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Chapter 6
Maggie’s naked body was draped over Brady’s chest. Her fingers had stopped mid-stroke, still buried in the silver hairs at the side of his face. He was covered with her scent, and for a few glorious minutes, he lay there enjoying the fact that she loved him. And she loved him more than she’d ever loved anyone else.
He closed his eyes so he could remember what she felt like draped over him after their bed play, after she’d shattered beneath him, after she’d cried and called his name, but didn’t say she wasn’t going to go. He rocked her world, held up his fire, and then descended into the depths of passion to wander aimlessly behind her on her journey as she slowed. Then he released himself again, covering her with kisses for all her favorite parts. He loved driving her wild, hearing her triggered breath and the fast beating of her heart. He loved the taste of her sweat on his tongue. He loved the fact that no matter how hard she loved him, he could push her harder.
He pushed her right up to the edge. But still, she did not change her mind and agree to stay.
So it was time. He needed to call Charlie, and then he was going to take a special sleuth examination of her packed bags sitting by the front door. He wasn’t asking for permission and hoped he didn’t have to ask for forgiveness later.
Carefully slipping out from under her, he closed the door to their bedroom and padded barefoot into his office, picking up his cell phone. He dialed Charlie and then checked his watch. It was 1:15 in the morning, way later than he’d expected. But he didn’t want to give up any of the minutes of pleasure they’d shared together.
“Jesus Christ, Brady. You know what time it is?”
“Almost sunup for you. Don’t you get up early there in D.C? I understand the halls of power never sleep.”
“I sleep in until six. You’re robbing me of nearly two hours. You owe me.”
“Never mind. I promise to somehow make it up to you. His name is Father Salvador, and that’s Salvador Esquivera Ronaldo Salazar. He was born somewhere near Mexico City, the youngest child of ten, and apparently, his family was or is in the restaurant business in Mexico City. He has lived in San Felipe for the past five years. I do not know what parish he moved from.”
“Oh, thank God I turned the recorder on, because I’ll never remember all of this. Do you mind?”
“No. But thanks for telling me. What else should I look for?”
“What airline is she taking?”
“American, and then she transfers in L.A. to Mexicana. She flies right into San Felipe without any further stops. The priest says he’s going to meet her at the airport. Is there anything I should know about that?” he asked.
“No, it sounds pretty ordinary. In fact, if you’d told me it was a private charter, I’d start to worry big time. But I’ll be up first thing, and I promise I’ll do some digging and get back to you. What time does she leave?”
“The car is coming for her at 9:00. I wanted to take her to San Francisco, but she’s leaving out of Sacramento instead. I guess it was a better flight. Anyway, it’s a local taxi that does airport shuttles. We’ve used them before.”
“Okay then, I’m going to have to work quickly. On second thought, perhaps I won’t go back to bed. Thank God we’re three hours ahead of you. Give me an hour to wake up, brew some coffee, and then I’ll be right on it. I’ll try to get back to you before she leaves.”
“Hey, Charlie, thanks for this.”
“Sure thing, Brady. But don’t ask me to do this again. I don’t run a security service, and I can get in trouble for interfering with a past contractor we’ve used. It’s really frowned upon. It makes it look like I’m compromised. I don’t want to lose my job.”
“You won’t. I’d go to the mat for you. You did that for me before. I hope this one is just a false alarm. But you tell me what I need to find out or know about.”
“Will do. Oh, and is she traveling with anyone else?” she asked.
“I never asked her, but I don’t think so.”
“Well, ask her tomorrow if anyone else is catching the same flight. Find out who that might be. Has she told you there is a whole team coming down there or do you get the impression she’s the only one?”
“I think she’s the only one they want. And I think it’s because she met the priest while she was down there before. I don’t think he wants to use anybody he hasn’t thoroughly vetted. There’s a lot on the line for him too, apparently.”
“No doubt. Well, we certainly know how all that works, don’t we?”
“Yes, unfortunately, we do.”
Brady hung up the phone, hooking it back into the charger. He quietly crossed the living room then down the hallway to their bedroom, cracking the door open and poking his head inside long enough to determine Maggie was still snoring, deep asleep. He silently closed the door and retreated down the hallway, checking in on Tate and Emma.
Tate alerted, his ears pointing straight up to the ceiling, but remained leaning against a pillow as close to Emma as he could be without smothering her. Brady put his finger up to his lips to indicate all was fine, and Tate should stay where he was. He whispered to the dog, “You stay there. I’m going back to bed.”
Before Brady got the door closed, he heard Tate reposition himself on the bed and settle down to sleep.
His next mission was to check through Maggie’s documents, travel information, and suitcases. She had one soft carryon bag and one hard-cased bag, along with a computer bag that also contained papers for her flights and a book. He searched the computer bag first, found her itinerary, and returned to his office, grabbing his phone to take a picture of it.
