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Tino watched Cezar and Isabella walk out of the house. It appeared Cezar was taking Isabella back to the hostel. He resented it but knew he couldn’t offer. Not after witnessing Cezar grill Isabella when she’d talked with him at her arrival.
Cezar left Isabella standing at the edge of the walkway and strolled over to where Tino stood near the garage waiting for Hector to return from a smoke.
“Rodriguez, take Dr. Mumphrey back to her hotel.” Cezar’s eyes were calculating as he watched Tino.
“It is late and Hector is in charge of the guests coming and going, have him take her.” Tino remained leaning against the garage doorway. He’d never had to pretend as hard as he was now. It was the perfect set-up for him to speak with Isabella, but he refused to let the man watching him so intently know that.
“Jefe said you were to take her.”
Tino slowly pushed away from the wall and straightened. “Then I guess I have no choice.” He walked over to his SUV and climbed into the driver’s seat hiding his excitement. Tino pulled the vehicle up to where Isabella stood. Cezar had returned to her side. He opened the Tahoe’s door and Isabella’s eyes narrowed.
She faced the narco. “Señor Garza said Hector was to take me home. You told me this man was called Rodriguez.”
Rage and fear collided inside Tino. What was Cezar doing? “I am Tino Rodriguez. Cezar, you told me Garza asked for me to take the señorita home. What is going on?”
He wanted to watch Isabella to see if she gave anything away, but believed this game by Cezar was his way of determining a connection between Tino and Isabella. Garza’s righthand man was trying to catch them off guard. Trying to discredit him. Tino had to act like he didn’t have an interest in the woman.
Cezar’s phone buzzed. “Sí?” He stepped away from the open door.
Isabella stood on the spot, her gaze searching his face. He had to keep his expression chiseled as if in stone. If Cezar spun around and caught either of them communicating, they were dead.
Cezar pushed a button on his phone and turned to them. “Take her to the hotel. I will tell jefe I could not find Hector. Which is the truth. He is missing.” Cezar sent Tino one hard look. “Hurry back. I have a feeling the rest of the night will be long.”
Isabella climbed into the SUV and slammed the door. She continued staring at Cezar as Tino pulled the vehicle out of the driveway.
When they’d put several blocks between them and the compound, she asked in almost a whisper, “What was he doing?”
“Seeing if we knew one another better than we let on.” Tino took her hand and kissed her palm. “Querida, you are a superb actress.”
“Is this safe?” She still whispered.
“Sí. I have been close to my vehicle all night. I know no one has tampered with it.” He pulled over before getting into the busy traffic. Tino knew it was risky but he had to kiss Isabella. He could see she was shook up by the events.
He leaned over. “Come here, mi pichon. I have been dreaming about this since our last parting.” Placing his lips on hers, he held her head in his hands, cherishing the exotic scent he’d learned so well in the jungle and tasted the sweetness of her lips. Slowly, with reluctance, he drew back but held her head and peered into her eyes. The light of the moon wasn’t strong but it was enough to see her within the vehicle.
“Now, you have met señora Garza you will finish your mission at Templo Mayor and go home. I do not think I can go through another meeting like tonight.”
She turned her head and kissed his palm. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to. Señora Garza has asked me to help her box up artifacts to be sent to museums.”
He pulled his hands back and sat in his seat, staring at the onslaught of cars on the road. “Do you believe the missing artifacts are at the Garza home?”
“No...I’m not sure...They could be, but I’m not positive.” She placed a hand on his arm. “I don’t like going there either, but I was ordered by Bastante to help them. Garza offered the museum money for my help.”
Tino slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “That is because he wants to keep you close. What is it he sees in you that he feels he must keep you under his surveillance?” Isabella’s arriving when she did hurt his investigation and it placed her in danger. Rage over his impotency to keep her safe without jeopardizing his mission nearly strangled him.
“I don’t understand it either. This is my first assignment. He can’t know I’m WIA.”
The reason hit him as hard and fast as a covert missile. “Carajo! He knows you are the one who helped captured Don Miguel and his drug shipment.”
“No! Daddy said my name was kept out of all the records.”
“But what if he didn’t ask about the shooting. What if he asked about the people who were at the dig? The other workers would have said your name and then he’d wonder why you weren’t in the reports.”
“How would he get the reports?”
Tino scoffed. “He has the money and power to get his hands on anything he wishes.”
This new information made Tino nauseous. “You have to call your father and have him replace you with someone else.”
Isabella shook her head. “No. I had a feeling earlier today that this wasn’t what I was sent to do. There is something else going on that’s deeper than missing artifacts. Someone else would only be looking for what they were sent here to do. I can puzzle the pieces and discover the truth.”
“Ezzabella, querida. You could end up dead. That is not a risk I am willing to take.” Tino grasped her arms, making her peer into his face. “You must leave. Tonight. It is too dangerous.”
“What about you? If Garza learned about me from the other people at the dig you would have come up, too. What makes you think he hasn’t figured out who you are?” She put a hand on his cheek. “You are in just as much danger as I am. Are you going to pull out tonight?”
He remained silent and dropped his gaze to the large necklace moving up and down as she breathed.
“I thought not. Don’t tell me what to do if you aren’t going to follow your own warnings.”
He knew short of kidnapping her and hiding her out until he was through with his mission, he had no way of making her stay away. The knowledge weighed him down like a boulder the size of his SUV.
Tino pulled her into his arms and kissed her as if they would never see one another again, because if either one of them wasn’t vigilante at all times that was exactly what could happen.
Isabella savored the kiss, tangling her tongue with Tino’s and taking as much as she gave knowing this would not happen again for them until their missions were complete. They couldn’t risk moments alone like this knowing Garza could be watching their every move.
Tino pulled out of the kiss first. “I have to get you back to the hostel and return to the compound.”
“I know. I don’t want harm coming to you because of me.” She straightened in her seat as her heart ached for what she couldn’t have. She’d put this strain between them by signing up with the WIA. At the time, she’d been positive it was a good way to use her intelligence. Now, seeing what it was doing to the only man she loved and trusted, she believed it to be one of the biggest mistakes of her life.
“Can I still call you?” The desperation in her voice made her cringe.
Tino took his eyes off the road and nodded. “Sí. We must know what the other is doing to avoid more complications.” They had entered a busy street. He turned his attention to the traffic.
“Good. I’d hate to think I couldn’t contact you at all until this is all over.” She stared at his profile etching every plane and angle into her memory.
“Querida, if you are in trouble call Rico. He can get to you faster than I can. If you need to discuss things, call, but I may not be able to answer you right away. Just leave a message that no one else would misinterpret as a code.”
Her head was spinning with all the things that could go wrong. “Tino, we will get through this and be together.”
His gaze locked with hers. “Sí, querida. That is all I have thought about since leaving your bed in Guatemala. I will make it happen.”
The conviction in his words helped ease the panic that had started to settle in her chest. “I’ll make sure it happens as well.”
He kissed her knuckles and parked in front of the hostel. “I wish I could follow you to your room and make love to you, but I must get back. If Hector is missing, I must help find him. He is Garza’s nephew.”
She leaned toward Tino. He shook his head, his eyes dulled with sorrow. “There are too many eyes here, querida.”
Isabella nodded and opened the door. “Gracias.” She closed the door and watched Tino drive away. When will I get to see you again?