I took a deep breath and leaned against the bench. When I felt Montano’s arm there, I bolted upright.
He put his hand on my shoulder. “Relax,” he whispered. “I don’t bite.”
When I allowed myself to do as he suggested, it was his hand still touching me that not only loosened my muscles but filled me with a sense of peace.
“I’m here because I hoped you’d tell me what you know about my sister. Both about the plane crash and about her life these last few years.”
When he moved his hand from my shoulder, I felt an inexplicable chill, powerful enough that I shuddered. While he didn’t put it back, I could feel his fingers twining the ends of my long hair.
I instinctively prepared myself when he took a deep breath. Why did I assume he was going to tell me something bad?
Before he could respond, my cell phone rang. “Sorry,” I muttered, answering even though I didn’t recognize the number.
“Ms. Descanso, this is Brix…err…Gabe Avila.”
“Hello,” I repeated.
“I’m calling to let you know someone stopped by the ranch, looking for you, a couple of hours ago. He didn’t leave a name.”
Someone was looking for me? Who would be looking for me?
“Are you still there?”
“Yes, sorry, um, could you describe him?”
“I didn’t see him. That’s why I didn’t contact you sooner. My brother Rascon mentioned it a little while ago. I can ask what he remembers about the guy.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure, uh, my mother is asking what time we should expect you.”
“I should be there within the hour.”
“I’ll still be here, so I’ll let you know what my brother says when you arrive.”
I thanked him and ended the call. When I looked at Montano, he was studying me.
“That was someone from Los Caballeros. He said his name was Gabe or Brit or something like that.”
“My cousin. His name is Gabe, but everyone calls him Brix.”
“Right. That’s what he said.”
“Brix is how the sugar content of something—wine, for example—is measured.”
I nodded, not really paying attention to what he was saying. My mind raced with who would’ve been looking for me. There was literally no one I could come up with. That whomever it was knew I was staying the night in the winery’s guesthouse further perplexed me.
“Everything okay, sis?”
I didn’t comment on his use of sis; apparently, it was something he did without thinking.
“Yes,” I said, looking up at him. “I really should be going.” Something told me he wouldn’t mind my leaving without giving him the chance to talk about my sister. In fact, I sensed he’d be relieved not to have to do so.
“Come on. Fess up. Something about that conversation troubled you.”
“I’m not sure troubled is the right word for it.”
“What would be?”
I shrugged. Maybe his word choice was dead-on. “Your cousin said someone stopped by, looking for me.”
“Did he say who it was?”
“The man didn’t leave a name.”
“Do you know people in the area?”
“Not a soul.”
“Ouch.”
My eyes met his. “What?”
“You know me. My family too.”
I questioned his word choice a second time. I didn’t know him or his family and doubted I ever would. “I’ll just go and offer my appreciation and then be on my way.”
“We didn’t have time to talk.”
“I got the impression you didn’t want to.”
While I waited for his response, I studied him like I’d found him doing to me several times since I arrived. It was easy to see why my sister fell for him.
The man possessed classic good looks with a straight Greek nose, powerful jawline, and high cheekbones any woman would envy. His hazel eyes had changed from brown to green to blue in the time since I first looked into them.
He was tall, probably close to six and a half feet, with a physique that could only be achieved with daily workouts. He wasn’t overly muscular, though. Just the right amount. Everything about him appeared to be practically perfect as my eyes traveled from his head, down his body, and back up again.
“I’d ask if you like what you see,” he said with a mercurial grin. “But that much is obvious.”
My cheeks heated in embarrassment. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“Not at all. In fact, I do too.”
The sudden realization that I was flirting with my dead sister’s boyfriend, and he was reciprocating, turned my stomach. What was wrong with me?
“I really must be going.”
“I’ll walk you back.”
“That isn’t necessary.”
“Of course it is.”
When our hands brushed, I folded my arms so it wouldn’t happen again. The smile left his face, and he looked away. Perhaps my pulling away brought him to the same realization I’d come to.
“There’s something you could do for me,” said Montano’s mother when I thanked her.
“Um, sure. Of course.”
“Please take this to my sister,” she said, handing me a plate covered with aluminum foil.
“Your sister?”
“You’re staying at Los Caballeros, yes?”
“I am.”
“Lucia Avila is my older sister.” Montano raised a brow, and his mother laughed. “Actually, I’m older, but only by two minutes.”
“You’re twins?” I gasped. “I’m a twin too. Was. My sister died.”
Esmeralda tucked her arm in mine and walked with me to my rental car. “I understand your loss in ways very few can. If you ever feel like talking, you know where I am.”
“Mama,” said Montano with a furrowed brow.
His mother leaned closer to me. “As I said, few understand.”
“How long will you be in town?” he asked like he had earlier.
Then, I told him I wasn’t sure. Now, I was. “I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon.”
“So soon? Where to?”
“Our family owns a camp in the Adirondacks. I guess it doesn’t belong to my family anymore; it’s mine now. Anyway, we used to spend time there every summer. Some of my best childhood memories are of the lake.”
“With Sofia?”
“Yes,” I whispered, looking away when I felt my eyes fill with tears.
Montano took my hand in his. “I hope you find happy memories while you’re there.”
“Thank you. I do too.”
“Which lake?”
“Are you familiar with the area?”
“Somewhat. A guy I work with has a place on Canada Lake. It’s been in his family for several generations.”
“You’re kidding.”
“About which part?”
“Canada Lake.”
“Nope, not kidding, sis.”
“Our camp—cottage—is on the same lake.”
“Ranger loves the place. I’ve been once, but every year he invites me back.”
“Ranger?”
“Owen Messick. A, uh, buddy of mine.”
“You’re kidding,” I repeated. “The Messicks?”
“Yeah. You know ’em?”
“Know them? Their camp is next door to ours. If it’s the same Messicks. Does Owen have a brother named Jimmy?”
“Sure does. By the look on your face, I’d say Jimmy was more than an acquaintance.”
He sure was, not that I’d get into the particulars of my first love with Montano. Before I could respond, though, the light in his eyes darkened. “You or Sofia?”
“Me,” I answered, probably too quickly. If I’d expected that news to make him feel better, I would have been wrong. The scowl on his face remained. “He wasn’t my sister’s type.”
“But he was yours?”
I smiled. “Definitely.” If I closed my eyes, whic
h I wouldn’t do now, I could still see how he looked back when we were both fifteen. Not just that. I could still recall the taste of his lips when he gave me my first kiss. A girl doesn’t forget her first kiss. Not ever.
“He’s married,” Montano blurted and I laughed.
“Not why I’m going to the lake, but thanks for the heads-up.”
He squeezed my hand but didn’t let go. “If you change your mind about telling me why you came, you know where to find me. Actually, I won’t be here. By the way, how did you find me?”
I wriggled my hand free of his grasp. “Um, I’m not supposed to tell you.” I didn’t think it was possible, but his face darkened more.
“How?” he snapped.
“I found a piece of paper with a name and number on it. When I called, a woman who said she was the man’s wife told me she thought you’d be here. As soon as she did, I think she regretted it.”
His eyes scrunched. “Who?”
I promised her I wouldn’t tell, but based on Montano’s reaction, I knew I had to. “She said her name was Malin.”
He nodded, and as he did, the tension I saw on his face slowly disappeared. “She knows better,” he mumbled.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“Okay. Well, have a nice life.” It sounded lame, but I was at a loss for what else to say.
Montano’s smile nearly stopped my heart. “You too,” he said, closing the door after I got into the car.
3
Onyx
A nice life. Not a chance of that, I thought as I watched Blanca’s car pull out of the gates of our ranch. Her sister had made sure I wouldn’t. But that wasn’t Blanca’s fault. From what little she’d said, it was evident she and Sofia weren’t close for the last few years. Close? Hell, it sounded like they didn’t even speak.
And Malin? What the fuck? She’d been with the CIA longer than I had. She knew better than to divulge someone’s location.
My cell rang, and I answered when I saw it was Doc Butler calling.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” I said when I accepted the call.
“Same to you. Gotta tell you, being able to hear your voice this year is something I’m damned thankful for, Onyx.”
“I’m thankful to be heard.”
While Doc wasn’t that much older than most of the people who worked for him, he always fell into a father-figure role with every one of us.
“Listen, I’d like to say this call is a social one, but it isn’t.”
“What’s up?” I asked.
“A couple of things. First, I wanted to alert you that Descanso’s sister got ahold of Dutch’s cell number. Malin answered and—”
“She just left.”
“The sister?”
“That’s right.”
“Malin feels horrible, and while she said it isn’t an excuse, her and Dutch’s baby boy is teething and she hasn’t gotten much sleep. Since I know how that is, I told her I’d call on her behalf and extend her apologies.”
“Tell her I accept.”
“Thanks, Onyx. That’s mighty understanding of you.”
“What’s the other thing?”
“It’s related. I received a call from Money McTiernan a few minutes ago.”
“How is Money liking his new position?” I didn’t know the guy well but had been relieved to hear someone K19 worked with regularly had been named the most recent CIA director. There sure as hell had been a string of corrupt directors preceding him.
“Given he’s intercepting intel on Thanksgiving, I’m not sure he’d say he’s enjoying it. Anyway, that’s the main reason I’m calling. He has reason to believe someone is looking for the sister.”
“Someone was.”
“What do you mean?”
“My cousin Gabe called before she left, saying someone showed up asking for her. She’s staying in one of the cottages they rent out to travelers. Anyway, the call left her rattled.”
“Interesting. What did Brix tell her?”
“Not exactly sure.”
“No worries, Onyx. I’ll get in touch with him myself.”
Until he called my cousin by his nickname, I’d forgotten how well he and Doc knew one another.
“What about Money? Does he know who or why?” I asked.
“Negative, other than she may be in danger. I’ll give Brix a heads-up about that too.”
“What kind of danger?”
“Like I said, Money didn’t have a lot of details. Let me talk to your cousin, see what I can find out, and then I’ll get back to you. We may need to facilitate a relocation. At least temporarily.”
“I can tell you where she’s headed when she leaves the Central Coast.”
“Yeah?”
“The Adirondacks. Same place Ranger’s camp is.”
“Why?”
“Her family has a cabin on the same lake. It’s a place she and her sister used to go when they were kids.”
“What’s she like?”
If the subject matter wasn’t so serious, I would’ve laughed. Doc was as big a gossip as any of the rest of us were. Women got a bad rap for it, but men were as prone to it. Instead, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “They’re identical twins, but otherwise, she’s nothing like her sister.”
“Damn, Onyx. How long was she there?”
“Long enough for me to know.”
I thought about what I’d said to Doc quite a while after our call ended. How could I be so sure about Blanca when I’d been so far off the mark with her sister?
Because I’d ignored my instincts. I saw that now. Corazón was hot as fuck. So was her sister. Sex with her had been the best I had in my life. I shook my head. Sexpionage was a real thing, and Sofia Descanso had been a pro at it.
I closed my eyes, and instead of picturing Sofia, it was Blanca’s face I saw, remembering that when she sat beside me during dinner, I stared into the warmth of her eyes and realized how different they were from her sister’s shallow, cold ones.
If I allowed myself to replay my relationship with the woman who’d tried to kill me, I could think of at least a dozen instances when something about her seemed off. I’d ignored it each time, and if that wasn’t cause for me to find a new career, nothing would be.
Not that I had a choice. According to the doctors, the chance I would be cleared to fly again had worse odds than being struck by lightning. I remembered the day my orthopedic surgeon had used those very words. At the time, all I could think was that I had already been struck by lightning strong enough to kill me—the wrath of Corazón’s storm.
“Where are you staying tonight, bro?” my second-oldest brother, Javier, asked.
“Same as last night.” One of my other bosses at K19 Security Solutions, Razor Sharp, had offered me the use of his place when he heard I was planning to spend Thanksgiving on the Central Coast.
“Pretty nice digs,” Javi commented.
He was right. The duplex Razor shared with one of the other K19 founding partners, Gunner Godet, sat right on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the seaside village of Cambria, less than a thirty-minute drive from my parents’ house.
“You wanna hang out?” I asked.
“Would love to, but I promised my girl I’d rescue her from her family tonight.”
“Understood. Have fun.” I walked away, feeling more relieved than disappointed. The only company I wanted to keep tonight was my own and that of a bottle of Jack.
Two hours later as I sat alone in Razor’s house, I realized how full of shit I was. It wasn’t Jack that would ease my pain, no matter how much of it I drank. Somewhere deep in my soul, a voice was trying to tell me what would. Or who. Blanca Descanso. How fucked up was that?
“What?” I barked into my phone a few days later when I grabbed it and answered without looking to see who was calling.
“Onyx. It’s Doc.”
“Sorry,” I said, sitting up in bed and resting my throbbing head in my hand. “What c
an I do for you?”
“Brix sent footage over from the winery’s security cameras, and I forwarded it to Razor.”
Razor was known for his uncanny ability to never forget a face. More, he remembered every detail there was to know about the person. He was like a damned computer. “Did he recognize the guy?”
“Yep. Hatchet.”
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath when Doc said the name of the notorious hit man. “What’s the South End mob want with her?”
“Heard he’s freelancing.”
If she’d done something to warrant someone putting out a hit on her, maybe my instincts were just as shitty with this Descanso sister as they’d been with the other one.
“Onyx, did you hear me?”
“Sorry, Doc. The call must’ve cut out.”
“Money doesn’t think it’s a hit. At least not until they find what they’re looking for.”
“Which is?”
“I don’t know definitively, but my guess is Sofia left something behind that may implicate whomever turned her—someone on the inside.”
My blood ran cold. “Are you saying you believe there’s an agency connection?” Damn, would we ever be able to clear the swamp of corrupt agents and operatives in our own fucking national intelligence agency?
“That is what I’m saying, Onyx. Money thinks so too.”
“Which is why he came to you about this rather than keeping it within the CIA.”
“Exactly. And the other reason I called you.”
“Me? Sorry, Doc, but I’m not cleared for flight. I doubt I will ever be.”
“Understood. Which means you need a different kind of assignment.”
I looked around the room for the bottle of Jack. It didn’t matter if it was still morning—if it was still morning—if Doc wanted to talk about assignments, I needed a drink.
“I’m not ready, sir.”
“Bullshit. You’re ready, or we wouldn’t be talking.”
“Yeah, well, I’m telling you I’m not.”
“You have fifteen minutes to get yourself together.”
What the fuck? “What happens in fifteen minutes?”
“Merrigan and I walk through the front door and brief you on K19’s newest unit. The one you’re going to head up.”
I would’ve continued to protest, maybe even hung up on the man, if he hadn’t beaten me to it.
Onyx (K19 Security Solutions Book 10) Page 2