Her Only Protector (4 page)

They hit a deep pothole in the middle of the street. Sonny gasped as her head nearly hit the roof of the car. Gil turned back to her.

“You two okay?” he asked.

Sonny took a moment to study his face. He was a bit older than she was, by about five or six years, making him Cash's age. He had a slight build with broad shoulders that almost didn't fit his frame. His hair was dark, thick and wavy, and his eyes were so brown they were almost black. Could they be that dark? She wondered. Maybe it was just the lack of light on this sheltered side street that made them seem that way.

There was a hard gruffness about Gil, yet when he glanced at the baby, Sonny could swear she saw a faint smile, as if the big bad wolf was showing a soft side.

Sonny was about to reply when the female driver, who Gil had referred to as Cooper, spoke.

“Marco is still trying to hack into that Web site,” she said.

“Any luck?”

“Nada.”

Gil grimaced and shook his head. “This is not good. We need more.”

Cooper gestured to the backseat. “Did she tell you anything?”

“Only that she doesn't know where Cash is but she wants to find him, too.”

“She speaks fluent Spanish?” Cooper asked.

“She seems to.”

“She's in the car, by the way,” Sonny called out from the backseat, sounding as annoyed as she felt. “She has a name and she wants to know where we are going.”

“Sorry. We're headed to a hotel on the coast with some small villas in the old part of Cartagena. We have to make sure we look like we're tourists,” Gil said.

Cooper added, “When we get there, you can tell us all about your brother.”

Sonny stared at the eyes that met her in the rearview mirror. “What makes you think I'm going to tell you anything?”

“Because believe it or not, we want to find your brother alive as much as you do,” Cooper said sarcastically.

Sonny turned to Gil. “Who's this?”

The driver glared at Sonny in the rearview mirror.

“Calm down, Cooper.” Gil chuckled and shook his head. “Cooper's a member of my team, Miss Montgomery. She's not all that fond of Colombia, either. It's making her cranky. Although it could be that she's been spending a little too much time with me and Marco. We might be rubbing off on her.”

“Knock it off,
Gillespie,
” Cooper snapped. “Excuse me if I'm a little tired of waiting around in the hotel all day while you sightsee and Marco plays on the computer.”

Gil pretended to be hurt. “Ouch. And I doubt Marco will be happy to hear you said that.”

With a roll of her eyes, Cooper added, “I'm scared.”

Gil laughed.

It was obvious the two had worked together for a while and felt comfortable sparring. Sonny watched Cooper in the mirror. She wasn't exactly a pretty woman, but whatever attractive features she had were eclipsed by the fact that she did nothing to make herself look more feminine. Her hair was cut short to her scalp and she wore no makeup or jewelry.

Sonny pulled her gaze to the scenery. When had she become so vain? She was used to dressing on the more casual side, preferring an old pair of jeans that were worn and patched in spots to pants or skirts. Sneakers won over shoes—never mind heels—most days of the week. Cooper was different, though, as if she was trying to conceal the fact that she was a woman. Maybe in her line of work she had to.

“We'll see what we can get out of her when we get back,” Gil finally said.

“What are you going to do?” Sonny chimed in, tired of their rudeness. “Beat it out of me?”

Cooper rolled her eyes in the rearview mirror and then settled them back on the road.

Gil turned to her. “Don't be ridiculous.”

“Everything about this is ridiculous. Why shouldn't I be, too?”

He turned around and they were all quiet for a while. Sonny used that time to hold the baby close. She hadn't allowed herself the luxury of really looking at Ellie, of enjoying her like she would if they'd been somewhere safe. In the airport bathroom, she'd been afraid someone would see her and know right away that Sonny was not Ellie's mother.

But now she studied the warm baby in her arms. Ellie looked a little like Cash, but mostly she looked like Sonny's mother.

She wondered what her mother was thinking right now. She must be worried. She'd had a lot to worry about recently with all that had happened with Cash. Finding out that Cash had secretly married Serena and that they'd had a child who'd been kidnapped had been quite a shock for all of them. But Sonny knew her mother wanted her granddaughter home as much as the rest of the family did, and that she'd put aside any fears she had about Sonny coming to Colombia.

Ellie had settled now that she'd had her bottle. Sonny knew next to nothing about taking care of babies. But she knew her brother Cash didn't, either, and he'd entered the world of parenthood. She was a quick learner and she'd do anything she could to keep Ellie safe, happy and healthy. Anything.

“Tell me again where we're going?” she said, breaking the silence.

Gil glanced back at her, giving the baby a quick look. “Somewhere a little more comfortable than that dive you holed up in these last few weeks.”

Her eyes widened. “You were watching me?”

His smile was quick. “Don't be so surprised. My talents are many.” When she didn't appear amused, his smile faded. “It's my job. It's what I do.”

Gil had been watching her. This man that she'd only laid eyes on a few short hours ago had been watching her and she'd never even suspected. She closed her eyes as disappointment washed over her. No wonder something had gone wrong. Had her carelessness given Lucia away, too?

She tried to push the thoughts invading her mind aside. For now, anyway. There'd be time enough later to sort through what had happened and what had gone wrong. Right now, she had to concentrate on what to do next.

“Don't worry. You'll both be safe from whatever you're running from where we're going.”

Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. He said the words as if he actually believed them. What a nice feeling that must be.

“There isn't such a place,” she answered. “At least, not here in Colombia.”

Maybe nowhere in the world.

T
he woman was an enigma, Gil thought as he turned his attention back to the road, which was still slick from a hard rain the night before. He'd prepared himself for more rain today. In fact, he would have preferred torrential rain for the rest of the long ride from the airport to the villa instead of a brightly shining sun. It would drown out this nagging doubt that coursed through his veins.

He'd expected Sonny Montgomery to give him a bit more of a fight. Thinking of the baby in her arms, he wasn't sure how much of a fight she actually could have put up. Ellie was the reason she'd given in so readily. She'd really had no other option than to go with him.

Well, no matter. They were already skating pretty close to the legal line in the first place by picking her up at the airport. If Sonny wanted to leave once they got to the villa, there wasn't anything the team could do to stop her—she wasn't the criminal. But if they could do a little good-cop-bad-cop routine before she left, she might spill her brother's whereabouts and they could all go home a little sooner.

They drove in relative quiet, except for the occasional whimper from the baby as she stirred in her sleep. They followed the highway until it spilled them into the coastal city of Cartagena where tourists were milling about in shorts, sandals and straw hats they probably paid too much for from street vendors who had a hard time taking no for an answer. The team had an easier time blending in here than back in Monteria or at the airport where soldiers seemed to outnumber civilians.

A bead of sweat journeyed its way down the side of Gil's neck. The coast should be a bit cooler, what with the sea breeze and the air-conditioning in the villa.

His boss's expense account was paying for their digs as long as they didn't overstay their usefulness in Colombia. Jared was good that way, but only if it produced results.

It was a pretty place, Gil thought as the car pulled into the parking lot of the main villa. Marco had already checked in, but was only able to acquire one key. They'd need at least two.

“How are we traveling this time?” he asked Cooper.

“Married couples,” she said, cutting the engine and pocketing the keys. “Marco and I checked out of the singles at the other hotel before sunrise this morning and camped out at the office until it opened. We got a two-bedroom suite. He's been setting up his equipment all day, trying to get connected, but Internet access is spotty down here.”

Gil blew out a breath. He figured as much. “Okay, we'll take what we can get then, I guess.”

Married couples.
Gil almost laughed. He couldn't think of himself that way. He'd been part of a couple only a few times in his thirty-three years. Once, he'd almost landed at the altar, but luckily they'd both done a little soul-searching and decided it wasn't what either of them really wanted.

Cooper jumped out of the car and made her way to the front office. In the three years he'd known her, he'd never seen her wear a dress or even shorts. He couldn't even say if she really had legs underneath the baggy pants she always wore.

Marco had teased her once about her clothes only to be on the receiving end of a few pointed words. Rumor had it she'd been roughed up by a gang of hoods in college on her way back to the dormitory one night. Since then, she just found it easier to downplay whatever feminine assets she had.

As she climbed the stairs two at a time in her clunky boots, Gil figured she was playing it as close to the ground as she could get. It was one way to survive. Couldn't fault her for that.

“You have no idea what you've done by taking me here,” Sonny said from the backseat, sounding tired. “My brother Dylan is a Chicago police officer.” She paused. “But then you must know all about Dylan, too, I suppose.”

“That's right,” he said, finally looking at her. “Why don't you just keep yourself comfortable until we get into the villa? Then you can tell me all about what I don't know.”

The minutes stretched on unbearably and Gil was thankful when Cooper appeared, running back to the car. It gave him an excuse to stop looking at Sonny in the rearview mirror and taking note of her sad, ocean-blue eyes.

Coward, he chided himself. The way she sat there, holding the baby as if he'd snatch her away at any moment, showed how terrified she was. He didn't like scaring her like that but it was necessary if he was going to get any information about Cash.

“All set?”

Cooper nodded and gunned the engine.

In under a minute, they pulled up next to Marco's car in front of a small villa. Gil got out of the front seat quickly, glad not to be cooped up in such cramped quarters after the long ride.

So close to the equator, the temperatures held steady all year round at about eighty degrees. The back of Gil's shirt was sticky with sweat and he was looking forward to a little AC to help cool off.

As he opened the passenger door and stepped out, he could smell the warm Caribbean Sea only a few blocks away.

“Nice place Jared set us up with,” he called out to Cooper. Then he turned his attention to Sonny in the backseat. He opened the back door, but she just sat there holding the baby.

“What's wrong?”

Sonny glared up at him. “You really have to ask?”

“I'm not taking you to your death.”

“How do I know that?”

Gil was taken aback. Did she really think he was going to hurt her?

“I told you who we are. I haven't kidnapped you, Sonny.”

It was important to make that clear to her. Although he'd basically given her no choice back at the airport, she
was
free to leave at any time. Of course, they could tail her and make her life miserable until they got what they wanted. But that wasn't illegal—especially in Colombia.

“Then why didn't you let me get on that plane? I could have been in Miami by now.”

“I told you. I need your help to find your brother. As soon as we find him, you can get on a flight to Miami.”

“You can't find him, so you figure I'll just bring you to him, right? Well, I hate to disappoint you, Mr. Waite, but I haven't seen or heard from my brother in more than four months. If you want to find him, you'll have to ask the people who framed him on those bogus drug trafficking charges. Because I have no idea where he is. But rest assured that even if I did, I wouldn't help you chase him down. Cash is an innocent man.”

 

The baby was crying again. Sonny fought hard not to break down herself. She longed for the comfort of a familiar voice, to lay her head down on her pillow and sleep without worry. No dreams. No nightmares. No waking with awful visions of things that could—and did—go wrong. Just pure blissful sleep.

Since Cash had gone missing, her imagination had gone wild. Fear stabbed her heart as she pictured what her father was probably going through now that the plane had landed in Miami without her and the baby.

She had to figure out how to get word to him. Somehow.

The day had gone wretchedly wrong and now she had a bounty hunter staring her down, wanting her to get out of the car. But as she looked up at him, his expression had changed from impatience to interest.

“He was framed on bogus drug trafficking charges, huh? Why don't you come inside and tell me all about it. It's a lot better than sitting out here in the heat. And you can tend to the baby much easier in the villa.”

“You mean out of earshot? Where no one will realize that I'm being held against my will?”

“I told you—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I can leave if I want. But what choice do I really have? You'd just follow me again. Keep me from getting on another plane.”

“Come inside and we'll talk about your choices.” His voice was low and held a trace of sympathy. She wasn't sure if she should use that to her advantage now, or wait until a better opportunity presented itself.

“I need more diapers. I only had enough to get me back to the States.”

Gil nodded. “I'll send Cooper out to get whatever you need.”

It would have to do. It'd been risky enough for her to be in Monteria
without
the baby, but being in Cartagena
with
the baby was even more dangerous now that news reports were probably flooding the local TV station about Eduardo Sanchez's missing baby. She needed to stay out of sight.

She resigned herself to going inside with Gil. He helped her out of the car, and they stepped through the door into the foyer of the beautiful villa. She would have enjoyed staying here under different circumstances, but as the door closed behind her, she could practically hear iron bars locking into place.

“Shh,” she cooed to the fussing baby, hoping to soothe her. She doubted she could. In her niece's short life, she had been kept a secret, kidnapped and transported to a South American country and rescued by a woman she didn't know at all. The fact that they were related meant nothing to the baby, and Sonny's attempts to comfort were feeble at best. But she vowed to build a strong relationship with her niece. Hopefully in the United States, surrounded by their family.

The cool air inside bathed her face—it was a welcome relief from the hot car. One look at Gil and she knew he was probably thinking the same thing. He grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator and rolled it across his forehead before cracking it open and taking a long gulp.

“Help yourself,” he said, taking another sip. “There's plenty. I don't think there's any milk for the baby, though.”

“She doesn't drink milk yet. Just formula.” Suddenly an awful thought struck her. “Cooper and Marco didn't use my name, did they? When they checked us in?” she added quickly. Her heart pounded like a timpani in her chest. If anyone knew she was here…

With the can still poised in the air, Gil stared at her quizzically. “Why?”

“Did they?” she pressed.

A man she hadn't met yet, presumably Marco, came into the room. “We used ‘Mr. and Mrs.,'” he said. “My name and Gil's. Makes it simple.”

Her relief was obvious.

Gil was standing in front of her now. “Why?”

She looked up at his dark eyes. Yes, they were as dark as they'd appeared in the car. It hadn't been the light. She drew in a deep breath. “I need to get the baby settled.”

“I told you. Cooper can take care—”

“Cooper isn't Ellie's aunt.” She hadn't intended her voice to be so harsh. Gil looked as surprised as she felt at her outburst, but she didn't care. She was entitled to be sharp with him—what she'd gone through today was nothing short of a nightmare. Lucia, an innocent woman who'd vowed to help, was dead. And it was Sonny's fault. The reason Lucia had put her life in danger was because Sonny had asked her to.

“You mentioned the baby was your niece.”

She closed her eyes. “Yes.”

Gil looked down at the baby. “Cash's?”

The way he was probing, they'd find out soon enough. She nodded.

Gil glanced at Marco. “Did you know about this?”

Marco shook his head. “Nothing about a baby came up in my research.” He was rummaging through paperwork on his makeshift desk at the table. “No wife. Not even a girlfriend as far as I could tell.”

They were all looking at her now, questions silently blasting at her from their accusing stares.

“Why isn't there a record of this baby?”

Sonny couldn't help the smug grin that sprang to her face. “I thought you knew everything.”

“I know Cash Montgomery is a drug dealer and he jumped bail. That's all I need to know.”

Irritation coiled inside her. “If that's the case, then you don't need me at all. If you'll show me my room, I'd like to make a list for Cooper and then give the baby a bath.”

She turned to leave, but Cooper caught her arm. “How is it that you came down to Colombia alone and now you have your brother's baby in tow?” At a glance from Gil, Cooper released her. “If something is going on, if you're afraid, we can help,” she said, more gently.

“Help who? Is that what you think you're doing? You people truly have no idea what you've done today,” she said, repeating what she'd already said to Gil for Marco's and Cooper's benefit. “None at all.”

“How'd you get the baby, Sonny? You need to come clean and tell us,” Cooper said.

“Not now. Ellie needs me.”

 

There were two beds in the room they'd given Sonny. Both were big and covered with soft pillows and bedding. After her outburst in the living room, she was totally drained. But she couldn't sleep until she tended to the baby. And she wasn't ready to let her guard down, anyway. She still had no idea if she could trust these people.

Ellie's last bottle was long gone, drained in the car on the drive to the villa. She didn't need to feel the heaviness of the baby's diaper to know she needed a change. The scent was enough to let her know.