CL Hart -From A Distance (21 page)

The slight parting of Cori's lips was enough for Kenzie. She trailed her fingers downward until they rested just below Cori's chin, and then ever so tenderly tilted her face upward. Inclining her head slowly, Kenzie gently brushed her lips over those that had kissed her moments earlier. The connection between them was warm but tentative, and it only lasted a moment. Pulling back, she looked to Cori for a response. "But I'm not sorry that you kissed me."

Cori reached up to touch Kenzie's face. The woman fascinated her. She didn't know why, but right now, she really didn't care. Mere inches separated them as Cori's fingers drew Kenzie down for another kiss. Their lips met with greater desire, and the intensity of the kiss grew.

Kenzie's fingers were under Cori's chin, but she wanted more. Sliding her hand downward, she caressed Cori's body as their kiss became more impassioned and more demanding.

The rough texture of Kenzie's battered hand only served to heighten the sensitivity of Cori's skin. Her breathing became shallow and quick. Pushing her body against Kenzie, Cori's fingertips inched toward the lean waist, drawing her closer. Then

Cori's hand touched the cool metal of the gun tucked into the waistband of Kenzie's jeans, and the reality of it backed her away. "I...ah..." Cori swallowed her desire and looked away. Kenzie felt the movement of her gun, and was pretty sure its presence was the reason for Cori's sudden shutdown. "Hey..." she said, but then didn't know what to say after. Her past relationships had been based solely on a need for sexual release. Suddenly the world looked a whole lot different to eyes that had never known true passion. A slow, sly smile slid across her face.

The swaying mirror behind Cori caught an image in its reflection and it instantly turned Kenzie to ice. The familiar face she glimpsed was not one she would likely forget. A flash of anger and a sense of dread churned within her as her past rushed into her present. It was him.
Cobra!
The mission, the memories, and the feelings of frustration flooded back to her.

The last time she had seen him had been in a desert in the Middle East, when she had refused to pull the trigger on a target and the two of them had gotten into a fistfight. Kenzie had been winning until Cobra used the butt end of his rifle on her face. By the time she had recovered, the mission was over and the soldiers were dead. The wound he had inflicted was the one from which Cori had just removed the sutures. The scar would forever remind her of what they had done.

In one fluid motion, she pulled Cori deeper into the dressing room. Clamping one hand over her mouth, Kenzie pulled the curtain closed. Cori's eyes were wide with shock and confusion as Kenzie put a finger to her lips.

"Son of a bitch! Where the hell did he come from?" Cobra's appearance in Santa Rosalia couldn't have been a coincidence. Obviously Manuck had sent him to finish the job she had refused to do. But why? And more importantly, how had he found them? For the briefest of moments, she recalled the phone calls Cori had made in Mazatlan and on Manny's boat.

Pulling her gun from her waistband, she racked a round into the chamber.

"What...who?" The fear that had been momentarily forgotten hurtled back into Cori's life.

Kenzie thought about her options. Looking at Cori, she realized following her instinct to confront Cobra was not possible, and her moment of doubt regarding Cori's innocence had to be wrong. There was no way she could have feigned that fear-filled response. So no, rushing out with guns blazing was not an option. She was now responsible for both of them, not just herself.

"Someone I know," Kenzie said, moving the curtain aside. Cobra had stopped outside the shop on the sidewalk, giving her a chance to get a good look at him. Their skirmish in the desert had left a few marks and bruises on his face, she noticed with a smirk. It was obvious that he was looking for them.
But how did he find us?
And then another thought occurred to her.
Where is his partner?
Kenzie quickly scanned the area for Viper.

"Here...in Santa Rosalia?" Cori whispered, her throat suddenly dry as her heart hammered against her chest.

"Yes," Kenzie said, her mind spinning with options.

"Who?"

"A snake," Kenzie said as she looked around the small change room. It was only about the size of a telephone booth.
How did he find us?
She ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to formulate a viable plan.

Cori looked at the ground in panic, expecting to see a slithering reptile. "Where?"

"Not that kind of snake," Kenzie said, seeing the fear her comment had evoked. "The two-legged kind, and he's just outside the door of the store."

Cori relaxed, but only slightly, as she moved to peer around the curtain.

"No." Kenzie quickly stopped her. "I'm not sure whether he saw us, but if he did, he won't hesitate to kill everyone in here." Continuing her situation analysis, she noted that the walls of the change room did not go to the ceiling. "Come here," she directed as she slid her gun back into her waistband. "I need a boost. Can you make a stirrup with your hands?" Cori nodded and interlocked her fingers for Kenzie to use as a step. With one foot on an unstable small shelf and the other in Cori's hands, Kenzie reached for the dangling mirror and slowly lifted it above her head until the angle of the reflection cleared the edge of the wall. Cobra was still on the sidewalk, just outside the shop door. By the looks of his demeanor, he had not seen them, but he was facing in their general direction. At the moment, he appeared to be alone.

"Okay." Kenzie jumped down from her perch. Landing with a jolt, she fought to ignore the sharp pain that ripped through her side. She drew her weapon and reached for the curtain. "Call to Fernando, not too loud, and make it sound sweet."

Cori nodded her understanding, though she was not sure whether she could do it.

Kenzie saw the hesitation. "Take a breath and let it out slowly. You can do it."

Cori did as she was told, but it didn't stop the quaking in her stomach or the pounding in her chest. Taking another breath, she called out, "Fernando, dear, could you come here, please?"

Waiting outside of the curtain, Fernando was a little surprised by the endearment, but he complied with her request.
"Si."

It was Kenzie's voice that came through the thin curtain in response. "Don't make it obvious, but there's a man on the sidewalk - military haircut, dark hair, a big thick neck supporting his fat head. He's wearing a jacket and looks very out of place. Do you see him?"

It would have been hard to miss him. Kenzie's description was quite accurate.
"Si,
he's still there. Is that a problem?"

"Yeah."

Fernando glanced several times at the man on the other side of the window. "What do you want me to do?"

"We wait. Don't suppose there's a back door to this place, is there?" Kenzie asked.

"Si.
It opens out to a small alley, but then what?"

"You go out the front door and get your truck and take it to the end of the alley. Keep it running. We'll be there as soon as we can. How far is it to this plane of yours?"

"Not far, about ten minutes. It's just up over the hill." "The hill? What hill?" Kenzie asked.

"In Santa Rosalia, you have two choices - out to the sea or up the hill. We're surrounded by-
Senorita,
he's coming in," Fernando whispered quickly.

Kenzie and Cori backed away from the curtain. Kenzie saw the color drain from Cori's face, and the unmistakable sway of someone on the brink of collapse. Kenzie took a step forward and wrapped a protective arm around her. She could feel Cori shaking. "Shhh, it's going be okay," she whispered into her hair. "He doesn't know we're in here."

"But what if-"

"Then that's why I'm here."

Kenzie held her breath as she heard the sound of a set of heavy footsteps walking across the old wooden floor. They stopped just beyond the curtain. Cori must have heard them too, because she burrowed deeper into the security of Kenzie's embrace.

The footsteps shuffled and scuffed on the other side of the curtain. Kenzie reluctantly released Cori and gently pushed the young woman behind her, putting herself directly between Cori and the gunman. Kenzie brought her gun up, ready for whatever might happen.

"Excuse me,
Senor,
is there something I can help you find?"

The voice was young and female, with a strong Mexican accent.
Melita, the shop girl,
Kenzie realized. There was no reply to her question, but the footsteps moved on, away from them.

"Is this your first time in Rosalia?" Melita asked pleasantly. There was a muttered response, but it was impossible to discern what was said.

There were sounds of footsteps shuffling about, and Kenzie knew Cobra was scanning the entire store. Their change room was an obvious spot for them to hide, but with any luck, Fernando's presence would discourage further examination.

"Adios, Senor.
Enjoy your visit to Santa Rosalia." Melita's voice signaled Cobra's departure.

There was a long quiet moment, and then they heard Fernando's hushed voice. "He is gone,
Sehorita,
but just one
momento
before you come out. I will bring my truck to the entrance of the alley."

"Be careful," Kenzie whispered. She turned around to face Cori, who was so scared she was visibly shaking. "Are you okay?" Kenzie tilted her head forward to look into Cori's eyes. She nodded, but turned her head away from Kenzie's scrutiny. "Hey, it's okay to be scared."

"You weren't scared?"

Kenzie could not help the small smile that lifted the corner of her mouth. She turned Cori's head and looked into her eyes. "I'm a highly trained professional, with years of experience under extreme conditions." Kenzie brushed the hair back from Cori's face and smiled. "Besides, who says I wasn't scared? My heart was pounding pretty good there, too, you know."

"I couldn't tell."

"You're not supposed to. If I wasn't scared, then I would be concerned," Kenzie said candidly. Feeling enough time had passed, she slowly moved back the curtain and looked about the store. Melita motioned them out of the hideaway with a wave of her hand. Taking Cori by the elbow, Kenzie moved beyond the curtain. Moving closer to the window, she scanned the street and the nearby stores, "Which direction did he go?"

"Left," Melita replied.

"Where's the back door?" Kenzie asked, keeping her gun close to her hip and out of sight.

"Back behind there." Melita pointed toward the far corner of the store, where a large blanket concealed the door. Kenzie nodded a thank you as she motioned Melita back to her position at the front of the store. "You stay here and keep an eye out. Don't do anything that might put you in danger." Melita nodded her understanding.

Guiding Cori by the arm, Kenzie moved them toward the exit. At the last moment, she turned back to Melita.
"Gracias,
for the clothes...and your help."

Pulling back the blanket, Kenzie uncovered an old plank door. "Just wait," she said to Cori as she turned the handle slowly. Kenzie cautiously peered out into the alley. It was narrow and littered with debris, but it appeared to be empty.

Kenzie moved out and away from the door, gun at the ready, as she looked left and right. There was no sign of Cobra or Viper. "Come on." She motioned Cori forward. "This way."

To the right was the ocean, and to the left was their escape, although at the moment it was partially blocked by boxes and broken crates. Looking beyond the barrier, Kenzie watched for Fernando, but so far there was no sign of him or his truck.

"We need to move that junk." Moving toward the pile of debris, Kenzie held her weapon in one hand and pulled at one of the crates with the other.

Cori quickly joined her. All she wanted was to be out of Santa Rosalia and far away from the man chasing them. She tried to ignore her shaking hands as they pulled the boxes and crates away as quietly as they could, opening their road to freedom. A rumbling motor echoed off the narrow walls as Fernando arrived in his pickup truck at the end of the alley.