“I’ve Always Wanted To Make It Up To You.”

Joe’s words caused another flurry of electrical currents to ricochet through Elena’s body.

“And how, exactly, did you intend to do that?”

Joe turned so he was facing her. His gaze seemed to caress her, heating her body before he said, “I would like to take you to a private place where there would be no possibility of being interrupted. It would have a bed, and we’d have all the time we needed to explore each other. I would like to pleasure you, Elena, in every way I can think of.”

The image weakened her knees so that she could scarcely stand. “I don’t know what to say,” she finally whispered.

“Say yes, and we’ll find that place right now.”

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the world of Silhouette Desire, where you can indulge yourself every month with romances that can only be described as passionate, powerful and provocative!

Silhouette’s beloved author Annette Broadrick returns to Desire with a MAN OF THE MONTH who is Hard To Forget. Love rings true when former high school sweethearts reunite while both are on separate undercover missions to their hometown. Bestselling writer Cait London offers you A Loving Man, when a big-city businessman meets a country girl and learns the true meaning of love.

The Desire theme promotion THE BABY BANK, about sperm-bank client heroines who find love unexpectedly, returns with Amy J. Fetzer’s Having His Child, part of her WIFE, INC. miniseries. The tantalizing Desire miniseries THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS: THE LOST HEIRS continues with Baby of Fortune by Shirley Rogers. In Undercover Sultan, the second book of Alexandra Sellers’s SONS OF THE DESERT: THE SULTANS trilogy, a handsome prince is forced to go on the run with a sexy mystery woman—who may be the enemy. And Ashley Summers writes of a Texas tycoon who comes home to find a beautiful stranger living in his mansion in Beauty in His Bedroom.

This month see inside for details about our exciting new contest “Silhouette Makes You a Star.” You’ll feel like a star when you delve into all six fantasies created in Desire books this August!

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

Hard to Forget
Annette Broadrick

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To Susan Plunkett, whose warm support and infectious sense of humor rescued me from the deep abyss of noncreativity. I miss our weekly lunches at Marie’s!

ANNETTE BROADRICK

believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984 Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times Magazine as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best in its Series; the Romantic Times W.I.S.H. award; and the Romantic Times Magazine Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Prologue

Eighteen-year-old Joe Sanchez looked into the cheap mirror over his scarred dresser and blinked. He didn’t recognize the stranger he saw. Tonight was the first time in his life that he had worn formal clothes. They were rented, of course. It had taken him weeks to earn the money to rent the tuxedo he would be wearing tonight to the Santiago High School senior prom in Santiago, Texas, a small town on the Texas-Mexico border.

He grinned at the thought and was once again startled at the image in the mirror. He couldn’t remember ever seeing himself smile—either in a mirror or a photograph. He had a great deal to smile about tonight, though, because he was taking Elena Maldonado to their senior prom.

He was still amazed that she had agreed to go with him.

For the past few months she had been tutoring him in English and history. Thanks to her help, he was fairly certain he’d be graduating, after all. He’d be the first of his family to get a high-school diploma.

Last year, even last fall, he wouldn’t have thought that any of this would ever happen….

“Yo, Sanchez,” Coach Torres hollered at the end of football practice in late September. “Meet me in my office after you’ve showered.”

Joe gave him a brief nod and trotted with the other team members into the locker room. He went over to his locker and pulled off his football uniform. He knew what the coach had to say to him. His teachers had already told him his grades were dropping after the first round of exams.

So what? At least he’d been able to play on the varsity football team these past two years. That was worth a lot to him. Coach Torres had made him a wide receiver because he was fast and could handle the ball. In fact, he was getting the reputation of having magnets in his hands. He usually managed to snag the ball if the quarterback got it anywhere close to him.

His teammates chattered around him, but he tuned them out as he showered and dressed once again in his faded jeans and hand-me-down shirt. He walked out of the locker room down the hall to the coach’s office, knowing he was about to be dropped from the squad.

Coach Torres was on the phone when Joe walked in. Coach waved him to the chair in front of his desk. Joe slid into the chair and watched the coach, who sat with his ankles crossed on the desk. When he hung up, Coach dropped his feet and pulled his chair closer, placing his elbows on the desk.

“Tell me something, Sanchez,” he said in his gruff voice. “You planning to follow in Alfredo’s footsteps?”

Joe blinked. What did his older brother have to do with anything? He eyed the coach warily. “What do you mean?”

“I understand Al was convicted of drug smuggling a couple of years after he dropped out of school. He’s how old now?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Uh-huh. And been in and out of jail for most of the past five years, right?”

“So?”

“Is that what you want for your life?”

Joe shrugged.

Coach Torres didn’t say anything. Just looked at him. And kept looking at him.

Joe shifted in his chair, placed his foot on his opposite knee and began to pull at the sole where it was coming loose. He kept his attention on the shoe.

Finally Coach said, “I’m going to offer you an alternative to Al’s life, Joe, if you’re willing to consider it.”

Joe looked up in surprise. Coach was still studying him. It was as though he’d never taken his eyes off him.

“You’re intelligent, Joe. You learn the plays quickly. You’re a natural leader. You’ve got every guy on the team following your lead. You’ve got everything it takes to make it big in the world, except the drive to do it.”

“You calling me lazy?” Joe asked, his expression sullen.

Coach smiled. “Nope. You’re just not motivated. And I’d like to help you to change that.”

“How?”

“By getting you a scholarship to go to college next year.”

Joe’s foot fell off his knee and he straightened in surprise. “College? For me?”

“That’s right. At the rate you’re going, you’re going to be ready to play college ball in another year. If you can get your grades up, that is.”

Joe slid back down in the chair. “Yeah. Right.”

“You think that’s so impossible?”

He shrugged again.

“How much time do you spend on homework every day?”

He shrugged again.

Coach Torres looked down at a piece of paper in front of him. “Obviously not enough if your present grades are any indication.”

Joe didn’t see a need to respond to that comment, either. He went back to worrying the sole of his shoe, wondering where he was going to get the money to buy a new pair.

“You don’t believe you can do it, do you?” Coach asked.

Joe shook his head without looking up.

“Then I’ve got more faith in you than you do. As a matter of fact, I found someone who would be willing to tutor you if you want to put some effort into bringing those grades up.”

Joe looked up from beneath his brows. “Who?”

“Elena Maldonado.”

Joe frowned. He’d never heard of her. He started to shrug once more when he suddenly remembered a girl in several of his classes named Elena. “Is she that skinny nerdy girl with glasses and all that hair?”

“That’s the one.”

Joe laughed. “She said she’d help me with my classes?”

“Yep.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding. She don’t—doesn’t give anybody the time of day. She’s like a mouse—creeps into class and sits there taking notes all the time.”

“Well, those notes may make the difference between your graduating from school and going on to college, or someday ending up in jail alongside your brother. Your choice, my friend.”

Joe wouldn’t admit it for the world, but the thought of actually getting to go to college electrified him. A chance to get away from the poverty of his home life. A chance to make something of himself. A chance to be able to provide for his mother, who had worked all her life to support him and his brother.

“So what do you think?” Coach asked as the silence lengthened. “Are you willing to work at bringing those grades up so you can continue to play ball? Because if you are, I’ll do what I can to place you in a college next year with a full scholarship. You’ll have to earn it in class, though.”

Joe started to speak, but his voice broke. He cleared his throat. “If you’re sure Elena won’t mind, I’d like to work on getting my grades up.”

“Good choice, son,” Coach Torres said with a big grin on his face. “I’ll let her know. The two of you can work out the arrangements of when and where you’ll work together.”

Joe left the coach’s office that day feeling bewildered. He and a few of his friends spent most of their time chasing around town at night, raising hell. If he was going to start working on his grades, his time was going to be taken up with things other than hanging out with his buddies.

The thought of college made him smile. It might even be worth it.

The truth was, he was ashamed of what Al had done, even though he didn’t blame him. Al had never done much in school. He’d dropped out in the middle of his sophomore year because he’d convinced his mom he would get a job. He hadn’t bothered to tell her that the job wasn’t exactly legal. When you lived on the border, there were all kinds of ways to make money, as long as you didn’t get caught.

He waited until the end of his history class the next day to approach Elena. He’d watched her in English earlier in the day. She’d kept her head down and never looked his way. It was only after he almost ran into her in the hall and saw her blush a fiery red that he knew Coach Torres had spoken to her.

He walked up to her desk as she was placing her books into her backpack.

“Hi,” he said.

She didn’t look up. “Hi.”

“Coach tells me you’re willing to help me bring up my grades.”

She nodded.

“So where do you want to do this—your place or mine?”

Her head jerked up and she stared at him, eyes wide. “I can’t do it at home. My, uh, dad doesn’t like it when I have anyone over.”

He knew that was a crock. He’d asked around about her and found out that her dad rarely worked and spent most of his time in one of the three bars in town. She just didn’t want him there if her dad came home drunk.

Not that he blamed her. But at least she had a father. His dad had left when he was five. He barely remembered him.

“You want to come to my place, then?” he asked, dreading the idea that she would see the shack he lived in. He knew that her home was much nicer. The Maldonados lived on the outskirts of town in a large home that her dad had inherited from his family.

“What about working here at school?” she asked. “We could meet in the library or outside the cafeteria. There are tables and chairs there.”

They were bolted down, but they were there. “Sure,” he said. “Whatever you want. When can we start?”

“Don’t you have football practice?”

He nodded. “We’re through at five. I could meet you after that.”

She ducked her head. “Okay.”

“Today?”

“Uh-huh.”

It had taken him several weeks of their studying together before he broke through the wall of reserve that was always around her. He discovered that she had a delightful personality and a wonderful sense of humor. He’d fallen for her playfulness, as well as her vulnerability.

She’d been too thin, with thick riotous hair and oversize glasses perched on her nose. Somehow, though, she had a way of looking at him that had made his heart race. He’d never been able to figure out what it was that she did to him.

He couldn’t remember when he first began having erotic thoughts about the girl helping him pass his classes. What would it be like to kiss her? What would she do if he tried to touch her? Would his fantasies be fulfilled if he ever had the chance to make love to her?

For the first time in his life, there was a girl that he thought about more than football or going out and raising hell with his buddies.

Now, months later, they were going out on their first date together.

He gave one last look in the mirror, then walked into the room where his mother sat mending one of his shirts.

“Oh, Joe, you look so handsome!” she said, pressing her hand to her chest. “You take my breath away.”

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks. And thank you for getting Uncle Pete to loan me his car for the night.”

She looked at him over the top of her glasses. “You’d better not let anything happen to it.”

He held up his hand. “I promise. I will take very good care of it.”

Of course the thing was ancient, but it was wheels, which was more than he had. He couldn’t very well ask Elena to walk to the prom with him.

He drove the old Plymouth away from town, eventually turning into the lane that led to Elena’s house. This was the first time he’d ever been to her home. He wasn’t sure what made him more nervous—taking a decent girl out on a date, driving a borrowed car, or having to meet her parents for the first time.

He walked across the small porch and knocked on the front door. Before he could take another deep breath, the door swung open.

Elena had on a slim black dress that was held up by tiny black straps, exposing her shoulders. The dress fit her slim form as though made for her, ending at the toes of her high-heeled shoes. She had her hair piled on her head with curls framing her face. Her glasses perched on her nose.

That was when Joe realized that he was in love with Elena Maldonado.

Elena caught her breath as soon as she saw Joe standing at the door. She’d never seen him in anything but old jeans and faded shirts. She couldn’t believe how different he looked tonight. Older. More sophisticated. To-die-for handsome.

“Come in,” she said, stepping back from the door.

Joe walked past her and she got a whiff of an aftershave lotion she hadn’t known he wore. She wasn’t sure her knees would hold her up. Wouldn’t she feel foolish if she collapsed in his arms before they even got out the door?

She would never forget how he looked in his rented tuxedo. The white ruffled shirt emphasized his dark skin and the suit drew attention to his wide shoulders and slender hips. She felt as though the night had cast a spell on her, and she wondered if this was all a dream.

Going to the senior prom with Joe Sanchez was very special for Elena because it was her very first date, with Joe or anyone else. Meeting him after school and discussing English and history with him certainly didn’t count as dating someone.

Even when he got into the habit of meeting her between classes and walking her to her locker, she hadn’t allowed herself to think he meant anything by it.

However, when he asked her to the prom, her hopes soared. She knew she wasn’t pretty, not like the other girls. Even though she’d gotten her braces off two years before, she was still careful about smiling at people. She didn’t know what to say to the other kids, who seemed so sure of themselves, so she just went to her classes without making eye contact and without speaking to anyone.

But during the three weeks between the time Joe had asked her to go to the prom with him and the prom itself, Elena knew that she had blossomed into another person. She felt popular and attractive for the first time in her life. She’d held her head up and smiled at classmates, who had been startled at first before they had smiled back.

She’d felt more comfortable joining a group in the cafeteria and listening to their conversation. She still didn’t talk much, but she listened and smiled and nodded her head in agreement. And she’d laughed more, because she was happy.

When anyone asked if she was going to the prom, she told them she was going with Joe Sanchez just to watch the expressions of amazement on their faces. Joe had quite a reputation around school. He was known for being a little wild and therefore exciting. He didn’t date girls from the school but had been seen from time to time with older girls who lived in town.

Elena and her mother had driven to San Antonio to find her the perfect gown to wear. It was midnight-black and straight, falling to her ankles with a slit to the knee so she could walk. She’d even worn two-inch heels, mostly so that she wouldn’t trip over the hem of her dress. Her mother had helped her with her hair, pinning it high on her head and letting stray curls tumble around her face and neck.

Of course her glasses didn’t help her glamorous image in the least, but without them she was practically blind. But not even having to wear her hated glasses could detract from her joy when Joe Sanchez saw her for the first time tonight.

He looked stunned. He acted stunned. And as the evening progressed, he didn’t let her get more than two feet away from him.

The only time Elena was uncomfortable was about midway through the dance when three of his buddies came up to them and made joking comments that she didn’t understand and that seemed to upset Joe. She asked him about it later when they were out on the dance floor, but he shrugged off her questions, saying his friends were too stupid to bother with.

Joe had begun to relax and enjoy the dance before the guys had shown up. He didn’t know how they’d managed to be here, since they were all dropouts. These were the guys he’d considered friends until last fall when he’d changed his lifestyle by working hard to bring up his grades.

They hadn’t liked that he was suddenly too busy to hang out with them. As the months passed, he’d realized what losers they were, doing stupid stuff, getting into all kinds of trouble for no other reason than they were bored.

His life was different now. Coach Torres had told him last week that he’d been approved for the scholarship to go to Texas A & M at College Station. He’d talked to him about joining the Corps, which was the military school there. All at once, Joe could see a future for himself, a chance to get away from bums like these guys.

Elena noticed that Joe had become quieter after he’d told those guys to leave them alone. When he suggested they leave the dance sometime later, she was ready to go. She wasn’t used to dancing and she certainly wasn’t used to dancing in high heels. As soon as they got into his car, she kicked off her shoes.

He immediately removed his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. They looked at each other and laughed.

“That was fun, Joe. Thank you so much for inviting me…and for the beautiful corsage.” He’d given her a wrist corsage of gardenias, her favorite flower.

“Do you have to go home right away?” he asked, looking at his watch.

“Not anytime soon,” she replied. Her mother understood that this was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. As for her dad, she hoped he’d be asleep by the time she got home, so the later the better.

“I thought we might go out to the levee for a while….”

Her heart began to pound and she tried to remember to breathe. The levee was where the kids went to make out. Not that she’d ever been there before, but that was what they liked to talk about. Going to the levee.

It had been built many years ago to control flooding and to help direct irrigation from the Rio Grande into the canals that branched from it.

“If you don’t want to, that’s okay,” he finally said, and she realized she’d been sitting there, unable to provide him with a coherent answer.

She gripped her hands together. “I’d like that,” she said quietly.

He grinned. “Great.” As though her agreement freed him in some way, he leaned over and gently kissed her. Boy, if she thought she was having trouble breathing before! She forced herself to relax and placed her hand on his chest. Only then did she discover that his heart was racing as fast as hers. She found that somehow reassuring.

When he finally straightened, he looked at her for a long time before starting the car.

Once parked, she saw why this was such a great place. It was higher than most of the land around them, and she could see the lights of Santiago, as well as those across the river in Mexico.

She wasn’t surprised to find that there were several other cars parked, but Joe parked in such a way that each car had adequate privacy.

Once Joe shut off the engine, the quiet around them seemed to seep into the car. They rolled down the windows and a slight breeze wafted through.

Joe pushed the seat back, then took off his jacket. “I, uh…I’ve never brought anyone here before.” His voice sounded forced.

She turned and looked at him. “Really? I would have thought a football star like you would be up here every weekend.” She was amazed that she could tease him.

He undid another button of his shirt. “Actually football kept me really busy all fall. Since then, I’ve been spending most of my time on homework. How about you?”

“Homework keeps me busy, too.”

“No, I mean, have you ever been here before?”

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Who would bring someone like me up here?”

“What do you mean, someone like you?”

She shrugged. “You may not have noticed, but I’m not one of the popular girls in school.”

“You could be.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you’d relax a little more and join in. Actually I’ve noticed you with some of the girls in the cafeteria lately. They all seem to like you just fine.”

She hadn’t given their response to her much thought. “I guess so.”

He slid his arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad I’ve gotten to know you this year, Elena. You’ve helped me to look at life in a whole new way. I mean, you have all this ambition—you plan to go to college and do something with your life.”

“You mean work my way through college.”

“Well, we all have to do that. I hadn’t really believed I had a chance to go to college until Coach started urging me to fill out applications and you and I became friends. I just found out that I’ve been accepted at A & M for next year.”

“Oh, Joe, that’s wonderful!”

“I wouldn’t have considered it before. I guess I figured I would stay here and find something to do with my time like everyone else.”

“I’m glad you’re looking at the bigger picture.” She lightly touched his jaw with her finger. “I’m also glad you consider me a friend.”

He took her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “How about you? Do you know what you’re going to do after graduation?”

“I’ve been accepted at George Washington University in D.C. I’ve been offered a scholarship and a couple of grants. Mom says she has some money put away that I can use, as well.”

He framed her face with his hands and looked at her with a serious expression on his face. “I want to be much more than just friends, Elena,” he finally whispered.

“You do?” She could scarcely get her breath.

“Uh-huh,” he replied, kissing her with a lot more assurance and passion than he’d allowed himself during their first kiss.

She’d never felt like this before. She couldn’t get enough of his touch. Her brain shut down and all she could do was to feel. She knew that the scent of his aftershave would always bring this magical night to mind. When the kiss ended, they were both breathing rapidly. The night was too dark for her to see his face, but she knew by his breathing and the racing of his heart beneath her palm that he was equally affected by what they had just shared.

“There’s not much room up here with the steering wheel and all. Do you want to move into the back seat?”

She nodded, and somehow he must have been able to see that. Since the car was a two-door, he pulled one of the seats forward and helped her crawl into the back. Then he followed her.

He stretched out the width of the car as far as possible, then pulled her down on top of him.

She’d never been so close to anyone before. Her dress had a halter top that now fell open. She was grateful that it was too dark for him to see anything.

Soon she no longer cared. As he kissed and caressed her and encouraged her to do the same to him, his shirt and the top of her dress became hindrances. He unfastened the back of her dress while she rapidly undid the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off him. Clumsily he unfastened her strapless bra so that there was nothing between them. Just bare skin, touching.

She stopped breathing when he touched her breast. He was so gentle, so caring, that all she wanted was to have him touch her again and again. She could feel how aroused he was through the thin material of her dress and his trousers.

His next kiss set her on fire. When he slid his hand along her thigh and through the slit of her dress to her panties, she pushed into his hand, wanting to feel more of the magic.

She heard the zipper of his pants in the silence between their labored breathing and knew that if she didn’t stop him, they were going to make love now. She realized that she didn’t care. At that point, all she wanted was to continue being close to him. He shoved her panties down and off her, then lifted her slightly so that his hard flesh was pushing against her.

She moved slightly, opening herself so that he could enter her. The sudden invasion and size startled, then hurt her, and she clamped her legs together, trying to stop him. But it was too late. He lifted his hips in a strong surge, holding her against him with such strength she couldn’t move. Why had she thought she wanted him to make love to her? It hurt. He was too big. She tried to pull away from him, but he kept his hands on her hips as he pumped into her until he made one final lunge and fell back onto the seat, his hands dropping away from her.

As soon as he released her, she scrambled to get away, pulling herself up and off him. The top of her dress was around her waist; the rest of it was twisted around her hips and legs. She struggled to lift herself off the dress so she could pull it around and cover herself.

It was then that three large flashlights appeared at the windows. She heard male laughter and hateful humiliating remarks.

“Way to go, dude. We knew you could do it!”

“Damn. Looks like we’re going to have to pay up on that bet, after all. You always bragged you could score with her, given the chance. Guess you were right!”

“Who woulda believed you’d get this far with her on a first date! That beats all your records. Gotta hand it to you, buddy.”

At the first sign of the flashlights, Joe jackknifed into a sitting position and reached for Elena, but not before the boys had seen her bare breasts. They hooted and hollered, laughed and made obscene jokes while he helped her refasten her dress.

He quickly covered himself, then pushed the seat forward and jumped out of the car. The boys took off running with Joe in hot pursuit.

Elena was numb with shock and humiliation. There was a bet? He had gone out with her…he’d made love to her…because of a bet?

She crawled back into the front seat and huddled against the door, waiting for him to return to the car and take her home. If she could live through this horrible night, she would never, ever speak to him again.

Eventually he returned to the car. When he jerked open the door, the overhead light flashed on. She turned her head so she wouldn’t have to look at him, but she didn’t miss his disheveled appearance and the scrape on his cheek.

He closed the door but didn’t start the car right away. She could hear his harsh breathing. Finally he sighed and said, “I can’t believe those guys did that. I am so sorry, Elena. They’ve been drinking and they’re angry at me for leaving the group. I guess they thought they’d pay me back this way, but it wasn’t fair to you. For what it’s worth, I told them what I think of them. I can’t believe I ever considered them friends.”

“Please take me home,” she whispered.

“Of course.” He started the car. “I’m so sorry our evening had to end this way.”

She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. It took all her concentration not to burst into tears and further humiliate herself. As soon as they reached the end of her driveway, she said, “Please stop here.”

He pulled in and stopped. “Let me take you up to the—”

That was all she heard before she pushed on the door and got out, then slammed it. She clutched her purse in one hand and her shoes in the other, her skirt dragging in the dirt. She grabbed it with a couple of her fingers and sprinted to the house, not looking back.

Joe watched her, feeling helpless. He’d never been in this kind of situation before. Sure, he’d had sex with a few girls, but tonight was the first time he’d made love with anyone. He’d had no control with her. He knew he’d hurt her, knew this must have been her first time.

Those stupid bums had ruined everything. If he’d had more time, he could have explained that his lack of control was because of the way he felt about her. He could have told her that she was very special to him.

He would wait until Monday and talk to her. Maybe by then she would be calmer and willing to listen to him.

Unfortunately Joe never had a chance to talk to Elena again.

One

Eleven Years Later

The staccato sound of her heels striking the polished floor echoed down the hallway, causing Elena to wince. She felt the need to tiptoe as she followed the directions she’d been given to attend a nine-o’clock meeting at the Quantico, Virginia, headquarters of the FBI.

This was not the part of the building where she’d worked as an intelligence analyst for the past seven years, and so the area was unfamiliar to her. She had no idea why she’d been requested to attend a meeting here with Douglas Wilder and his group. If nothing else, her curiosity had been aroused.

She glanced at her watch and decided she had time to stop at the women’s restroom to make certain she looked as professional and competent as possible when she met with Wilder.

Special Agent Wilder headed a team of field agents, people who had trained intensively to work with and around the public. She, on the other hand, was more comfortable working with facts, figures and raw data. She’d made it through the academy all right and had been relieved when she was assigned her current position.

Elena had discovered a long time ago that she was more comfortable being an observer than a participant in life. She enjoyed searching through information to find patterns, to make sense out of various bits and pieces of information and to put it together to explain what illegal activities might be going on in the country. She was used to working alone. Since receiving the phone call at home last night, she’d been unable to come up with any idea why Special Agent Wilder would want her to be in today’s meeting.

She pushed open the restroom door. Ceramic tile covered the floor, as well as the lower half of the gray walls. A frosted-glass window allowed natural light to flood the area. The small room, with its three stalls and four sinks, was empty. She sighed with relief. She wasn’t ready yet to see anyone this early in the morning.

Elena took a deep breath and forced herself to release the air in her lungs in a slow calm manner. You can handle this, she reminded herself. Maybe there was something in one of her reports that needed further explanation in person. There was no reason to panic. She was competent in her job. She just wasn’t used to working in a group.

She ran cool water over her hands and wrists, then carefully dried them on a paper towel from a nearby dispenser. She stared into the mirror that ran the length of the sinks, inspecting her image one last time.

After she straightened the collar of her white blouse, she adjusted the belt of her black slacks. Her lightweight cotton jacket matched her slacks.

Only her hair detracted from the professional and competent look she wanted. The thick wavy mass had always been the bane of her existence. Today she had forced it into a not-so-tidy knot at the nape of her neck. Unfortunately there were strands already escaping and curling around her ears. She felt a trickle of nervous perspiration slide down her spine.

Elena peered into her green eyes, deliberately narrowing them in an effort to look tougher. Her long thick lashes were no help at all. She’d been told that she had sultry eyes. Sultry! That was the last thing she wanted to hear from anyone.

Another glance at her watch told her she needed to get to the meeting. She tucked a curl behind her ear and made certain there was no smudge of lipstick on her teeth. With another deep breath she opened the door into the hallway and proceeded to the room where the meeting would be held.

She paused in the open doorway and looked around. She counted seven agents—all men—only one of whom she recognized. Chris Simmons. He glanced up from the coffee machine where he was filling a cup and saw her standing there. He smiled with an obvious look of surprise. He filled a second cup, then walked over to where she stood, greeting her with a big grin.

“Well, hello, stranger. Welcome to our little part of the world,” he said, offering her one of the cups he held.

So he remembered her strong dependency on coffee to get her day started. Today of all days, his offer was greatly appreciated. She’d skipped her second cup of coffee this morning for fear she’d be late.

She returned his smile. “Thanks, Chris,” she said. The aromatic brew was just what she needed to settle her jumping nerves. She inhaled the lovely fragrance and took a hasty sip.

He nodded. “You’re quite welcome. It’s good to see you. It’s been a while. Come on in and find a place to sit.”

She followed him into the room and looked around. It looked like every other government conference room she’d been in, with its large oblong table in the middle, surrounded by unpadded wooden chairs.

“So what brings you to our neck of the woods?” Chris asked. “I thought they liked to keep you and the other brains away from the rest of us poor working slobs.”

Since Chris had aced all his tests at the academy, she wasn’t buying into his “dumb me” act.

“I have no idea,” she replied with a shrug. “I was told to show up this morning, so here I am.” She glanced around the room. The other agents were either in the process of getting coffee or already sipping from their cups. They milled around the table until they each claimed a chair and laid out their pads and pens. With a hint of hesitancy she added, “I just found out last night that I was to be here.”

Chris motioned for her to sit, then took the chair next to her.

They had been friends since they’d graduated from the academy together. They’d dated for several months back then before recognizing that they enjoyed each other’s company but weren’t interested in pursuing a more intimate relationship, which might come between them and their careers. Elena had never been sorry about that decision.

She enjoyed Chris’s blond good looks and the fact that, although he took his profession seriously, he never took himself seriously. He had been one of the few men in their class who had actively supported her efforts during their training.

He leaned back in his chair. “You know, seeing you again reminds me that we haven’t gotten together in months. How about catching a movie tonight?”

She nodded. “I’d like that, unless this meeting has to do with an assignment and you’ll be sent out of town right away.” Since Chris spent most of his time away from headquarters, she knew the odds were good that he wouldn’t be here for long.

Before Chris had an opportunity to respond, Douglas Wilder walked into the room carrying a thick file. He sat down at the head of the table. The two agents still standing quickly found seats.

Doug Wilder was in his midfifties, tall, unabashedly gray-haired and all business. He glanced around the table, and when he spotted Elena, he said, “Thank you for coming this morning, Ms. Maldonado. I know you were given short notice.” He quickly made introductions around the table.

She nodded to each of the agents before returning her attention to Wilder.

“Okay, here’s what we’re dealing with, people,” Wilder began. “The Immigration and Naturalization Service has asked for our help to resolve a delicate situation going on along the Texas-Mexico border.”

As one, the male agents burst into laughter. One of them asked if today was April Fool’s Day. In truth, it was the middle of May.

Elena knew that the fierce rivalry between various government agencies made the idea of asking for help appear ludicrous. The last thing any agency wanted to admit was that they couldn’t handle a situation without outside help.

Wilder’s furrowed brow eased somewhat, and Elena could almost imagine she saw the hint of a smile on his narrowed lips.

“Glad I can provide so much entertainment for you this early in the morning.” He flipped open the file and began to pass around stapled pages to each of them. “Just for that, you’re going to get a brief history lesson so that you’ll understand what the government is up against in that region.”

The agents settled back into their chairs. Elena knew enough of Wilder’s reputation to know that he wasn’t one to waste his breath. Whenever he chose to talk, everyone around him stopped to listen. Today was no exception.

“There has been an upsurge of traffic these past few years from Mexico into the United States along our shared borders from Texas to California. Despite the beefed-up patrol of the border, too many illegal drugs and aliens are moving into the United States.

“We understand the problems in their country—the devaluation of the peso, the continued drought that has affected Mexico, as well as our Southwestern states. However, we cannot ignore the problem in hopes it will go away.”

As Doug continued to review the present situation, Elena reviewed what he was saying. She knew all too well what he was talking about. Santiago had originally been a farming community. When she was small, the migrant workers moved there early in the growing season and continued northward as the season progressed. The last time she’d gone home to visit her mother, Sara had mentioned the problems the area was having with illegal drugs and aliens being brought across the border. What she was hearing wasn’t new to Elena.

Wilder continued. “The high incidence of drugs and aliens successfully crossing the Texas-Mexico border in the past eight months or so has become a black eye for the Border Patrol, the local arm of the INS and the Drug Enforcement Agency working that particular area.”

From the back of the room Sam Walters asked, “And they think we can do their job better?”

Wilder looked at Sam from beneath his bushy brows. “We’ve been asked to join a task force to find out why those two agencies are not making more arrests. The word is that some of the agents may be taking money to look the other way. I received word late yesterday that we need new faces to work the area, people who are unknown to either of the two agencies. None of us likes to think about an agent who has turned, but it happens. I have handpicked each of you to work on this. We’re going to find out if any INS or DEA agents are on the take, and if they are, we’re going to remove them.”

He looked around the room to make certain everyone understood. Then he nodded at the papers lying in front of each one of them. “What I’ve handed out here is general background material on what has been done by the two agencies up until now. Here’s the plan. I requested a list of possible suspects who may be involved in the smuggling operations—people who were arrested and let go for lack of evidence, people whose behavior is suspicious, people who need to be watched by agents who can be trusted.”

For the first time since he had introduced her to the group, Wilder looked at Elena. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’ve been chosen for this team.”

She tensed, recognizing that the knot in the pit of her stomach had been forming as she slowly realized that she wasn’t there to interpret information. Douglas Wilder intended to use her on this assignment. She smiled, hoping to cover her nervousness. “Yes, sir. The thought did cross my mind.”

“If you’ll look at page fourteen of the handout, you’ll notice that a significant increase in activity has been narrowed to an area in and around Santiago, Texas. Santiago is located between Rio Grande City and Laredo right on the Texas-Mexico border. A new bridge was opened there about eighteen months ago to facilitate the movement of factory products from Mexico into the United States. Several suspects listed in these handouts live near there.” He glanced around the room. “Fortunately I believe we’ve discovered a secret weapon right here in our own agency, gentlemen. You see, Santiago happens to be Elena’s hometown.”

Elena quickly turned to the page in question and began to read in order not to make eye contact with the other agents.

Wilder continued, “As soon as I discovered that we had a trained agent from that area, I knew we were already ahead of the game. We’ve got an agent familiar with the area who will be able to mingle with the locals without causing any suspicion.”

He looked around the room. “Are there any questions so far?”

No one spoke.

“All of you will be working undercover. Elena, obviously, will be our insider, feeding us as much information as she can while we work the other border towns in that general vicinity. Our plan is to have Elena spend the next few months getting reacquainted with old friends, neighbors and schoolmates and collecting as much local information as possible. We’re counting on her being able to get close to some of the people we think might be masterminding these runs. We’ll also be working on finding out which U.S. agents are feeding the smugglers information that keeps them from being discovered.”

One of the agents raised his hand. “But won’t those people know she works for the government?”

Elena answered with the information Wilder already knew about her from reading her personnel file. “When I first came to work here, I decided not to tell anyone back home who I worked for. Instead, I told them that I’m an accountant for a small firm in Maryland.”

Wilder went on, “Her cover will be that her firm was bought out and she was let go with a generous severance packet. There would be nothing unusual in her choosing to go back home for a while before she decides where to apply for her next job.”

He looked at Elena as though to confirm that this scenario would work for her. She nodded, unable to come up with an alternative.

Wilder said to the group at large, “Study the workup on the list of suspected smugglers. They live in towns from Brownsville to Laredo. I want you to learn their history and get to know as much about them as you know about your own brother. Or sister. You’ll see there are some women on the list.”

He waited while the agents scanned the pages. Elena spotted some familiar names. “How do you want this handled, sir? If I’m working inside, I won’t be able to communicate much with the others.”

“Sam Walters will be heading up the group down there, reporting directly to me. Chris Simmons will be your immediate contact. My suggestion is that you make regular shopping trips into San Antonio where you’ll meet with Chris for status reports. He, in turn, will stay in touch with Sam.”

Wilder looked at the others. “What we’re hoping is that you’ll hear or see something that might hint at a coming shipment. You’ll be doing utility work—electric, cable, gas, telephone—in order to have a reason to be in rural areas at odd times of day and night.

“Do what you have to do to blend in and become a part of the various small communities in the area. Each of you will have a different area to cover, some south of Santiago, others north. The main thing is not to have any run-ins with the local authorities, because you won’t be able to tell them why you’re there. Keep your noses clean and your eyes and ears open.” He paused and looked around at each of them. “Any more questions?”

Wilder’s voice faded into the background when Elena flipped to a new page and saw the name listed at the top. A photo, a detailed description and background check were all there, but she couldn’t get past the name and photo.

For a moment she thought she was hallucinating. This couldn’t be real.

Joseph Sanchez. Joe Sanchez lived in Santiago now? Since when? She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. He was listed as one of the suspects.

She scanned the report. Twenty-nine years old. Received an honorable discharge from the army as a major. Currently residing in Santiago, Texas.

His black eyes stared out of the photo without expression. His hair was much shorter than she remembered, but the stubborn jaw, the dent in the chin, the slight scowl that drew his black eyebrows to a V were very much the same. There was no mistaking him.

His shoulders appeared wider and more heavily muscled than she remembered, which wasn’t surprising. She knew she had changed considerably in the past eleven years. Her changes had been more than physical.

Someone asked a question; then others added their queries. Their words washed over her without making any sense. She tried to focus on the discussion, but all she could do was stare at the photograph, aware of her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

She hadn’t thought of Joe Sanchez in years. She hadn’t seen him since they’d graduated from high school. It had been her devout hope at that time that she would never ever see him again.

Joe Sanchez was a horrible reminder of the most humiliating time in her life. She’d been so shy around boys while she was growing up, not at all certain she could trust them. She’d seen how her father’s behavior—his drinking and the accompanying lies he’d told with charming sincerity—had so often upset her mother. She’d grown up not trusting anything her father said.

Joe had seemed very different from her father. In the months she’d gotten to know him, she’d learned to trust him, to believe that not every male was like her father. Joe had betrayed her in so many ways the night of their senior prom that she had determined never to allow another man the opportunity to get close enough to hurt her again.

Instead, she had focused on her career. She knew that this assignment was the biggest test she’d been given since she joined the bureau. She was returning to her hometown and would have to pretend it was because she’d lost her job, which would certainly put a dent in her ego.

In addition, she was being assigned to get close to Joseph Sanchez, who was suspected of drug smuggling, to find out all his secrets and betray him.

How ironic was that?

Finally Wilder said, “Okay, that should take care of everything I wanted to cover during this meeting.” He glanced at her and said, “Elena, I need to speak with you for a few minutes.”

After the last agent left the room, Wilder closed the door and turned to her. “Sorry to spring this one on you like that.” He sat down in the chair that Chris had vacated and faced her. “I would have discussed it with you last night when I called, but I couldn’t take a chance that someone might get wind of my decision to use you in the field and try to get around it. I know this is a dangerous assignment, but I also believe from everything I’ve heard about you that you can handle it. I hope you agree.”

Elena pushed her chair away from the table so that she was facing him. She nodded to him and said, “Yes, sir. I do. I appreciate your faith in my abilities.”

“I want to stress that no one outside our group will know you’re working with us. No other agency will have your name. We’re doing everything we can to protect you.”

“I appreciate that.”

“We noted that one of the suspects graduated from Santiago High School with you. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How well did you know him?”

She thought of several responses to that, but chose to be circumspect. “It was a relatively small school. I knew everyone in the class.”

He nodded. “Then you don’t think you’ll have any trouble making contact with him?”

Trouble? That wasn’t the word that came to mind. “I don’t think so.”

Wilder stood and Elena followed his lead. “How soon can you leave?” he asked.

She rubbed her forehead, where a steady pulsating throb was already working itself into a full-fledged headache. “Probably tomorrow. Possibly the day after. I’ll need to contact my mother and prepare her for my moving back home.” She glanced at Wilder. “Do you really think this will take months?”

“At the very least.”

She sighed, kneading her temples.

“Is this going to present personal problems for you?”

Her mind flashed to Joseph Sanchez, ex-military.

“No, sir,” she lied without a qualm. She would deal with the situation because she was a professional.

Wilder held out his hand and she shook it. “Good luck,” he said gravely.

“Thank you, sir.”

They left the conference room together.

She needed to go pack. She needed to contact her mother. And yes, she needed all the good luck she could get.

In the coming months she would use all her skills to investigate the man who had caused her so much pain. If what was suspected about him was true, she would be a part of the team that brought him down.

Several sayings flew through her mind as she retraced her steps down the hallway and returned to her own department. Two in particular kept circling.

Revenge is sweet.

Paybacks are hell.

Well, she and ex-army major Joe Sanchez were about to find out if those sayings were true.

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