All Tied Up

“And I’m not a dope, remember?”

Inwardly, he smiled. Damn, she was tough. “He’ll be in the area.”

A frown on her face, she turned to him. “How would you know that for certain?”

“I spent three years in his world. I know how to bait Carlos.”

He cut off further conversation, reaching for his door. “We’re wasting valuable time that could get us killed. Let’s get this done and over with. Stay close to me.” He hesitated. “I don’t want you in the open any longer than needed. Count to ten once my door shuts. That’ll give me time to grab my bag.”

Without waiting for her answer, he stepped out of the car, the wind gusting at him with the intensity that would throw Nicole around like a feather. Damn it. He hated exposing her to danger of any type, but the idea of letting her out of his sight twisted his gut in knots. Not a feeling he cared to analyze right now, either. Instead, he focused on the horizon, where a dark wall of clouds was looming.

He squatted down beside the seat, eyes level with Nicole’s. “Forget counting. Wait on me. I’ll come get you. And forget the gun. The wind is too strong for you to try to hold on to it, let alone fire.”

A grim expression on her face told of her understanding, so he pushed to his feet, slammed the door shut and scanned. By the time he retrieved the bag from the backseat, he’d inventoried the area. A total of five cars in the parking lot. To his right, a patrolman, a Padre Island police officer, talked in animated fashion to a young couple taking pictures, obviously trying to run them off. On the dock, two men worked to secure a boat, and Constantine frowned. The storm was ready to swallow them whole as it was.

He rounded the rear of the vehicle to help Nicole. Obviously aware of his location, she shoved open her door a second before he would have reached for it.

The minute she stood up, her hair blew in wild array around her face, and Constantine wished she had it pulled back as he did. She needed a clear view of what might be coming at her from both Mother Nature and man.

“We need to get out of here!” she hollered.

“Not without those supplies,” he said, offering her his arm.

She slipped her arm under his elbow, not bothering to argue further. “You mean not before we get Carlos.”

He planned to ignore her comment. She seemed to read his mind, refusing to be dismissed. She squeezed his arm and shouted into the howl of the wind. “I want him, too!”

Acceptance of his agenda shouldn’t have been important, but somehow it was. Somehow, she’d known he needed to hear those words.

His hand closed over hers, silent appreciation of what she’d said, but he had to stay focused. Time was critical and so were the instructions he had given her. They needed to move. He pulled her forward, and they managed all of one step before a wind gust slammed into them. Constantine muscled up against the impact, and Nicole clung to him to keep from stumbling, yelling something he couldn’t understand. He pulled her forward, fighting through the weather to get those supplies before Carlos arrived. He had a safe on the boat with enough cash to last a month. He figured it wouldn’t be necessary. A month from now, she would be home, the trial complete. Or so he hoped.

Watching for trouble, holding on to Nicole and fighting the weather, Constantine charged toward the boat. As they walked down the dock ramps, water splashed and it didn’t take long for them to be drenched.

Constantine climbed onto the wildly rocking deck of the Adiós and deposited his bag on the floor, before grabbing Nicole and pulling her to safety. Once he was certain she had a grip and steady footing, he retrieved his bag and guided her down a small staircase into the cabin.

Now, he had to fetch the money and supplies and get the heck out of Dodge. Easy. Fast. Yeah, right. Every nerve ending in his body tingled.

This juiced-up, edgy feeling was more than readiness; it was his inner alarm for trouble—the one that had kept him alive many a time. And he didn’t plan to make this time any different.

***

THE BOAT CREAKED from side to side, forcing Nicole to cling to the wall. Constantine moved aside a picture and opened a safe, removing a smaller safe, which he shoved into his bag.

The inside of the boat was small and Nicole didn’t like it. But she didn’t have time to panic. Not now. Nicole inhaled; the cabin smelled warm and masculine like Constantine. The scent comforted and she focused on that feeling. He’d spent time here. This was his boat. “Is this your home?”