He was about to drag his gaze away from the house with the intention of getting on with servicing this truck, but the front door opened and Samira stepped out. Ivan held his breath.
Time slowed down and he watched her stride confidently forward.
The first thing that struck him was that she was carrying a six-month-old baby in her arms, as well as a small black suitcase. Confusion jarred in his mind – where had the baby come from? Surely it wasn’t… no. She must be watching it for someone. But the suitcase… was she running away?
If she was then Ivan was going too. He braced himself to follow as he watched her walking like a vision of beauty. She was now wearing a different dress – a dry one, of course. It was thigh-length and showed off her curvy body that he was so keen to possess once again. Just seeing her from afar made his day brighter. He loved her. She possessed him. She owned his soul.
She strode over to an old red Cadillac that was parked in the driveway, quite far away from where he was standing. It was a rust-bucket, but it somehow suited Samira’s carefree spirit. She rolled down the top, threw the suitcase in the trunk, then gently strapped the baby into the car seat before climbing into the driver’s side and starting the engine with a roar.
She seemed oblivious to Ivan’s presence as she drove past him, staring straight ahead, looking cool behind her Ray Bans with her long hair flowing in the breeze.
Ivan threw down his wrench, slammed the hood of the truck, then climbed into the driver’s side to follow her down the gravel driveway and along the bumpy road that led out of the ranch back to reality.
As he followed Samira toward the main exit of the ranch, Ivan noticed there was an old BMW parked up, and a guy dressed in a suit and a Stetson was leaning against it, reading a newspaper. As the guy heard Samira’s car coming toward him, he scrambled into his vehicle and followed her too, meaning he was now between Samira and Ivan. This must be the guy who Samira said had been tailing her for the last three weeks. Ivan’s protective desire for her surged up and he focused on finding out who the hell this guy was – and where they were both headed.
The road was wide and desolate, and Samira seemed to be leading Ivan – and the other guy – into the middle of nowhere. Both sides of the road were stark – consisting of scrubby dry grass, concrete broken buildings, and a few burned-out cars. There was no one else in sight, and they seemed to be heading toward the Mexican border. Ivan’s muscles tensed up. She was running away. There was no way that was happening… Not without him.
The sun beat down cruelly on the metal truck, turning it into a sweat box even with the windows wound down. Apparently the air-conditioning wasn’t working. But Ivan wasn’t stopping now. The time ticked on and the road narrowed and became uneven. Ivan steered to avoid a pothole, but he ended up almost skidding as the tires struck a different pothole and bumped up and down frantically. He regained control and continued, driving behind the BMW, following Samira in convoy.
After an hour of driving through the back-roads of hell, Samira parked up under a grimy concrete river bridge where an old Nissan was waiting.
The BMW eased to a standstill a short distance away, so Ivan pulled up behind. They both sat and watched as Samira climbed out of her Cadillac and checked the baby was okay, before hauling the small black suitcase out of the trunk, and carrying it over to the waiting Nissan. Ivan watched as the biggest Mexican he’d ever seen climbed out. He and Samira didn’t speak as she handed him the suitcase, and he handed her back an identical black case, then – without a word – they both made their way back to their vehicles.
Ivan hooked his fingers over the hot steering wheel, trying to convince himself that she wasn’t doing what it looked like she was doing. But he knew deep down that whatever was in those suitcases, it wasn’t going to be anything wholesome. And getting involved in something like this would be tearing Samira apart. He needed to get her out of it.
In less than twenty seconds, it was all over and Samira climbed back into her car and turned around – heading back the way she’d come.
Ivan threw the truck into ‘drive’, then slammed on his brakes as he almost crashed into the BMW – which was also heading back after Samira.
As the two men sized each other up, Ivan got a good look at the guy – glaring into his eyes from behind his windshield. He was tough-looking, with brown hair and stubble, but he looked reasonably smart in his long-sleeved shirt and tie – which seemed excessive in this heat. He refused to look away from Ivan’s glare, and instead he was grinning in a cocky confident way that Ivan found irritating.
Ivan severed eye contact and revved his engine, refusing to let the other guy go first. Whoever he was, Ivan guessed he was trouble – and he wasn’t coming between him and Samira. Ivan thrust his foot down on the gas and wheelspun dust into the BMW’s open window, before speeding off to demand answers from Samira about what the hell she was doing.
If she was doing what he feared she was, he would throw her over his shoulder and ride off with her – somewhere far away from any trouble with tough guys or shady Mexicans.
Chapter Five
Samira drove back up the bumpy road toward the ranch, gripping the wheel with relief. Somehow she’d gotten away with it again. She had no idea what she would do if the cops ever happened to stop and search her car. But that was a problem to worry about for next time.
She glanced at little Quin in the rear view mirror. He was sitting in the back sucking his toes. “Looks like we made it home safe, baby. I hope you enjoyed the trip out, huh?”
He jiggled in his seat and laughed, melting her heart with love.
“I know you don’t approve,” she said. “But it’s the only way I can keep you in this country at the moment, so don’t go thinking Mommy’s a bad person, okay?”
Quin babbled some baby talk at her, and she laughed affectionately. She glanced in her rear view mirror and realized Ivan was still following in the truck, but the guy in the BMW was now pulling over to park halfway down the road.
Samira’s heart fluttered as a worried thought drifted into her mind. What if the guy hadn’t been employed by Mr. Langdon at all, but he was an undercover cop? Her body swirled with fear. But she assured herself that couldn’t be right. He wouldn’t just follow her around for three weeks, would he? He’d arrest her and everyone else involved in this whole shady business.
She tried to put him from her mind as she yanked up the parking brake and climbed out the car – unbuckling Quin and taking him – and the new suitcase – back toward the house.
She heard Ivan’s truck halt behind her, so she quickened her pace, determined not to answer his inevitable questions – not while she was still carrying the shady suitcase. She couldn’t handle having that conversation with him right now – there was so much to tell him.
She kissed Quin on the side of the head, rummaged for her keys, then disappeared inside the cool air-conditioned house, where she leaned against the front door and tried not to cry.
****
A little later, after giving Mr. Langdon the suitcase and asking Lola to take Quin for a while, Samira decided to go for a horseback ride in the beautiful field near the creek, to try to clear her mind.