’t match up to his own. The one thing his brother Dave had been good for was being the meanest son of a gun in the training room. He’d fought dirty, and that had taught Sam that the only fight that was ever fair was the one being described by the winner. But Sam knew he didn’t need to worry when he saw the way Rico’s eyes were blurred and heavy.

  “Please.” The word slurred coming out of his mouth. “I’m sorry for intruding.”

  “You should be.” Sam held his ground in front of the bed and then decided a warning was in order. He moved toward Rico.

  Seeming to sober, Rico stopped coming into the room. “I just wanted to make sure she knew that we would be taking you over at lunch and to freshen up in the morning. Look pretty.”

  Sam closed the space between them, leveling him with a glare. “She knows.” He hesitated then leaned in closer. “We both know.” His heart rate kicked up a notch, and Sam didn’t have to mentally prepare himself to fight Rico right now. Granted, it wasn’t the smart thing to do, seeing as how Rico and his father were actually doing him a favor in helping him dispense of a man that was definitely far beyond just being on his nerves at this point. But with all the adrenaline spiking through his system, doing the smart thing didn’t feel like the right thing.

  Rico sensed he wanted to fight, and like most drunken men who seek out a woman in the middle of the night for their own purposes, he took the bait.

  The fist coming toward his face was faster than Sam had expected, but it didn’t matter because Sam still easily dodged it. Stepping to the side and slapping Rico hard on the back served the double purpose of giving him skin on skin contact and causing Rico to fall to the floor.

  “Sam!” Alexa was standing, the red, silk nightgown falling around her in beautiful waves.

  He’d felt the nightgown, but now, seeing her in it, took his breath away. He frowned. “Stay back.” He positioned himself between Alexa and Rico.

  Rico had caught himself before he’d fallen to the ground, and Sam could tell that the slap had sobered him up. He shook his head then narrowed his eyes at Sam. Slowly, cautiously, he backed toward the door. When he got there, he turned on his heel. “I will see you in the morning.”

  Alexa moved to his side and took his hand.

  He looked down at her and then let out a sigh, pulling her into him. He held her and closed his eyes. He’d never worried about killing the men he had to kill. He wasn’t an assassin for the FBI, that wasn’t his job, but he had killed four men. Four men, that without a doubt, he could say had deserved it. All of them had been trying to kill him first, so part of him figured that whether his judgment of their life was good enough or not, one of them would die, and he’d preferred it not be him.

  The only person he’d spoken about killing with had been Dave. That had pretty much been the consensus they had come to—when you had to do it, you did it. But given everything that Dave had done, he didn’t know if any of his brother’s advice was worth much. He put that away and told himself that he would think about it another day. When this was over and the men he had to kill tomorrow were dead.

  He said a silent prayer and asked that he’d be equal to the task. He asked that if he didn’t have to kill someone, another way be presented to him. He also told God the most important thing was to keep Lex alive. Finishing his prayer, he met Alexa’s eyes. “Lex, I’ll make you a promise. If we get out of this aliv
e…I’ll quit the FBI.”

  Chapter 6

  Alexa wondered at how similar the Santiago estate was to the Cruz estate. Both had the large pillars and arches, which was typical of Latin American design, in general. However, where the Cruz estate had been full of bright whites and yellows, the Santiago estate was made up of yellows and oranges and reds. She hadn’t been able to eat breakfast or lunch. She hadn’t really been able to eat much for the past seven days, not since the night they’d discovered her father was missing. She was grateful Sam had insisted she eat a banana and a slice of bread that he’d brought back to the room after he’d gone down to eat.

  Now, her heart raced, and her mouth was dry. Her hands felt clammy as they walked up the grand steps toward the front door. They were escorted by Cruz bodyguards. Santiago bodyguards, carrying large military weapons that she didn’t know the names of, lined the stairs to the door.

  Papa Cruz had made the call at eleven o’clock and told the Santiagos that they’d found the Americans wandering out in the jungle on the border between the Cruz and Santiago property. Papa Cruz had also mentioned that he’d suspected they’d been trying to sneak in and get the girl’s father back.

  According to Rico, Mr. Santiago had made it clear he’d been holding an American, and he’d made it clear that two more were coming. This was all part of the plan. The plan to get Sam close enough to take out Mr. Santiago and Marco. To break the line of succession.

  Until the past few weeks, Alexa had always thought her father had been dramatic in his paranoia after serving in Vietnam. It had always endeared him to her that he made her play the spy games and learn to shoot, but she never could have imagined how much those skills would have come in handy. Being in a foreign country that was predominately run by men, where women had almost no power, showed her exactly how vulnerable she was.

  It made her appreciate, all the more, the freedoms she’d grown up with. The freedom she took for granted every day walking around San Francisco not thinking about being unsafe or needing protection. Sure, she took precautions not to go to the bad part of town at night, and she always knew there was a risk she could get attacked randomly. But seeing this country and the way the cartels ran it was terrifying.

  She found herself feeling more grateful than ever for Sam at her side. In her mind, he and her father were probably the most capable soldier types she knew. And she was grateful that Sam was willing to go and take care of business for her and her father. More than she could tell him.

  The door swung open, and Marco was there, standing tall with an innocent smile. Seeing him in that moment, she realized something. It was something that had been churning inside of her for a long time. She knew it wasn't enough to escape him. She had to see him here like this, so she could let all those feelings and moments when she had loved him die with him. She accepted now that she and those she loved had no future as long as he was alive.

  Marco’s eyes didn’t even look at her. They were trained only on Rico. Papa Cruz had not come. He, like all heads of a rising cartel, was at the point where it wasn’t worth it for him to do the dirty work.

  Alexa watched Rico speak easily with Marco, nodding to them and speaking in Spanish. Alexa knew some Spanish. She could pick out words like “despacio” which meant slow. She wondered if Marco was asking Rico how come he was so slow in bringing them.

  She could also pick out “bonita.” Pretty. Rico had glanced at her when he’d said it and given Marco a look like he’d just won a prize at the fair.

  Despite the fact it was ridiculous, she felt herself blush. She knew Sam could speak Spanish fluently, but he hadn’t admitted it yesterday at Papa Cruz’s table. She also knew that it was smart of him to keep this information protected. It would serve Sam better to be able to know what they were really saying.

  Sam had kept his hand in hers. He gave it a slight squeeze and her a quick wink when she glanced up at him.

  Butterflies thrummed in her gut, making her feel more nauseous than nervous. For a second, she worried that she might throw up the bread and banana she’d recently eaten.

  “Come in.” Marco stepped back and gave them a grand gesture. Their eyes met for a second, and she saw his jaw clench when he looked at her hand in Sam’s.

  The guards next to them seemed to know they weren’t invited into the house. Rico walked in followed by Sam and Alexa.

  Marco had several men around him holding large guns. None were pointed at them, but Alexa guessed if Marco ordered it, they would be dead quickly.

  “Please, sit.” The large home was airy thanks to windows that dominated the walls. The windows overlooked the vast gardens beneath them and eventually showed the grand fields of drugs. It was strange to see the fields of cocaine on such blatant display.

  This room was done in blues, aqua greens, and reds. In its own way, it was as gaudy as the gold-plated rooms in the Cruz estate. The chandeliers looked as if emeralds had been used to decorate them. Then it dawned on Alexa that these must be the emeralds Rico had mentioned the city mined. She wondered at the decadence and cost to build a manor like this. It sickened her, thinking about the poverty not even ten miles away. They blamed Americans for hurting their country, but obviously, they didn’t share any of the wealth they gained from the drugs with the impoverished people.

  Marco sat on a plush red couch, crossing his foot over his knee and putting one arm out as if to say he was the most relaxed man in the world. “Please, sit. Let’s talk about how these two Americans were miraculously found between our properties.” He glanced at Alexa again and then stared directly at Sam.

  Alexa turned and saw Sam holding his gaze in a passive way.

  Rico began spinning lies. “It is the strangest thing. We had our men out yesterday scaling the fields and the land down by the port and nothing. Nada. But, today, one of our guards brought them in.” Rico grinned as if it had been the most magical thing. “I guess providence is smiling down on you.”

  At these words, Marco’s gaze flicked back to Rico. Alexa recognized this look. She’d seen it on his face when he’d been trying to decide whether or not to trust her when he’d kept her locked away in Florida. Anger and hatred coursed through her gut. She wouldn’t flinch if she got a chance to kill him.

  Apparently, Rico could feel himself under scrutiny as well because he started speaking in Spanish at such a rate that Alexa couldn’t understand any of it.

  Her eyes flicked around the room and she wondered where her father was. She wondered how Rico’s men planned on getting them out of the estate and out of the country. Sam told her they would have to be patient, but it had felt like Sam had been hiding something from her.

  The conversation between the two men grew louder and more heated. Then Rico stood, gesturing to her and Sam.

  Out of the blue, Sam stood. Then he spoke in Spanish as well, gesturing to Rico.

  Both of the other men looked shocked for a second. Then Rico ducked his shoulder and rammed into Sam. “Liar!” he yelled.

  Sam shoved him away from the space next to Alexa and turned back to Marco. “It’s true.” He said, changing to English. “They told us the whole plan. They picked us up at the port yesterday and told me all about Gary being the leak.” His tone took a hard edge to it. “You see, Marco. They are all vying for the kingdom.”

  Marco still sat, ignoring Rico’s physical outburst. He focused solely on Sam. “Please tell me, Mr. Dubois, why you would tell me this?”

  Sam held his ground. “They want me to kill you. And Santiago.” He shrugged and looked from a steaming Rico back to Marco. “I figure the simplest thing to do is to give you a chance to let me, Alexa, and Frank go. Then you can fight your real enemies. We all win.”

  Marco sputtered. “How would I still win?”

  “You’d be alive.” It was said as a statement, not as a threat, which almost made it sound more dangerous.

  Marco’s lip curled up. “My real enemies.”

  Sam took a large breath, gesturing to th
e chandelier above them. “See, I don’t want to be king. I don’t want the kingdom. Really, I wouldn’t even know what to do with it. No, that’s your area.” He nodded to Marco. “And, at one time, I would’ve taken that from you.” He sighed and lowered his voice. “I would have taken it from you and burned the place down just because it all disgusts me, and I wouldn’t have found one good reason to let you go. In fact.” He let out a low chuckle and glanced back at Alexa. “Before I realized she was part of this, I had made it my sole mission in life to track down drug lords like yourself and find ways to take it all away from them, just because I could.”

  “Like who?” Marco shot back.

  Sam lifted one brow. “The Juarez family.”

  “The Juarez family,” Rico whispered, looking pale.

  At these words, Marco stood, finally angry. “You took down the Juarez family?”

  Sam smiled at Rico. “Burn baby burn.”

  To say that Sam’s intensity made Alexa nervous would be like saying there was a teensy bit of noise when the great Goliath had fallen. She had to tell herself to breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. Why was Sam doing this? It was as if he was picking a fight with Marco just for fun. Like he was a big brother taunting the school bully and liking it.

  “Guards.” Marco said, flicking a finger at Sam, “Take him.”

  Two men immediately pointed their guns at Sam, and two other men seized his arms.

  He flicked another hand at Rico. “I would keep you, but I can only fight a war on one front right now.” He let out a loud sigh. “And if I don’t let you go they’ll come for you.”

  A look of surprise washed over Rico’s face. Then he scurried toward the front door.

  Another armed guard moved toward Alexa.

  “No.” Marco put his hand up. “No. This one stays with me.”

  Chapter 7

  Of course Sam didn’t like that Alexa was with Marco. They’d cuffed him, and he was being escorted to another wing of the house so far away that it felt like Siberia. Two armed men were pushing him down the cobblestone steps and through the gardens to an out building that had bars surrounding it. He didn’t like leaving her. He didn’t like it so much that he had to quit thinking about it, or he would likely do something stupid and blow everything.