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“What’s the matter? You look mad,” Connor said.
“You’re not good at reading me. This isn’t mad. This is worry about contracting a disease from one of these places and concern that I won’t find a decent change of clothes.”
Connor patted her shoulder in a friendly gesture that bothered her. “I won’t let you contract a disease, and we’ll find you something that fits and some supplies.” He was treating her like one of the guys, which was a position she usually preferred to be in around the office and while working a mission. With Connor, it bothered her.
Despite her reservations, Connor had an easy time locating a place to stay. He knew where to look and how to negotiate on a price. If she were alone, Kate wouldn’t have known how to find a room to rent and would likely have had to sleep outside.
Their rented room was situated above a liquor store and was accessible from the back of the building via a splintering, wooden staircase. Based on the clientele and the women loitering around the entrance to the store, Kate guessed liquor wasn’t all they sold. Their room was in the middle of two others. It didn’t have working air-conditioning, but it did have a window fan, and with the lights off and the fan on the highest setting, the heat wasn’t suffocating. The wood-paneled walls were outdated and the vinyl yellow floor worn with age. The tiny bathroom had a shower that would be a tight fit for her. Connor might need to hang a leg out of it while showering. The room had a single bed and a fold-out green canvas cot. The whole place smelled of stale smoke, as if a chain-smoker had spent the night inside it.
“Were you hoping for something nicer?” Connor asked, tossing his bag on the ground.
Kate schooled her expression. She hadn’t expected five-star luxuries. “I didn’t have high expectations for this town. I’m glad we found a place.”
Connor opened his bag and withdrew a plastic tarp. “You can sleep on this if you prefer.”
She did prefer. She didn’t want to think about the bugs living in the mattress, on the floor and in the walls. “What about you? Where will you sleep?”
“Our sleeping arrangements don’t matter to me, but we should avoid the bed. I’ll crash on the floor. Before it gets too late, I need to head out for supplies and to check the bus schedule. Do you want to come? We might find a place to buy you something else to wear.”
Staying in this room and attempting to sleep had a certain draw to it. But what if Connor decided to take off on his own? What if he left her here? What if she were approached by a local? The wood door to the room had a lock, although she wouldn’t trust it to stand up to any force. As it was, sunlight shone through the cracks between the door and the frame. “I’ll come with you.”
“Because you don’t trust me or because you feel safer when I’m with you?” Connor asked.
“Both.” An honest answer. “I know the local language, but I don’t know who might decide I make a good mark to rob.”
“They’d be disappointed. We don’t have anything of worth to steal.”
Kate didn’t mention she had been carrying items of worth in her bag, the bag he had insisted she throw away at the airport. Mentioning it would shake the fragile, temporary trust between them. She had to prove she trusted his judgment and that hers, in turn, could be trusted. “Do you have money to pay for new clothes? I can pay you back.” She plucked at the overly large shirt, self-conscious about being bare beneath it. “I’ll be more comfortable hiking in clothes that fit.”
“I have ways to pay. I never leave the States without financial preparations. We’ll see what we can find,” Connor said.
They left the small room and walked through the town. Her shopping choices were limited. The town didn’t have a dedicated women’s clothing store and the outfits she could find were borderline indecent. She needed clothes suitable for a trek across the jungle, not a night of dancing in a hot club. Backless dress with miniskirt? Useless. Faux leather, skintight pants? Uncomfortable. Obviously, the stores catered to clubbers and prostitutes. On the plus side, they located a store carrying women’s lingerie. On the negative side, she could forget about comfortable cotton. Silk, lace and leather were the most bountiful choices.
Kate finally settled on a pair of men’s jeans, size small, a few tank tops and a pair of men’s boots. She would wear the tanks under the flannel shirt she’d purchased and over the ridiculous lingerie. She exchanged her shoes for the boots. They purchased a sturdy nylon waterproof pack and supplies: rope, first-aid kit, a lighter, a knife, a water canteen, rechargeable flashlight, a local map and some nonperishable food. Beef jerky and granola bars would be the main course for the next couple of days. Kate reassured herself she could do this. Her father had taught her to be strong and to roll with the punches.
The bus station was several blocks from the main shopping area. The schedule was written in chalk on a dirty slate board. Posted around the board were flyers with el presidente’s face with black X’s over it and sheets of propaganda both for and against the AR. Kate had read of the government raiding towns like Rosario and capturing people for questioning. Those people often disappeared.
The next scheduled trip to Mangrove was the following day, leaving late afternoon.
“I was hoping for something sooner,” Connor said, echoing her thoughts. “My brother is out there. Every second that passes grates at me.”
Guilt threatened to force the truth from her about her involvement. The hurt she had caused Connor and his brother was unacceptable. She had made a mistake, and because of it, Aiden had been captured. Now Connor was involved and putting himself in danger for a rescue op. Telling him about her mistake wouldn’t change what had happened and might make things worse between them. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do more to help.”
His head swerved like a laser in her direction. “You can do more. Tell me everything you know about my brother and what he was doing in Mangrove.”
Kate stuttered over her next words. She finally took a deep breath and started over. “I’ve told you almost everything I think is relevant to finding him at this point.”
“Tell me something about my brother that might not be relevant to finding him. What you think is unimportant might be critical.”
He was worried about his brother, so Kate ignored the implication that she didn’t know the difference. “Aiden adored you. You were his hero.”
Connor inclined his head. “He said that?”
“Yes. He used those words.” Hero. Courageous. Brave. Selfless. Every story Aiden told of his brother echoed those sentiments.
Connor ran his hand across his jaw. “Funny. I’m no one’s hero. Never have been. Aiden and I have always looked out for each other.”
That wasn’t the picture Aiden had painted. “He told me you had a difficult childhood.”
Connor’s back went ramrod straight. She knew immediately she had crossed a line. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tread on a sore subject,” she said.
“I don’t like to talk about the past. Our childhood has nothing to do with the present,” he said.
She disagreed. Perhaps Connor had put bad memories behind him, but it still affected him. His problems trusting were deep-seated. “It doesn’t have to do with the mission,” she said, striving for neutral. Aiden had told her that he’d implored his brother not to live alone, not to shut out the world, but Connor didn’t listen. He had his own thoughts and feelings about life and he clung to them.
“I shouldn’t have said anything. I was just telling you what I knew about Aiden,” Kate said.
“Aiden’s perspective isn’t always accurate. We’ll get our tickets tomorrow.” He’d moved the conversation along. “I don’t want to let on to anyone about our plans. Let’s see what we can find to eat around here,” Connor said. He slipped his arm around her shoulder in a proprietary gesture. Heat crackled between them. Or was this one-sided? Completely in her head? Kate had never before been this self-doubting about a man. Most of the time, a man’s attention on her was take it or leave it. Whenever she’d had strong chemistry with someone in the past, they had felt the same. With Connor, she didn’t know where she stood. Some moments, it was as if he couldn’t have cared less about her. Other times, they behaved as a united team. The polarity confused her, and confusion wasn’t an emotion she embraced.
When she tried to shrug him off, he repositioned his arm and pulled her closer. Lowering his face to her ear, he whispered, “Interested people are watching. I want to make it clear to everyone that you are mine. Otherwise, you’ll have visitors.”
She’d read too much into his casual gesture. Kate turned to look at him. “I think it’s obvious we’re together.”
“It’s not obvious what our relationship is.”
“That’s because we don’t know what our relationship is. How can anyone else?” Kate asked, hearing the heat in her voice and throwing some ice on it.
“I wasn’t aware we had a relationship that needed defining. Our reasons for being together are clear. We have to find my brother and you’re holding the information hostage. I need to keep you, and therefore the information, safe.”
Kate mentally shook herself. Imagining an innocent touch was a hint of smoldering emotion just below the surface was ridiculous. “You make it sound like I have a choice. You’re not easy to work with. I had to make sure you brought me along.”
“Now that you’re here, do you regret it?”
Kate looked around her. She had never been to a place like this and she hoped to never be again. “I don’t regret it. I want to find Aiden. Besides, I have a feeling Rosario isn’t the most difficult part of this trip. The worst is yet to come.”
Connor laughed and slapped her on the back. “That’s the spirit, Kate. Now you’re thinking like a Sphere agent.”
* * *
Their food options were slim. A nearby tavern served meals, the scent of greasy meat and peppers carrying across the street. In the heat, it was borderline nauseating.
“We’ll try there,” Connor said.
It was better than eating nothing or foraging in the jungle for food. Crossing to the one-story wood building, they stepped inside, the door brushing against a bell hanging over it. Every eye in the room turned to them. Connor appeared not to notice, though she knew otherwise. Kate’s nerves jangled and heat fanned up her back. Her boots stuck to the floor as they walked.
Connor took a seat at the bar, his back to the wall. Nailed in the center of the dartboard posted on the wall was a picture of el presidente, his face pocked with dart punctures. The people of the town weren’t hiding whom they supported, though Kate would be careful not to openly take anyone’s side. El presidente could have moles planted everywhere, and she and Connor didn’t want to invite attention.
Kate sat next to Connor and ignored the stickiness of the seat. She’d probably have to burn these clothes after this trip and she wouldn’t worry about cleanliness now.
They ordered from a whiteboard posted behind the bar where two options were scrawled: enchiladas spicy and enchiladas fire. Kate chose the first and Connor the latter. With a side of beer, Connor seemed as though he was perfectly relaxed on the hard stool, his back propped against a wall that Kate wouldn’t have touched. Everything in the bar looked smeared with grease, booze or sweat.
“Enjoying your food?” Connor asked.
Though it was greasier than she would have preferred, she was hungry. “It’s good.” Her voice carried and she had no intention of insulting the owner. She reached to her side to check the time on her phone and frowned when she remembered Connor had made her throw away everything.
“Missing it?” Connor asked.
Not as much as she would have expected. It provided security in knowing help was a phone call away. Now help was next to her in the form of a good-looking, but slightly crabby, operative. “Habit. It’s useful.”
“I don’t know how you can stand to be plugged in all day. I see people staring at those things like it’s their whole world. What about interacting with the people around you?”
He was one to talk. “The man who lives like a hermit has a criticism about socializing electronically?” Kate asked.
He shrugged. “Carrying those things around and staring at them will get you killed. You’ve got to be aware of what’s happening around you.”
No sympathy, then, from him. Her email and text messages would have to wait until they found Aiden. Would her boss have tried to contact her to let her know she was fired? She pressed away the anxiety that threatened to wrap around her. What difference did it make to read an email or listen to a voice mail? Her career with Sphere was over. Period.
The door to the bar opened and a man strolled in. He wore a black bandanna around his heavily tattooed neck. Her instincts told her he was dangerous and Kate watched him from the corner of her eye. After looking around the room, the man strutted to the bar and leaned over it. “How much?” he asked in a low voice, his mouth close to her ear.
Kate turned to him in surprise. He had a snake tattoo that ran from his neck, disappeared under his black sleeveless T-shirt and reappeared on both arms. “The lunch? It was six—”
“No,” the man said, a faint hint of indignation crossing his face. “How much for an hour with you?”
Kate stared for a long moment before she processed his question. She waited for Connor to say something and glanced at him. He had an amused look on his face, but he hadn’t moved to interfere.
“I am not for sale,” she said, the words coming out in a stutter. Did she look like a prostitute? The clothes she had purchased in town and had changed into weren’t anything close to advertising sex. They were men’s clothes.
“I’ll make it worth your while,” the Snake Man said. He ran his finger along her hand.
Kate snatched her hand away. Worth her while? There wasn’t enough money in the world to make her sell herself to someone. She narrowed her gaze and lifted her chin. “I am not for sale,” she repeated. She had never encountered anything as overtly insulting as this man’s suggestion.
The Snake Man looked at Connor. “Tell your woman to watch her mouth.”
As though Connor was her pimp? The idea of it disgusted her.
Connor took a long pull of his beer. “She’s not interested. Move on.”
The Snake Man grabbed a chunk of Kate’s hair, and Connor was on his feet in a split second. Kate cringed, and Snake Man released her and retreated a step. “You don’t want to fight here. My crew runs this town.”
Connor’s nostrils flared. His posture had shifted from calm to aggressive. “You might run the town, but you don’t run me or her. I’m protecting what’s mine. Walk away and we’ll keep this from turning into a very ugly incident.”
The other patrons in the tavern were suddenly focused on their food and drinks, though Kate pictured their ears pricked up, listening to every word. No one wanted to get involved in a brawl, but everyone wanted to eavesdrop.
The Snake Man glared at Connor. “Don’t start something with me.”
“I don’t want to have to hurt you. But I will.”
Cold and unyielding. The man narrowed his gaze and took a swing at Connor. Connor caught the flying fist and squeezed, twisting the man’s arm behind his back. Connor kicked his legs out from under him and the man slammed to the ground. A sickening crack made Kate wince.
The man groaned. “You broke my arm! My shoulder!”
Connor released him and stood over him until the man rose to his feet and limped to the door, rubbing his arm. He stopped at the door and looked back. “You’ll regret this.”
“No. I won’t,” Connor said.
“Did you break his arm?” Kate asked.
“Probably fractured it. Some people don’t listen and have to be shown what is and isn’t acceptable,” Connor said, returning to his seat. “Sorry about that chauvinist, possessive act.”
Kate wasn’t upset by Connor’s macho overture toward the Snake Man. Connor had said and done what was needed to protect her. The quick switch from calm to violent had surprised her. “Thank you for stepping in. I can’t believe he thought I was a prostitute.”
“Don’t take it personally. I assume a fair number of women in this town work as drug runners or prostitutes.”
“Do I look like a prostitute?” she asked, her discomfort taking on an edge of irritation.
He didn’t answer right away. His gaze traveled down her body.
“Connor!”
His eyes met hers. “What? You asked a question and I was trying to imagine you as one just to see if he somehow misunderstood. Attacking me certainly didn’t give him points for intelligence.”
“And?” she asked. He had better give an answer firmly in the negative.
“Nope, I can’t see it. You’re too classy.”
She took pleasure in his response. Too much pleasure. It shouldn’t matter what Connor thought of her, and thinking she didn’t look like a prostitute was a far cry from saying he found her appealing. “Most men find me attractive.” She was fishing for a compliment and it pained her to admit it, even to herself.
“I know. It’s why I thought Sphere sent you to draw me out. I have a thing for beautiful, smart blondes with killer smiles.”
A thing for her? “You couldn’t have been less friendly when we met. If that’s your technique when you’re flirting, it needs tuning.”
“I wasn’t flirting with you.”
Her heart fell a little. “What were you doing?”
“Chasing you away. Hoping you would change your mind about coming on this trip. Hoping you would admit you were lying.”
“I didn’t run away, I won’t change my mind and I wasn’t lying,” she said.
“We’ll see if that holds.”
Kate had the feeling his statement was about more than this mission. How would Connor react when he learned the role she’d played in his brother’s disappearance?
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