CL Hart -From A Distance (20 page)

"Possibly? Can you get this job done or not?" Terry asked Cobra, his eyes locked on Manuck's red face.

Cobra resented the inference of incompetence. He was not used to failure and the indignity that came with it. "I'll phone you when it's done, sir." The connection ended.

Terry Bucannon rose from his chair and slid it back into place next to the table. "Call me when this is done, then I think we need to take a break and let things settle for a while." He nodded at the two men and departed in silence without waiting for a response.

Senator Palmer glared at the closed door, "Who the hell does he think he is?"

"I don't know, but I know what he's becoming...a liability," Manuck said, his thoughts on the present problem.

"I don't think we have to guess that she'll be heading for the border."

"Don't worry, Senator, she won't get across it."

"What about Maquinar?"

"Let's just leave it alone for now."

In a town the size of Santa Rosalia, almost everyone was related, either by birth or by marriage. Everyone knew everyone else. The small seaside town was renowned for the metal church designed by Gustave Eiffel, the man who designed the Eiffel Tower, and for its famous El Boleo Bakery. Everywhere one went, the warm aromatic smells of freshly baked rolls filled the air. Pushcart hot dogs and handmade tacos were available on almost every street corner. It was a quaint Mexican location, though it retained a definite sense of its French heritage as well.

Fernando pointed out a few tourist shops selling ponchos, blankets, and pinatas. "Most
turistas
don't come here to shop, so we tend to cater more to our own. That is fine by me," he said as he pulled his pickup truck up to the sidewalk. "We'll find what you need here."

The two women exited from the truck and went into the store. It was a small store. Many types of clothing were stacked high on unseen tables. A wide variety of pants, tops, blouses, and dresses also hung layered against the walls. Chatting with Melita, the shop clerk, Fernando watched as the two women wandered through the small store.

"What about this?" Cori pulled out a white cotton dress and held it against her chest.

Eyeing the selection, Kenzie could not help the small smile that snuck onto her face. Something about Cori was so engaging, so contagiously energetic, but now was not the time to be thinking about that. "It's nice, but I think we're looking for something a little more practical, and probably cheaper." Kenzie quickly picked out a shirt for herself, some underwear, a bra, and a pair of knock-off designer jeans.

Fernando held out a dark woolen poncho to her. "You might need this,
Senorita.
The nights get cold."

She did feel a slight chill in the air. "Thanks," she said quietly as she accepted it.

Melita directed Kenzie toward a curtained area in the back of the store where she could change into her new clothes. Parting the shabby curtain, Kenzie stepped into what could only be referred to as a cubbyhole. She unzipped the coveralls, then peeled it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. Now standing naked in the changing room, Kenzie ran her hand over her side, gingerly fingering the fishing line sutures. The area around the wound was angry and red, but she was not too concerned. Even her hands were already improving, swollen and sore, but improving, and she was thankful for that.

Kicking the coveralls to the side, Kenzie donned her new underwear and jeans, and instantly felt better. She was trying to manage the bra's hooks when a shadow fell across the curtain. She could tell by the outline that it was Cori.

"Kenzie?"

"Yeah?" she answered as she tried to get her bra fastened. Normally she could do it up behind her back or hook it in the front and swivel it around, but with her injured hands and painful shoulder, she couldn't do either. And it didn't help that her bra was so close to the stitches on her side.

"Are you okay in there or do you need a hand?"

Kenzie noted the movement of the curtain that separated them.
A hand?
Her thoughts flew to the evening before and Cori's gentle hands on her body.
I'm not sure if I have the strength for that.

"Kenzie? Are you all right?"

The concern in Cori's voice made Kenzie swallow her pride and the thoughts that went with it. "Come in," she said. She brought her arms up to cover her chest as Cori stepped into the change room.

Cori anxiously surveyed her medical handiwork. "Are you okay?"

Kenzie did her best to ignore the wandering gaze and gestured at the bra cupping her breasts. "I can't get it done up. My fingers aren't that nimble at the moment, and with my shoulder, I can't get my arm around..." Her voice trailed off in frustration.

Smiling shyly, Cori wiggled her index finger in the air. "Turn around. I'll get it."

In the close proximity of the changing room, Cori almost felt like she was having a normal moment, just shopping in a boutique with a friend. Except this was not a shop in some mall. She examined the mottled bruises on Kenzie's back, and reminded herself that they were in a changing room in a shop in the middle of Mexico. Cori latched the bra into place.

"There," she said as her hands inadvertently brushed against Kenzie's skin. It was warm to the touch, she noted, as she traced one of the long scratches that ran down Kenzie's back. Cori saw the goose bumps that rose in response to her touch. She turned Kenzie around, putting them face to face.

Cori lifted her eyes and Kenzie leaned toward her. Studying the golden eyes, Cori wanted so much to reach out and gently brush back the hair that covered Kenzie's forehead. "You have gorgeous eyes," Cori finally said, breaking the silence.

The tough girl loner image Kenzie had nurtured most of her life crumbled with the rise of the blush to her cheeks. She was not used to compliments, never mind the scrutiny and attention of a beautiful woman. "Thanks," she murmured, barely choking the word out.

There was not enough space for two people inside the changing room, and Cori could feel the heat radiating from Kenzie's body. It made her uneasy, but only because of what she was feeling for the woman she barely knew, feelings that she had to get under control.

"I ah...we should...I need to...urn, put some clothes on." Kenzie felt the need to maneuver away from the woman studying her every move. She leaned toward the chair where she had set her new honey-colored, sleeveless polo shirt. Kenzie selected the top and then straightened up, only to find herself face to face with Cori again.

"Here, let me. You must still be hurting." Cori plucked the top from her grasp and gathered the bottom edge in her fingers. Kenzie held her arms in front of her and Cori awkwardly steered them through the holes. She tugged the shirt up over Kenzie's head and then down over her toned body, ultimately resting her hands on Kenzie's waist.

The heated atmosphere of the tiny room was suddenly charged with a palpable tension. Once again, Cori felt a sexual attraction to Kenzie. However, this time Kenzie had her eyes closed, and for that, she was grateful. Cori shook her head, trying to remind herself of the reality of their present situation. They were on the run. This was not the time. When she looked back at Kenzie, she realized that the golden eyes were still closed.

"Hey," Cori said softly. Eyelids opened and Cori saw a look of desire she was not expecting. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kenzie answered with a husky whisper, "For a moment there, I almost forgot." She stopped, and her gaze drifted away from Cori's face.

"Forgot what?" Cori asked as she rested her hand on Kenzie's arm.

The touch felt like a caress. Cori's soft fingers squeezed with gentle concern, and it was more compassion than anyone had shown her in a long time. The one-night stands Kenzie had in her past had not been about passion or emotions. The encounters had been about sex and nothing more, thanks in part to the military's archaic "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Kenzie reveled in the moment, knowing better than most that in a blink of an eye, it could all be gone.

"Kenzie?"

Kenzie's look of smoldering desire was all the invitation Cori needed and she leaned in, within inches of Kenzie's lips. She hesitated. As her eyes drifted downward toward Kenzie's parting lips, she could feel the tension in her rising. Her gaze rose to Kenzie's. Neither spoke, but Cori knew the wanting was there as she moved to close the distance between them. Their lips met cautiously, tenderly touching as if each was seeking permission from the other, and then, in a moment, the kiss ended. Pulling away, Cori averted her eyes and hurriedly stepped out of the changing room, leaving a stunned Kenzie behind.

What was that?
Her lips still parted, Kenzie watched as the thin curtain fell back into place, leaving her alone with her confused thoughts.
Holy crap, Cori feels the same way I do. But this is not the time, and definitely not the place!

Cobra parked his rental car on one of the lively streets of Santa Rosalia. His gaze skimmed over the colorful seaside town. She was close, so close he could almost taste the success. He scanned the many handcarts selling food and the lines of people around them, then checked the clip of his gun. Stepping from the car, he slipped the gun into his holster and then pulled on a lightweight jacket to cover it. He closed the door of the car and went in search of his target.

Cori stood for only a moment outside of Kenzie's dressing room. She couldn't believe what she had just done.
What was I thinking? A few days ago, I would have given anything to be as far away from this woman as I could get, and now...
She reached for the new clothing that she had left in a pile.

"They're paid for,
Senorita,"
Fernando said as he tried on a hat. He looked at himself in a mirror, but decided the look did not suit him.

"I...ah..." Cori cleared her throat and held up her new clothes to the young woman tending the store. "Do you have another place to change?"

Melita pointed to a stall on the other side of the shop and Cori fled. Inside her small change room, she dropped her clothes and pressed a hand to her mouth.
I can't believe I just did that.
Her pulse raced and her hands were shaking as she tried to calm herself.
Just breathe. It's okay. At least she responded - kind of.
Her thoughts jumbled, Cori quickly stripped off her borrowed clothing and donned her new khaki pants and white sleeveless cotton shirt. Once dressed, she felt better. There was a small mirror hanging from a wire and she turned it to look at her reflection, still conflicted about what she had done.

"Smooth, Cori, falling for a trained killer," she said just under her breath as she looked at her mirror image. Turning first left and then right, she examined the bruises that Kenzie had made just days earlier. The swelling in her lip was gone, but the bruise around her cheek was still very colorful. Letting go of the hanging mirror, she caught sight of Kenzie's reflection just before the mirror spun back into place.

The woman she had just kissed was leaning nonchalantly against the frame of the door to the change room. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes spoke volumes. "I'm sorry about that...the bruises," she said, her voice low and contrite. "I shouldn't have hit you."

Confused by the feelings swirling in her body, unsure of what to say, Cori turned to face Kenzie. Without thinking, she pressed a hand against her own cheek, feeling the soreness of the bruise that lay beneath the skin.

The look on Cori's face was enough to prompt Kenzie to take another step into the change room. She laid her hand over Cori's.

"I m sorry."

Cori took the last step separating them and studied Kenzie's eyes, searching for an answer to any of the questions her mind and body were asking.

This time it was Kenzie who took the initiative. Kenzie's hand moving with an assurance she didn't feel, surprisingly gentle fingertips traced the outline of Cori's lips.

Cori didn't pull away from the warm touch as it played over her lips. The swinging mirror behind her reflected the light into Kenzie's eyes, making the golden highlights sparkle brightly. The intensity of Kenzie's stare made Cori's heart flutter, causing her to surrender a small breath.