she ever had about anything in her life. „I’m not trying to force you to come with me.
But I am going to get out of here tonight.“
Flynn’s gaze narrowed speculatively. „You know damn well I’m involved now.“
„There’s absolutely no need for you to go any further with this,“ she began defiantly. „I appreciate your
help up to this point, but you certainly don’t need to feel obligated to – “
„You’ve said enough, Angie. I’m going with you.“
„Not if you’re going to act patronizing or domineering, you aren’t!“
He planted his palm flat against the wall behind her head and leaned over her. „You want to drive forty
miles by yourself on a lonely Mexican highway at four in the morning?“
Angie flinched. The occasional tales of U.S. tourists ambushed on Mexican roads were not unknown to
her. She’d researched such tales for one of Julian’s books. It was relatively easy to discount those stories
during the daytime, but at four in the morning they took on new meaning. But she said stubbornly, „I’d feel
safer driving up the coast alone than I would staying here.“
Flynn straightened away from the wall, his attitude one of resignation. „All right. I can see you’re not
going to be completely rational about this. Let’s get going. Put some clothes on. I’m not taking you down to
the front desk dressed like that.“
She stood up slowly. „You don’t believe me, do you?“
„I believe something scared the hell out of you tonight. But in all honesty I can’t see any sign of
someone having been in your room. And from what you’ve told me, you didn’t actually see anyone, either.
You just think you heard him.“
Angie gritted her teeth and turned to pull a pair of jeans and a red cotton-knit pullover out of the closet.
Without a word she headed toward the bathroom to change.
Ten minutes later Flynn had roused the sleeping desk clerk and explained the need to rent a car. The
clerk rubbed his eyes, yawned widely and politely explained that renting a car was quite impossible at this
hour of the night.
„The rental agency will not be open until nine this morning, senor. Surely you can understand that.“ The
clerk smiled ingratiatingly, trying hard to be polite to the crazy norteamericanos. His uncle had warned him
when he’d hired him that a night clerk’s job was not always easy. Tourists were a strange bunch.
Flynn pulled out his wallet and peeled off several large bills. He put them down on the counter in front of
the clerk. „I am prepared to pay someone for the inconvenience of renting us a car. Could you please
telephone whoever is responsible for running the rental agency here in the hotel and ask if he’s interested in
being compensated for the extra trouble?“
The clerk looked down at the bills. Tourists were not only very strange, they were willing to pay dearly
for the oddest things. Women, cigarettes made from a local product that, thanks to the vagaries of
bureaucrats, could not be marketed legally; such things he could understand a man being willing to waste
money on. But a rental car at four o’clock in the morning? It made no sense.
But a night desk clerk learned to be sophisticated about such matters. The clerk smiled brilliantly and put
two fingers on one of the bills. „There is no way a car can be rented at this hour, but there is a possible
alternative. Where is it you wish to travel, senor?“
Flynn kept his hand firmly on the money. „Cancun.“
Angie, standing behind him, waited anxiously as the clerk appeared to give considerable thought to the
matter. With every passing moment she felt the need to be on her way with the dagger.
„Cancun.“ The clerk nodded. „A long trip by car but not so long by boat. My cousin, Ramon, has a very
fast boat, senor. He uses it to pull the tourists on water skis. I think that I might be able to convince him to
take you to Cancun.“
„He’d take us down the coast in the
But I am going to get out of here tonight.“
Flynn’s gaze narrowed speculatively. „You know damn well I’m involved now.“
„There’s absolutely no need for you to go any further with this,“ she began defiantly. „I appreciate your
help up to this point, but you certainly don’t need to feel obligated to – “
„You’ve said enough, Angie. I’m going with you.“
„Not if you’re going to act patronizing or domineering, you aren’t!“
He planted his palm flat against the wall behind her head and leaned over her. „You want to drive forty
miles by yourself on a lonely Mexican highway at four in the morning?“
Angie flinched. The occasional tales of U.S. tourists ambushed on Mexican roads were not unknown to
her. She’d researched such tales for one of Julian’s books. It was relatively easy to discount those stories
during the daytime, but at four in the morning they took on new meaning. But she said stubbornly, „I’d feel
safer driving up the coast alone than I would staying here.“
Flynn straightened away from the wall, his attitude one of resignation. „All right. I can see you’re not
going to be completely rational about this. Let’s get going. Put some clothes on. I’m not taking you down to
the front desk dressed like that.“
She stood up slowly. „You don’t believe me, do you?“
„I believe something scared the hell out of you tonight. But in all honesty I can’t see any sign of
someone having been in your room. And from what you’ve told me, you didn’t actually see anyone, either.
You just think you heard him.“
Angie gritted her teeth and turned to pull a pair of jeans and a red cotton-knit pullover out of the closet.
Without a word she headed toward the bathroom to change.
Ten minutes later Flynn had roused the sleeping desk clerk and explained the need to rent a car. The
clerk rubbed his eyes, yawned widely and politely explained that renting a car was quite impossible at this
hour of the night.
„The rental agency will not be open until nine this morning, senor. Surely you can understand that.“ The
clerk smiled ingratiatingly, trying hard to be polite to the crazy norteamericanos. His uncle had warned him
when he’d hired him that a night clerk’s job was not always easy. Tourists were a strange bunch.
Flynn pulled out his wallet and peeled off several large bills. He put them down on the counter in front of
the clerk. „I am prepared to pay someone for the inconvenience of renting us a car. Could you please
telephone whoever is responsible for running the rental agency here in the hotel and ask if he’s interested in
being compensated for the extra trouble?“
The clerk looked down at the bills. Tourists were not only very strange, they were willing to pay dearly
for the oddest things. Women, cigarettes made from a local product that, thanks to the vagaries of
bureaucrats, could not be marketed legally; such things he could understand a man being willing to waste
money on. But a rental car at four o’clock in the morning? It made no sense.
But a night desk clerk learned to be sophisticated about such matters. The clerk smiled brilliantly and put
two fingers on one of the bills. „There is no way a car can be rented at this hour, but there is a possible
alternative. Where is it you wish to travel, senor?“
Flynn kept his hand firmly on the money. „Cancun.“
Angie, standing behind him, waited anxiously as the clerk appeared to give considerable thought to the
matter. With every passing moment she felt the need to be on her way with the dagger.
„Cancun.“ The clerk nodded. „A long trip by car but not so long by boat. My cousin, Ramon, has a very
fast boat, senor. He uses it to pull the tourists on water skis. I think that I might be able to convince him to
take you to Cancun.“
„He’d take us down the coast in the
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