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I squared my shoulders. “Either they’re coming or I’m not.”
“Come on, ladies.” He knocked his head toward the hole in the fence. “I’ll take you to the border.”
“Not to the border,” I said. “To the convent in Costa Rica, where they’ll be safe.”
“Are you trying to get me fired?” A deep groove formed between his eyebrows. “The rules say I’m not even supposed to make contact with anyone other than you.”
“You don’t strike me as a guy who follows the rules,” I returned. “You also don’t strike me as a coward capable of leaving behind two innocent nuns who need your help.”
“Ouch.” He clutched his vest over his heart. “That hurts. There’s a lot of sour to your sweet, Angel.”
“To the convent,” I stressed to the stranger who wasn’t really a total stranger. “And we’ll need to talk.”
“We’ll talk,afterwe reach safety and not before.” Moving quickly, he shouldered Sister Janet’s bag, strapped it to his ruck, and turned to Sister Elsa. “We gotta put some distance between us and those fuckers—sorry—I mean, thugs. Would you mind if I give you a ride for a couple of clicks, Sugar Pie?”
“Very well.” Sister Elsa inclined her head and folded her cane. “You’ve got a foul mouth but a good soul. I trust you.”
“Glad someone around here does.” He wiggled hiseyebrows at me.
It was my turn to roll my eyes at him.
He leaned his brawny shoulder into Sister Elsa’s middle and carefully lifted her from the ground. “I’ll try my best, but I can’t promise a comfortable ride.”
“Bless your heart,” Sister Elsa drawled, dangling from his shoulder with admirable ease. “Your best effort is all God asks of you.”
“Come on, Cherry Tart,” he motioned for Sister Janet to follow.
“Why is she Sugar Pie when meself is Cherry Tart?” Sister Janet demanded.
“Because cherries are tart and so are you.” With Sister Elsa in tow, he ducked and crossed to the other side of the fence, where he stood to one side, holding the wires out of the way.
“Oh, well.” Sister Janet moved forward. “I suppose there’s no need to quarrel about dinner when the house is on fire.” She stepped through and motioned to me. “Come on, child. God provides fer the faithful.”
I wasn’t sure if the category included me.
“Angel?” Javier lifted his gorgeous eyebrows at me, etching three deep furrows on his forehead. “Am I gonna have to shoot our way out of here or are you gonna spare me the firefight?”
I glanced at the blood stains and gulped. No more shooting. No more death.
I took in the place that had hidden me from the world—and my father—for almost three years. It was now deserted. Soon, it would burn, like the life I’d built here. I knew. I’d seen the compound aflame in my dreams, just like I’d seen Javier even before he showed up.
This dreaming thing was new and scary, not to mention weird as heck. I had no explanation for it. Maybe I had a braintumor. For now, I forced my legs to move. Uncertainty squeezed my chest as I eased my way through the tear in the fence, making sure I kept my distance from the man who electrified my skin every time we touched.
He slid a handgun from its holster and handed it to me. “Just in case.”
“No, thanks.” I grimaced in disgust. “That thing kills people. I don’t do guns.”
“I do.” Sister Janet took the gun from Javier, chambered a bullet, and started up the hill, leaving me with my mouth hanging. “Come on, wains. Crack on.”
“I like that nun.” Javier grinned and gestured toward the hill with the carbine he held in one hand. “Ladies first.”
I tackled the hill with Sister Janet ahead of me and Javier and Sister Elsa behind me. The man I’d seen in my dreams had never hurt me, but then again, I hadn’t been dreaming for long and I didn’t know what to make of the darn dreams. Craning my neck, I stole a glance at Javier Guzman’s handsome face as he climbed the hill at a fast clip. I had a feeling that my dreams were leading me astray. Or worse, to disaster.
Chapter Five
Javier
The shortest route to get out of the country would’ve been a straight run south for the border. This is exactly what our enemies would expect. I wasn’t in the habit of giving my foes even the smallest advantage, so instead, I led the women east, retracing my infiltration route. This entailed a trek to reach the west shore of Lake Nicaragua.
