Come Midnight by Kat Martin
CHAPTER FOUR
RAFAEL CASTILLO, EL DEFENSOR, sat at the end of a heavy plank table across from his top aide, Julio Montez.
“God is smiling on us, Raffie,” Julio said, using the nickname he had given Rafael when they were boys. “The daughter of Jonathan Wingate, one of the richest men in the world, has fallen smack-dab into our hands.” Julio was half American and handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes.
He’d been born in Honduras, attended school with Rafael, then traveled to the States with his mother using the name Jules Martel, his mother’s maiden name. He had been educated at Harvard, studying for his master’s when he became a suspect in the murder of several young women. Wisely, he had returned to his homeland, where he was once more Julio Montez.
Rafael leaned against the high back of his carved wooden chair. “Yes, it seems quite a stroke of good fortune—a twist of fate that eliminates many of our problems.”
“You’re talking about the 160 passengers aboard the plane. Things will definitely be easier without them.”
Rafael nodded. Unlike his top man, General Batista, with his darkly elegant good looks, Rafael was average in height and build, with thinning brown hair and dull brown eyes. Except for a small scar bisecting his left eyebrow, Rafael was completely unremarkable.
And utterly ruthless, a quality he prided himself upon.
“If all goes well,” he said, “we will no longer be burdened with 160 people needing to be fed and cared for and constantly guarded, people who could even now be plotting a rebellion to regain control of the plane.”
“Have you made contact with Wingate?” Julio asked.
“Si, this morning. I spoke to Jonathan Wingate himself and explained our cause. I told him circumstances have forced us to act to protect the lands and people of our country. Señor Wingate was very sympathetic, though he did not agree with our methods.”
“What about the money? Did he agree to pay for the return of his daughter and her fiancé?”
“Wingate seemed to hesitate when I mentioned Derek Stiles, the name on his passport, but in the end Wingate agreed to our terms.”
Julio grinned. “Maybe Wingate didn’t know his daughter was planning to marry. Or he wants her to marry someone he thinks is better suited.”
Rafael ignored the faint gleam in Julio’s eyes that appeared whenever he focused on a woman. “It is possible Wingate doesn’t approve. Either way, Stiles is part of the deal.”
Julio sat forward in his chair. “How much, Raffie? How much did Wingate agree to pay?”
“The same amount I would have demanded from the airline. Five hundred million dollars.” An amount most likely to have come from the U.S. government, though they would surely deny any payment of a terrorist demand.
“And Wingate agreed?”
Rafael shrugged. “That is only half of one of his many billions.” Rafael smiled. “I think he may have considered it a bargain.”
The gleam returned to Julio’s blue eyes. “She must be something special to be worth that much money.”
“Perhaps she is.” Rafael rose from his chair. “Why don’t we see?”
DEREKHEARDFOOTSTEPSapproaching out in the corridor. He shoved his wooden bat and makeshift knife beneath the mattress and sat down on the bed next to Bree.
The door opened, and two men walked into the room. One was of average height and build, with thin brown hair and a scar cutting his eyebrow. The other was taller, blond and blue-eyed, good-looking in a slick sort of way.
Derek and Bree both rose from the bed. When the brown-haired man spoke, authority rang in his voice. It was clear he was the man in charge.
“I am Rafael Hernandez Castillo. My men call me El Defensor. This is my aide, Julio Montez.”
Montez’s blue stare went to Bree, ran over her breasts beneath her silky pink floral blouse, slid like grease over the stretch jeans that showed off her curves. The glimmer of heat in his eyes sent a shot of adrenaline into Derek’s blood.
Castillo’s attention swung to Bree. “Ms. Wingate, you will be relieved to know that I have spoken to your father. Señor Wingate has agreed to pay the ransom for your safe return. As the amount is large, he has asked us to give him three days in which to assemble the necessary funds. Once he has paid the ransom, you and your fiancé will be freed.”
“What about the people on the plane?” Bree asked.
“We will allow the plane to continue on to its original destination. The passengers and crew will come to no harm.”
“And Ms. Wingate?” Derek asked.
“As I said, once the transaction is completed, you will both be released.” Castillo’s cold eyes met his. They reminded Derek of a reptile’s. “In the meantime, I must ensure my men’s safety. The two of you will be transferred from here to a different location.”
“A different location,” Derek repeated in an effort to keep Castillo talking. The more they knew, the better.
“It is only a precaution, you understand.” Castillo’s lips curved faintly. “Unfortunately, the accommodations won’t be quite as luxurious as these.” He turned and started for the door, and Montez fell in behind him.
As Castillo stepped into the corridor, Montez turned and fixed his stare on Bree. “Maybe...after you’re settled, I can make things easier for you.” His hot gaze ran over her, leaving no doubt as to what he was thinking. “That is, after we get to know each other better.” Montez walked out and closed the door, and Derek unclenched his fists.
“They’re moving us,” Bree said softly.
Derek released a slow, calming breath. “They’re changing the game plan. It’s a lot easier to control the two of us than a plane full of men, women and children. And in this case, the outcome will be the same.”
“My father pays the ransom instead of the airline paying, or the government, or someone else.”
“That’s right.”
She walked over to the boarded-up window, and Derek joined her. Fine rays of sunlight filtered through the cracks between the boards, gleaming on her shiny blond hair. It curled softly in the humidity, framing her face. Derek reached out and wound a silky strand around his finger.
Bree turned to look at him. “Where do you think they’ll take us?”
He glanced at the sea of green barely visible through the window. He had a bad feeling he knew where they were going—a place where no one would follow.
“My guess? They’ve got a camp set up somewhere in the jungle. Why don’t you use the head, maybe even take a shower? It might be the last chance you get.”
She nodded. Though he could read her uncertainty, she was stronger than he had first believed. Grabbing the big leather purse she had carried off the plane, she disappeared into the ratty bathroom. He heard the thump and gurgle of the toilet being flushed, then the rattle of metal as the shower went on.
An image appeared of Bree standing naked beneath the spray, rivulets of water running over her bare breasts, cascading down the shapely legs defined by the stretch jeans she’d been wearing.
His groin tightened. The last thing he needed was an attraction to a woman at a time when both of them were in danger. Even if they were safely back home, she was way out of his league. If Bree had any idea of his background—or if her father did—she wouldn’t give him the time of day.
Now that he knew whom she was, he needed to back off, ignore his little head and keep his big head in the game. Especially now, when staying focused might mean the difference between life and death.
Unfortunately, as the shower continued to run, his body didn’t agree.
Derek cursed silently.
Bree emerged a few minutes later, her face clean and shiny, her damp blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked fresher, clear-eyed, ready to deal with what lay ahead. He found this Bree even more attractive than the one he had met before.
She had put a trace of gloss on those plump pink lips, and he imagined what it might be like to kiss her. Lust hit him, and a fresh shot of arousal burned through him. Damn, this wasn’t good.
Derek went to use the bathroom and freshen up, but he didn’t have a razor, so he couldn’t shave, and he didn’t take time to shower. He didn’t want to leave Bree alone that long. Not when Julio Montez clearly had designs on her. And whatever the prick had in mind, Derek didn’t think the man would wait for Bree’s permission.
