He raked a hand through his hair, frustrated. Don Pablo had treated her like a piece of ass, and Ian hadn’t objected. Then again, the plane had been their only escape. Ian probably wouldn’t have objected if Pablo hadgropedher ass. “What did you expect me to do? He was a horny old man. We’re all the same, just like I told you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You say that every time we argue. I think it’s a lie you tell to hide your true feelings.”
He made a scoffing sound, uncomfortable with her assessment. She saw through him too easily. Hiding his feelings was a defense mechanism, even a basic survival instinct. Sometimes it was easier to act like a jerk than a gentleman.
Sometimes it felt better too.
“Let’s go,” he said, spotting a tour bus in the distance. The sign across the front said Mazatlán, which worked for him. It would be easier to blend into the crowd of tourists along the coast. The driver charged him twenty dollars for the ride. He found two open spaces in the middle section. She took the aisle seat while he stared out the window.
“I’m sorry about Don Pablo,” he said. “You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”
Maria met his gaze warily.
“Men aren’t all the same, either. It is a lie I tell because I can’t stand the thought of you with someone else after I’m gone.”
Her expression softened. “I don’t want anyone else.”
“You will.”
“Will you?”
He shrugged, though he couldn’t imagine it. He’d been celibate for four years after spending a handful of hours with her, and it wasn’t as if he didn’t like sex. He did like it—a lot. But he’d never be satisfied by anonymous encounters again. She’d ruined him for other women. Instead of telling her that, he went quiet. It would be selfish to stake his claim on her under these circumstances. She was young and beautiful and resilient. She’d find another if he let her go.
“I haven’t been in an airplane before,” she said.
“I gathered that.”
“Do you know how I crossed the border the second time?”
“No.”
“Kari let me hide in a cardboard box in the back of her van. It was hot and dark and had no air. I fainted on the way there. After she dragged me out, I threw up on the grass.” She smiled at the memory. “Then I cried, because I finally had made it.”
He smiled back at her, his heart aching.
“Being with you is like that.”
“Like throwing up?”
“No. It’s like arriving to a place I always dreamed about.”
“Except there’s no trapeze.”
“There is a baton.”
He started laughing, surprised by her crude joke, and couldn’t stop. It was either laugh or cry, because he felt the same way about her. She was everything he’d ever wanted and more. She filled all the missing pieces inside him.
They arrived in Mazatlán that evening. He had trouble staying awake during the trip. His head ached and his wound itched. Before they got off the bus, she touched her palm to his cheek, frowning. “Your fever is back.”
That didn’t surprise him. They entered the bus station and he found a place to rest while Maria paid for some American-style fast food. The hot meal and cold drink revived him a little. After they ate, he threw away the trash and approached the pay phone. LaGuardia’s secretary put him through immediately—to someone else.
“Agent Foster? This is Special Agent Ernesto Bell of ICE. We’re happy to hear from you.”
“Is LaGuardia available?”
“I’m afraid not. He’s on a flight at the moment. Are you in need of emergency assistance?”
“I can wait.”
