“Call out to your friend and tell him you took care of me.”
Did he understand me? The same line in Spanish slipped fast from my lips.
He shook his head before reaching into his pocket and revealed a knife. The silver blade flashed toward my face, but I shifted to the side, just avoiding the cut, and smacked the butt of the gun against his skull.
I stepped around his crumpled body and strode down the hall. The vibration in my pocket alerted me to another call. Perhaps I should have powered down my phone . . . but that would introduce its own risks. If someone got the drop on me, at least my government pals would be able to track my phone.
“Hello?” A young girl’s voice. “Help! There’s one more . . .”
At the end of the hall, I peered around the corner to my right. A tall, lithe man stood beside the girl. Her shoulders slumped forward with her head hung down. She was unconscious.
“Drop your gun,” the man warned as he gripped her by the hair and yanked her head back, holding a knife to her throat.
With no time to think I blasted a round from my weapon. Something told me the world wouldn’t miss this asshole.
But I didn’t kill him—I didn’t need to. Although damned if I wanted to after seeing the girl unconscious.
The bullet grazed the man’s neck, forcing him to drop the knife and apply pressure to the wound at his throat.
“Back away from her.”
He mumbled, “I’m not paid enough for this,” as he sank to the floor.
“Cuff yourself.” I chucked a pair of handcuffs in his direction.
His lips curved and twisted into an ugly scowl, but he followed my command quickly. He rushed his cuffed hands back to his throat to help control the bleeding.
I hurried to release the girl from her restraints, not knowing how long it would be until the men from the courtyard came barreling in. Or, perhaps, the real man in charge.
The girl was light in my arms. Aside from the recent blow, she appeared to have been unharmed.
“Tell your boss that if he ever plans on kidnapping another American in Mexico, I’ll send ten men just like me down here to deal with him.”
“Thank God,” Lydia’s mother cried.
A smile tugged at my lips as she wrapped her arms around her daughter in a warm embrace. “These people are animals. They’ll go after anyone for money, but they don’t always stick to the deal.”
I grimaced at the thought of what might have happened to the girl if I hadn’t gotten to the house in time. If I had a daughter . . . damn, I couldn’t even imagine. I’d be one of the fathers who stand in the door with a shotgun in hand when my daughter went on a date.
What in the hell was I thinking? I would never marry. Never have a daughter.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” With a shaky hand, the girl’s father held out a check. There was an absurdly large number written on it.
“I don’t want your money.”
“But you did a job for us, a job the police couldn’t even do.” He exhaled a deep breath. “When I called Michael for help, I wasn’t expecting a handout. I’d pay anything to get my daughter back. Thank God he was willing to help out an old veteran like me, even though he was on his honeymoon.” He set the check on the kitchen table and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I—I just can’t believe they came after us. After my precious Lydia.” He looked over at his wife, who cradled their daughter in her arms.
Sadness snaked its way up inside me. I wasn’t sure why—this had all ended well. “Sir,” I started before clearing my throat, “I think you should consider coming back to the States. The situation down here in Mexico is getting worse. I understand your wife has family here and all.”
The man held up his hand. “Of course. We’re leaving immediately.”
“Well, good luck to you, sir.” My phone vibrated in my pocket as I made my way over to the mother and daughter. “Are you okay?” I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder. “You’re one strong girl. You know that, right?”
She wiped away the tears from her cheeks and flung her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she cried into my ear.
I allowed myself a brief feeling of relief. “Stay safe.” I tried to ignore the strange swell of