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She licked her lips. “Some believe it’s important for people to earn things for themselves in order to really appreciate them.”
He squeezed her fingers before releasing her hand and leaned against the foot rail as he pulled Montoya’s card from his wallet. “Even if you don’t count how difficult it is to be Orlando Ortiz’s son, I deserve credit for earning two college degrees on my own.”
“Of course you do.”
It was a quick call, and Montoya promised to be there within ten minutes. Alejandro shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Do I strike you as being ungrateful?”
“No, not at all. You’re generous and kind.”
“Thank you. I’d hate for you to suddenly decide you’ve married the wrong man.”
She finished her juice and set the glass on the night table. “Not yet. Did you make a wonderfully romantic proposal?”
He paced beside her bed. He’d already strayed so far from the truth he might as well embellish it. “It was extraordinary, poetic and so passionate you threw yourself into my arms.”
“I’m trying to picture it but just draw a blank. It must be worth repeating. Please propose to me again so I’ll remember it this time.”
With a befuddled gaze, she was so innocently appealing he wished he had actually proposed. “It was spontaneous. I could never recapture the moment.”
“You could give it your best effort.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you. Let me work on it.”
“Please do. The Siren’s captain could marry us, couldn’t he? Then I’d have a wedding ceremony to remember.”
He swallowed hard, but with a man posing as a doctor to get into her room, this was an odd time to plan a wedding. “Captains can marry people at sea, but let’s talk about it after we’re safely on board.”
Her voice was feather soft. “Have you decided you don’t want to be married to me?”
“Impossible,” he assured her. He was grateful her beautiful green eyes still couldn’t see clearly, because his perplexed expression would have instantly given away the whole preposterous fantasy. Marrying her on board the Siren would simplify everything. He was grateful she’d thought of it before he had to convince her an ocean wedding would be wonderfully romantic and suit them perfectly.
Chapter Thirteen
Montoya spoke with the director of the hospital security force before entering Ana’s room. “The hospital security cameras caught it all. The man came through the kitchen carrying what appeared to be a food delivery. It proved to be a carton containing a white coat and clipboard. He went up the service stairs, pulled on the white coat, grabbed the clipboard and came out on this floor. He dropped the clipboard running back down the stairs, and we’re checking it for prints. He eluded the guards and walked out the front entrance with the white coat tucked under his arm. The whole time he kept his chin tucked to his chest, so we have no clear images of his face, but he could very well be the blond in Mr. Campos’s S&M scenes.”
Alejandro studied the photos Montoya had shown Ana at the police station. “From the width of the shoulders, he could have been the man here. Didn’t Jaime have any photos of him without a mask?”
“He may have, but they weren’t in his files when we went through them. You said the man spoke to you. Did he have an accent, or an unusual way of speaking?”
“He was brusque, as though he were needed elsewhere. It was his size that caught my attention. He simply looked out of place, but the fact he had no ID badge gave him away.”
“What do you suppose he planned to do if he’d gotten into my room?” Ana asked.
Montoya shrugged and straightened his tie. “He may have only wanted to make certain you aren’t half-dead as the tabloids reported. Or, he could have planned to take a photo to prove it. He ran when you confronted him, Mr. Vasquez, but if he’d meant to do Miss Santillan any serious harm, he would have struck you hard enough to knock you out and incapacitated the nurse.”
“You’ve no proof of what his intentions actually were,” Alejandro replied. “If a man without an ID can get so close to Ana, it’s clear she isn’t safe here.”
“With a well-known patient, it’s an unusual situation,” Montoya began, “but I believe hospital security can handle any other intruders.”
“Really?” Alejandro challenged. “If no one is observing the security cameras until after an event occurs, they aren’t a force I’ll trust. We’ll move to the Mediterranean Siren. She’s in port, and on Friday, we’ll leave on a two-week cruise.”
The detective regarded Alejandro with a dark stare. “I don’t believe it’s necessary for Miss Santillan to leave the country.”
“I don’t care what you believe. If the elevator had come any faster, I’d have been gone when the man reached this floor. He could have easily knocked the nurse senseless and done whatever he intended to do. I won’t risk it happening again.”
“Alejandro is right,” Ana added softly. “It’s bad enough to be confined to a bed. To have to be on guard for dangerous intruders is too much. If Dr. Pallares won’t release me, I’ll leave on my own. I can ride in the backseat of your SUV, Alejandro. You needn’t hire an ambulance for me.”
Montoya sent a disapproving glance between them. “Do as you wish. I’ll contact you if I have any news. I do hope your recovery will progress smoothly, Miss Santillan.”
