His Kind of Trouble

by Samantha Hunter

  “Marco? What are you doing here?”

  He finally let her go. “We found the truck abandoned and figured Ana had been taken, too. I guess we should have known better. We saw you come from the barn on the other side.”

  “Ana saved me. She was amazing,” Lucia said, beaming at her sister.

  “We’re not out of here yet,” Ana said grimly, her eyes meeting Chance’s.

  “Just stay low and wait. Help is on the way,” he said. “And maybe give me or Marco that gun?”

  Ana did and seemed happy to be rid of it. Lucia ducked down with them and was distracted by Marco’s closeness; he touched her constantly, as if he couldn’t believe she was right there.

  Lucia looked over to her sister, who ducked down low with Chance, and saw their eyes meet, as well. Chance, however, held the gun, at full attention, his eyes on the surroundings.

  Suddenly the sound of a helicopter overhead filled the night air, and voices and noises seemed to come from every direction. Lights glared, and Lucia and Ana watched as the Mexican police flooded the area, taking all of the men into custody, and she saw they had several men—including the one from the barn—held captive at gunpoint.

  They were safe.

  Marco led the way out of the jungle, and several police surrounded them, until they realized who they were, and then took Lucia to attend to her wounds. Ana shook off any help.

  Lucia watched as the men were gathered up, and Marco helped his colleagues deal with them. Before long, he came over to where a medic had bandaged her up.

  “You should get to the hospital,” he said, checking her over closely.

  “No, I am fine. Merely some scrapes and bruises.”

  Marco pulled her close. “I am so sorry. There are no words for how sorry I am. When I found out you had been taken, I thought I would lose my mind,” he said, his voice rough as he stroked her hair.

  Lucia buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent. “Why did they take me?”

  “They thought you were Ana—they didn’t know she had refused my engagement. When they saw you with me, they assumed you were her. I never imagined that could happen. I never would have put you in the line of danger, ever, but I almost ended up getting you, and perhaps our child, killed. I could never forgive myself,” he said. “I love you, Lucia, and I was so wrong earlier. How could I even think of leaving, of going back to that, when now I have you?”

  For the second time that evening, Lucia wasn’t sure if she was dreaming. “I love you, too, Marco, and I was wrong. Wrong to do that, without your knowledge. I’m sorry, as well. I don’t expect you to give up your work for me.”

  Marco nuzzled her cheek. “I’m giving it up for me, cara. All these years, you were all that I wanted, and then, when I had you, I pushed you away. What kind of fool was I? I won’t make that mistake twice. Or ever again. You are mine now, if you’ll still agree to spend your life with such a foolish, foolish man.”

  Lucia smiled as she cried and lifted her face for his kiss.

  “I like that idea very, very much.”

  13

  ANA FUSSED OVER THE DESSERTS as she helped her mother put out the food for New Year’s Eve. It was hard to believe that just twenty-four hours before, she had been worried for her sister’s life and crawling through the jungles to confront killers to free Lucia.

  Now there was magic in the air as colorful lights twinkled everywhere, and all of her family and friends were dressed in their holiday best to celebrate. Ana had made her sister’s favorite, the caramel de leche, and set it in the center of the table with a dozen other treats.

  Later, they would walk down through the village and enjoy ponche, a hot drink made with tejocote, a fruit that tasted similar to apples. They’d watch fireworks and count down the seconds to welcome in the New Year.

  A large, muscular arm slid around her shoulders and squeezed her close, being careful of her wounded arm. It had started bleeding again after her jaunt through the jungle, but it was a small price to pay.

  “Marco,” she said, smiling. “You startled me.”

  “These desserts look incredible, Ana. How could you do all of this in just a day?”

  “I had plenty of workers, believe me. I can’t take all of the credit, but quite a few of the recipes are from the new book and came out very nicely, I’ll admit.”

  She stood back, pleased with her work, and took in her brother-in-law-to-be. He was every bit a classic, fantastically attractive Mexican man in his snug dark pants and cream shirt. Lucia was a lucky woman indeed, but Ana felt only sisterly affection for Marco, as always.

  “You look so handsome, Marco. And happy.”

  “There are no words for it, Ana. To be here, to have Lucia... I feel like a new man. And to think how easily I almost turned my back on it all,” he said, shaking his head. “If I had lost her—”

  “Stop, Marco. She’s fine, and the men who plotted all of this nastiness are behind bars. Hopefully forever.”

  Marco smiled. “Finding several kilos of cocaine in the back of that barn certainly helped boost the kidnapping charges. A lot of them were brought in, but the cartels are still operating, cara. You will have to be careful when you come here, unfortunately. Your celebrity status has made it dangerous for you.”

  Ana sighed, not wanting to think about any of that tonight. “Well, it’s a good thing I will have a big, strong federale for a brother-in-law, then, isn’t it?”

  Marco arched an eyebrow. “And a trained bodyguard for a possible husband, perhaps?”

  Ana choked on a chocolate she had popped into her mouth.

  “Where did you get that idea?” she asked, catching her breath.

  “Seriously, Ana?” Marco asked, his look telling her to drop the act.

  “We’re...attracted to each other. That’s all. For now. Maybe we’ll find more later, who knows, but neither one of us expected this or were looking for it, so it’s day by day. I don’t even really know him. Not really.”

  “I think you know what you need to know. He’s a good man, willing to keep you safe, lay his life down for you if he needed to. And he’s crazy about you. Take it from me.”

  Ana’a heart leaped with hope. She’d been keeping her expectations of anything with Chance in check, but seeing Lucia and Marco so in love and happy made it hard not to think of what if...

  “We will see, I suppose,” she said softly.

  “As the man of the house now and as your new brother,” Marco said sternly, jokingly, “it’s my responsibility to make sure you find a good husband, if you haven’t already.”

  Ana laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Lucia entered the room and joined them, looking striking in her red satin dress, accompanied by Chance.

  When he walked in, he was all Ana could look at. He was dressed in a classic suit that took her breath away, and she smiled as she saw his tie—little chili peppers dotted the black background.

  Lucia slid into Marco’s arms, and Chance came to Ana, leaning down to kiss her cheek lightly.

  “That dress is amazing,” he said, taking her in. “I’ll have to protect you from roving males for the rest of the night.”

  Ana felt her cheeks warm. “Thank you. I like your tie. And that’s a beautiful suit,” she said, returning the compliment.

  Her thoughts before had been about the night’s festivities, but all she could seem to think of now was taking that suit off of him and how she and Chance could make their own fireworks for the evening.

  “Are you two announcing your engagement tonight?” Chance asked Marco and Lucia.

  “We are, yes.”

  “When is the wedding?”

  “We will go to a small church this week, with our families, and be married there. I don’t want a big wedding, much to Mama’s dismay,” Lucia said, smiling. “That would take months, and I want to marry Marco as soon as I can.”

  “Mama will still want to throw a party, and you can’t blame her. And I want to host a shower
for you before I go back to the States.”

  “Oh, Ana, that is so sweet, but there is no need. There has been more than enough excitement.”

  “Perhaps a honeymoon in the states, then? There are such pretty places in the northeast. I think you would love Vermont in winter,” Ana offered. “Please don’t say no. My gift to you.”

  Lucia and Marco hugged her in thanks and then excused themselves to go mingle with guests and share their good news.

  “How is your shoulder?”

  “It’s much better. A few glasses of wine have helped, and all of the good cheer,” she said, feeling truly happy and relaxed for the first time in days.

  “I have some good news,” he said as he sipped a beer.

  “Oh?”

  “They caught your stalker. Turns out, we’ve killed two birds with one stone.”

  “Really? How so? Who was it?”

  “Some sleazebag that Lionel hired to try to intimidate you and throw you off your game. So your instincts were good about him.”

  “How did they catch him?”

  “Apparently the guy he hired was trying to shake him for more money, and Lionel refused to pay. So he went to the police and told them all about Lionel.”

  Ana’s eyes went wide. “So the man who was stalking me, who was hired to do it, won’t he go to jail?”

  “He didn’t actually walk into the police station and give himself up,” Chance explained. “He tried to do it anonymously, but then the evidence added up, and Lionel ended up telling the police who he hired. No doubt Lionel’s daddy will have expensive lawyers to fight his battles for him. I don’t know that he’d see any time, but he will be off of your show, and you can get a restraining order. Or you can just call me if he bothers you again.”

  Ana felt a tiny thrill at the protective tone in his voice and the way his eyes darkened as he said it.

  “That is good news. I guess we can just enjoy the night, then, yes?”

  “That was my plan. But I guess you won’t need me here now, after all of this.”

  Ana blinked. “What?”

  “The immediate threat here is over, and so is the one back in the States. The production company has told me I’m off the job as of today, and I know you need to stay for the wedding and the rest of your vacation...but I should probably head back.”

  Some of the shine of the evening suddenly dimmed for Ana.

  “You’re going back? When?”

  Chance shrugged. “Maybe tomorrow, if I can get the plane out. Or the next day.”

  “Oh...well,” she said, lost for words and not wanting to show how disappointed she was by the news, since he seemed as happy as a clam.

  Disappointed. No. Ana’s heart hurt, to think that Chance was just going to leave. The job was over. That was that.

  She knew she was being ridiculous. They’d only known each other a few days, and he’d said they would see each other back in the States, right? He had a family and job to return to, as well—he couldn’t stay here babysitting her for no good reason.

  Except that she thought the reason might be that he felt the same way about her that she felt about him. She didn’t know what that was, exactly, but it was...deep. Different.

  “Ana?” he asked, shaking her out of her thought.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said with a light laugh. “I was just thinking about it all. I’m sorry you have to go. It would have been nice if you could be here for the wedding,” she said, amazed at how her voice could be so steady when her heart was aching.

  “Yeah, but it sounds like mostly a family affair,” he said. “I’ve never been much for weddings, though my brothers seem to be having one after the other—two more this year, with Ely and Garrett. Dropping like flies,” he joked, and Ana found it a little difficult to laugh along.

  “Listen, I have to help Mama for a few minutes in the kitchen to make sure everything is done. Meet you back out here in a bit?”

  Chance closed in, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Absolutely. I really want to spend tonight with you, Ana, and as much time as I have here before I go,” he said, his lips touching her skin.

  A part of her was angry, confused by how he could make her feel this way and then just walk away. But she wanted him so much.

  Ana knew that whether she’d see Chance back in the States or not, she was going to spend this last night with him, and let tomorrow take care of itself.

  * * *

  CHANCE WATCHED ANA walk away, unable to take his eyes off the way the silky silver dress showed off her amazing curves. But there was something in her stride, something halting and stiff that suggested she wasn’t happy.

  He’d seen the flicker of disappointment in her eyes when he told her he was leaving—or maybe he imagined it, because she seemed fine with it. Truth was, the production company hadn’t completely released him from his duties, but he’d had to ask to be replaced. Apparently the executives were still worried about Lionel, since he would be free and a restraining order didn’t do much these days. Also, there was always the potential for future threats. Chance knew that Garrett was hoping they would get this job for entry into more regular celebrity-protection details, but he couldn’t do it. Not anymore.

  Not after last night.

  When Ana had gone missing, and he and Marco had found the abandoned car, Chance thought he would lose it. His mind raced back to the time when he was a kid, and his mother had had a car accident—as it turned out, a minor one—but his father had no idea until he and all four boys had gotten to the E.R. Their mother was fine, but Chance still remembered how panicked his father had been, how pale, how fearful.

  And then there was Logan and Jill. Another reminder of how terrifying it was to give yourself over to someone else so completely that if you lost them, you lost yourself, as well.

  When you fell that hard for someone, everything changed. Life changed, and you changed.

  And then risk took on a whole new meaning. It wasn’t fun anymore.

  Chance had felt that fear when he thought the cartel had taken Ana as well as Lucia. All he could imagine was finding them both dead, and the thought wiped his soul clean, leaving only loss and pain.

  He couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t. He liked his life, and he liked how he lived, and love changed everything. It was time for him to leave, before he got in any deeper.

  Ana didn’t need a bodyguard here now, and when she got back to the States, she could argue with some new guy who would follow her around.

  But he was still going to be with her tonight and every minute that he could until he went. He’d allow himself this much, and then he’d go. He’d said they would get together in the States, but maybe that wasn’t wise. He saw how Ana looked at her sister and Marco, and had heard Marco’s comment about Ana finding a husband.

  Chance just wasn’t husband material. No sense in leading her on about that.

  That settled, he walked along the buffets, sure he had never seen so much food in his life, and everything looked amazing. He couldn’t wait to try it. This had to be the most elaborate and colorful New Year’s Eve party he’d ever been to. Grabbing a plate, he spooned out some of the tamales he had actually helped make and also tried many of the other delicious dishes on the table.

  Plate loaded up, he joined a table of Ana’s cousins, who welcomed him enthusiastically. He sat, ready to celebrate, but for some reason the joyous conversation around him and the delicious food on his plate weren’t doing the trick.

  Something was missing.

  Chance pushed his plate back and looked around the festively decorated room as the conversation danced around him, but he didn’t hear any of it.

  Where was she?

  Excusing himself with a halfhearted smile, he strolled outside into the warm New Year’s Eve, looking for the glimmer of Ana’s silver dress, but didn’t see her in the crowd.

  Going back inside, he went to the kitchen and upstairs, his pace quickening as his chest tightened. Where was she?
r />   He pushed back the panic. The danger from the cartel had been eliminated—right? She was just here somewhere, visiting with guests. He spotted Doncia chatting with a group of older women. Ana said she had gone to help her mother in the kitchen, but Chance saw no evidence of that as he approached their table.

  “Señora, have you seen Ana?” he asked politely, smiling and greeting the other women briefly but politely.

  Doncia shook her head. “No, Chance. I have not seen her since before dinner, but perhaps she is off chatting with friends. I’m sure she’s here somewhere.”

  Chance didn’t want to worry her needlessly. She was probably right. Still, his gut twisted with worry that all was not okay.

  “Of course, thank you. Feliz año nuevo,” he added and turned away, his eyes scanning the courtyard.

  No Ana.

  Something was wrong; he could feel it.

  Searching the upstairs again, he found Marco in the front yard.

  “We have a problem,” he said under his breath.

  Marco’s celebratory mood snapped to serious in a second. “What’s going on?”

  “I can’t find Ana. Is there any chance that they sent someone else? Someone who was in the crowd, who might have slipped our notice?”

  “That would be bold. After last night’s incident, they wouldn’t be looking for more attention from the law, but I suppose it’s not impossible,” he said, rubbing an agitated hand over his face. “We may have relaxed our caution too soon.”

  Lucia joined them, clearly curious about what was going on.

  “Ana is missing. It could be someone who is still here, or there might be others, so—”

  Lucia looked at them as if they were crazy. “Ana is not missing. She’s right there,” she said, pointing.

  Indeed, Chance and Marco both looked across the winding driveway in front of the house, and there was Ana, holding a drink with both hands, talking to someone Chance didn’t know.

  Relief made his knees weak, and his heart hit hard against the inside of his chest as he closed the space between them.