“Roger that,” Snake muttered, flicking a switch. “Candid Camera time, honey. Hey! She’s looking up at us! Isn’t that cool, dude?”
“Just snap the photo, will you, Snake?”
“Smile! You’re on Candid Camera!” Snake pressed a button that would capture the hiker’s image on a digital card. “Now she’s indelibly printed in our BJS files of who’s who, Wild Woman. Are you satisfied?”
“Hell yes! I’m bored. Let’s go see if we can scare up some druggies south of here, shall we? This is our last month down here before we go to new assignments. Let’s make the most of it.”
Snake broke out in song. “‘Fly me to the moon….’”
Quirking her mouth, Wild Woman eased the Apache back toward the known drug routes. She guided the helicopter upward, the gravity pressing her back into the seat, the harness biting slightly into her shoulders. “Gawd, Snake! Stop yowling! You sound like a damn Siamese cat with its tail stuck in the door! Give my ears a rest, dude!”
With the weather so clear today, Major Stevenson had anticipated a lot of druggies wanting to make a run to the border of Bolivia, and she’d put every available helicopter and flight team into the air to stop them. Jessica and Vickey had other fish to fry and couldn’t waste time checking out a lone hiker. Sometimes, though, drug dealers paid Indians in the surrounding villages to carry the goods. BJS pilots would use infrared to find a dozen or so of them with huge sacks of cocaine on their backs, walking to Bolivia or other drop-off points. Not the case today.
“Hey, I thought you liked my singing!”
Snickering, Wild Woman said, “Yeah, when I’m drunk on pisco and sittin’ at a bar in Cuzco, drownin’ my sorrows.”
“Let’s go find some druggies, Wild Woman. I’m hungry for a kill….”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT WAS 1500 in the hot, humid afternoon when Mac heard Esau, one of the guards, sing out in an excited voice, “She’s coming! She’s coming!”
Mac had been sitting in the helo, doing some weekly safety checks on the bird. He twisted around to see for himself. Sure enough, Katherine Lincoln had just come through the archway in the outer wall. Relief, sharp and sweet, sheeted through him.
Her hair was matted and uncombed, obviously dampened from the humidity and her exertion. He could tell she’d slipped and fallen many times because her clothes were covered in red mud. She held her head high and her shoulders square as she marched confidently into the stronghold. The look in her eyes was one of fearlessness, of self-assurance. Even the two soldiers on guard duty at the gate grinned and hailed her like a conquering heroine.
Mac knew that Therese was asleep. Midafternoon was siesta time in South America, and only gringos like himself worked through it. Guards, however, had no choice. They were on duty around the estate 24/7. Therese had given him instructions to take care of Ms. Lincoln should she show up. Mac remembered the wolfish smile Therese had given him and the glimmer in her large, intelligent eyes. She was sure Katherine would make it back. And she had.
As he slid out of the Bell, Mac wiped his hands. He closed the door and walked briskly so that he could intercept her before she went to Therese’s office. Several other gardeners, all older men who used to be farmers in the region at one time, clapped as Katherine passed by. She had a weary smile for all of them.
God help him, but she was beautiful, mud and all. It was the look in her blue eyes that made Mac realize all over again how much of a warrior she was. When Katherine saw him her mouth pulled into a dazzling smile of unparalleled beauty. Heat burned through Mac as he returned her smile of greeting. He drew to a halt six feet away, because if he didn’t keep a safe distance, he would sweep her into his arms and kiss her until they melted together. Every night she was gone, his dreams of kissing Katherine had been torrid and too real.
“Welcome back, Ms. Lincoln.”
“Thank you, Mac. Call me Kathy.” She drowned in his stormy gray eyes, unable to tear her gaze from his face. Mac stood relaxed, hands resting languidly on his hips, that boyish smile dissolving her defenses. Suddenly, her body simmered with a throbbing need that only he could soothe, a need that caught her completely off guard. Since Curt’s sudden, shocking death, she thought her heart had died.
“Not Katherine?”
“No, that’s my official name. My friends and family call me Kathy.”
Friends and family, eh? Well, okay, he definitely wanted to be friends with her. Much more than that, Mac realized. As Kathy pushed her bedraggled blond hair off her face, he grinned. “There’s a nice swimming hole in back of the villa.” He lowered his voice. “Away from prying ears and eyes. Everyone is sleeping right now because it’s siesta time. They won’t start stirring for another two hours. Therese wanted me to take care of your needs if you came in during this time. What will it be? Swimming hole or a hot shower in your villa?”
Gazing up at his warm, intimate expression, Kathy felt her heart contract. “I’m a nature girl. I’ll take the swimming hole.” Besides, she could be alone with him—the man who had called her bright angel. The endearment had never left Kathy. When she’d felt scared on the trail, she would replay that sweet name and the husky tone with which Mac had said it. It had calmed her frayed nerves many times. She didn’t want to divulge that to him, though. If he knew how much power he had over her…Well, she was barely able to keep her hands to herself. All Kathy wanted to do was kiss him and sink into his strong arms and cherish him as she was sure he would cherish her.
Mac gestured between the two main buildings. “Follow me. I have some towels, shampoo and soap waiting down there.”
“You’re really on top of things,” Kathy said with a low laugh. She fell into step with Mac and realized he was cutting his stride back to match hers. Though her legs were aching and tired, Kathy felt amazingly alert. When they were well past the buildings, she looked around to make sure no one was near. “I ditched the knapsack five miles away from the estate. They’ll never find it if they go looking for it. That’s why I was late. I dug a hole for it in a dense grove of trees well off the path.”
“That was quite a job,” Mac said. He was relieved she’d taken such care to hide the knapsack, because if it were ever found, he would be fingered, and a bullet to the brain would be the next order of business.
Shrugging, Kathy pushed the hair off her face. She felt gritty, dirty, sweaty and longed for a cooling bath. The brick path curved downward at a much sharper angle now and she could hear a waterfall below them. Surrounding them on all sides was the jungle, but it had been thinned out here at the compound. Large-leaved plants swatted gently against them as they walked.
“I fixed up a lunch pail with some food, too. You’re probably starving to death, after subsisting on protein bars for a couple of days.”
Laughing softly, Kathy said, “Just like that jaguar.” She told him the story as they went down to the pool. Just as she finished relaying her adventure, they found themselves at a twenty-foot waterfall, which flowed over black lava rocks to an oval pool below. The open water created a hole in the thick jungle cover. Kathy appreciated seeing the hazy blue sky and bright sunlight that poured through the opening.
“Wow, this place looks like Shangri-La,” she exclaimed. Spotting two pink, fluffy beach towels on a flat rock near the pool, she quickly unlaced her wet, muddy boots and took off the damp socks.
“Yeah, Therese said that the patrón had this place created for his wife, Paloma.” Mac decided not to say too much more about her. Kathy would find out soon enough about this sordid family. He walked over to a nearby fallen log. “I’ll sit here with my back to you while you strip down and jump in. You can tell me about the rest of your adventures.” Mac knew he should leave, but he caved in to his need to remain with her.
“Thanks.” Kathy quickly shed her damp, filthy clothes, stepped gingerly into the soft wooden chips at the edge of the water and stuck her toes into the clear turquoise pool. It was deliciously cool and terribly inviting. Grabbing t
he washcloth and soap, she waded across the sandy bottom until the water was up to her waist.
Mac stared up the path as Kathy washed herself and shampooed her hair. No one ever used this pool, to his knowledge. At least not now. Paloma, ever addicted and in a heroin haze, lay in her sumptuous bedroom suite on the second floor of the main villa. Mac had heard that she used to come down here daily to bathe and swim, but now preferred heroin to natural highs.
Another reason to bring Kathy here was that it was one of the few places that wasn’t bugged. He could hear her splashing happily behind him. Every once in a while she would groan with delight. He liked that husky sound, and his imagination was going wild, wondering how she looked without her clothes.
“You know,” Kathy called as she waded deeper into the water, “I saw something very unusual in the sky.”
“Oh?”
“Yesterday afternoon I saw a black helicopter hover above me, where I was walking on the jaguar path. It was pretty close.” She tried to sound casual and matter-of-fact. Kathy figured a civilian couldn’t distinguish one helo from another, but she knew damn well it was an Apache combat helicopter that had swooped down to above where she’d been walking on the trail. Since it was an Apache, she guessed it was either owned by the Peruvian government, or there was a U.S.-backed black ops going on down here that she wasn’t aware of. Would Mac know anything?
“A black helicopter?” Frowning, Mac realized the Apache that had given everyone at the villa the jitters must have been the same one she’d seen.
“Yeah. Black and evil looking. It was carrying what looked like a lot of weapons.” Kathy could name them off, but that would be a dead giveaway. She stared at Mac’s wide, strong back. She wondered what he was thinking, because he was quiet for a moment.
“There are a lot of helicopters in this area,” Mac said, pretending not to be that interested. He knew exactly who’d been piloting that helo. He’d been briefed on the Black Jaguar Squadron before he’d gone undercover. “Probably a turista flight from an outfit in Cuzco. They fly out here all the time. Tourists like seeing the Machu Picchu area from above.”
Kathy turned and started wading out of the water. “Oh. It didn’t look very civilian.” She hoped Mac would say something else. He didn’t, much to her consternation.
After getting out of the pool, Kathy quickly toweled off. Mac had thoughtfully left a pink cotton, knee-length shift for her to wear. Eyeing her muddy clothes, she was more than happy to slip into the simple gown. “Okay, I’m dressed. You can turn around,” she called. To her delight, Mac had brought a comb and brush, too, which she picked up. She walked over to the log and sat down a few feet away from him, facing the pool.
“I’m beginning to feel human,” she said. “Thank you…for everything. I owe you—big time.”
Mac turned and faced her, sitting with his thighs parted, elbows resting on them. “Yes, you do, bright angel.” He saw her cheeks suddenly redden, and he held his breath. Why had he used the endearment? He couldn’t get involved with this woman! He simply couldn’t. Yet he sat there frozen, waiting for her reaction.
Feeling the heat in her cheeks, Kathy knew she was blushing over his calling her bright angel. His voice had turned so damn personal and husky, flowing across her as if he were using his fingers to graze her flesh once again. “That’s a beautiful name.”
“You like it?”
Kathy gently worked through the snarls in her hair with the comb. Once again she saw the warmth in his gray eyes as he held her gaze. “Yes, I do. But it’s making me feel kind of awkward.” She saw his brows dip. “I’m not even hired here yet and there’s something…between us.” God, the last thing she’d ever expected in an undercover mission was to be irresistibly drawn to a drug dealer! And her heart was winning the battle. Kathy knew she had to put a stop to Mac’s obvious interest in her, but how? Seeing the disappointment in his expression, she whispered, “I just didn’t expect, well, to meet a man I was attracted to. Not here….”
“I wasn’t looking for a relationship, either. It’s just sort of happened.” His heart beat hard to underscore the truth of his words. So he’d roast in hell at night, wondering over and over what it would be like to kiss that beautiful mouth of hers. Judging from the yearning and confusion he saw in her eyes, Mac sensed that she liked him, too. A lot more than she was willing to admit. That was okay; he could live with it. He had a lot of patience when it came to courting someone he liked.
She managed a slight, nervous smile. “Can we take this one day at a time, Mac? I have a job to do and I don’t want to disappoint the patrón. But I want to take you to dinner in Cuzco later if I get this job. That’s the least I can do to repay you.”
Barely able to handle the burning look in his eyes and the way the corners of his mouth quirked, Kathy felt her desire for him triple. Mac had done nothing but help her. Ever since they’d met—was it only four days ago?—he’d been there for her. Kathy was torn up inside, especially when she thought about what she’d come to Peru to accomplish. She would just have to take it a minute at a time. An hour at a time. It was so easy to pretend Mac was just a man, not a drug dealer. Did undercover agents ever get involved on a mission? Kathy didn’t know, but it was happening to her right now.
“That would be nice. I haven’t been taken to dinner by a woman in a long time.” Mac met her laughter-filled eyes. Kathy Lincoln sure cleaned up nice. He could smell the faint scent of the jasmine shampoo she’d used on her hair. The blond strands, though darker when wet, still shone like old gold as she patiently worked the strands free of snarls. Her cheeks were glowing with good health, and when his gaze fell to her parted lips, he groaned inwardly. Too many times he’d thought of what it would be like to kiss her, to feel the strength and softness of her as a woman.
Chuckling, Kathy said, “I promised myself if I made it back, I’d buy you a steak dinner in Cuzco. I’m good for my word.”
“You’re on, then,” Mac said. Dinner with her would be a gift. An unexpected one, that was for sure. He was going to have to figure out how to look but not touch.
“Can you tell me what’s next on my agenda here, Mac? Do I finally get an interview with the patrón? Do I find out now if I have the job or not?” What did Mac Coulter want in payment? Those words begged to be asked, but Kathy didn’t go there.
In no time her hair hung free around her shoulders, drying in the sun. Holding the comb and brush in her hands, she assessed his reaction to her questions.
Keeping his voice almost a whisper, Mac said, “My guess is you’ll be debriefed by Therese in a couple of hours, after siesta. Tell her everything except about the knapsack. And don’t say anything about your run-in with the jaguar. If she asks, just say you didn’t see one. Play dumb.”
“Of course,” Kathy said. She saw darkness enter his eyes. He started to scowl as he looked out across the pool.
“I’m sure Therese will give the patrón the debrief of your test tonight or tomorrow morning.”
“Then I get to meet him?” Kathy’s stomach knotted and she held the brush more tightly in her hand. Finally, she’d get to meet the son of the man who had so grievously wounded her family. Would she be able to keep her cool? Not allow her hatred or rage to show? To conduct herself calmly and attentively, so that Garcia would never know her real intentions? So much of what had happened already had thrown her off course, unbalanced her. Kathy knew now, more than ever, that she had to be careful to not blow her cover. Garcia could never suspect her. Not once.
“Well, I think Therese will wait to hear from him. When he says it’s okay, she’ll take you to meet his daughter. Tiki has to approve of you.” Mac glanced over at Kathy, who had a faraway look in her eyes. He wished he could read what was behind those large blue eyes of hers, but he couldn’t.
“Wouldn’t that be something? Go through three life-and-death tests only to be jettisoned by the daughter?” Kathy laughed ruefully at the thought, but it wasn’t funny. To be so close to her goals
and then have them yanked away from her…She could barely conceive of such a thing.
“Yeah, that would be a helluva note, wouldn’t it?” Mac didn’t tell her that it had happened before. No sense in setting her up for failure. “I think Tiki will take to you.”
“Really?” Kathy turned and studied his grave features. Coulter had the most masculine, delicious looking mouth she’d ever come across. His lips were full, well-sculpted, strong and the corners tipped slightly upward in a natural slant to tell her that he laughed a lot. The crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes were a telltale sign that he was an aviator. He had a trustworthy face. Mac represented safety to her, whether Kathy wanted to admit it or not. He was a drug dealer and yet she could feel herself gravitate to him, look to him for help and information. It was disconcerting to her.
“Yeah, Tiki has this thing, this obsession, for blond hair.” Mac gestured toward her drying locks. “She’s a quick little girl, very smart like her father, very curious and always asking questions.” He smiled slightly. “She also has temper tantrums.”
“Oh? Why?”
Shrugging, he said, “I don’t know. She’s spoiled, that’s for sure. She’s the apple of her father’s eye and he refuses her nothing.” Not even a real live playmate—Sophie—whom he’d kidnapped to entertain his little girl. Mac wondered how Garcia was going to handle the topic with Kathy if he hired her. He wouldn’t tell her Sophie was kidnapped.
Once again Mac racked his brains for a solution to the heartbreaking problem. But he always came back to the same dilemma: if he tried to steal Sophie away, he’d blow the cover he’d worked so long to create. If he called his contact and they sent someone up here to get Sophie, Garcia would find out who’d let out the secret. Mac had seen people double-cross his boss before, and every time, Garcia found them out—and murdered them on the spot.
“I guess I’ll deal with that after I get the seal of approval from Tiki and her father,” Kathy was saying.
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