that you wouldn’t like it.”
“Like it?” she repeated, incredulous. “You
said the man was a preacher. That,” she hissed, jabbing a finger toward the
hallway, “is not a preacher. Or anything resembling a preacher.”
“Francis can put the fear of God into
Satan. And he’s familiar with Juarez. You’ll be safe with him.”
“Don’t worry over it, honey,” Francis
called out from the bedroom. “I’m not as partial to women as I once was.”
Lady. Honey. She had a name. She wished
some damn body would use it.
Harris leaned one hip against the counter. “He
also has phenomenal hearing. Insulting him will only make it that much harder.”
She moved closer to his side, whispering
this time. “I didn’t mean to insult him but you deliberately misled me. Why
does he call you Colonel?”
“I was his commanding officer for a period
of time. I don’t encourage it but it’s a habit with them.”
She turned to lean her forehead against the
refrigerator. With every day that passed she felt more disconnected to her old
life. Breathe. “What is
it with you people? Why do men who hire out as mercenaries think they’re above
the law?”
“Mercenary is such a strong word,” Francis
interrupted from the kitchen door. “I prefer the term ‘private contractor’.” He
glanced at Seth. “Did I hear right? Juarez?”
“You heard right.”
Francis whistled low, regarding her with
what seemed to be amusement mixed with thoughts that she might be off in the
head. “Honey, when you pick on somebody big, you really go for it. I may just
have to break down and buy a new collar for this one. Special occasion, you
know. Where can I park my hog?”
“In the shed.”
The second Francis swung away to attend to
his bike and she looked at Harris suspiciously. “You’re only going to look for
Will, right? Nothing else.”
“For the moment.”
She didn’t like his answer. All week he’d
been avoiding talking to her, discussing the situation, his role in it now that
he was, for all intent, her bodyguard. Every morning he was up with the sun,
taking a run before breakfast. Then it was chores to be done outside—chopping
and stacking wood, mending shingles, fixing the slashed tire of his dirt bike—where
he could stride away from her to tend to something else when she asked a
question he didn’t want to answer.
Maybe he didn’t actually have a plan, but
she’d had enough of people around her dying, dying because of her. “I have a
right to know.” Will had always given her progress reports.
One dark blond eyebrow lifted. “You think I
have some master plan I’m not letting you in on?”
“See?” She threw her hands up in the air. “This
is exactly what I’m talking about. I want to know what you’re going to do when
you leave here, how long you’ll be gone, and what the next step is.”
That same eyebrow dipped low. “I don’t have
the vaguest idea. And I don’t want to have to remind you again that you’re not
running this show. We do things my way.”
Maria clamped her teeth together and left the
room before she gave in to the temptation to grab something long and hard and
use it on his head.
* * * * *
Los Angeles
“Where…is she?”
Nina ducked as the porcelain vase came
flying too close to her head, crashing against the wall behind her. Benito was
livid. His informant hadn’t found the woman yet.
“What do I pay you for?” he screamed into
the phone. “To sit on your ass all day? Is this how the government operates in
this country, by losing its star witness two months before a trial? I cannot
believe you managed to climb the ranks with such incompetence.”
It would be worse tonight, she knew. He
would take her roughly, with no tenderness, because of his anger at the woman.
Nina didn’t mind the roughness when it was mixed with loving strokes. Benito
had long ago introduced her to the heady mix of pain and pleasure. But it was
not enjoyable now. Not while the woman
“Like it?” she repeated, incredulous. “You
said the man was a preacher. That,” she hissed, jabbing a finger toward the
hallway, “is not a preacher. Or anything resembling a preacher.”
“Francis can put the fear of God into
Satan. And he’s familiar with Juarez. You’ll be safe with him.”
“Don’t worry over it, honey,” Francis
called out from the bedroom. “I’m not as partial to women as I once was.”
Lady. Honey. She had a name. She wished
some damn body would use it.
Harris leaned one hip against the counter. “He
also has phenomenal hearing. Insulting him will only make it that much harder.”
She moved closer to his side, whispering
this time. “I didn’t mean to insult him but you deliberately misled me. Why
does he call you Colonel?”
“I was his commanding officer for a period
of time. I don’t encourage it but it’s a habit with them.”
She turned to lean her forehead against the
refrigerator. With every day that passed she felt more disconnected to her old
life. Breathe. “What is
it with you people? Why do men who hire out as mercenaries think they’re above
the law?”
“Mercenary is such a strong word,” Francis
interrupted from the kitchen door. “I prefer the term ‘private contractor’.” He
glanced at Seth. “Did I hear right? Juarez?”
“You heard right.”
Francis whistled low, regarding her with
what seemed to be amusement mixed with thoughts that she might be off in the
head. “Honey, when you pick on somebody big, you really go for it. I may just
have to break down and buy a new collar for this one. Special occasion, you
know. Where can I park my hog?”
“In the shed.”
The second Francis swung away to attend to
his bike and she looked at Harris suspiciously. “You’re only going to look for
Will, right? Nothing else.”
“For the moment.”
She didn’t like his answer. All week he’d
been avoiding talking to her, discussing the situation, his role in it now that
he was, for all intent, her bodyguard. Every morning he was up with the sun,
taking a run before breakfast. Then it was chores to be done outside—chopping
and stacking wood, mending shingles, fixing the slashed tire of his dirt bike—where
he could stride away from her to tend to something else when she asked a
question he didn’t want to answer.
Maybe he didn’t actually have a plan, but
she’d had enough of people around her dying, dying because of her. “I have a
right to know.” Will had always given her progress reports.
One dark blond eyebrow lifted. “You think I
have some master plan I’m not letting you in on?”
“See?” She threw her hands up in the air. “This
is exactly what I’m talking about. I want to know what you’re going to do when
you leave here, how long you’ll be gone, and what the next step is.”
That same eyebrow dipped low. “I don’t have
the vaguest idea. And I don’t want to have to remind you again that you’re not
running this show. We do things my way.”
Maria clamped her teeth together and left the
room before she gave in to the temptation to grab something long and hard and
use it on his head.
* * * * *
Los Angeles
“Where…is she?”
Nina ducked as the porcelain vase came
flying too close to her head, crashing against the wall behind her. Benito was
livid. His informant hadn’t found the woman yet.
“What do I pay you for?” he screamed into
the phone. “To sit on your ass all day? Is this how the government operates in
this country, by losing its star witness two months before a trial? I cannot
believe you managed to climb the ranks with such incompetence.”
It would be worse tonight, she knew. He
would take her roughly, with no tenderness, because of his anger at the woman.
Nina didn’t mind the roughness when it was mixed with loving strokes. Benito
had long ago introduced her to the heady mix of pain and pleasure. But it was
not enjoyable now. Not while the woman
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