“You rode it?”
“No,” she said, sipping her melon juice. “It is too dangerous for a girl alone.”
“Sarai is a girl alone.”
“Yes, but she is worried about her father dying. I told her he was badly hurt.”
Sarai was Ian’s only link to Villarreal, and she was on the move. She might be heading to a safe house or prearranged rendezvous point. Villarreal was the kind of man who would plan for trouble. Ian sent another text to LaGuardia, mentioning the camp.
LaGuardia offered a terse response:Check it out.
He put his phone away, pleased with the response. “What did the letter say?”
“Armando’s letter? I don’t know.”
“You didn’t read it?”
“No.”
He shook his head in disbelief. Of course she hadn’t read it. That would have beenimpolite. “The letter might have included some instructions or the name of a trusted contact.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because I saw her face when she read it. She looked sad and lost. If anything, he told her not to leave the school.”
“And yet, she did the opposite.”
She shrugged. “This is the way of teenagers, no?”
He pondered that for a moment. He hadn’t been a rebellious teen, probably because his mother hadn’t been a responsible parent. Her addiction had prevented him from having a typical childhood. “Was it your way?”
“No. I was eighteen when I left, and I did not sneak outcomo un ladrón.”
Like a thief.
“What was your impression of Armando’s daughter?”
“She’s small and pretty. Not like him. But she has his eyes.”
“Dark?”
“Calculating. I think she was hiding something.”
Ian drummed his fingertips against the table. They were all hiding something. Ian hadn’t told his boss that he’d brought Maria to Taxco. LaGuardia didn’t need to know every little detail. He was busy coordinating a clandestine manhunt in Tijuana.
“I will go with you to the camp,” Maria said. “I know her face.”
Once again, Ian hesitated to accept her offer. He was already on dangerous ground with her, enjoying her company more than he should. But taking her home would eat up the rest of his day. He could drop her off at the bus station and say adios forever, or he could let her come along. She was more likely to spot Sarai in the crowd. Maria was also a useful asset in general. She was bright and inquisitive, even disarming. People enjoyed talking to her.
LaGuardia had told him not to touch her, and Ian planned to follow that order. Her beauty and charm were heady temptations, but he wasn’t a horny teenager. He could control himself. He’d overcome tougher obstacles than unsatisfied lust.
“Okay,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I’ll take you.”
It was one afternoon. How hard could it be to keep his hands off her?
She smiled and used her straw to spear a chunk of cantaloupe from the bottom of her drink. Then she brought it to her lips for a juicy bite.
