Saint (8 page)

This was the preacher he’d talked about? A
biker in a priest collar.
This isn’t what I had
in mind, Papa.
Because politeness had been ingrained
since childhood, Maria stuck out her hand. “How do you do, uh…Father.”

“Call me Francis.” His hand closed around
hers in a caress.

“Is that your real name? Francis?” If it
was, only an idiot with a death wish would take issue with it.

“Hell no.” Francis flashed a boyish grin. “I
only use it when my powers of religious persuasion are needed. Or when I’m
giving last rites.”

She cleared her throat as the faint odor of
whiskey assailed her nostrils. “Where do you preach?”

He sent her a sly wink. “Honey, the people
I preach to don’t go to church.”

“Oh.”

Francis’ gaze settled back on Harris. “I
stopped for a drink in that broken-down shack you hill people call a watering
hole. Man builds up a powerful thirst on these dusty roads. But I’m done.”

“I assumed you were,” Seth replied evenly. “You
wouldn’t have bothered otherwise. Is the watering hole still intact?”

Francis shrugged. “I was bored. Don’t
worry, I paid the bartender for the damage.”

Harris led the way into the house,
motioning for Francis to unpack his saddlebags in the spare room near the end
of the hall. Marie followed Harris to the kitchen, taking advantage of the
moment to voice her concern. “You’re not leaving me alone with him.”

“I warned you that you wouldn’t like it.”

“Like it?” she repeated, incredulous. “You
said the man was a preacher. That,” she hissed, jabbing a finger toward the
hallway, “is not a preacher. Or anything resembling a preacher.”

“Francis can put the fear of God into
Satan. And he’s familiar with Juarez. You’ll be safe with him.”

“Don’t worry over it, honey,” Francis
called out from the bedroom. “I’m not as partial to women as I once was.”

Lady. Honey. She had a name. She wished
some damn body would use it.

Harris leaned one hip against the counter. “He
also has phenomenal hearing. Insulting him will only make it that much harder.”

She moved closer to his side, whispering
this time. “I didn’t mean to insult him but you deliberately misled me. Why
does he call you Colonel?”

“I was his commanding officer for a period
of time. I don’t encourage it but it’s a habit with them.”

She turned to lean her forehead against the
refrigerator. With every day that passed she felt more disconnected to her old
life.
Breathe.
“What is
it with you people? Why do men who hire out as mercenaries think they’re above
the law?”

“Mercenary is such a strong word,” Francis
interrupted from the kitchen door. “I prefer the term ‘private contractor’.” He
glanced at Seth. “Did I hear right? Juarez?”

“You heard right.”

Francis whistled low, regarding her with
what seemed to be amusement mixed with thoughts that she might be off in the
head. “Honey, when you pick on somebody big, you really go for it. I may just
have to break down and buy a new collar for this one. Special occasion, you
know. Where can I park my hog?”

“In the shed.”

The second Francis swung away to attend to
his bike and she looked at Harris suspiciously. “You’re only going to look for
Will, right? Nothing else.”

“For the moment.”

She didn’t like his answer. All week he’d
been avoiding talking to her, discussing the situation, his role in it now that
he was, for all intent, her bodyguard. Every morning he was up with the sun,
taking a run before breakfast. Then it was chores to be done outside—chopping
and stacking wood, mending shingles, fixing the slashed tire of his dirt bike—where
he could stride away from her to tend to something else when she asked a
question he didn’t want to answer.

Maybe he didn’t actually have a plan, but
she’d had enough of people around her dying, dying because of her. “I have a
right to know.” Will had always given her progress reports.

One dark blond eyebrow lifted. “You think I
have some master plan I’m not letting you in on?”

“See?” She threw her hands up in the air. “This
is exactly what I’m talking about. I want to know what you’re going to do when
you leave here, how long you’ll be gone, and what the next step is.”

That same eyebrow dipped low. “I don’t have
the vaguest idea. And I don’t want to have to remind you again that you’re not
running this show. We do things my way.”

Maria clamped her teeth together and left the
room before she gave in to the temptation to grab something long and hard and
use it on his head.

* * * * *

Los Angeles

“Where…is she?”

Nina ducked as the porcelain vase came
flying too close to her head, crashing against the wall behind her. Benito was
livid. His informant hadn’t found the woman yet.

“What do I pay you for?” he screamed into
the phone. “To sit on your ass all day? Is this how the government operates in
this country, by losing its star witness two months before a trial? I cannot
believe you managed to climb the ranks with such incompetence.”

It would be worse tonight, she knew. He
would take her roughly, with no tenderness, because of his anger at the woman.
Nina didn’t mind the roughness when it was mixed with loving strokes. Benito
had long ago introduced her to the heady mix of pain and pleasure. But it was
not enjoyable now. Not while the woman lived.

She slipped from the room while he was
still talking on the phone. Jared understood. Jared would make her feel better.

She found him in the gym, sweat beading his
torso, face and thighs as he sat on the weight bench taking a breather. She ran
a manicured hand down his firm chest, feeling the slick sweat against her palm.

“What are you up to today?” Jared asked
lightly, toweling his face off before reaching for the water bottle.

“I’m lonely.”

He took a sip from the bottle, squirting
some of the water onto his face. “Perhaps Manuel will take you into town.
Shopping always makes you feel better.”

“Buying a new dress would be wasted effort.
Benito will not notice.” Her hand continued to savor the play of muscle across
his chest and shoulders.

“Don’t get too close, you’ll ruin your
outfit.”

She smiled. “You worry over little things.”

He looked sideways at her. “That pantsuit
probably cost more than this machine.”

She moved in front of him and to keep his
saturated thighs from touching her silk pantsuit, he opened them. She took
advantage, stepping closer, running her fingers through his hair. Nina thought
he tensed for a moment. But of course, Jared would anticipate her need and
worry over soiling her expensive clothes.

“Did he hurt you again?”

“No.”

“Then you came to chat because you were
bored.”

“No.” She placed her hands on his thighs
and lowered herself to her knees. “I hate the woman. She is taking Benito from
me and she is not even here.”

His index finger lifted her chin so she
gazed up into his eyes. “She can’t take him from you. Why do you doubt
yourself?”

“Benito doesn’t fool me. He wants her in
his bed before she breathes her last. He will give her my pleasure. He has done
it before.”

“Nina,” Jared warned when she reached for
the waistband of his sweats. “You know what will happen if we’re caught. This
isn’t wise.”

“I don’t care.”

“You care nothing for me as a friend then?”

She laid her cheek against his damp thigh. “A
friend would not turn me away.”

He stroked her hair gently.

“Nina!” Benito’s voice boomed from down the
hall.

Nina quickly rose to her feet and hurried
to the door. “Here.”

“Did I tell you to leave the room?” Benito
snapped.

“I didn’t think you would notice.” Elation
filled her that Benito had noticed her departure. Now he would coax her into
going back with him and they would spend the day making love.

“What are you doing in here anyway?” he
growled, casting a disgruntled glance at Jared.

“I couldn’t find Manuel. I thought Jared
might know where he is.”

“I’ll be in a meeting all afternoon and
probably most of the evening. You’ll have to entertain yourself for a while.”

“But I thought—” The back of Benito’s hand
sliced across her cheek.

“Don’t backtalk me. I’m not in the mood.
Just stay out of the way. Manuel won’t be able to escort you anywhere today, he’s
going to be busy.”

She lifted a hand to the burning on the
side of her face. “Will I see you tonight?”

“Yes.” Benito cast one last look at Jared,
who was concentrating on his weights now, then turned and strode away.

Jared didn’t dare look at her. He was her
friend and he knew she didn’t want him to see her pain. Later. Later, he would
make her feel better.

* * * * *

Seth was checking out his truck for the
road trip when Francis sauntered up, hoisting one boot against the bumper. “You’re
gonna deal with the problem before you leave, right?”

“Sometimes it’s best to let it simmer for a
while.” He didn’t look up but continued checking the lines, the oil, transmission
fluid, water and electrical circuits. It was rather optimistic of him, he
supposed, to hope Francis wouldn’t notice the package’s fragile condition.

“Not this time,” Francis grunted. “No
offense, Colonel, but I’d rather not be left with a bomb that has a very short
fuse.”

“Pretty noticeable, huh?”

“More like glaringly obvious. But then I’m
more intuitive than some people.”

“I haven’t decided the best way to go about
it yet.”

Francis grinned. “You could order her to
let loose, but personally, I don’t think that’s the way to go.”

Seth blew out a breath, using the rag in
his hand to wipe his fingers clean. “And just what would you suggest?”

“Anything that’ll keep her from trying to
stab me with the nearest butcher knife. C’mon, Colonel, you can’t leave her
here like this. Her hands shake, she looks over her shoulder a lot and she gets
this wild look in her eyes when you leave the rooms
—
afraid, like she’s
afraid you won’t come back. I’ll bet she doesn’t sleep either. Not that it
would bother me—you know how I feel about quiet places. But her wire’s
stretched about as tight as it’ll go and I’d rather she snapped all over you.”

“I’m sure you would,” Seth replied dryly.

“What the hell made Will think he could
drop her in your lap like that and get away with it?”

“Problem is, he may have gotten away with
it. He’s gone under and I have the feeling he doesn’t plan on coming up until
the trial. He’s already walking a tightrope with his superiors. Claims there’s
a leak somewhere. Until this is over or the leak is exposed he has about as
much chance as she does of staying alive until the trial.”

Frances ran his tongue around his teeth. “Where’s
the leak?”

“At the top, I think. I don’t know how far
down it goes. You tell her nothing until I’ve had a chance to scout out the
situation and see where we stand. She already has it in her mind I’m some kind
of weekend warrior.”

“You didn’t tell her.” Francis knew better
than to let it come out sounding like an accusation. It was more of an
observation.

“There’s no need for her to know.”

“There’ll be every need if Juarez gets his
hands on her. Don’t you think she deserves to know how vicious he can be when
he’s rolled? She might change her tune a little if she knew what was in store
for her.”

Seth slammed the hood of the truck harder
than necessary. “Drop it, Francis.”

The preacher raised his hands in defense. “Okay
fine. But you are going to take care of the problem, right?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks. Now I can go to sleep at night
without fearing for my life.”

* * * * *

Seth found Maria hiding out in her room. “Come
with me.”

She turned from the window she was staring
out of to ask, “Where?”

“Outside.”

He could almost hear her grinding her teeth
behind him as he led her from the cabin and a good distance into the wooded boundary,
to a small clearing. This would do as well as any other place. “Okay.” He
stopped and turned to her. “Hit me.”

She arched a winged brow at him. “I beg your
pardon?”

“Hit me.”

“Why?”

“Just do it,” he told her. “Close your fist
and aim for a body part. It doesn’t matter.”

She looked offended that he suggested such
a thing. “I’m not going to hit you.”

“You want to. Here’s your chance.”