To Save His Child

by Margaret Watson

  Pausing at the door, he said softly, “Go back to sleep for a while. You might as well get some rest while you can. But whatever you do, don’t leave the room and don’t let anyone in. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Lexie watched him slip out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. She stared at it for a long time after he’d disappeared, aching inside for the vulnerable child and young man he’d been, for the pain he’d kept hidden for so many years.

  A beam of light had managed to find its way through the shutters and it bathed the side of the bed where Caine had lain in a golden glow. A soft smile flitted over her mouth. Caine was going to make a wonderful father. She had meant every word when she’d told him she would trust him with her life and Ana’s. Now, all she had to do was convince him.

  Sliding farther down into the bed, she felt her eyes closing and she gave herself up to the arms of sleep.

  The voice calling her name seemed to come from a long way off, dragging her from the depths of a dream. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow, trying to recapture the shimmering vision already dancing out of reach. It was no use.

  “Lexie, wake up,” the voice said again, and the dream retreated permanently into the mists. “I brought you something to eat.”

  The smell of french fries reached her, and she opened her eyes. Caine stood over the bed, holding a paper bag with a familiar logo on it.

  “There’s one of those in Limores?” she asked, sitting up and clutching the sheet to her breasts. Her voice sounded both sleepy and incredulous, but her stomach was reminding her how long it had been since she’d eaten. Reaching for the bag, pulling out the red container of french fries and the cheeseburger wrapped in yellow paper, she realized she was ravenous. “How did you know what I liked?”

  “Lucky guess,” he answered with a shrug. “I figured that after a few days of that dehydrated stuff we’ve been eating, anything would taste good.”

  “Don’t forget the agouti,” she reminded him with a grin, taking a bite of the cheeseburger. The familiar taste made her close her eyes and savor every bite.

  “That’s my specialty you’re talking about,” he warned, a smile twitching the corners of his mouth.

  “And it was wonderful.” She ate a french fry and grinned at him again. “But nothing can beat a greasy fry.”

  “How did you survive for all that time in Santa Ysabel? I didn’t see any fast-food outlets up there,” he teased.

  “Willpower.” She took another bite and closed her eyes again. Caine was right. After the food she’d been eating for the past few days, this humble cheeseburger and fries tasted like manna from heaven.

  When she’d finished, she looked at him expectantly, wrapping the sheet around herself. “So, what did you find out? Do you know how we’re going to get out of Limores?”

  He stared at her for a moment, then turned abruptly and walked over to her pack. Rummaging around in it, he pulled out a handful of clothes and gave them to her, then turned around to face the wall. “Here, why don’t you put these on? It’ll be easier to have a conversation if I’m not wondering when that sheet is going to fall down.”

  “Oh.” She could feel her face flame, even though he wasn’t looking at her. “I was so excited to eat, I didn’t even think about—”

  “It’s okay, Lexie.” His voice softened. “Believe me, I prefer the view the way it is, but we have to think about getting out of here. And it’ll be a lot easier for me to concentrate if I’m not thinking about joining you in that bed.”

  Scrambling out of bed, she threw her clothes on before he could turn around and see her. She knew it was silly, after what they had shared, but she still felt self-conscious about Caine seeing her naked. It was because of Ana, she knew, and what the pregnancy had done to her body. Her abdomen was flattening out again, slowly but surely, and the stretch marks were already beginning to fade to faint, silvery lines, but she was still too aware of them. And vain enough that she didn’t want Caine to see them.

  “You can turn around now,” she said, pulling the sheets back over the bed, as if that somehow could make both of them forget what had happened there earlier in the morning. Caine was right. This wasn’t the time to be daydreaming about making love.

  “What did you find out?” she asked, glancing down at Ana. The baby was still sound asleep.

  “Why we didn’t see any soldiers after we got past the roadblocks, for one thing,” he answered, his voice grim. “They’re all at the docks and the airport. He’s even got some of them at the train station, and I’d have to be really desperate to use the San Rafael trains.”

  A shiver of fear crept up her spine at the grimness of his face. “What are we going to do?” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

  “Our best chance is on a plane. That’ll get us out of here the fastest. Unfortunately, El Cuchillo thinks so, too. There are soldiers swarming all over out there, both at the ticket windows and at the planes themselves. There’s no way we could sneak past them.”

  “What about in a disguise? I could dye my hair and we could get some old clothes that the peasants would wear. Maybe that would fool them.”

  He shook his head. “Any group of two adults and a baby is going to be checked with a magnifying glass. We certainly can’t use our own passports, and we don’t have any other papers that would pass inspection. Given a few days I could get some, but we don’t have a few days. No, we can’t get on a plane that way.”

  “How about a boat? There must be plenty of small boats that could take us to another city where there wouldn’t be as much scrutiny.”

  Slowly he shook his head. “I thought of that, too, but it’s too risky. We’d be too vulnerable on a boat.” He watched her for a while, and she thought he looked unsure of himself. “I do have an idea, but I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it.”

  Hope flickered in her chest and caught hold. “What?” she asked eagerly.

  “It involves a plane,” he said slowly, pacing the room. “I’ve got some contacts here in Limores, and they could do it for us.” He stopped in front of her and took her hands. “If we had any other options, I wouldn’t even mention it. But right now, we don’t.”

  “What is it, Caine?” He looked so worried that the hope slowly died, and was replaced by fear.

  Holding on to her hands, he watched her for a moment. Finally he sank down on the bed next to her, gripping her hands tightly. “They’re not watching the cargo planes nearly as closely as the passenger planes. Other than checking the pilots, they’re not bothering with them.” His eyes on her face were intent.

  Suddenly she realized what he was saying, and she closed her eyes and swallowed as a wave of nausea swept over her. Faintly she said, “If we hide in a box, you think we can get onto a plane without being caught.”

  Tightening his grip on her hands, he said, “It’s up to you, Lexie. I know how you feel about enclosed places and this would be a hell of a lot more real than any nightmare. It would only be until we were off the ground, but if you don’t think you could handle it, I understand. We’ll find another way.”

  Nausea threatened again, but when she looked at Caine and saw the concern on his face, she swallowed hard, forcing it away. He was willing to forgo their easiest and safest way out of this country because of her phobia, and she wouldn’t let him do it.

  “I won’t like it, but I can do it.” She licked her suddenly dry lips. “You risked your life to get me this far. I’m not about to wimp out on you now.”

  A look of pride flashed across his face. “You’re something else, Lexie,” he said. Brushing her hair back from her face, he murmured, “I’ll make it as easy for you as I can. I’ve already talked to one of my contacts here, and he can get us on a plane for Washington tonight. By tomorrow morning, you’ll be home.”

  Home. Slowly she leaned away from him. “I don’t want to go back to Washington. I thought you understood that.”

  “I know you don’t, but t
his is just for a while. Just until I can be sure you’re safe, and that El Cuchillo isn’t going to come after you.”

  “Why would he come after me?” she protested. “He just wants me out of the country.”

  He looked at her, his mouth a tight line. “I’m not so sure, Lex. For someone who just wants you gone, he’s going to an awful lot of trouble to keep you from leaving. You can bet your ass that all those soldiers at the airport aren’t there just to escort you onto a plane.”

  She paled. “You think this is personal, don’t you?” As she thought about El Cuchillo’s relentless pursuit, she stared at Caine with horror. “Why?” she whispered. “What could he possibly want with me?”

  “I have no idea. And I don’t intend to stick around Limores long enough to find out.”

  Standing, she moved away from him and stared at the dust motes dancing in the beam of light from the broken shutter. “Pick anyplace else in the world and I’ll go there. But I won’t go back to Washington.”

  “Why not?”

  She heard the exasperation in his voice, but she didn’t turn around. “I can’t. I’m afraid, Caine. Afraid that if I go back, I’ll fall into the same relationship with my father again. Afraid that he’ll try to run my life, and that I’ll let him. It’s a lot easier to drift along, letting other people make the decisions for you. I know. I did it for twenty-six years, and I don’t want to do it again.”

  “I’m not saying you have to live there for the rest of your life, dammit. If there’s going to be trouble, I just want it to be on my turf. I’m not asking you to submit to your father again.”

  She turned around then and gave him a weary smile. “It’s not that easy, Caine, but I don’t expect you to understand. You’re just like my father in a lot of ways. You don’t take no for an answer. You would never allow anyone to manipulate you like that. But I’m not as strong as you. Old habits are hard to break, and I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to stand up to him.”

  He stood and walked over to her, cupping her face in his hands. The expression on his face was tender. “You are one of the strongest people I know, Lexie Hollister. You’re more than a match for your father or anyone else. I’d back you every time.”

  She gave him a shaky smile. “Thank you for saying that. But I can’t take that chance. Not until I feel more confident about myself. Please, promise me that we won’t go back to Washington.”

  He stared at her for a long time. Finally, his hands dropped away from her face and he stepped back. Deep, searing pain flashed in his eyes, then the shutters came down. “All right, Lexie, I promise.” He turned away, heading for the door. “I have to go and make the final arrangements. Stay here and be ready to leave when I get back.”

  He stopped at the door and turned around. “What should I bring you back to eat?”

  He looked at her as if it was her last meal, she thought uneasily. She told him the first dish that came to mind and he nodded. Opening his mouth to say something else, he stared at her again for a moment before quietly slipping out the door.

  She watched him go, then turned and reached for Ana. The baby needed to be fed and bathed before they left, and she had no idea how long he would be.

  Late-afternoon shadows were creeping across the bed when Caine slipped back into the room. Lexie had opened the shutters a crack, just enough to let some light in. She and the baby were sound asleep on the bed, Lexie’s arm curled protectively around the kid. He watched them for a moment, his heart turning over in his chest, then he set the bag containing their food on the dresser and quietly pulled the shutters closed.

  Would she ever forgive him? he wondered as he watched her sleep. He wasn’t sure, but he knew he couldn’t let it matter. He’d walked around Limores for a couple of hours, trying to decide what to do, but in the end he’d known he had no choice. Her life and the kid’s were the pawns in a deadly game, and he didn’t even know the rules. He had to protect them—even if Lexie never forgave him.

  Forcing the grim thoughts away, he spoke softly to Lexie, trying to waken her without startling her. Finally she rolled over and opened her eyes, looking up at him. His stomach clenched into a tight knot of desire when she gave him a sleepy smile, full of invitation.

  “Hi.” Her voice was low and husky, and made him remember other times when she’d sounded like that.

  “Hi, yourself.” He forced himself to smile. “I hope you’re hungry. I got enough food to feed the French army.”

  “That sounds like it might barely be enough.” Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she saw the bag and her eyes lit up. “I’m famished.”

  They ate for a while in silence, until finally she slowed down. “Is everything set for tonight?”

  She didn’t look at him, but he saw the sudden tenseness in her hands and for a moment he thought she knew. Then he realized she was thinking about the crate they would have to hide in.

  “We’re set. We’ll leave here after dark and go to a warehouse. There’ll be a box waiting, and one of my contacts.” He looked up at her, catching her eye. “I’ve arranged it so that we’re both in the same box,” he said gently. “I thought that might be easier for you.”

  She nodded and tried to smile. Her mouth quivered at the corners, and he wanted to tell her to forget it, that they would find another way out of the country, but he knew he couldn’t. More and more soldiers were pouring into Limores, and they had to get out tonight.

  “Finish your dinner, and then maybe you should feed the kid again.”

  She pushed away the cardboard container. “I’m full. I’ll take care of Ana now.” Getting up too quickly, she stumbled over the straw mat on the floor, then caught herself and walked over to the bed.

  He hated himself for forcing her to do this. Her dread was a throbbing presence in the room, coiling around his throat until he felt he was choking. Shoving his food away, he went into the bathroom and closed the door. He couldn’t bear to watch for another instant as her fingers, clumsy from fear, fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. Her hair had swung over her face as she bent her head, but he didn’t have to see the expression in her eyes. He knew it would be sheer, unadulterated terror.

  He shut his mind to her fear, to everything but what would happen if El Cuchillo caught them. It was the only thing he could allow himself to think about. If he thought about what he was going to make her do, he wouldn’t be able to go through with it.

  Forty-five minutes later they stood outside a darkened warehouse in one of Limores’s more dilapidated neighborhoods. They’d passed the occasional person on the street, but everyone minded his own business around here, especially after dark. Nobody had appeared to notice them.

  He looked around one more time, cataloging all the hiding places he’d checked earlier in the day. He was almost certain that no one was watching them. Pulling the heavy door open only far enough for them to slip through, he urged Lexie into the warehouse, then eased the door shut.

  One bare lightbulb hung from the ceiling in a corner, and he took Lexie’s hand as he walked toward it. The sweltering heat of the day had eased a little at dusk, but it was still hot. Lexie’s hand was ice-cold, and she clung to him with a desperate grip. Again, revulsion for what he had to force her to do rose up in his throat, and he wanted to stop and tell her there was another way.

  He knew there wasn’t, and he kept on walking.

  They stopped before a large wooden crate. The lid stood off to one side, propped against the wall. Several pillows and blankets lined the inside of the crate, and a canteen of water sat in one corner.

  “All the comforts of home,” he heard her say.

  He turned to look at her, and found she was staring into the crate. Pulling gently on her hand, he tried to turn her away from it. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know. There’s always another way.”

  It looked as if she struggled to tear her gaze away from the box. Finally she looked at him, and beneath the fear that glazed her eyes he could see
the determination. “No. I can do this, Caine. I know I can.”

  “I’m sure of it,” he said gently, another wave of admiration for her flooding through his chest. “But if it’s really too much for you, we’ll find something else.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t flip out on you halfway to the airport.” Beneath the false bravado he felt her terror building. As she turned away, he saw her hand tremble as she clutched the shawl holding the baby.

  “Let’s go, Lexie.” He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her toward the door. “I’ll think of something else.”

  She stared at him, hope and fear mixed on her face. But before she could answer, a figure silently emerged from between the tall piles of boxes that lined the walls.

  The man standing at the other side of the crate was careful to stay in the shadows. “All set, Smith?” he asked in a guttural voice.

  Caine opened his mouth to tell the contact that they’d changed their minds, but before he could speak, Lexie clambered over the side of the crate and settled herself in a corner. “We’re ready,” she said in a shaky voice.

  “Lexie—” he began.

  “Hurry up and get in, Caine. We don’t want to miss the plane.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, but seeing the resolve in her eyes he finally sighed and climbed in. The man next to them immediately grasped the lid and lowered it into place.

  Caine slid over next to Lexie, pulling her against him and wrapping his arms around her as the box was plunged into darkness. She made one tiny sound, then buried her face in his shoulder.

  Chapter 15

  Lexie fought her terror as the crate lifted into the air, swung gently from side to side, then settled onto something solid. A moment later an engine started, and they began to move.