Second Chance Hero (13 page)

She put Max down and they climbed in the truck and he started talking. “You’re not going to work tomorrow.”

“Are you crazy? That’s how they got her. She’d have been fine at work.”

Why’d she have to argue? Dammit. “I just want you safe, Lil. And we don’t know she’s gone.”

“You saw the car and purse. She’s gone. This is crazy,” she said as she clenched her fist in her lap. “Insane. People don’t just disappear like this. And cops don’t just get killed. It’s all blowing up, David.”

She was right. It was escalating. Degas was out of control.

“We’ve got to stop him, but what if we can’t? What if he wins?”

David pulled into his parking spot and grabbed her shoulders. “That’s not an option.”

It wasn’t. Degas would not win this war. He couldn’t.

But Degas was a secondary concern. For now David just wanted to get Lil inside to safety.

Thirty minutes later Detective Ortiz was sitting on the couch, looking at Lil as if she were a specimen under a microscope.

She hadn’t been able to stop shaking.
 

Degas had Nancy. She just knew it.

And Ortiz did too. Even though he was telling them the opposite.

No sense of struggle. No blood. Lil wanted to throw up at the thought.

Nothing wrong other than Nancy’s purse on the table and a frightened dog.

So what was with the way Ortiz was looking at her?

“That’s good then. She could be anywhere.”
Please, please be anywhere. Please don’t be gone. Don’t be another of the missing.

She bit her lip to keep from crying and Ortiz leaned forward.

“She could be, but when I went in her bedroom, I found the strangest thing.”

Oh no. Lil didn’t want to hear.

But she couldn’t stop him.
 

Ortiz’s gaze never left her face as he delivered the news. “Your missing papers, Miss Palmer. They were all on Nancy Valdez’s bed. But strangely Miguel and Solidad Hernandez’s papers weren’t there. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

It took every ounce of willpower for Lil not to tell the detective everything she knew. She looked across the room but no one was there. Another detective was interviewing David in the bedroom.

“You’re in a dangerous place, Ms. Palmer.”

Like he even had a clue. She shook her head. “Nancy has nothing to do with this. She couldn’t have. She couldn’t.”

Detective Ortiz’s eyes were filled with what could’ve been pity. Or it could’ve been an act. Everything about the man told her he was solid. That she could trust him, but still, she couldn’t tell him. Not without talking to David. Not without permission from Ryan.

“Your stolen papers were found at her house.” He was fishing. Looking for a way to implicate Nancy in the robbery. He was wrong. He had to be.

“You’re not hearing me,” she said. “Nancy’s not a criminal. She cares about these people. She’s a part of this town. She has friends and family here. This is….”

Ortiz leaned forward. “You’re right. It makes no sense. She works with the barrio babies.”

“She doesn’t look at them like that.”

“But a lot of people do. A lot on both sides of the border.”

“And now she’s gone too. Just like those missing girls. Just like the Hernandez family.”

“It looks that way.” Ortiz finally sounded comforting in a weird cop sort of way.

“She’s not a criminal.”

“But she is gone. Ms. Valdez cared because these are her people. You’re a crusader. And while I can respect that, I sincerely hope someone’s explained how deadly this could turn.” Ortiz’s turned his cold stare to the bedroom door.

“Are you trying to scare me?” Funny that he would think David was behind her being there when David had practically begged her to leave. She couldn’t explain any of that to this man. Lil wanted the detective’s focus back on her.
 

She got her wish.

“One of your students is missing along with what’s left of his family. His sister and father are dead. Now your friend is gone and your stolen papers end up at her house. She’s either been taken by the people who broke into your home, and they wanted everyone to know it, or she’s directly involved in that break in. Ms. Palmer, if you’re not scared half to death you sure should be.”

He knew. She still didn’t know how, but she could see the knowledge in his eyes. “Everyone should be scared.”

Ortiz looked at her with a mixture of admiration and sadness at the same time David and the other detective stepped out of the bedroom.
 

“As of right now, we believe you’re the last person to see Ms. Valdez before she disappeared,” Ortiz looked at David. “We might have more questions.”

He stood and looked down at Lil and she met his gaze head on.

“Goodbye Ms. Palmer. Keep what I said in mind. I’d hate for you to disappear too.”

When the door closed behind him, Lil fell apart.

David pulled her into his arms as she cried, and she was thankful, so thankful for that.

“It’s okay Lil.”

How could he think so? How?
 

Lil laughed into his chest as she shook her head and tried to find comfort in his spicy scent. “No it’s not, David. It’s not okay at all.”

David held Lil because it was the only thing he could do. No telling what Ortiz had said, but he’d scared the crap out of her, that was for damn sure. At least now they knew why the police had called her into Nancy’s house. Problem was, they also knew Ortiz hadn’t wanted her to see.
 

“I think it’s time to rethink our plan,” he said. It killed him to even think it, but they were running out of choices.

She nodded her head against his chest, agreed. Dammit. It was their only choice.

“Nancy disappearing changes things,” he said. “Add Detective Ortiz suspecting you know something and the papers showing up at Nancy’s house, it’s not safe.”

He ran a hand down her back, felt her shiver with what he was sure was far more fear than passion.
 

Then she tilted her face up to look at him, her eyes glistening with tears and he felt himself sinking.
 

“I know you’re right,” she said. “I know it’s not safe. But will it be safer if I go?”

She was looking to him for answers. Answers he didn’t have. It killed him to admit it. “I don’t know, Lil. I don’t know.”

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Then let his head rest on hers. Let the clean, natural scent of her shampoo invade his senses. “You weren’t supposed to be in danger. You were just getting me into the school. That’s all.”

She pushed away from his chest frowning. “Maybe we should call Ryan.”

Ryan. David could kill Ryan for getting Lil into this mess. If he didn’t know better he’d think this was exactly what the agent had planned. “He’ll be in touch. Trust me.”

Lil paced the living room, picked up a couch pillow, tossed it to the rocking chair he’d salvaged when the woman next door moved into a retirement center.

“I’m afraid, David. How could someone just take Nancy like that? She lives in a nice neighborhood. She’s a professional. This isn’t like the Hernandez family.”

No it wasn’t. That’s what scared the bejesus out of him. “They killed a cop, Lil. Nothing about this is normal. From the minute Degas took the Hernandez family, this case changed.”

He wished she’d come to him again. Let him hold her instead of pacing back and forth, looking like she wanted to be sick.

“Someone knows something, David. We just have to find them.”
 

He read her intent and stepped in front of the door. “No way. No way are you going out there to ask questions. Let the police do their jobs.”

“Police like the ones Rafe saw taking his family away?” She was mad now. Mad at him. If that’s what it took, so be it.

“Ortiz isn’t a dirty cop.”

“Then why don’t we tell him the truth?”

She was right. But not yet. Not until he’d cleared it with Ryan. Before he told Ortiz the truth, Lil had to be safe. It was the only way to be sure. The only answer. Still. “You have to leave.”

Her chin jutted up and her eyes sparkled with anger as well as tears. “I’m not about to leave when there will be a target on your back.”

She wasn’t getting it. Not at all. “Look. I don’t want you to go. I’ve enjoyed our time together. It’s…” what was it anyway? Almost perfect. Almost. “It’s nice. But I need you to be safe. Go somewhere. Set up a foundation. Send money….”

“Set up a foundation and send money?” Her voice was unnaturally quiet and he knew he’d blown it, but dammit, he couldn’t just let her stay and get hurt.
 

“Yeah. Go to London or Paris. Come back when this is over.”

“And what if it’s never over?”

He shrugged. What could he say? It might never be over. They might never find Degas. Miguel might be yet another story mothers told their children to keep them on the straight and narrow. “Then you know you tried.” Tried and were safe. Away from San Mario. Away from Degas.

 
When she turned to him this time her smile was forced. “Thank you, David. Thank you for reminding me what it is I’m doing.” She laughed and shook her head. “For a minute there I forgot. I let fear get in the way. I forgot about that poor frightened little boy and his teddy bear. I forgot that Miguel sent his brother to me. To me.” She pointed at her chest and shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving. I’m staying here. Working. And if I do set up a foundation it sure as heck won’t be from anywhere else.”

How the hell had he messed this up so supremely? Dammit. “Did you hear a word I said?”

She laughed humorlessly. “Yes,” she waved her hand around the room. “ You said this is nice. And boy does that ever make me feel special. Sure, it’s nice. When you’re trying to push me out the door and straight to Siberia.”

“Siberia would be good. I think you’d be safe in Siberia.”

“You want me gone.”

She wasn’t hearing him at all. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.”

She laughed again. “Oh, I heard you. You’ve said it a million different ways. Yeah Babe, I like you a lot. Hey sweet Lil, we’ve got something good. Why mess it up with words like forever?”

How could she so totally miss his point? He stepped forward. Grabbed her shoulders. Maybe now she would listen. “How about I don’t want you to die?”

She pulled away. “It’s just an excuse.”

Right. He laughed this time. “It’s one hell of an excuse. Look at the body count Lil, and then look at what Ortiz already figured out.
You’re
the common denominator. I don’t want you added to those numbers.”

“The
school
is the common denominator. It’s why I’m helping with this. It’s why I’m not going anywhere.”

He could tell she wasn’t budging. She either did this with him or she did it on her own. No way in hell was he letting her do this alone. “I’m not pushing you away, Lil.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, looked at him with a mixture of distrust and something he couldn’t quite name.

He had to make her see.

“I don’t want you to leave,” he said. “Every night I lay in that room on the floor listening to you breathe, imagining what it would be like to touch you, to kiss you, to just surround myself with you. I want you to be safe. And I don’t know if that’s possible here.”

Lil felt the anger, the resentment, evaporate. He really was afraid. Of course he was. What was wrong with her anyway?

She stepped forward, looked at the family photos on the wall behind his head and thought of what a good man he was. How this had to be tearing him up. He could say he wanted away from responsibility all he wanted, but he chose to stay here surrounded by his family. He was used to keeping people safe. This was out of his control, and it was driving him crazy.

“It’ll be okay, David. We’re working with professionals.”

David didn’t look like he quite agreed with her on that one.
 

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I made this about us. It’s not about us at all.”

“The hell it’s not.” His words were whispered, hot, angry.
 

“What?”

He stepped toward her, reached out a hand and her skin burned as she anticipated the touch. Instead he dropped the hand to his side. “The hell it’s not about us. From the minute you called me, it’s been about us.”

Oh.
 

She tried to look away, to catch her breath, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from his face.

He stepped closer still, grabbed her hand in his, placed it on his chest where she could feel his heart thudding away under the buttons of his lightly starched shirt.
 

“Feel that Lil?”

She didn’t trust herself to speak. Instead she nodded as he splayed his hand over hers.

“That’s my heart pounding like I’ve been running a marathon through San Antonio in the middle of summer. It’s beating so fast because I’m afraid for your life. But that’s not all.”

She looked at him then, really looked, saw the grey smudges under his eyes, the barely there scruff of his beard. He was exhausted, afraid, but yes, there was more. “It’s not?” She whispered the question.

He shook his head, his soft dark hair brushing the top of his shirt. She wanted to touch it. To see if it was still as soft as she remembered.
 

“It’s been beating like this since you moved in with me,” he said. “Sure, it’s fear, but it’s desire too. I see you, hear you, smell that squeaky clean soap of yours and I want to touch you. Kiss you. Just once. Just to remember. Really remember.”

Oh God she did too. She wanted to remember. “So do it then. Quit talking about it and…”

She didn’t get the chance to finish. His lips claimed hers in punishing fury. They’d never shared a kiss like this. Never.

His beard scratched her cheeks, his tongue plunged, his teeth bit and she wanted more.

His heart pounded harder under her hand and she knew her pulse matched his. She slid her fingers between the buttons of his shirt, felt the hard planes of his chest and settled closer, closer. His hands surrounded her, encasing her in a way, as his lips moved down the side of her chin to the pulse point at the base of her neck.