Chapter Eleven
Lucia Mendez glared at the man who’d been his chief of security for years. Joseph Moreno might be a retired general, but he was also an arrogant bastard of the first order. Moreno’s penchant for younger women had never set well with Lucia’s sweet wife, and she’d warned him—too many times to count—the man he considered a trusted friend was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Joseph had worked for Lucia for years, but lately, the man often forgot which one of them was in charge.
“Do not tell me you don’t know, Joseph. I am not interested in your excuses. Find out why the incompetent men you hired allowed Mia to board a cruise ship that set sail moments later.” A ship leased to a man everyone mistakenly believed had retired from the CIA. Anyone with any international experience at all knew Cameron Barnes was as much an agent now as he’d ever been although he seemed to keep a much lower profile.
“The men escorting her were obviously well-trained. She slipped through our fingers at her apartment by hiding under the floor. The men I’d sent to bring her in for her own safety underestimated your lovely granddaughter. They will not make the same mistake again.”
Moreno tried but seemed unable to completely blank his expression. Lucia would start making calls as soon as the man left for the night. Mia had tried to tell him something about the man sitting on the other side of the desk, but he’d been too busy to listen. She might be on the run, but she was still under his watchful eye.
Pressing his palm against his chest, Lucia cursed the spicy dinner he hadn’t been able to resist. His cook kept trying to feed him bland dishes at night, but Lucia was not yet ready to admit his body was no longer that of a young man. Joseph Moreno’s eyes followed the circular movements with avid interest, and for the first time since he’d met Joseph, Lucia felt a chill of fear in his presence. It was time to replace Morena, but Lucia needed to make a phone call first, and tipping Joseph off wouldn’t be wise.
“You are dismissed, my friend. Go to town and enjoy the ladies who follow you like a gaggle of geese.” The arrogant sloth smiled at the compliment and slowly got to his feet. He’d be out of the compound within minutes without a backward glance, giving Lucia the opening he needed to call Cam. It was time for the man whose life he’d once saved to answer a few questions.
*
With a little luck, maybe the old bastard would die before Joseph got his hands on Mia. His boss’s granddaughter was proving herself far more resourceful than Joseph had anticipated. Helping rescue Senator Tyson had put her on the radar of several organizations she should have steered clear of, but like all journalists, she hadn’t been able to keep her nose out of places it didn’t belong. Christ, it was bad enough she’d almost walked in on his own operation; it had been pure luck he’d seen her reflection in a shop window late one-night walking down the street. He’d been shocked to discover she’d managed to follow him without being detected and grateful he’d seen her in time to change course.
Joseph knew he’d been stalling when it came to a decision about how to deal with Mia, hoping she would find some other shiny object to chase, and now she’d slipped through his fingers. The only way he could think of to reel her in was to make certain her grandfather needed her, and the drug he’d slipped into the old man’s after dinner brandy should do just that. Everything in Lucia Mendez’s life was mind-numbingly predictable. Ordinarily, Joseph found Lucia’s routine appallingly drab, but tonight it would play in his favor. The old man would sit by the fire sipping his drink and before the night was over, he’d be clinging to life by a thread. Perfect.
*
Cam leaned back in his chair and let his gaze move over the woman sleeping on the nearby sofa. She was curled into the corner, looking more like a teenager than one of the most skilled and well-respected pediatric surgeons in the world. She was God’s gift to sick and injured children, and Cam had always known he couldn’t steal her away from those deserving souls. He was even more grateful she was an unearned gift to him. Cam might not have done anything to deserve Cecelia’s love, but he wasn’t ever going to question the cosmic decision to send her his way.
An hour ago, he’d answered the call he’d been expecting since Mia Mendez boarded the ship he’d chartered. He’d known her grandfather for years, and more importantly, he respected Lucia for fighting back against the cartels who often steamrolled good people. Lucia was one of the few international bankers who hadn’t fallen prey to the greed so prevalent in the world’s largest banks.
Lucia Mendez had held out against those who would have made the self-made man little more than a puppet at the expense of his own country. But resisting criminal forces had also made him a target, and Cam’s concern for the other man had prompted the second call of the evening. Kent and Kyle West already had two men watching the Mendez estate and sent them to check on the elderly man before they’d finished speaking with Cam. Lucia’s repeated comments about his heartburn had been red flags to Cam, and the Wests had readily agreed.
Turning to watch the crackling flames in the fireplace, Cam thought back on the first time he met Mia. He’d watched her descend the stairs during her quinceanera, and he still remembered the intelligence he’d seen swirling in her blue eyes. Cam had met the young woman several more times over the years in various disguises, and he’d been relieved she hadn’t recognized him out on the dock. He’d used the shadows to his advantage, but he doubted her eye for detail would be fooled for long.
Letting his thoughts drift back to the woman sleeping peacefully nearby. Cam was becoming frustrated the inquiries he’d made into real estate in Houston weren’t yielding anything interesting, and it looked as if they were going to have to build. When he’d casually mentioned it to Kent before they ended their call, his friend had told him to hold-up on a decision because he had an idea. There’s a terrifying thought. Many assumed Kent wasn’t as sharp or as ruthless in business as his brother simply because his involvement wasn’t as overt. The two were mirror images in almost every way. Physically, they were nearly impossible to tell apart, contrary to what their firestorm of a wife would tell you.
Kent and Kyle’s minds also worked at the same warp speed. It was their method of attack when dealing with a problem that differed. Kyle was all about the blitz and frontal. Kent was much subtler, and in Cam’s opinion, that made him much more dangerous. Both men were loyal friends and formidable enemies, and if Kent said he had an idea, Cam would wait to hear him out.
When his phone vibrated beside him, Cam picked it up and frowned at the message displayed on the screen.
Subject being transported to ER. Drink secured for testing. Last known visitor COS. Will update ASAP.
If everyone and their dog wasn’t looking for her, Cam would be tempted to return to Colombia, so Mia could look after her grandfather, but that wasn’t an option. He had put feelers out, trying to find out more about Lucia’s Chief of Security. Cam had disliked the man on sight and told Lucia so, but Mendez hadn’t taken the warning seriously. Hopefully, the elderly man wasn’t going to pay for that mistake with his life.
Getting to his feet, Cam shook off the concerns. There was no reason to tell Mia about her grandfather until he knew more, and he wasn’t looking forward to explaining how he’d come upon the information. He had hoped to deliver her safely to the Wests before laying his cards on the table, but it seemed fate had other plans. Leaning over CeCe, he pressed a kiss to her forehead as he lifted her into his arms.
“Come, pet. Time for bed.” When her eyes fluttered open and her lips curved into a soft smile, he kissed her again. “Thank you for keeping me company, love.”
“How is Mia’s grandfather?” Fuck. My, did I believe she would sleep through something this important?