No Boundaries, page 9
Her body suddenly stiffened, and Renegade looked down into the face of an angel. The light streamed through the window, casting a warm glow around her. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, but she was exquisite in the throes of passion.
He thrust inside her once, then twice. His body tightened just before the stars seemed to come inside the room and exploded all around him. After a moment, he slowly sank into her softness, then rolled them to their sides.
"I've never experienced anything like that," she admitted.
"I may not have my memories back, but I'm pretty sure I haven’t either. That was fantastic."
She leaned back just a little and looked into his face. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"
He couldn't stop the rumble of laughter. "No, you didn't hurt me. I’m healing very well, thanks to you."
"Good, because I might want to do this again."
He realized she was an amazing woman. Amelia was full of surprises. His thoughts turned serious. He just hoped she didn't have anything to do with Alejandro. That could put a dent in their relationship if he ended up not being the bad guy.
Renegade fell asleep with Amelia snuggled against him. His dreams began innocent enough, with Amelia laughing up at him, but they slowly began to change and evolve into something more…
“Come work for me,” Carter said. “I’ll give you a home.”
He frowned. "What kind of home?" Yeah, he didn't trust him. Hell, he didn't trust anyone, so that was nothing new.
"I run an organization that helps people."
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know all I need to know.”
“Did you know I used to deliver drugs for the cartel?”
“I know all about you, Renegade. You need to wake up now and get back to work.”
Renegade sat up in bed. The cobwebs in his mind began to clear as his memories flooded back. He wasn’t part of the cartel. He wanted to shut down the cartel, especially Alejandro and his operation. The man with him had betrayed him. That’s how Alejandro had captured him. They’d set a trap.
He glanced at the other side of the bed where Amelia lay sleeping. He knew which side of the road he was on, but where did she stand?
His brain kicked into overdrive. The cartel left her alone. Why? There was an airstrip and a hangar. He raked his fingers through his hair. Fuck! Was she running Alejandro’s drugs? He didn’t know.
There was one thing he did know. Either way, he could get to Alejandro through her.
Chapter Eleven
Kanon and the rest of the team sat around Cord’s dining table as they tried to figure out their next move. So far, they'd run up against brick walls. He scraped his fingers through his hair. Dammit, they should never have let Renegade and Miguel go in alone. They could’ve backed them up.
But no, Renegade had said he would only get the lay of the land. He would keep his distance and not take any chances. He'd only be gone two days, three tops. It would give them a better idea of what they would be up against when they called in the whole team. Meanwhile, Kanon and Cutter would be busy seeing what they'd be up against with the townspeople. They could catch the team in a crossfire if Alejandro had them in his pocket.
But then Renegade and Miguel disappeared. Even with the team here, they had yet to locate either of them. With each passing hour, Kanon was close to blowing a fuse.
“We have another problem,” Carter said, not meeting their gazes.
Kanon had a feeling someone else needed their services. Not happening. “We’re not leaving until we locate Renegade.”
“I’m going to have to pull some men off this. I don’t want to, but this is serious, too.”
Cord came in from the other room, interrupting them. "I've been asking around, and there's a woman who rescues runaways. People who are escaping the cartels."
Kanon's eyes narrowed. "And the cartel lets her get away with it? Why would they do that? Sounds like we'd be walking into a trap." Yeah, Kanon knew he didn't trust anyone. Very few people gave him reason to trust them. He’d been burned too many times in the past. It made him cynical, except with his team. They always had each other's backs.
"They don't know why the cartel leaves her alone, but they do," Cord continued. "It still could be a wild goose chase, but she might know something about Renegade's whereabouts."
"We don't have any other leads," Carter said, opening his hands in front of him.
“Do what you have to do, but I won't stop looking for Renegade. Kanon looked at Cutter. "We can check her out, but if the cartel leaves her alone, there must be a reason behind it. She could be helping them deliver their drugs, and rescuing people is just a cover."
"I suggest Kanon and I check out the woman." Cutter leaned back in his chair, and their gazes met. He was just as determined. That's what he liked about Cutter.
Carter nodded. "Renegade is tough, and I'm not going to give up on him either. I'll look into our other problem and see what I need to do, but be careful. I don't want you ending up missing like Renegade," Carter said.
"I'll go and keep them out of trouble," Rader suggested.
Kanon quirked an eyebrow. "We don't need a babysitter, but you're welcome to come along."
Rader only grinned.
It took them half a day to reach the woman's hacienda. In case they were walking into a trap, they didn't go directly to the house, but stopped a mile away. They would go the rest of the way on foot, until they were close enough to check the place out.
By the time they got to an outcropping of rock where they could take cover, sweat was rolling down Kanon's back. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. The sun was high in the sky and beating down on them. He was damned miserable. He pulled out his binoculars and scanned the area when they were settled behind the rocks.
"No visual of armed guards that I can see," he said.
"A man just went inside the barn," Cutter said. "A big guy, but nothing we couldn't take. He wasn't packing. It looks like a typical hacienda. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Look what just stepped out onto the porch," Rader said.
Kanon shifted his binoculars, then adjusted the focus. She was damned nice, easy on the eyes.
Cutter whistled under his breath, looking at her, too. "That's the woman who rescues runaways? Damn, she's hot. She could rescue me any day."
"Don't start drooling. You'll get dehydrated," Kanon told him, but he was smiling. At least, he was until he saw who walked up behind the woman, looking quite at ease in his surroundings. "Renegade," he whispered.
Relief flooded over him. He closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath. He hadn't realized until this moment exactly what the team meant to him. Dammit, he'd never had anyone who cared as much for him as his team members. They meant a hell of a lot to him and he’d walk over hot coals for them. When one was hurt or went missing, it cut him to the bone.
He opened his eyes and looked toward the porch again. Renegade stood in the shadows, but he looked fine from what he could see. Anger began to build inside him. He wanted to storm down there and knock the hell out of his friend. He'd been worrying if Renegade was dead or alive, and here he was the whole time, looking comfortable with this woman. Why the hell hadn't he checked in with them?
"Calm down," Cutter warned.
His gaze swung to Cutter, but all he saw was red. He felt betrayed. Dammit, he’d never wanted to feel that way again. He'd sworn he never would. He should walk away right now. Just leave it all. Forget he was even part of the team.
"We don't know what's going on," Rader said in a calm, rational voice. "Something happened. Renegade isn't the type to turn on his friends."
"Is that what we are? His friends? It doesn't look like it to me. If we were his friends, he would've gotten in touch with us so we could stop worrying."
"We'll wait until nightfall before we contact him," Rader said. "Until then, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt."
"Okay, I’ll wait.” It didn’t mean he had to like it, though. “It's damned hot out here," he grumbled.
Nighttime couldn't come soon enough. They continued to watch the grounds, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but that could be a cover. Men came and went. Occasionally, they would see a woman. There was a young boy that ran around, curiously poking into everything until a woman, probably his mother would redirect him. Then they would see Renegade with the blonde again.
"He's sleeping with her," Cutter casually commented.
While he’d been sick with worry, Renegade had been screwing around. He watched as the woman walked toward the barn. She had a natural sway in her hips. Definitely tempting. Kanon snorted. "Do you blame him? She's beautiful. I can't see her rescuing runaways, though. It has to be a cover."
"We're not positive she rescues anyone," Rader said. "You know how rumors are."
At least he was right about that. They had all heard the rumors about Rader. Everything from his parents being Gypsies to him coming from wealth but leaving it all behind. Who knew what was true? No one ever asked about someone's past. They were all accepted the way they were. Some things he knew for sure about the others, but Rader had always been a mystery to them.
As soon as the sun set, they crept closer to the house, keeping to the shadows. People came and went until finally, Renegade came outside to the porch. Kanon pursed his lips and made a low whistling sound.
Renegade stiffened, then whistled back, but the woman came outside before he could walk to the porch's edge.
“I love this time of day best of all,” she said.
He smiled down at her. “I didn’t have a preference until you brought me here. I think any time of day that you’re near is the best time.”
Yeah, Cutter was right. They were sleeping together. He’d kill him.
Someone new came to the door. The woman had dark hair and she looked angry.
“Amelia, someone raided the pantry. Come see what they took. If I catch them, I swear they’ll regret the day they were born.”
The woman she’d called Amelia sighed. “I’ll be right there.” She looked at Renegade. “Sorry about that. There’s always something going on.”
“Take your time. There’s a full moon. I think I’ll take a walk.”
Good, they were about to get answers.
Then Kanon would kill him.
Chapter Twelve
"What did they take?" Amelia asked Sophia.
"That's the strange part. Not that much. Some dried meat and a couple of handfuls of cookies, but they knocked over the flour. There wasn’t a lot that spilled out, but if it had, no biscuits until I made a run into town."
Sophia was very particular about her food. They walked inside the pantry and looked around. "Are you sure they didn't take anything else?"
"Positive."
"Maybe it was one of the workers or even Tony."
Sophia was already shaking her head. "I already asked them. They haven't been in the house. Besides, I always take them food, and they keep it in their refrigerators, like Maria and Angela do. Everyone said they had plenty and didn't need more."
Amelia was at a loss. Why would anyone want to come in and steal food when all they had to do was ask? "It's not that much," she finally said. "Maybe we shouldn’t worry about it."
Sophia cocked an eyebrow. "You want someone coming into the house and wandering around? It would make me feel uncomfortable."
She had a point…
There was a noise right outside the backdoor. They looked at each other. Cold chills ran up and down her arms. Surely, Alejandro didn't have men watching her. Her forehead wrinkled in thought. She wouldn't put it past him. Especially if he thought she was helping Renegade. A shiver ran over her. She didn't know what would happen if Alejandro discovered she’d helped him.
There was another noise outside the door. Someone was out there. There was only one way to find out. She squared her shoulders and started toward the door. Sophia grabbed her arm.
"Let me go first."
"Really? You’re going to sacrifice yourself for me? I don't think so." She marched past her friend and went to the door, opening it without hesitation.
Marco jumped. He quickly downed his head and came to his feet. "I'm sorry to bother you," he spoke in Spanish.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked in his language.
"I was playing with my soldier earlier, but I lost him." Tears filled his eyes. "Poppy gave him to me, and now I can't find him."
Aww, her heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces. Sara had told us her husband had been murdered when they were taken. She sucked back her tears and put on a brave face. "I'm sure I can help you look." She looked over her shoulder. "Turn on the porch light," she told Sophia.
An area of the back suddenly flooded with light. She walked down the stairs and crouched down, looking under the steps. She smiled. "Is this your soldier?" She reached beneath the step and brought it out.
His smile was so big that it immediately warmed her heart. He ran forward and threw his arms around her neck in a fierce hug. She closed her eyes and, for just a moment, felt as if something was missing from her life. That was silly, of course. She didn't have time for children or relationships.
Renegade immediately came to mind. No, that was a one-time thing. It would never happen again. It had just been so long since a man had held her close and then made love to her. That wasn’t exactly right. No man had ever made love to her like Renegade. He'd taken her to heights she'd never reached before.
When Marco pulled away, he lowered his head, a blush on his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to bother you. That's what Mama says."
She smiled. "I think you can bother me anytime you want. I do have one question for you. Did you come inside the house and get some food? It's okay if you did. I just need to know."
He quickly shook his head. "No, I'm not supposed to go inside the house."
She believed him. "Did you see anyone go inside the house when you were looking for your soldier?"
He nodded. "I wasn't supposed to say anything."
So, someone did come inside the house. "Who was it?"
He looked down at his feet.
"You can tell me."
He finally raised his head. "It was a ghost."
Her eyebrows rose. "A ghost?"
He quickly nodded his head up and down. "Yes, a ghost. The ghost was really white."
She made sure she didn't smile. She could tell how serious this was to Marco. "Was it a big ghost or a small ghost?"
He was thoughtful for a moment. "Bigger than me, but not as big as you." He suddenly brightened. "But I saw big ghosts a little while ago. They were a lot bigger than you."
"And how many of them were there?" She quickly discovered Marco was an exceptional storyteller. He had a very vivid imagination. She had to admit, she was enjoying conversing with him. She'd never had brothers or sisters, and her childhood was lonely. She always thought that one day, she would have children. Lots of them. She doubted that would ever happen.
His small smile screwed up to the side. "Three, and Mr. Renegade. Maybe he was trying to scare them off."
"You're a great lookout, Marco. You deserve at least two cookies.”
His smile stretched across his face. Amelia looked over her shoulder at Sophia. She turned, returning a moment later with two cookies. She came outside and handed them to Marco.
"Thank you," he said.
"Marco, why are you bothering Miss Amelia and Ms. Sophia?” Sara said as she came up. “I told you to stay by the house." She looked at us, shaking her head. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him. He's always wandering off. I apologize if he gave you any trouble." She looked sternly at her son.
Amelia laughed lightly. "He's no trouble at all, and he tells great stories. You're fortunate to have such a wonderful boy. We'll miss you both when you leave." Something had come up, so they wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow.
"You're a very good person, and yes, Marco has a very vivid imagination." She lifted her gaze to Sophia. "Both of you are good." She held out her hand, and Marco quickly took it as they returned to the house where they were staying.
"He's cute," Amelia said.
"You should have children of your own. You’d make a great mother. You never take time for yourself."
"I'm not sure it's meant to be."
"Well, I think we found our culprit,” Sophia said. “You shouldn't have given him more cookies. He's going to make himself sick."
I looked at her with wide eyes. "What? You mean you didn't believe his story about ghosts?"
"Not from a six-year-old."
They were both laughing as they went back inside.
As Amelia left the kitchen, she walked toward the study. Even with everyone around her: Sophia, Tony, and the others who worked at the hacienda, she knew something was missing. She rubbed her arms in an attempt to get rid of the cold chills that popped up. She'd never felt this strongly about her life until… until…
Her shoulders slumped.
Until Renegade came into her life. He’d done something to her. Created a longing for more. He’d made her feel things she’d never felt before. He was handsome, too. She bit her bottom lip as she remembered how he’d looked at her with piercing green eyes. He had a way of making her feel like she was the most important person in the world.
She straightened. Dammit, she was doing it again. Daydreaming about something that would never happen. Hell, he might even be married. She frowned. Damn, she hoped not. She didn't usually sleep with married men. Not that she slept with many men at all.
Okay, shake it off. None of that mattered. Her job was the important thing, and she had no time for anything else. She helped people trying to escape abuse. Someday, she might feel worthy enough to have everything she dreamed about, but not yet. There was no way she could stop what she was doing. She had to keep pressing forward.
She went inside her study, then looked around. She would finish some work and make all the arrangements for Sara and Marco to leave tomorrow. She wanted to confirm everything was in place so they would have a safe trip to Sara's relatives' home. They'd already been through too much.
