Dora said little as she handed her eldest daughter her passport from the home safe. His wife was even smiling when she handed it to their daughter. This infuriated Big Sarge even more.
“Dora, you can’t encourage this foolhardy notion of hers, woman!”
“Honey, there is evidently something between her and Eduardo and she wants to explore it,” Dora responded.
Big Sarge was fit to be tied. “Yes, but she just can’t up and fly into the cocaine capital of the world and not expect red flags and alarms to go off. I know they are going off in my head.”
“Would you feel better if I flew into Brazil Daddy, or some other country and then made my way into Colombia?” Ryanne asked.
“I would feel better if you stayed your ass at home.” Her father sighed in exasperation. “Why him Ryanne?” he asked.
This conversation for her had ended the moment she had her passport in hand. She was fed up with defending her actions to her family when Odessa got to run around and do as she damned well pleased. Just as she had called out Odessa, she called out her father.
“So you are saying that my judgement is impaired, and when it comes to men I should simply sit back and wait for you to find me someone suitable to my temperament. Is that what you are saying Daddy?”
“No. I am saying that man is a killer!” Big Sarge yelled.
Ryanne had been ready for this and her words were slow and deliberate. “And so is Odessa.”
Big Sarge got quiet. Dora dropped her head. She knew Ryanne’s logic was unflappable once she worked out a scenario in her head. Before she would speak, even as a child, she had run every probability and calculated every outcome before she would give a well formulated answer.
“Ah...so when you are faced with the real truth you have nothing to say Daddy? Because I want to point out that it was your precious Odessa who killed his brother that set all of this into motion. What I have with Eddie may not be anything, it may be everything, but I will not know sitting around here watching you drink yourself to death because you are afraid of having surgery. I am no longer afraid of living Daddy,” she told him.
She embraced her mother. She gave Dora a big squeeze and a sideways smile. Dora understood what she was not saying.
To Big Sarge, Ryanne only added the words, “I put an international SIM card in my phone.” She took his cellphone and began to download the tracking app. “With this app you track my cell phone anywhere in the world.” She activated the app then entered her number.
“Daddy, anytime you want to know where I am, open this app and hit this button. It will give you real time information of my location, moving or stationary,” she said as she handed him the phone.
“I will be gone for a week, ten days tops. I will bring you both back some goodies, and then Daddy, we are going to make an appointment to get that hip done. The time for fear is over. It is time to live our best lives. I know I am ready to live mine,” she said. She gave them both one more hug and headed out the door.
Big Sarge sat in the chair and did something he had not done in years, he began to cry the pain of a father. “I have failed my children. My daughters are attracted to dangerous men and my son is seeing a woman who dresses in colorful clothes imprinted with bugs.”
Dora bent in front of her husband of 36 years. “No, you raised two women who chose fearless men to be in their lives, because they were raised by a strong man who showed them what to expect in a husband. They have chosen men who will protect and care for them - just like their father.”
“...But he is a killer,” Big Sarge said.
“And so is Saxton,” she responded. “Only he does it in the name of his country. As did you, my husband. As did I.”
He watched her face as the memory of her interrogating Mateo with the towels flashed back into his head. The idea of what she did to prisoners when no one was watching her made him shudder. She was right.
“Baby, you have to keep one thing in mind,” she said.
“What is that?” He said between his sniffles.
“Eduardo Delgado feels something for our daughter as well. He did not kill her or our son nor did he embarrass her as he could have in the phone call,” she said.
It didn’t matter to Big Sarge. In his mind, cutting off a man’s head and shipping it to his family in a box was a different type of killer. A man had to be cold hearted and ruthless to do such an act. His Ryanne was not equipped to live in that man’s world. She was a book worm, a scholar. A gentle soul with a big heart. She wasn’t even prepared to work in an inner city school, how in the hell was she going to survive as the woman of the leader of a drug cartel?
A sharp pain shot through his hip forcing his right hand to shake and drop the glass he had been holding. He leaned his head back in his recliner and shut his eyes. The tears poured from the sides of the closed lids as he prayed for the skills he had taught his oldest to kick in and keep her safe.
Although she was 32, she had led a sheltered life. It was time for his Ryanne to grow up. A week in Eduardo’s world would either transform her into the woman she was meant to become or break her. Either way, it was out of his hands.
The music was loud in the Dodge Journey as Ryanne drove herself to the air field where Connard’s plane had landed when Saxton borrowed it to get her from Corpus Christie to home. There were three planes on the tarmac as she parked her vehicle in a shaded spot, collected her two pieces of luggage and purse and rolled her way to the small building. Uncertain which plane belonged to him, she figured it best to check in at the small office. She entered the building to be met by three people. One behind the counter, one in a maintenance uniform and the last in a sharply tailored two piece skirt set.
The very attractive raven haired beauty in a cream colored skirt stood when she entered the building. “Dr. Dobbins?” the woman asked.
“Yes,” Ryanne answered.
“This way please, we are ready to depart as soon as you are aboard and settled,” the woman told her. “I am Julianna. I am a member of the crew that will take care of you during your flight to Las Tierras Verdes de mis Antecedentes.”
Ryanne had no idea what that was or where it was, but the lady knew her name, the guy in the maintenance outfit took her luggage to the plane and she followed the pretty woman up the stairs into the aircraft cabin. Two very good looking pilots stood inside the doorway as she entered. Raoul and Tomás as they introduced themselves, but she only thought of the men as sexy and super sexy. From what she understood, Tomás had flown the plane to Texas and Raoul would fly them back.
Julianna helped Ryanne to her seat as Tomás closed the outer door and performed the cross checks. “Seňor Delgado has requested we take special care of you during your flight. The kitchen is open and I can prepare you any meal. We have with us today Kobe beef steaks and Alaskan king crab for a savory surf and turf, or we have a delicious marinated chicken breast on a bed of mixed greens with a mango avocado vinaigrette dressing.”
Ryanne didn’t realize she was hungry until she heard the chicken breast. “I will have the chicken please Julianna,” she responded.
Raoul’s voice came over the intercom to let Ryanne know they were ready to taxi and would be in the air shortly. It also did not escape her attention that she was referred to as Dr. Dobbins. Factor in the details, Ryanne. Calculate the nuances. A glass of juice was handed to their only passenger who leaned back in the seat and mentally prepared herself to enter into Eddie’s world.
Dr. Dobbins was headed to Colombia.
I am going to see my Eddie.
Chapter 5. Welcome to Las Tierras Verdes ...
The flight was so smooth that Ryanne did not feel the plane touch down on the ground. She was awakened by Julianna, informing her they had arrived at Las Tierras Verdes. She had brought a few projects along with her that she had planned to work on in her down time. An editing project for her friend David Davonshire’s new book on finance as well as the financials for Blakemore Imports and one other project
that she really had no desire to open the pages. That one was assigned to her by Agent Roget. Although she no longer worked for the State Department, Roget had pulled some strings for her to keep her security clearance and this project would keep her active in the data base. She was being paid for it, but nonetheless, she wanted nothing to do with these numbers.
“On behalf of myself, Raoul and Tomás, we would like to welcome you to Las Tierras Verdes. We will also be your flight crew upon your return to the US. We do hope that your flight was satisfactory,” Julianna said to her.
“Thank you, everything was exceptional,” Ryanne responded.
The door of the plane opened and she walked down the stairs to be slapped in the face with warm, spring like weather and air so fresh, she nearly insisted to his crew that she could hear a Disney song playing in the background. At the base of the stairs was a black SUV and an extremely attractive woman in mint green pantsuit. She was possibly one of the most beautiful women Ryanne had ever laid her eyes on. Her hair was a deep brown, pulled back into a tight bun, her skin was flawless and she introduced herself as Marianna, Seňor Delgado’s assistant.
“Welcome to Las Tierras Verdes, Dr. Dobbins. I will escort you to the hacienda to get you settled. Seňor Delgado will join you at dinner, he is tied for up the remainder of the afternoon,” she said flatly.
It was at this time that Ryanne noticed the similarity between Marianna and Julianna. “I’m sorry, please excuse the personal question, but are you related to Julianna?” she asked.
“Yes, she is my twin,” Marianna informed her.
For some reason, no loud pinging alarms went off in her head that Eddie would employ a set of beautiful twins to work at his side - to take care of him and his needs. She tucked the idea away in the back of her head and stared out the window. A rather large man drove the vehicle. Ryanne was seated behind him in the SUV. As they drove down the dirt roads, it became obvious that the airstrip was actually a part of the farmland.
“Marianna, how many acres is Las Tierras Verdes?” she asked.
“Currently, with the addition of the newly acquired lands, the green lands of my ancestors is 35,800 acres,” she answered.
Ryanne pulled out a notepad from her purse. “How many acres are attributed to which crops?”
Marianna turned completely in the seat to take all of Ryanne in. Eduardo had not specified what the woman was coming to the ranch to do or take care of, and she had no right to ask. It was unlike him to divulge details which he felt were not relative to her immediate job function, but this was an opportunity to learn more about this Dr. Ryanne Dobbins.
“The coffee is grown on 4,750 acres, the coca is grown on 9,180, and there is corn, sugar cane, and the vegetables for the village and families who work on Las Tierras Verdes,” Marianna answered.
There were more scribbles in the notebook. A pensive look on Ryanne’s face, then a few more questions including, “Is Las Tierras Verdes self-sustaining and a green farm?”
Marianna’s perfect face wrinkled. “What do you mean by green?”
“No pesticides, organic, all natural?”
“But of course. Seňor Delgado reseeds from his own crops as well as the use of natural oils from plants as a treatment on the harvests. We use a great deal of solar and wind power on Las Tierras Verdes to run the small processing plants. The power stores that we do not use, we sell to the villagers at a nominal cost to ensure they have electricity for the local school and churches,” she said. “Every home on the land is equipped with indoor plumbing, bathrooms, and a refrigerator,” she told Ryanne with pride.
This was good information. Ryanne put away her notebook as the vehicle made its way around a bend and began to drive up to the main house. It was exactly what she expected. An old stucco hacienda with lots of blooming plants and flowering beds. It was white. It was two story and did not register on her radar as anything out of the ordinary. It was a house.
Ryanne stepped from the vehicle and climbed the stairs to stand on the front porch. The view of Las Tierras Verdes from where she stood was possibly the most breathtaking vision she had ever seen in her life. The home overlooked all the green fields and valleys. She could see the movement amongst the greenery of workers, men on horses, and women walking among the lines of fields with water, and for a second her breathing stopped.
I could wake up to this every single day of my life.
She was so focused on what she was seeing that she did not notice the golf cart roll up. Marianna spoke up, “Buenas tardes Seňor Delgado.”
As her eyes shifted down the stairs, where he had walked up several and stopped. Eduardo remained on that step looking up at Ryanne. My Eddie. He was covered in dirt, sported a full beard, a black Stetson, and looked sexy enough to eat. A whittled down cheroot dangled from his mouth as he kept his eyes trained on her face. Ryanne had not removed her dark shades so he could not see her eyes.
“Welcome Dr. Dobbins to Las Tierras Verdes, the green valleys of my ancestors,” he said.
Ryanne lowered her shades to look over the rim. Her eyes now focused on the very large man who sat in the back of the golf cart with an AK47. Eduardo’s eyes followed what she was looking at giving a nod to the man who lowered the weapon from her view.
“Thank you for having me Seňor. I look forward to spending a week here understanding your needs,” she responded.
Eduardo’s eyebrows raised slightly. “I have some matters which require my attention, but I shall join you for dinner at 6 pm. Marianna will show you to your quarters. Dr. Dobbins, please do not be late,” he said as he walked down the stairs and climbed into the passenger seat of the golf cart.
Eduardo did not give her time to respond. Any comments or thoughts she had on his high handed tactics she kept to herself as she was led into the hacienda. The temperature was cool inside the home with nothing outstanding about the decor. As she climbed the grand staircase, her room was on the right, with basic furniture, a simple white bed covering, and two lumpy looking feather pillows. What did catch her eyes was the gorgeous white evening gown on the bed.
Marianna spoke softly, “The Seňor would like you to wear this for dinner. Please...do not be late. You have a little over two hours.”
“Who takes two hours to get showered and dressed?” Ryanne asked incredulously.
“You would be surprised...just don’t be late,” Marianna said again.
“Got it,” she responded as the lady closed the door. She set her phone for an hour from now, double checked to make sure it had the right time, and she fell across the bed. In less than two minutes she was in a deep sleep.
The sound of the unanswered alarm is what made him stop at her door. Eduardo tapped lightly on the door frame but received no answer. The alarm was still buzzing as he turned the knob and entered the room. There she was, flung out across the bed in the most unladylike position, in a dead sleep. Her mouth was opened wide, a pillow was shoved between her legs and one of her breasts was hanging out of her top.
Ryanne is here.
When he rode up to the house and saw her standing on the front porch, it took him a second to start breathing again.
She is actually here.
Ryanne was in his country, in his world and now in his home. His body ached with his need for her, but it would have to wait. Tonight he would take her on a date that she would never forget.
His index finger rubbed the sole of her foot. She twitched. He did it again, and she twitched once more. “Wake up Ryanne,” he said to her.
Her eyes opened slowly to find him standing at the foot of the bed. Still dirty. And extremely smelly. “Hi there Eddie,” she mumbled fighting the urge to cover her nose.
“¡Buenas!” he responded, the awkwardness of being in her room while she slumbered made him uncomfortable. He pointed to her phone vibrating on the night stand. “Your alarm...it is time to wake.”
She smiled at him. “I am awake.”
“Good. It is time to get dressed for di
nner,” he told her.
“I will be ready,” she whispered as her thighs clamped around the pillow squeezing it, letting go, squeezing it again. Her eyes, heavy with sleep, never leaving his. She saw him swallow hard.
“I will meet you downstairs,” he said as he hurriedly let himself out of her room. As badly as he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her, he couldn’t, because one kiss was not going to be enough to sate him. Besides, he was covered in a layer of sweat, funk, and something that fell out of the rear end of a sick donkey.
Ryanne sat up slowly realizing her compromised position, tucking her wayward boob back into her blouse. Eduardo had seen her twice and still had not kissed her. Odd, how could he pass up all this sexy? As she thought more on his behavior while showering, she also noticed in front of others he referred to her as Dr. Dobbins and alone, he called her Ryanne.
Duly noted, Seňor. Private and public are separate.
The question was why?
Chapter 6. Wow! What a first date...
The white gown was made of the finest silk and draped her body like a well-tailored second skin. It clung to all the right spots and hung loosely where it should have. The new underwear fit perfectly under the material allowing her girls to be presented in a way that accentuated the dress but did not come across as trashy. A few loose tendrils of hair hung from the temples as the rest she piled loosely on top of the crown of her head. Whomever chose the gown had really good taste and she was certain it would make a lasting impression on her Eddie.
Eduardo worked diligently to not pace at the base of the stairs. Tonda, his right hand and personal body guard watched the always cool and collected boss act like a teenager on a first date. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot waiting for her to come down the stairs. If there was one thing that irritated the boss to no end, it was being made to wait. Patience was not his strong suit and the longer he was made to wait, the shorter his patience became. She did not disappoint him.
Loving the Czar (The Blakemore Files Book 6) Page 3