by LENA DIAZ,
He reached up and traced the barbed-wire tattoo on her left bicep. “So, how did two identical twin sisters end up so different?”
Heather cleared her throat and took a step back to put some space between them. “Lily was always, ah, competitive, jealous, I guess. She thought I was the favorite. And she...” She shivered when Nick smoothed his fingers up her other arm, lightly tracing the outline of one of the swirling flower tattoos.
“And she...what?” He slid his hand up her shoulder.
“She left home when she was sixteen. Dropped out of school. I didn’t see her for a long time. I only recently...”
He gently massaged her shoulder, making her skin flush hot wherever he touched her.
“Go on,” he urged, both of his hands heating her skin, leaving a fiery trail in their wake. “You recently what?”
“I...I don’t remember what I was going to say. Nick, what are you doing?”
His nostrils flared and he dipped his head down toward her, but before his mouth claimed hers, he hesitated. Time seemed to stand still as Heather looked into his eyes, so close to hers.
“Nick?” she breathed, waiting, hoping.
He shuddered, his brow furrowing as if he were in pain. Then he stepped back and turned away. “I’ll wait in the living room. Don’t change clothes. What you’re wearing is perfect for pretending to be your sister. If you want to get Gonzalez to notice you, that’s the way to do it.”
His voice was hard and cold, with none of the warmth she’d heard earlier. He stalked from the bathroom, leaving her wondering what in the world had just happened.
* * *
“DON’T FORGET CONDITION number two,” Nick said.
Heather clutched his hand, afraid she wasn’t going to be able to do this. He had her backed up against the wall in the dark hallway to the bathrooms in the marina restaurant, pretending to be amorous in case someone saw them, but he was actually giving her last-minute instructions.
“Heather, did you hear what I said?”
“Condition number two, yes, got it.” She glanced down the long hall toward the main room of the restaurant. She had to go out there, by herself, in this horrid outfit, and pretend to be okay with that while she waited for a dangerous drug dealer to approach her. She clutched Nick’s hand even harder.
He cursed and gently eased her grip, bringing her attention back to him.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s okay. What’s condition number two?” he asked. “I need to make sure you’ve got this.”
“I hate your stupid conditions.”
“I know, but tell me anyway.”
She rolled her eyes. “Condition number two—I do exactly what you tell me to do at all times. I remember. And don’t worry. I’ve got that ear thingy in. I’m not going to try to wing it on my own. I’m scared enough as it is.”
His mouth twitched. “Earwig, not ear thingy. And why are you scared? It’s just a restaurant, nothing like the bar you were in before. There are no fewer than ten DEA agents in here undercover, plus me. You’re surrounded by people who want nothing more than to keep you safe. Nothing’s going to happen, as long as you follow instructions. The second I feel it’s not safe, I’m pulling you out. If I tell you to leave, you jump out of your chair and hightail it out of here. Some of the agents will follow you out. If I tell you to duck down, you—”
“Yeah, yeah. I drop to the floor. You reminded me of all your conditions a million times on the way over here. I’ve got it. And I’ve got this. I didn’t dress up like a two-bit hooker for nothing. I’m not going to humiliate myself looking like this without doing everything I can to make this work. I don’t want to have to come back here again. I want this to end tonight.”
His hand circled her waist and he pulled her close. “Trust me. You don’t look like a two-bit hooker.”
“I don’t?” she whispered, her breath catching in her throat at the heat in his gaze.
He shook his head. “I’d pay a lot more than two bits.” He winked.
She drew a sharp breath and shoved his hand away. Without another word, she whirled around and headed for the high-topped table reserved for her. Her dramatic exit was ruined when she lost her balance on the ridiculous stilettos and almost fell. She grabbed the back of a chair, forcing a smile when the startled man in the chair turned.
With a slower, more sane pace, she made her way to the table. She climbed onto the bar stool, certain she looked like a fool trying to keep from flashing everyone as she tugged on her miniskirt.
When a waitress stopped by, Heather ordered her sister’s favorite drink, tequila, straight up. But when the drink arrived, Heather only pretended to sip it. The smell alone told her she’d be gagging or half drunk in minutes if she really drank any.
It didn’t take long for someone to notice her. A tall, thin man with coffee-colored skin threaded his way through the crowd to her table. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, but she focused instead on watching the people at the other tables, eating dinner.
“Stranger approaching at two o’clock. He’s not Gonzalez, but he might be one of his men,” Nick’s voice spoke in her ear through the two-way transmitter. Heather couldn’t help but jump when his voice first sounded. Hopefully no one noticed.
“Mmm-hmm.” She raised her glass for a pretend sip.
“Lily.” The man she’d seen approaching was suddenly standing beside her chair. “What are you doing here?” He glanced around, as if afraid someone might see him with her.
Her pulse sped up. This man obviously knew her sister, and expected she would know him, too. She tried to focus on what Nick had told her to do. Lowering her glass, she crossed her arms on the table and tried for a world-weary expression.
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m having a drink.”
He leaned in close, still not looking at her directly. He kept scanning the room as if he was afraid someone was watching him. “Obviously, but why here?”
“Why not here?” she countered. “Where else should I be?”
He quirked a brow, facing her directly this time. “Does Gonzalez know you left the compound?”
“Be evasive,” Nick’s voice whispered through the transmitter in her ear.
Heather moved her glass in tiny circles on the tabletop. “I couldn’t say if he knows or not. He doesn’t own me. He doesn’t tell me what I can or can’t do.”
The man’s brows lifted. “How much have you been drinking?”
“Not enough.” She lifted the glass and held it to her lips. Then she set it back down and wiped her mouth. “Say whatever it is you want to say and go away. You’re ruining my good mood.”
He shook his head, his face reddening. “If Gonzalez realizes you left, there won’t be a safe place within hundreds of miles for you to hide. You’d better go back, now, before he realizes you’re gone.”
“Go back where?” She purposely slurred her words, trying to give him the impression she was a little tipsy, to explain why she wouldn’t know where Gonzalez was.
He shook his head. “Come on. I’ll take you back.”
Excitement pulsed through her. Could it really be this easy? He was offering to take her to where Gonzalez was holding her sister. She took a slow, deep breath, trying to remain calm. “All right, I guess. This place is boring anyway. You’ll have to drive though. This tequila’s already gone straight to my head.”
He gave her a quizzical look. “Drive?”
Shoot. What had she done? She was being too specific, which could ruin everything since she didn’t have a clue where Gonzalez’s compound was. Why would he balk at the word drive? Was the compound so close they could walk there? Or was it so far away they would have to fly, or take a boat? She wasn’t sure what to say.
The transmitter crackled in her ear.
“Play up how much you drank. He’s getting suspicious.”
She grinned and lifted her drink again. “What? You don’t think I could do it? Drive to the compound?” She giggled, trying to make him think she thought the idea was ridiculous, too.
“You really are wasted.” He pulled the drink away from her and shoved it out of her reach. “Come on. My boat’s out back. I’ll try to sneak you into the compound before all hell breaks loose.”
“Okay, walk outside with him but stay close to the restaurant,” Nick’s voice whispered in her ear. “Try to get him to tell you where the compound is. If he doesn’t, ditch him and go back inside to wait for Gonzalez.”
She slid off the bar stool. She immediately had to clutch the table for support when her feet wobbled in her outrageously unstable stilettos.
The man with her cursed and grabbed her arm, steadying her. He obviously thought she was too drunk to walk, because he held her close and guided her out of the bar.
“We’re with you,” Nick’s voice whispered. “But you’re too close to him. Put some distance between the two of you. And under no circumstances are you to get anywhere near his boat. Make an excuse. Say you have to go to the bathroom, whatever it takes. We’ll follow his boat when he leaves and see where he goes. With any luck, that will give us the location of the compound where Lily is. Now back away. You’re still too close.”
With any luck? Meaning if she didn’t get on the boat, this might all be for nothing and they might not find Lily? Heather frowned, but did as Nick had told her. She pulled away from the man beside her.
“I can walk,” she said, slurring her words again. “Just lead the way. Um, where are we going again?” She threw the last part in, hoping he’d say the name of the island where the compound was, if indeed it was on another island, which she assumed because of him saying they would take his boat to get there.
“To the compound,” he said.
Her hopes plummeted as the boats sitting at the dock came into view. If she couldn’t get him to give her the location, she’d gained nothing. What if they lost him once he took the boat out? What if Gonzalez didn’t show, and this was her only shot?
“I know, I know,” she said, forcing another giggle. “But where is that again? I can’t seem to keep it straight in my head.” She tapped her temple and wobbled on her heels, this time on purpose.
He ignored her question.
“Go back to the restaurant,” Nick hissed in her ear.
Heather kept walking.
When they reached the stranger’s boat, he held out his hand to help her. “Come on.”
She should have backed away. She should have told him she had to go to the ladies’ room as Nick had suggested. But she hesitated. This man knew where Lily was.
“Why are you still standing there?” Nick whispered. “Go back inside the restaurant.”
“Hurry up,” the stranger said, waving his hand for her to step over the side of the boat. “I’m telling you, if Gonzalez figures out you managed to leave without him knowing, it’s not just you who’s in trouble. It’s me and the other guys who are supposed to be guarding the place.”
“Don’t you dare,” Nick’s furious voice whispered in her ear, as if he’d just realized she was seriously considering getting into the boat. “Get out of there,” he demanded.
She glanced down at the man’s hand in front of her. If she stepped into that boat, she’d see her sister again. Or would she? What if this was a trick? But if she didn’t, she was back at the beginning, no closer to finding her twin than she’d been on day one. How much more time did Lily have if she wasn’t rescued? A week? A day? An hour?
“Heather.” Nick’s voice was a low growl. “Condition number two.”
She stiffened her spine. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I have to do this.”
“What?” The man’s brows lowered in confusion.
“Nothing.” She smiled and took his hand.
Nick cursed in her ear. He sounded out of breath, as if he was on the move.
Heather stepped over the side of the boat, and all hell broke loose.
Chapter Eleven
The hand holding Heather’s went slack. The man in front of her crumpled to the floor of the boat. Behind him stood the man Dante had shown her a picture of earlier, to make sure she’d recognize him.
Gonzalez.
In his hand was the gun he’d used like a hammer to knock the other man unconscious.
Heather stood frozen, staring into the eyes of the man who’d taken her sister. Gonzalez started to raise his gun. A man suddenly lunged from the shadows beside the boat and launched himself at Gonzalez, slamming into him, propelling both of them over the side and into the water. The splash sent up a plume of water that would have drenched Heather if someone hadn’t grabbed her and pulled her back.
Like ants pouring out of an anthill, a dozen DEA agents converged onto the docks from their hiding places behind bushes, boats and even the cars parked near the dock. Two agents standing at the water’s edge discarded their jackets and guns and jumped into the water where Gonzalez and the other man had disappeared.
“Miss Bannon, this way, please.” The man who’d pulled Heather out of the boat tugged her backward. The big white DEA letters on his jacket reassured Heather that he really was an agent and wasn’t one of Gonzalez’s men, but the fact that he wasn’t Nick had her stomach clenching with dread. Where was Nick? Had something happened to him? She replayed the last few moments in her memory.
The man who’d taken her to the boat crumpling to the floor.
Gonzalez standing behind him with a gun in his hand.
Another man launching himself at Gonzalez.
A very familiar-looking man.
Heather’s gaze flew back to the boat and the crowd of men standing there.
“Please tell me that wasn’t Agent Nick Morgan who went into the water with Gonzalez.”
“Well, yes, ma’am, it was.”
She tugged out of the man’s grasp and ran toward the water’s edge. Or at least, that was her plan. She’d only gone about five feet when her right heel wobbled, she lost her balance and she went sprawling onto the asphalt.
Her mind had just enough time to register that her miniskirt was hiked up around her hips before someone hauled her to her feet and tugged her skirt back into place. From the sounds of the cursing in her ear, she knew exactly who’d come to her rescue this time.
Nick.
She was so relieved that he was okay that she didn’t even care that he was yelling at her in front of everyone for being so stupid and foolishly risking her life. And she didn’t care that he was dripping wet. All she cared about was that he wasn’t dead.
She threw her arms around his waist and held him tight. “Thank God you’re okay.”
He stiffened and grabbed her arms, forcing her back. He grabbed one of the agents nearby. “Higgins, get Miss Bannon back to the hotel. Take another agent with you and try to keep her from causing any more trouble until I get back.”
“Yes, sir.” Higgins motioned another agent over. “Miss Bannon, come with us, please.”
Without another word, Nick stalked off and joined the group of men surrounding a very wet, very angry-looking Gonzalez, who’d been fished out of the water.
Heather wanted to jump into the water herself, or maybe throw one of those DEA flak jackets over her head, anything to shut herself away from the other agents giving her curious looks. They’d seen her hugging Nick. And they’d seen him push her away. He’d treated her like a stranger and spoke to her as if she were a recalcitrant child. Perhaps if she were a child, or a stranger, he’d at least have asked if she was okay. Instead, he’d been too busy putting as much distance between them as he could, as quickly as he could.
As if she didn’t eve
n matter.
“Miss Bannon?” Higgins gave her a quizzical look. “Are you okay?”
His kind question and gentle voice had her tearing up. Why couldn’t Nick have shown some compassion, an ounce of caring, instead of being so disgusted with her? She didn’t have cocaine in her hair this time, but he’d still treated her as if she had the plague.
In front of everyone.
She gave Higgins a tight smile. “I’m fine. I’m ready to go. Thank you.”
He nodded and led her toward a waiting car. She kept her head up, her back straight, refusing to let Nick have the satisfaction of thinking his treatment of her mattered. It was all her fault, really. She’d forgotten about condition number one. The words Nick had said to her at the police station couldn’t have been more clear when he’d listed his first condition for agreeing to help her.
We’re through, finished. There is no “us” anymore. And there never will be.
She’d been in total agreement at the time, right after she’d gotten out of jail. She’d wanted nothing to do with him, either. But just being near him the past few days had reminded her how much she was attracted to him, how much she admired him for the work he did, how much he cared about helping other people. Seeing the lighter side of him with his brother and sister-in-law at the tattoo parlor had reminded her how warm and loving he could be, a side of him she’d enjoyed so much when they first met, but which she’d seen so little of in the past few days.
How could she have allowed herself to fall for him again only to be rejected again? He didn’t want her. He didn’t care about her. All he cared about was his job and appearances.
She wouldn’t forget again.
* * *
THE SOUND OF voices woke Heather. She bolted up in bed, blinking to focus in the dimly lit hotel room as she clutched the covers to her chest. Her pulse was pounding so hard she could hear it echoing in her ears.