“From me, no, but he got to the bottom line even before I called. He put the guards on Jase and his family. Right now Brubaker is backdating files to make it clear that Jase was officially working undercover for him on a very politically sensitive project.”
“Wasn’t he?”
“In a back-door kind of way. The files make it up front, which means that Jase was shot in the line of duty. Uncle Sam will take care of the bills. Every last penny of them. If Jase comes out of this injury less than one hundred percent, he’ll get full disability whether he stays in the field or not. Jase’s choice.”
She cleared her throat. “Sounds like you and Brubaker had quite a chat.”
“In our family, we call it a come-to-Jesus talk. Brubaker’s a good man underneath the bureaucracy. It shook him hard to see Ali and the kids. Reminded him that more than an attaboy from the vice president was at stake in this sorry game. And Brubaker’s plenty savvy enough to know that his career is gone if he doesn’t take real good care of Jase.”
“So he won’t fire Jase over the artifacts even if they aren’t found?”
“Not while I’m on watch. Brubaker and I have a Mexican standoff on that subject. If my guess is right, he’s quietly twisting arms to get his hands on some objects that are close enough to pass at the repatriation ceremony. Since we’re talking truckloads of goods already slated to be handed over, and there was no hoo-ha over Jase’s artifacts in the first place, it should work.”
“Then you don’t need me anymore. Jase’s job is safe.” Lina’s voice dried up as she looked into Hunter’s eyes. They were intense, focused solely on her.
Hunter shook his head. “Sweetheart, you couldn’t be more wrong. You’re not going anywhere alone until I know who and what this El Maya dude is. He pulled the trigger on your kidnapping. And Jase.”
“My family has bodyguards,” she pointed out. “Everyone with money in Mexico does.”
He nodded. “Ever think that some of the money your family has might not be clean, and that’s a reason for you to worry and for men to be after you?”
She bit back her first response, which was a snarling denial. Finally she said, “I’ve never believed that my family was involved in anything truly illegal.”
Breathing in Lina’s scent, Hunter waited.
The silence drove her to speak. “Celia sometimes lives on the thinnest edge of legal, but she knows how not to fall off. My father could make a fortune skimming artifacts, but he’s too obsessive about them to let them out of his hands. As long as the family supports his digs, he has no reason to risk the black market for money. Being in charge of a dig is all Philip really cares about.”
“Okay. Abuelita sounds a little old to be actively involved in the illegal artifact or drug trade.”
Lina smiled. “Especially when I call her
“Anyone else?”
“If you researched the family, I’m sure you know Carlos was a small-time drug dealer/user back when he was called Carlitos. Abuelita put a stop to that little rebellion. Carlos cleaned up and began doing manual labor for Philip on the digs. When Carlos was old enough to be respected and respectable, he took over running the family cement business. Ultimately, he became a successful cross-border businessman and a respected amateur Mayanist.” Lina faced Hunter directly. “Am I missing anyone on your mental suspect list? Just give me their names and I’ll tell you what I know.”
“Simon Crutchfeldt,” Hunter said.
She blinked with surprise but didn’t miss a beat. “One of Celia’s best clients. He both collects and resells.”
“Reputation?”
“Depends on who you talk to,” Lina said.
“I’m talking to you.”
“I don’t like him professionally or personally.”
“Has Crutchfeldt ever been arrested?” Hunter asked.
“Not that I know of.”
“Would he be a likely receiver of Jase’s missing artifacts?”
“He’s too smart to keep them,” Lina said. “He’s not obsessive like Philip or true collectors.”
“How about being a go-between?”
She let out a long breath. She really didn’t like some of Celia’s clientele. People like Crutchfeldt were why. “It’s possible that Crutchfeldt is a middleman for illegal transactions.”
“Anything is possible,” Hunter said. “How about probable?”
Lina felt like she was being harried into a corner. “All right. Yes. My mother deals with some despicable people. Crutchfeldt is one of them.”
Callused male fingertips brushed over Lina’s lips. “Easy, sweetheart. I’m not attacking you or your family.”
“It sure feels like it.”
“Nobody’s one hundred percent pure,” he said. “Nobody. Once you accept that, life gets a lot easier.”
“Tell that to Caesar’s wife,” she shot back.
Hunter’s smile was a flash of warmth stroking her.
“Such beautiful eyes,” he said, “hot as sin and sweeter than an angel. I’m sure glad you aren’t married. Real glad.”
Lina felt the ground shift under her feet. His words, the touch of his fingers on her lips, his smile, everything about him kept her unsettled.
“Hunter, what are you doing to me?”
“Not near as much as either of us would like.” Reluctantly he withdrew his touch from her soft, warm lips. “Damn. We’re both too tired for what I hope you want.”
Deliberately she looked at the fit of his jeans. “You don’t look too tired.”
“I should be. The last two weeks have been hell. Except for you.”
“Go to bed. I’d hate to have you fall asleep before the, er, main event.”
Hunter’s laughter was even warmer than his smile. She couldn’t help laughing, too.
Then his mouth was over hers, his arms pulling her against every hard inch of his body. She hadn’t known she was still cold until she felt his heat. She gave herself to his kiss, the hot strokes of his tongue, to him. He tasted of night and coffee, salt and man, a storm in the tropics. Her fingers clenched in his hair, holding him closer, afraid he was a dream that would vanish between one breath and the next.
“This is stupid,” he said finally against her lips.
“I know.” She burrowed closer, nipping his chin.
With a groan, he stepped away from her. “Help me, here. I’m trying to do the right thing.”
She licked her lips. “You felt right to me.” Then she shook her head like a dog coming out of water.
“Feeling bushwhacked?” he asked wryly.
“Yes. What is it about you? I’m not like this. I don’t just jump into a man’s arms because I like the way he looks.”
“I’d love to take credit for it, sweetheart, but it wouldn’t be true. Adrenaline is the most underrated drug on the market. Worse than booze for tempting people to break their own rules. So I’ll make you a deal. You look at me like that in the morning and I’ll jump you right back.”
She closed her eyes, carefully not looking at him. Then she sighed, knowing he was right. “Tomorrow.” It felt like forever to her.
His glance went over her like ghostly hands.
“To hell with it,” he said, pulling her back to him. “It’s already tomorrow.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
LINA CAME TO HUNTER EVEN AS HE PULLED HER CLOSER. She breathed out his name when her mouth found his, seeking. The perfume of plumeria and their own scents and the smell of the ocean mixed
