Hidden Agenda

by Rochelle Alers

  “You’re asking a lot, Señor Delgado,” Matt retorted, slipping into the formal manner of address.

  “I value my life, Mateo.”

  “Don’t we all.” He rose fluidly to his feet and stared down at Alejandro’s bowed head. “I’ll be in touch.” Spinning on his heel, Matt walked out of the loggia.

  He was escorted to his car and off the Delgado property by the same man who had met him on his arrival. The man gave him a half-salute when he reached the boundary line which separated the Castillo and Delgado estates.

  Matt returned to his grandparents’ hacienda and was informed that Señor Birmingham had been waiting for him in the courtyard.

  Cord did not rise from his sitting position at Matt’s approach. His expression was tight and closed and as unwavering as the automatic he held in his right hand.

  “Keep your hands in plain sight or I’ll blow your brains out where you stand.”

  Matt obeyed, raising his hands in front of his chest. “Are you going to kill me the way you tried to kill Joshua? And what did you do with Manny and Rene?” he continued, bluffing.

  High color suffused Cordero Birmingham’s face, but he didn’t lower the gun. “I didn’t have anything to do with the hit on Joshua, and you know it.”

  Matt lowered his hands, slipping them into the pockets of his slacks. “I don’t know a damn thing! All I know is that Eve never made it out. Delgado has her.”

  The automatic came down slowly and disappeared behind his back under a lightweight jacket. Now Cord’s face was a sickly shade of yellow. “What the hell is going on down here, Mateo?”

  “Why the gun, Cordero?” Matt questioned in a dangerously silken tone.

  Combing his fingers through his dark red hair, Cord shook his head before he glanced up at Matt. “I’ve been ordered to kill you.”

  “Because of Eve?”

  Cord nodded. “It came straight from the top,” he admitted. “You didn’t follow orders. Blackwell expected his niece yesterday.”

  Exhaling audibly, Matt turned his back. “Well, I think it’s about time I gave a few orders.” He spun around. “Get in touch with Blackwell and tell him to hustle his ass to Mexico pretty damn quick! I want you to also tell him that I know that Eve’s son is not in Mexico.

  “Tell him that Delgado wants a personal escort out of Mexico, with the blessing of the United States. And you’d better tell him that if anything happens to Eve he’ll never live to enjoy his government pension, because I’ll become his personal judge, jury, and executioner.”

  Cord didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath. “Anything else?”

  “Yes. Tell Blackwell to bring diplomatic passports for Mateo Arroyo, Lupe Morales, and a Jaime Reyes. Please include yourself, Cordero.”

  Cord swallowed several times before he spoke. “Who’s Jaime Reyes? And what about Jorge?”

  “Let me give you a piece of advice—check and double check your people. This leak is big enough to pass Niagara Falls.”

  Twin pools of blue hypnotized Matt with their vibrancy. “Jorge,” Cord whispered. “Why, Mateo? I don’t understand it. Why would he turn? It can’t be the money.”

  “Whatever his motivation, it’s now out of our hands. Jaime Reyes appears to be a Delgado defector. You won’t know if he’s turned until you’re ready to pull out. If he stays, then he’ll have to be neutralized.”

  “Are you going to neutralize him?”

  “Don’t you think you’d better get going? Mexico City is not around the corner,” he said, not answering Cord’s question.

  Chapter 24

  Matt drove to the mountaintop retreat where he was certain his telephone call could not be traced by Delgado’s sophisticated electronic system.

  Operation MESA was destined for failure unless he worked fast. He reached the house in record time and dialed the number to his private line at El Moro.

  “Sí,” came a voice speaking Dutch-accented Spanish.

  “Horst?”

  “Yes, Mateo.”

  “I’m at your place. I need a quick trip to Mexico City.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yes, friend.”

  “Give me time to refuel and I’ll be there pronto.”

  “Horst…you’re going to need a carpenter.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I’ll show you when you get here.”

  He hung up, feeling as if he was going out on another rescue mission. The wars were over yet he was still fighting a war. His own personal war.

  He had given Delgado his word that he would go to Mexico City and he had to follow through; he couldn’t take the chance that Delgado wouldn’t have him followed, even though Cord had his own instructions to relay to Blackwell.

  He would spend the day in Mexico City, then fly back to Escondido to see Eve. He had to get her away from Delgado and the danger which put every drug kingpin in Mexico in peril. Operation MESA was set to go within days, and only divine providence would stop it.

  Eve’s gaze was fixed on the calm blue surface of the ocean; she was unable to check the flow of tears staining her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, Mateo,” she whispered. She’d tried valiantly to control her emotions. She’d told herself over and over that he would come for her, he would rescue her, but as the night faded and the sun rose to herald a new day, she weakened.

  Her fingers clasped the lumps of gold hanging from the chain around her neck. “Help me,” she prayed, closing her eyes and turning her face to the clear Mexican sky. “Matt, I love you. Chris, baby, I miss you so much.”

  “What does Arroyo have to wring so much passion from you, Eve? When I see you like this it serves to remind me that I haven’t gotten over you.”

  Eve spun around, but not before she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Alex leaned against the wrought-iron railing of the second-story veranda, watching her. The guard who usually lounged in the chair at the far end of the veranda was missing, and she suspected Alex had sent him away.

  Shifting, she presented him with her back, her eyes narrowing as she examined the palm trees lining the narrow strip of beach and gentle lapping waters of the Pacific Ocean. Alex moved closer, and she froze as the heat from his body seeped into hers.

  “Lupe tells me that you’re not eating again,” he crooned softly.

  “Lupe is a spy,” she spat out angrily. Eve had come to despise the silent, attractive woman. They’d never exchanged a word, but it was apparent Lupe reported everything she did or did not do to Alex.

  “Lupe is a loyal employee,” he confirmed. “And I always reward my loyal employees.” The fingers of his right hand toyed with the curls around her ear. “So far your husband has been loyal to me.”

  Eve pulled away from his hand, still refusing to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Arroyo went to Mexico City to contact your uncle. Harry Blackwell will become my guardian angel on a journey I plan to take to a little hideaway in South America.”

  “Why would my uncle help you?”

  Alex stepped around her and captured her chin. “Why shouldn’t he? He got me into this, and he’s going to be responsible for getting me out. Besides, I don’t think he’d want to lose his niece and her husband so soon after their whirlwind affair and marriage.”

  “You underestimate my uncle, Alex. Why should he believe Mateo? He doesn’t know him,” she lied smoothly. “Do you really think Harry Blackwell is so gullible that he would believe any stranger who called him with whatever flimsy story you’ve concocted?”

  Alex’s hand cradled her jaw. “Don’t underestimate me, Eve. Harry Blackwell will listen to what Mateo Arroyo has to tell him, because both of them know that I will kill you faster than I would a bug who insisted on annoying me.”

  Eve’s gaze narrowed. “Mateo will kill you.”

  “Mateo Arroyo will do as he’s told. And if he loves his wife as much as I’m told he does, he’ll follow orders.”

  The rising h
eat, the cloying fragrance of Alex’s cologne and the cold, gnawing fingers of fear descended on her, and she felt sick. She swallowed back the nausea rising in the back of her throat.

  Alex released her, watching her closely. “Sick so soon after the wedding?” he taunted. “Could it be that Arroyo bedded you before you arrived in Mexico? Is that why you came to Mexico, Eve? You didn’t come to look for your son, but for the man who’d left another child in your womb.”

  “You’re a sad, sick, twisted excuse for a man.”

  “Are you saying that I’m not the man Arroyo is?”

  Eve refused to rise to his bait, walking away and returning to her bedroom. Alex was close to exploding, and she didn’t trust her own temper. She didn’t want to do or say anything which would put Matt’s life at risk.

  “Eat, Eve!” Alex screamed at her back. “Eat or I’ll feed you myself.”

  Eve sat on her bed, eyes closed. She could still hear Alex as he shouted his orders in Spanish, and she felt sorry for the those on the receiving end of his rage. This Alex was different from the man she’d married, and she wondered what had happened to bring about his altered personality.

  He’d always been selfish, but she never thought he would kill anyone. Alex was frightened, and Eve was confused by his statement that her uncle was responsible for his having to flee Mexico.

  It was her third night of captivity and Eve lay in the darkness of her bedroom. This night was hotter than the one before, and she left the casement windows open to capture whatever breeze was sweeping across the scorched earth.

  She was afraid to fall asleep, because with sleep came the nightmares. She had dreamt that she was being chased by someone or something she couldn’t see, and as she ran she cried out for Matt. She was able to see him in the distance, but as she drew closer he moved farther and farther away until he disappeared.

  Tossing restlessly, Eve was tempted to get up and walk out onto the veranda. However, she didn’t want to encounter the dark, searching eyes of the guards who watched her around the clock. The men who guarded her differed in height and weight, but their eyes were always the same. They all had sharp eyes that missed nothing and saw everything. And all of them were armed with semi-automatic weapons. Alex had made certain she would not escape him.

  Hours later, a gentle breeze feathered over her nude body. She would try to get some sleep; she would sleep until the nightmares jerked her back to consciousness.

  Something woke her, but it was not a dream. She was not alone. A large hand covered her mouth, cutting off a scream.

  “Preciosa.”

  Matt! She barely heard his soft endearment. He had come for her.

  “I’m going to take my hand away from your mouth,” he whispered. “Don’t make a sound.”

  Eve nodded and let out her breath after he’d removed his hand. Her fingers clutched his wrists as she leaned into his strength. His hands roamed freely over her body, and a small whimper escaped her constricted throat.

  The sky was black, the room dark, and she wanted to turn on the lamp and make certain it was Matt. Maybe she was dreaming; maybe he really wasn’t there with her.

  “Eve,” he groaned, his mouth moving over hers.

  Relief merged with passion as the twin sensations made her weak with joy.

  “Darling,” she breathed out softly, disobeying his command.

  Matt drew her to him, her back pressed to his chest. His lips touched the softness of her hair and he inhaled the sweet scent of her bare skin. He fought the heaviness in his own body, wishing he could make love to her.

  “I had to make certain you were safe,” he rasped in her ear.

  Eve relaxed in his embrace and closed her eyes. All she wanted to do was sleep. “I’m safe now,” she whispered. A soft sigh escaped her parted lips, and within seconds she was asleep.

  Matt held Eve until a tinge of violet broke through the moonless sky. It was time for him to leave.

  He shook her gently. “Eve.” She blinked slowly, then sat up. “I have to go.” Her fingers touched his mouth. “I can’t take you with me. Not now,” he added. Her fingers were trembling. Taking her shaking hand, he held it over his heart. “When I return I’ll take you with me.”

  She nodded and tried to see his face in the emerging light. “When will you be back?”

  Pulling her onto his lap, Matt looped his arms around her waist. “In two days. I want you to be ready. The night I come for you someone will leave you what you’ll need to wear. I don’t want you to change your routine. Do what you normally do every night. The moment you hear the guards change, get dressed and wait.”

  Her fingers clutched the black T-shirt stretched over his back. “What about Chris? Alex claims he sent him back.”

  Matt didn’t know whether to tell her the truth or lie. He decided on the truth. “He did send your son back. Your uncle said the boy was abducted en route. He left Escondido, but never made it to Mexico City.”

  “What happened to my baby?” she sobbed softly against his chest.

  Matt held her until he knew it was too risky to remain any longer. “I’ll find him, Darling.” He prayed he wasn’t lying to her, but he had to make the attempt.

  He slipped out of the room as quietly as he had entered it. His footsteps were silent as he made his way to the opposite end of the veranda. He froze, flattening his back against a wall. Several voices drifted up from the lower level. The voices were muffled, not permitting him to overhear who was speaking or what was being said. His right hand inched toward the knife in a scabbard concealed under his shirt.

  Ribbons of light from the rising sun inched over his rigid outline. Within minutes it would be daybreak, and he would become a target. His fingers tightened over the handle of the knife. A figure emerged from one of the bedrooms at the end of the veranda.

  Cursing under his breath, he realized that he’d lingered too long. Jaime’s watch was over and another guard had come to replace him.

  Matt’s dark clothing blended with the shadows but he knew with the encroaching light he would become a distinct target against the sun-bleached walls. He waited for the guard to lay his rifle on a table next to the chair before making his move.

  The short, powerfully-built guard hitched up his pants, then yawned loudly. He raised his arms upward, turning his back. Matt moved with the stealth and swiftness of a cheetah.

  The edge of his right hand came down on the back of the guard’s neck. There was only a low moan from the man, coupled with a whoosh of air from his slack mouth.

  Matt eased him into a sitting position on the chair, positioning his hands over his stomach and covering his face with a sweatstained straw hat. Delgado would have the man’s head for sleeping while on watch.

  He scanned the grounds quickly, then made his way around to back of the house to the bedroom where he was to have spent the night. He tapped lightly on the window, waited and tapped again. The casement window opened and he smiled down at Lupe.

  Lupe yawned delicately. “I hope you enjoyed yourself, Mateo,” she scolded. He stepped into the room and closed the windows behind him. “I get to sleep alone while you—”

  “Think of it as a selfless sacrifice,” he interrupted. He pulled the black T-shirt over his head. “How about letting me get some sleep now, Corazon?”

  Lupe picked up a robe and slipped it over her nightgown. “What’s the matter? Didn’t you get any?”

  Matt ignored her teasing and turned his back. By the time he’d divested himself of his clothes, Lupe had left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  He’d returned to Alejandro Delgado with the news that Harry Blackwell was willing to come to Mexico and serve as a personal escort for the former diplomat. But Blackwell was scheduled to arrive in Mexico City the day Operation MESA was to go into effect. No amount of arguing could persuade him to come sooner.

  Harry Blackwell wanted to make certain he would have the protection of both the Mexican and U.S. governments once he stepped foot on
Mexican soil. And that meant Matt would have only twenty-four hours to get Eve away from Delgado and out of Mexico.

  For security purposes, Joshua Kirkland had formulated a cryptographic key which could be decoded only by himself and certain bureau chiefs, and Cordero and Lupe would receive their orders twenty-four hours before the sweep was to begin.

  Jorge. The name twisted in his gut. His childhood friend. What made him sell out his country? Had he associated with the unscrupulous for so long that he had also become corrupt?

  Lilian. Matt thought about her and her small, dark-eyed children with their adorable, smiling round faces. What would happen to her after the arrest of her husband?

  So many things had happened to him since Eve had come into his life: he had become a husband, fallen in love with his wife, and had exposed a senior DEA agent who had violated the laws of his agency and country.

  Closing his eyes, Matt let out his breath slowly. He had only a few hours before he would meet with Delgado again. It was apparent Alejandro Delgado was anxious to leave Mexico.

  Matt made his way out to the loggia, smiling at Alejandro Delgado’s thunderous expression. He had purposely kept the man waiting for their breakfast meeting.

  Alejandro rose to his feet. “I trust you spent a restful night, Mateo,” he said facetiously.

  “Quite restful,” Matt confirmed, politely extending his hand.

  Alejandro shook Matt’s hand, then smoothed back his neatly brushed hair. “Good.” He waited until Matt sat before retaking his own chair. “I’ve planned to return to Mexico City tonight. I want to make certain that nothing keeps me from meeting Blackwell.”

  He added a splash of cream to the thick, strong-brewed Mexican coffee, then brought the fragile porcelain cup to his lips, his dark eyes never leaving Matt’s face. “I’ve heard that your hotel offers some of the best amenities the city has to offer. I’ve shown you the hospitality of my house, and I’d hope you would do the same.”

  The corners of Matt’s mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. “I don’t mind that at all. But I would like to know when you intend to release my wife’s son,” he stated softly, aware that Alejandro had sent the boy back to the States.