Cold Day In Hell (16 page)

He regretted having the specialist kill Carlo, but flying him home so Manny could kill him wasn't practical.

Nor was he going to America to hunt Ana. He'd decided her second family was as expendable as her first. Discovering their location would be easy. Soon, Ana would return to Colombia, and he'd finish what he'd started so many years ago.

Chapter Thirteen

Ty sat in the dark and listened to the rustle of the sheets every time Ana tossed and turned. No wonder she couldn't get comfortable. She'd gone to bed wearing her clothes.

Whether she wanted to or not, they had to talk about the kiss. Ty wasn't beyond forcing the issue if necessary. At least with her in the other room for a few minutes, he'd had the chance to get his libido under control. How stupid would he have looked trying to explain, while sporting a raging hard-on, that having sex was a bad idea?

She was under his protection and yet he'd been right on the edge of stepping across that invisible line. Hell, he'd wanted to run across it. Nothing would've pleased him more than to undress her, spread her out like a smorgasbord, and taste every beautiful bare inch of her body.

Then what? Tonight she might have thought it was a good idea. The light of day had a way of making people face reality. Tomorrow she might regret her bold actions. He couldn't let that happen. A lot of work still lay ahead of them.

Normally, returning to Colombia would be out of the question, but Ortega had forced this showdown. The responsibility to keep her alive rested on Ty's shoulders. Emotional ties on either of their parts could result in bad decision making, and that was exactly how he intended to explain it to her.

"Ana, you don't have to talk to me, but I want you to listen. Will you do that for me?"

Her response was a soft snore. He had his doubts that she'd dozed off so easily, but she refused to respond, so he kept his carefully laid-out speech to himself.

 Maybe some fresh air would help him clear his head. He pushed off the couch, stopping when his hand gripped the doorknob. He blew out a long breath. She might not get the full lecture, but he had to say something. "For what it's worth, pulling away from you was the hardest thing I've ever done." He quietly closed the door behind him.

The wind had picked up enough to blow the cloud cover off the stars. Even in the moonless night, they lit his way to the water's edge. Staring out across the lake, his eyes quickly adjusted to the semidarkness. He walked down the bank and out to the end of the dock.

A board creaked, and Ty spun that direction to see Ana running toward him. Her gait seemed to be more of a stumble. He rushed to meet her. Something was very wrong.

"What is it?" He gripped her shoulders to steady her.

"My mom and dad are missing." She shoved hair off her face and handed Ty the cell. "Marcus called."

Ty could imagine how Marcus had delivered the news. He didn't talk much, but when he did, he was short and to the point. He should've kept his mouth shut.

"What else did he say?"

"For you to call him." Ana trembled in the cool night air.

"I don't get it." Ty's adrenaline spiked. "Weren't they relocated?"

"Yes. That they were found shows you how easily information is bought in my country."

"Tell me about them." He tucked her under his arm and led her back to the cabin. He'd asked her more to keep her mind busy than out of curiosity, but to his surprise, he wanted to know more about her past.

"The night I was brought to the hospital, this wonderful nurse took care of me. I was frightened out of my mind and could barely speak, much less talk in full sentences. She was holding my hand when they wheeled me in surgery to sew me up and was still hanging on when I woke up. I had no one, so when I was well enough to dismiss, Lina and Pablo Cisneros adopted me. They and Lina's brother are my family now." Ana drew in a ragged breath. "I was a butchered thirteen-year-old with a horrible attitude, yet they loved me as if I had been born to them."

"I'm sure they did." Ty kept his voice calm and steady even as his blood approached boiling temperature. She'd been dealt some tough blows. Yet she had kept getting up. A little warrior.

Ty kept her moving. The word "butchered" bothered him. He couldn't ask how. She'd tell him if or when she was ready.

Marcus should've kept his news to himself and left a request for a return call. Then Ty would've had a few minutes to figure out how to soften the blow. He opened the door while mentally kicking himself for not having the phone with him when the call had come through.

Ana was smart enough to know her folks were in serious trouble, maybe even dead. Once inside, Ana dropped to the couch as if her legs wouldn't support her.

"If they're alive, Ortega has them, and we know what he wants."

"I don't care what he wants." Ty was expecting her reaction and knew exactly where her mind went. "Don't even think it."

"I know Ortega wouldn't honor a trade." She pulled her knees under her chin. "But what if he thought I was stupid enough to believe him?"

Ty didn't care for the expression in her eyes. She'd gone from beat-down to fired-up-and-ready-to-fight in seconds. He couldn't let her go off on a tangent.

"You can stop right there. I see the wheels in your head spinning. Trying to trick Ortega into thinking you'll walk up to him and surrender is not a workable plan."

"Why not? We'd have to make it look real."

The set of her jaw sent the hair on the back of Ty's neck vibrating. "Why not? Are you crazy? There's a good possibility I might not get there in time to haul your ass to safety."

Fire jumped from her cinnamon-flecked eyes. "Then let me remove that responsibility from your shoulders. Get me to Bogota, walk away, and forget we ever met."

For the second time tonight, she stormed up the stairs, slid between the sheets, and turned her back. For the second time tonight, he quietly eased the door open and went outside. Probably not for the last time tonight, he regretted not making love to her.

Marcus answered on the first ring.

"You could've waited and told me about her folks missing." Ty made sure his displeasure came through.

"Why? She asked if I had news. I did."

"You ass. I could've broken it to her gently."

"What difference does it make who told her?"

Ty opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut. Marcus was right. It shouldn't matter. "It doesn't, except you're not here with a crazy woman who now thinks she's going to offer herself as a trade."

"So straighten her out." Marcus always went to the bottom line first.

"Yeah. Sure. Tell me the rest. Who told you? Are they positive? And have you got money and a plane ride for us?"

"Nate got a call from his FBI contact. They found blood at the house, and no one can locate Pablo or Lina. Your plane leaves tomorrow."

Even in short, choppy sentences, that was a lot of words for Marcus to string together. He'd begun to open up and talk more. Ty hoped the changes were a sign of healing.

"No shit? I knew you'd come through. That was fast."

"Not only me. A lot of people worked to pull this together."

"What does that mean? Who is 'a lot of people'?"

"I'll tell you about it on the ride over."

"You're coming?" Ty wondered if Marcus caught the sigh of relief that slipped out. Having dependable backup would make keeping Ana safe easier.

"Damn straight. And Jack Fury is, too, if he can wrap up the case he's working."

"I know him. He reluctantly saved my life."

"I can see how that might happen."

Jokes from Marcus were rare, and the wisecrack brought a smile to Ty's face. As did most conversations with Marcus, the rest of the call went fast.

Tonight could be his last chance at some shut-eye for a while, so Ty went inside and did his best to stretch out on a couch that was two feet too short.

 As he stared at the ceiling, his mind wandered to Marcus, the funny, talkative friend from college. Jake Donovan and Marcus had always been able to get a party started regardless of the location. Since his wife's death, Marcus had withdrawn. Most of the time, he stayed to himself, coming out of the shadows only when he was needed. Working for Lost and Found, Inc. was forcing him into the world of the living. Maybe helping others was helping him heal.

Ty could only imagine suffering a loss of that magnitude. Losing his sister had devastated him. Losing a wife might kill him. 

****

"You ready?" Ty opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Ana simply nodded and wordlessly shouldered on the small backpack he'd bought her as she followed him toward an airplane hangar. Her heart and breakfast seemed to be jammed in the back of her throat as realization hit her. Could it be? Were they going to help her keep her promise?

She had a whole list of unanswered questions, but Ty wasn't talkative. His personality had shifted back to the pissed-off American who had a job to do. He'd been silent and withdrawn all morning except when issuing directives.

The change in him didn't surprise her. She recognized the stance, the set to his jaw, and determination in his dark gaze. This was the man who'd carried her when she'd twisted her ankle.

After learning Jack was making the trip, she decided to wait and speak with him. The feds probably knew more about Lina and Pablo. They hadn't just vanished off the face of the earth.

The oversized doors retracted, and a gorgeous man stepped into the open. He wore green fatigues, a drab olive T-shirt stretched to the max across a wide torso and thick biceps. The same type of lace-up boots Ty had worn when they met were on his feet. She thought he nodded but couldn't be sure.

"Marcus?" she asked Ty.

"Yep. That's the quiet man."

"He's scary looking."

"He's a pussy cat." Ty chuckled, and Ana hurried to keep up with him. "You'll get along fine. Just don't expect much conversation and don't ask him personal questions, especially about his dead wife."

The two men shook hands. They chest-bumped and finished off their greeting by pounding each other on the back. When Marcus turned to her, Ana sensed an air of sadness around him. His dark, military-cut hair and brown eyes surely attracted lots of second looks. His last name, Ricci, coupled with his facial structure hinted at Italian ancestry. She had to look up at him, too. Maybe it was one of the Lost and Found's requirements for employment.

"You have hair," Ty said.

Curious over such an odd greeting, she listened closely.

"I couldn't compete with that slick head of yours." Marcus turned to her. "You would be Ana."

"Marcus." She extended her hand, which was quickly swallowed in his grip.  

"Did you manage to get everything we need?" Ty asked.

Marcus nodded as he turned and walked into the huge metal building. "Plane's loaded and ready."

She and Ty followed through the hangar and out the other side to where a sleek white jet sat waiting.

"Did Jack make it?" Ty slipped off his backpack and reached for hers.

"No. He had to finish his assignment. He'll be a couple of days behind us."

Ana had no idea where they were, only that they were in the country at a private airfield. They'd passed through two checkpoints getting back here. She wanted to ask but figured she wouldn't get an answer.

Marcus motioned her up the steps. The pilot didn't acknowledge their presence as they stowed their gear. By the time she'd buckled up, Marcus had closed the cockpit door on the silent pilot and copilot.

The interior of the plane wasn't fancy. In fact, she'd call it utilitarian. The white walls, beige upholstery, and gray carpet were spotless. A butter-soft leather seat wrapped her in comfort.

Who was financing this trip? She hadn't given much thought to it until now, but none of this was cheap, especially the plane.

The engines grew louder as the sleek jet increased its speed. Soon the ground beneath them rushed past the tiny portal in a blur. Traveling much faster than when she'd flown out of Colombia on the Airbus, the jet leveled off quickly.

Tears filled her eyes, and she looked out the window to hide her emotions. The puffy white clouds reminded her of the day her country had decided it was too dangerous to let her stay. Well, all that had changed. She was going home.

A hand gripped her knee, a silent comfort. She waited to speak until she could do so without a quiver in her voice.

Marcus walked to the front of the small plane and brought a briefcase back to Ty. "This should allow you to move around freely. Inside are your identifications, money, and phones. I didn't have time to build you a past, but you are citizens, married, and from Ibague on vacation."

Heat rushed her face. If for some reason they were stopped, she and Ty would have to pretend they were married. If the idea bothered him, he didn't show it.

Ty opened the case, inspecting the contents. "You've accomplished a lot in a short period."

"With Kay gone, Nate needed something to keep him busy."

"Any word on Jake's condition?" Ty asked.

The lines on Marcus's face softened. Their friend was recovering from brain surgery, and only bits and pieces of the man's memory had returned. Kay had gone to visit.

It touched Ana's heart to hear both men speak with such affection and concern in their voices. These men lived with danger every day of their lives. They seemed to thrive on the adrenaline rush. Everything was clandestine, secretive, and hazardous. Yet they could pause long enough to discuss a friend.

Ty opened the briefcase. "I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't a private jet. I thought we'd have airline tickets under assumed names or hitch a ride on a military hop. This is way past first class. Not that I don't appreciate everything, including the ride."

He dropped the papers and closed the lid, leaving her curious. Marcus unbuckled and moved to the seat directly across from her.

"New information came to light. Once the conversation with the feds started, things happened fast."