LITMIR.BIZ

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her ex-boyfriend. Not a good sign.

      She’d spend a few days with Sarah and Cliff. She didn’t figure she’d have much luck rounding up her cat, Clarence, tonight. Maybe she’d leave a note for the girl down the street to put out food for him in her absence.

      Amy crept down the hallway toward her bedroom, flipping on all the lights. She perched at the end of her bed and reached for the phone. She called Sarah and Cliff and got the babysitter.

      “Could you ask them to call me as soon as they get home? It doesn’t matter how late.”

      Amy dragged a suitcase from her hall closet and heaved it on top of her bed. She scooped up an armful of shorts and jeans and shoved them into the bag. She threw open her closet door and swept T-shirts and sweaters from their hangers.

      After cramming everything in the suitcase, including her damp lifeguard swimsuit, she headed for the bathroom. She dumped some toiletries into a small bag and spun around.

      Right into the solid form of a naked man.

      A scream gathered in Amy’s lungs, but before she could let loose, she realized the naked man was only half-naked—and he was no stranger.

      “Riley! What are you doing here? The cops just left, and they didn’t believe more than half of my story, especially since Carlos’s body is gone.”

      He gripped her shoulders, his fingers pinching her flesh. “You need to get out, Amy.”

      She swung the toiletry bag from her arm. “That’s what I’m doing.”

      “I mean you need to leave now, with me.”

      “W-what are you talking about?”

      “Your ex-boyfriend, Carlos Castillo, wasn’t who he said he was.”

      “I know that. He was married.”

      “It’s worse than that, Amy. He was involved with the Velasquez Drug Cartel. And now so are you.”

      Chapter Four

      A jolt speared Amy’s chest and she sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t believe you. Why are you saying this?”

      “My…associate gave me his name. Carlos Castillo, right?” Riley tightened his grip on her shoulders and gave her a shake.

      Squeezing her eyes shut, she nodded. She hadn’t told him Carlos’s last name. As her heartbeat raced, her mind slowed to a sluggish crawl. Her tongue felt thick and numb in her mouth. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to face any of it. Hadn’t she endured enough drama in her life already from her childhood?

      “I’m sorry.” Riley released his grip and rubbed her upper arms. “I’m worried about you. What was Carlos doing here? Why did he single you out?”

      “I don’t know.” Amy dragged her hands through her tangled hair and blew out a breath, expelling all her self-pity with it.

      She straightened her spine. “It must have something to do with the beach. That’s where we met. He must’ve sought me out there for a reason.”

      “Hold that thought.” Riley grabbed the toiletry bag from her hand and charged past her into the bedroom. He dropped the bag into the open suitcase and glanced over his shoulder. “You have everything you need? I’m getting you out of here.”

      It looked like she had everything she needed standing right beside the bed. Riley knew how to take control of a situation and obviously relished the challenge. “I was waiting for a call from my friends before heading over to their place.”

      “How about you head over to my place for now? With what you know and what I know, maybe we can figure out your level of involvement in this mess.” He zipped up her suitcase and hauled it off the bed.

      She tilted her head. “You’re going to tell me what you know?”

      Shrugging, he yanked up the handle on her bag and wheeled it out the door as she stepped aside. “You’re in it up to your pretty chin, so you deserve to know what’s going on. And I’m relieved to find out I’m not responsible for your involvement or Carlos’s death.”

      He thought she had a pretty chin? She rubbed it and then clenched her teeth. “I’m glad the fact that Carlos targeted me for some kind of criminal enterprise is making you feel warm and fuzzy inside.”

      Riley grinned, and then she felt warm and sticky inside. If she had to take off into the wild unknown with drug dealers pursuing her, at least she had a hot guy along for the ride.

      “You know what I mean.” He pointed to the front door. “I still have Carlos’s car. Let’s use that instead of yours.”

      She held up her index finger. “Hang on. I need to leave a note for the neighbor girl to feed my cat.”

      As she scribbled the note, Riley flung open the front door and peered into the darkness. “It’s all clear. Where does the girl live?”

      “Two doors down.” She waved the piece of paper stuck to her finger with tape.

      She jogged down the sidewalk and slapped the note on the outside of the mailbox. Poor Clarence must’ve high tailed it out of there when Carlos came calling. Her cat never liked Carlos. She should’ve paid more attention to his feline instincts.

      She joined Riley at the rear of the BMW. He popped the trunk and heaved the suitcase inside. “When we get to my house, we’ll search the car. I haven’t had time yet.”

      “Looks like you haven’t had time for anything.” Amy allowed her gaze to wander down his body to his swim trunks, now dry and hanging loosely from his slim hips. The muscles of his flat belly clenched as he slammed down the trunk.

      He tugged at a stiff lock of her hair. “You, either. When we get to my place, we can take a shower.”

      Her cheeks warmed, and Riley lifted one brow. “One at a time.”

      How’d he see her blush in the dark? Unless the same naughty thought had popped into his head.

      As she slid onto the passenger seat, Amy drew her eyebrows together. She must be overcoming her trust issues—by leaps and bounds—since she’d accepted Riley’s story so readily. Something about the man instilled confidence—and a whole lot more.

      Of course, she’d been willing to trust Carlos, too, and look where that had landed her. Or had she? She’d never let Carlos completely into her life. She’d never slept with him. He had accused her so many times of holding back. That’s why she was surprised when she’d discovered his marital status. Usually men cheated on their wives so they could sleep around, not hold hands and walk on the beach.

      Unless those men were sinister drug dealers with ulterior motives. Carlos probably didn’t even have a wife.

      Riley hit the highway and accelerated. “So the cops didn’t believe you?”

      “It’s like you said.” She slumped in the leather seat. “They didn’t find anything at the beach, and then when we got to my place, someone had removed Carlos’s body.”

      “Did they question you about me?” He slid a sidelong glance at her.

      She snorted. “They thought I’d watched too many James Bond movies.”

      He smiled, but she heard him release a long breath. “I wonder why they took Carlos, and how. You’d think your neighbors would’ve noticed people dragging a dead body from your house.”

      “Lots of older folks in that neighborhood, not much activity at night. So how’d you find out about Carlos’s connection to the drug dealers?”

      “I saw his registration minutes after my contact gave me his name. It makes sense, but it doesn’t explain what he was doing at your house at the time of the drop, or why his associates killed him. What can you tell me about Carlos?”

      Amy

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