Hidden Agenda

by Rochelle Alers

  Eve shook her head slowly. “No.”

  “Yes,” he mocked. “Now, you’d better eat. To not please me would put your husband’s life in grave danger.” Leaning over, he patted her cheek. “Judging from what I’ve heard about you and Arroyo, you seem quite fond of each other. It doesn’t make me very happy to know that he has the love from you I’d always sought. Do me a favor, Eve. Please me.”

  She stared at the the tray of food long after Alex left, locking the door behind him. Matt and drugs. She couldn’t believe it; she didn’t want to believe it.

  She had fallen in love with a drug dealer; he was a man who lived in luxury by destroying the lives of people who existed only to crave the drugs which turned them into something sub-human.

  And Alejandro Delgado was a malignancy; everything he touched he destroyed, and not once did she doubt his threat that he would kill Matt.

  She moved like someone in a trance. Picking up a fork, she speared a portion of steak. She ate mechanically until she emptied the plate. Alex had won this round because in spite of his double life, she still loved Matt.

  Chapter 23

  “Mateo, you haven’t heard a word I’ve said,” chided Antonio Arroyo.

  “I’m sorry, grandfather,” Matt apologized. The trouble was, he had been unable to concentrate on anything since Eve left with Cord. He had waited until the pickup disappeared, then thrown his clothes into several bags and locked up Horst’s house. He couldn’t spend the night at the house without her.

  “You miss her, don’t you?”

  He focused on his grandfather’s lined face, nodding. “I feel as if I’ve lost a part of my body.” He hadn’t thought he would get so used to her.

  Antonio flashed his grandson a knowing smile as Matt rose to his feet. “It doesn’t get any easier, Mateo. Even after all of these years I still miss your grandmother when she’s away from the house.”

  Matt reached over and laid a large hand on Antonio’s frail shoulder. “I must leave for my appointment. I’ll be back later tonight.”

  Matt watched Alejandro Delgado the way a cat watches a bird; he sat motionless, only his eyes betraying his intent. Delgado was only five-nine and weighed one hundred sixty-five pounds. He mentally assessed that he could sever Delgado’s spinal cord with one fatal blow to the back of his neck.

  His jaw tightened as he recalled how the slender, elegant man had caused Eve years of pain, and continued to inflict pain, because he still held her son captive.

  Alex smiled at Matt. “I must congratulate you on your recent marriage.”

  “Thank you,” Matt returned, his voice deceptively soft, masking his loathing of Eve’s ex-husband.

  Alex draped his left leg over the arm of a side chair, his leather-shod foot dangling with deliberate slowness. A feral smile parted his lips. “It appears as if we have many things in common, Arroyo. We share an interest in similar business ventures and we also share a woman.”

  Matt’s golden eyes glittered like a brilliant yellow topaz. “I share Eve with no man.”

  Alex lowered his leg. “You misunderstand me. I didn’t mean to imply that I’m involved with Eve. I merely meant that she was married to me first.”

  Matt fought to control his temper. “I’m here because a mutual acquaintance said you wanted to meet with me to discuss business. But I want to warn you that discussing my wife is not a part of my business, Señor Delgado. It never has been, and never will be. Let me know now if you wish to proceed with business, or continue to waste my very valuable time.”

  If Mateo Arroyo had been any other man Alex would have had him killed where he sat lounging arrogantly on his chair. It was as if the man was testing his manhood.

  “A thousand pardons, Señor Arroyo,” he apologized, successfully disguising his rage. “I know it is early, but may I offer you something to drink?”

  Matt glanced at a delicate clock ticking softly on a nearby table. It wasn’t quite the noon hour, but he was willing to share one with Delgado. “Some sherry, please.”

  Alex rose and walked over to a door. He spoke quietly to someone standing behind it. In the few seconds it took for Alex’s attention to be diverted elsewhere, Matt examined the room quickly.

  Its contents were representative of wealth and centuries of priceless possessions. He also hadn’t missed the number of men guarding the imposing property. Alejandro Delgado had surrounded himself with a private army.

  Alex closed the door, smiling politely. “Perhaps you would like to share a light repast on the loggia?”

  Matt scrutinized Delgado’s straight, neatly combed black hair and white silk shirt and linen slacks. If he didn’t know better, he also would’ve been taken in by the man’s fastidious appearance and impeccable manners. He could see why Eve had been charmed by Alejandro Delgado.

  “Thank you.” He followed Delgado from the room and returned a smile from a young, attractive woman who lowered her gaze quickly before her employer caught her flirting with his guest. The woman spread a cloth over a wrought-iron table in the shaded coolness of the loggia.

  Matt’s gaze lingered on her slender figure and the dark hair flowing from a ponytail down her back. His open, blatant stare caught Delgado’s attention.

  Delgado waited until the woman walked away. “I see you still can appreciate a beautiful woman even though you’re married.”

  Matt nodded slowly, drawing his lower lip between his teeth. He continued staring at the doorway where the woman disappeared. “I’m married, Señor Delgado, not dead.”

  Alejandro Delgado smiled, gesturing where Matt should sit. “You’re a wise man, Arroyo. If you so wish, I can have Lupe visit you when you take siesta.”

  “That would please me very much.” He shifted an eyebrow and inclined his head, then sat.

  Lupe returned with two glasses and a matching crystal decanter filled with sherry. Alex whispered close to her ear and a flush darkened her cheeks as she lowered her chin and flashed Matt a shy smile.

  Another young woman joined Lupe, this one carrying a tray of vegetable and fish appetizers. The two women worked quickly and efficiently, setting the table with china and silver and filling the glasses with prized wine.

  Delgado dismissed them with a nod of his head. He picked up his sherry and swirled the golden liquid around in the delicate, multifaceted glass, his gaze fixed on Matt’s face. “A friend of mine tells me you intend to transfer your goods from Guadalajara to San Luis Potosí instead of Mexico City.”

  Matt shifted an eyebrow. The trap had been set and Delgado had taken the bait. His informant had given him the information which had been detailed in Operation MESA.

  “Who is this friend?” Matt questioned, not confirming or denying Delgado’s statement.

  “That I cannot divulge, Señor Arroyo.”

  Matt took a sip of the premium Spanish sherry. “Then don’t expect me to tell you about how I plan to move ten thousand tons of high-grade sinsemilla, Señor Delgado. I contribute quite generously to the Federales and the Federal Judicial Police to make certain my goods are protected. I don’t need another business partner.”

  Alejandro’s forehead furrowed. “That’s not what Señor Birmingham reported to me. He claims you’ve hit a snag. He reported that the Federales and drug officials from the United States are ready to close in on you. And that translates into you requiring assistance. My assistance.”

  Matt gave him a level stare. “I don’t need you.”

  A mask of fury twisted Alejandro’s classical features. “You’re new to this game, Señor Arroyo, and if you wish to continue you’ll listen to me, because your generous contributions won’t mean anything if I decide to close you down. Nothing or no one moves in Mexico without my knowing about it,” he boasted proudly. “My connections even go as far as the Church.”

  “If you have that much clout, why would you want to meet with me?” Matt asked, smiling. A tinge of color touched Alejandro’s delicate cheekbones.

  “You insist upon aski
ng questions I cannot answer at this time.” His dark gaze was fixed on a small lizard which had attached itself to the wall of the stuccoed structure. “I’m not much for playing head games, but I will tell you this much, Arroyo.” His gaze shifted, meeting Matt’s. “I’ve been targeted for death. An execution would be a more appropriate term.”

  Matt froze. “Why?”

  “That I don’t know,” he lied smoothly. His lashes came down, shadowing his eyes. “I’ll help you to move your goods out of Mexico if you contact a U.S. official on my behalf to arrange for me to get out of Mexico alive.”

  “Why don’t you use your Mexican connections?” Matt countered.

  “I don’t trust them.”

  Matt exhaled, leaned back and affected an expression of boredom. “I don’t know if I can help you. I pay my people in pesos, not U.S. dollars.”

  “But you do have access to Harry Blackwell, don’t you?”

  Every nerve in Matt’s large body screamed; however, his reaction to hearing Blackwell’s name was one of bewilderment.

  “Who is this Harry Blackwell?” he asked in feigned innocence.

  Alejandro leaned forward, peering closely at Matt’s face. “He’s your wife’s uncle.”

  “And?”

  Alejandro’s shoulders slumped in a gesture indicating disappointment. “Apparently, you know very little about the woman you’re married to.”

  “I know you’ve kidnapped her son,” Matt retorted, his anger apparent for the first time.

  “You know about the boy, but not about her uncle,” Alejandro retaliated. “Harry Blackwell is an associate director of an intelligence agency.”

  Matt sat up straighter, his eyes blazing with excitement. Delgado was ready to talk. “CIA?”

  Alejandro shook his head. “FBI.”

  Matt whistled softly under his breath, smothering an expletive. “Well, don’t that beat all.” Picking up his glass, he drained it in one swallow.

  He knew Delgado was running scared. However, the man’s informant had failed to let him know that he was no longer a target. The target was whoever was feeding him his information.

  “I don’t know this Harry Blackwell,” Matt informed Alejandro. “Besides, I wouldn’t know how to begin to contact him. And if I did, what leverage would I have?”

  Alejandro ran his tongue over his lower lip. “Tell him I have a relative whom he’s quite fond of. Also tell him he’ll never see this relative again if he refuses to comply with my wishes.”

  Rage surged through Matt’s body like an inferno, rendering him almost mindless. “I want proof that you have the boy.”

  “I can’t give you proof.”

  Matt stood up, dropping his linen napkin on the table. “You want me to expose myself to an American agent for a few dollars of potent marijuana while you continue to play games with me about my wife’s son? I haven’t come this far because I’ve been a trusting Boy Scout, Señor Delgado.” He bowed slightly. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll find another way to get the boy back—with or without your cooperation. Only because I always try to give my wife what she wants.”

  Alejandro’s left hand gripped Matt’s wrist. “Do not rush off, Señor Arroyo. Why don’t you take advantage of the siesta to think about what I’ve told you, and I’ll also consider your position.” He saw Matt’s fierce gaze at the sight of his pale, slender fingers on his wrist. He dropped his hand and stood up. “The heat of the day does not always permit one to think and feel like a reasonable human being.”

  Matt did not congratulate himself on a quick victory. His mouth curved into a smile. “Perhaps you’re right, Alejandro,” he agreed, addressing him by his Christian name for the first time.

  “Bueno, Mateo,” Alejandro returned.

  Matt removed his jacket, shirt, and shoes and lay across the large bed in the room assigned him for the siesta. He stared up at the ceiling. It had been easy, too easy. Delgado wanted out of Mexico, and he was willing to give up the child. But he had not been willing to disclose his informant. Blackwell didn’t want Delgado, he wanted the informant.

  There was a light knock on the door. He sat up. “Yes?”

  “It’s Lupe, Señor.”

  Matt left the bed and opened the door, grinning broadly. Lupe lounged against the doorjamb, a saucy expression on her face.

  “I came to help you enjoy your siesta, Señor Arroyo.”

  His large hand curved around Lupe’s waist, pulling her into the room. Closing the door, he kissed her cheek. “It’s good seeing you again, Corazon.”

  Rising on tiptoe, Lupe kissed his smooth cheek. “Never mind the pretty words, Mateo. Save them for your wife.”

  Matt led her over to the bed, pulling her down beside him. “Word travels quickly, even in a country as large as Mexico.”

  Lupe nodded and smoothed out the folds in her colorful skirt. “Even the scorpions have ears, Mateo,” she whispered.

  His gaze moved over the even features of the woman he’d left in Bogotá the year before. “What have you uncovered?” he whispered close to her ear.

  Lupe leaned closer to his chest. “He has your wife, Mateo.”

  Matt went rigid, as if he had been shot. He stared at Lupe, not wanting to believe what she’d just told him. His fingers gripped her shoulders, tightening on the nerves near her throat.

  “What the hell are you saying?”

  “Mateo, you’re hurting me,” she gasped, blinking back tears. Whispering an apology, he released her, unaware of his awesome strength. “She’s here. Delgado brought her here yesterday.”

  “Where?” The single word was ripped from the back of his throat.

  “She’s at the east end of the house, the last bedroom on the second floor.” Lupe’s fingers massaged the tender skin over her neck.

  Matt tried to still his runaway pulse. Eve had not made it out of Mexico. “What happened?”

  “Manny and Rene are missing.”

  “What about Cord?”

  Lupe recognized the savage glow in Matt’s eyes. “Cord dropped her off to Rene before the abduction occurred. It appears as if Rene never intended to take her to Manny. He delivered her directly to Delgado.”

  Matt covered his face with his hands. Rene Izquierdo was to drive Eve to Manuel Rivera, who would fly her back to Mexico City, where she would take a commercial jet back to the States.

  “How did you find out?” he questioned through his fingers.

  “I’ve managed to get close enough to one of Delgado’s men to get him to tell me anything I need to know,” Lupe confessed as an attractive blush stained her cheeks.

  Lupe Morales was thirty-four, but looked much younger. She had saved Matt’s life when he barely made it out of Colombia with his head intact. Her seductive wiles had worked their potent magic when she skillfully seduced the man who was to monitor his every move.

  Matt lowered his hands, a steely look igniting the fire in his savage glare. “Where’s the boy?”

  Lupe watched Matt as he picked up his shirt and slipped his arms into the sleeves. Her gaze moved slowly over his magnificent body.

  “He’s not here,” she informed him as their gazes met. She’d enjoyed pretending to be Mateo Arroyo’s wife in Bogotá, but regretted not sharing his body. She envied the woman who claimed him as her husband.

  Matt slipped the tail of his shirt into the waistband of his slacks. “Where is he?”

  “Delgado sent him back last year.”

  A quiet rage exploded in Matt. It had been a double setup. Blackwell knew he would not have taken the assignment unless he offered something other than money. He used the child and he used his niece. He was almost certain that Eve knew nothing about the return of her son.

  A wry smile lifted the corners of his firm mouth. At least he wouldn’t have to go searching for Eve or her son. Delgado had made it easy for him.

  “I want you to arrange for me to get to her.”

  Lupe’s eyes widened. “It’s not going to be easy, Mateo. Del
gado has her heavily guarded. At all times,” she added.

  Matt flashed a sinister grin. “Does your friend guard her?”

  Lupe returned the smile. “Jaime Reyes usually has the night shift. He guards her between midnight and dawn.”

  Matt reached for Lupe, running his fingers over her shiny, sable-brown hair. “Help me out, Corazon. Distract your friend while I visit with my wife.”

  “When?”

  “Tomorrow night.”

  Lupe pressed her face to his wide chest, her arms curving around his waist. “Be careful, Mateo,” she whispered softly. “Delgado is scared and dangerous. He knows that something is in the wind, and he’s become like a cornered animal. He’ll strike and ask questions later.”

  Matt kissed Lupe’s forehead. “I’ll be careful.”

  Lupe pulled out of his embrace and stared up at him. “There’s something else you should know.”

  “What is it?”

  “Jorge has been meeting with Delgado.”

  His expression never changed. What he’d suspected was now apparent. “Is there anything else I should know?”

  She blushed again, her eyes telling him the secret which lay in her heart. It was apparent that she had fallen in love. “Jaime Reyes is on our side.”

  His smile was dazzling. “I’m happy for you, Lupe. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Alejandro rose to his feet, extending his hand as Matt strolled into the loggia. “I hope you enjoyed your siesta.”

  Matt clasped the proffered hand, smiling. “Yes, thank you.” He took a chair at the table where he’d sat only hours before. “I’ve thought about your offer, Alejandro. I accept.”

  Alejandro’s eyes glittered with excitement. “Splendid,” he replied softly.

  Lowering his chin, Matt stared at the man he longed to torture, using the most primitive methods. But that was no longer necessary, because Lupe had disclosed Delgado’s informant.

  “After I meet with my business associates, I’ll head up to Mexico City. The U.S. Embassy seems like as good a place as any to place a call to Blackwell.”

  “I don’t just want Blackwell’s word. I want the man to come to Mexico himself.” Alejandro exhibited a bravado Matt had not noticed before.