The Guardian (The Wolfe Series) (10 page)

             
Luzaro threw the lead rope at one of the men and rounded on Laurie.  “What did you think you were doing, Laurie?  That animal could have killed you.  I’ll not have you in harms way like that.”

             
“Aragon is
my
horse and he
never
would have hurt me.  I’ll not stand for anyone mistreating him here.  If your men had done their job better I wouldn’t have needed to interfere.” Laurie stood her ground even though she could see that her words had enraged Luzaro. 

Go on, hit me you bastard,
I know you’d like to! 
She knew that Luzaro’s patience would wear thin and when it did the abuse would start.  Her escape plans had to come together the next few days so she could escape her gilded cage.

             
Luzaro’s hands were balled into fists at his sides, his lips compressed into a thin line as he said grimly, “Have a care, Querida, my patience will only stretch so far.”

             
Tears leaked from Laurie’s eyes as she turned away from Luzaro and headed back toward the house so he wouldn’t see them staining her cheeks.  She was not going to be able to stay any longer, not even for Aragon’s sake.  It was only a matter of time before either Luzaro or Enrique killed her because there was no way she would ever bow to their will. 

I’ll find a way to get you out of here, boy, I promise.

              Laurie stumbled when she saw Enrique Perez heading her way, a knowing smile on his handsome face as though he knew she was already on borrowed time with Luzaro.

              Several days had passed and Laurie was doing her best to convince Luzaro that she was trying to change and be more amenable.  She almost choked on the thought as she lifted a forkful of huevos rancheros into her mouth and forced herself to swallow.  She had dressed that morning in a flowery print sundress and strappy sandals.  A wide brimmed, floppy hat and dark sunglasses shielded her eyes and her long, blonde hair was tucked neatly up beneath her hat. 

             
“I prefer your hair down, Querida,” Luzaro said as he lifted a glass of freshly squeezed lime juice to his lips and drank deeply.  He had been testing her since the horse incident and had found her more amenable to his wishes.  There were times when he still saw a flash of anger in her stunning green eyes but those times were getting farther and farther apart.

             
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Laurie said agreeably, tearing apart a warm roll and slathering it with butter.  “I’d like to go back into Nogales this afternoon if you don’t mind.  I’ll need something to wear for the party that you mentioned.” 

Luzaro had set up an account for her at one of the better stores in town and she had every intention of using that store when making her escape this morning.  Laurie drew in a deep breath and tried to calm her jangled nerves.  She knew without a doubt that Luzaro or Enrique would kill her if she tried to escape and she shuddered at the thought of being at Enrique Perez’ not so tender mercy.

              “Here, take this also,” Luzaro said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a wad of hundred dollar bills.  “I don’t want it said that my woman had no money with her.”

             
“But you have an account set up for me,” Laurie dissembled, secretly relieved to see the cash that was being offered.  She would need that cash since she wouldn’t be able to use her credit cards for fear of Luzaro being able to track her that way.

             
“Nonsense, it is nothing, a pittance,” Luzaro waved his hand dismissively.  “Buy something stunning but not too revealing.  I trust your impeccable taste.  After all, we’ll be man and wife soon and what is a marriage without trust, eh?” 

Luzaro inhaled sharply and watched Laurie rise gracefully to her feet.  The sundress that she’d chosen to wear flattered her lissome figure and full breasts, breasts he was aching to get his hands on.  He’d forced himself to wait to claim her body, wanting their wedding night to be their first time together.  He would never have thought it of himself, this patience he was forcing himself to practice.  The wedding was only a week away and he could wait that much longer, couldn’t he? 

He wasn’t so sure of that when Laurie bent down and kissed him on the cheek and said, “Thank you, you’re very generous.”  His heart did a little flip as he watched her walk away followed by two of his most trusted bodyguards.  They and two others of his choosing would accompany her into Nogales and make certain that she was safe, not just from his enemies but from herself as well.  He was none too pleased when Enrique took the seat that Laurie had just vacated.

“You’re going to trust her to go into Nogales again?” Enrique asked as he picked up Laurie’s half eaten
breakfast roll and popped it into his mouth.  “Not a very wise move on your part if you ask me.”  He licked his fingertips noisily before wiping them on a napkin.

“She’ll not endanger her friend
’s life,” Luzaro said harshly, shoving his chair back so forcefully that it tipped over.  “You made it abundantly clear the woman’s life would be forfeit if Laurie stepped out of line.”

“Yes, I did, didn’t I?” Enrique said smoothly. 

He watched until Luzaro had entered the house before getting to his feet to make his own arrangements to go into Nogales that afternoon. 

Laurie hurried to her room, closing the door and locking it before crossing the
bedroom and pulling the draperies closed.  The closet of her bedroom was larger than most people’s living room and she grabbed a large tote from a top shelf, carefully folding an identical sundress to the one she was wearing, as well as an identical hat, sunglasses and sandals.  She stuffed the clothing and two large bottles of water into the tote, hoping it would be enough water to see her across the Altar Valley, the 45-mile long north-south valley that began at the Mexico border and ended just to the west of Tucson.  She’d chosen the desolate Route 286 in the hope of losing whoever would try to follow her, and follow her they would, especially Enrique Perez when he found out that she had escaped. 

              The drive into Nogales took about twenty minutes, and those twenty minutes were some of the longest of Laurie’s life, especially when they were forced to stop at the border to have their documents verified before being allowed to pass through to the American side.  The bodyguard sitting beside Laurie had nudged her none to gently with what she assumed was a gun ensuring that she remained quiet while the border authorities checked their documents. 
As if!
  The last thing Laurie wanted to see was a shootout between Luzaro’s bodyguards and some unsuspecting border patrol or customs agent.  She was somewhat relieved when the driver pulled their armored Escalade into a parking space near the small boutique that she had visited earlier in the week.

             
Sofia’s was a small boutique on Morley Avenue that catered to a sophisticated clientele.  Laurie glared at the four bodyguards who would have followed her into the store if she hadn’t held up her hand and said, “Luzaro said you should wait out here,” and entered the store before they had a chance to challenge her.  She peered out of the store’s front window and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the head bodyguard motion two of the others around the back of the building. 

             
“It’s good to see you again, Laurie,” the one and only sales clerk smiled and hurried toward Laurie.

             
“You, too, Jenny,” Laurie smiled in return.  She’d struck up a relationship with the young woman the last time she’d been in the store.  Laurie had made a very large purchase at that time thereby ensuring the girl would remember her.  “How are things going?”

             
“Not so bad,” Jenny said.  “We could use a few more customers like you, though.”  Jenny’s mother was even now at the bank trying to get a loan to keep the store’s doors open a few more months until the snow birds returned.  Jenny wondered why such an obviously wealthy woman would want to patronize her mother’s small boutique.  They did have a very good selection of designer knockoffs and the fashion choices in the rest of Nogales were certainly limited. 

             
Laurie browsed through rack after rack of designer knock-offs, handing Jenny the items she was interested in trying on.  The bill was approaching several thousand dollars when she turned toward the younger woman and said, “My fiancé is concerned about me coming into Nogales alone.  We’ve planned a test for the bodyguards who are with me today to see if they’re as good as the person who recommended them says they are.  Do you think you could help me with that?”

             
Jenny’s eyes widened at such a request, unsure that she wanted to get involved.  “I’m not sure I should do something like that.”

             
“I’d be happy to pay you,” Laurie cajoled and smiled as she withdrew several hundred dollars from the roll of hundred dollar bills Luzaro had given her.  “We’re about the same height and size.  You’re perfect for what my fiancé and I have in mind.”  Laurie hoped she’d read Jenny right and that the money Luzaro had given her would be too much of a temptation for the girl to refuse.

             
Jenny looked at the money Laurie was holding in her hand and temptation overcame her better judgment, quickly deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to help out such a good customer.  “Okay,” Jenny said as she took the bills out of Laurie’s hand and stuffed them into the pocket of her trousers.  “What do you want me to do?”

             
Laurie quickly led the way back to one of the dressing rooms and handed Jenny the tote she’d brought with her from Luzaro’s ranch.  “Change into these clothes,” she said as she pulled the items out of the tote and handed them to Jenny.  You should be able to pass for me when you leave the store.”

             
“Oh, I couldn’t leave the store until my Mother returns,” Jenny said as she looked doubtfully at the clothing she held in her hands.

             
“It’s okay,” Laurie soothed.  “I’ll be here the whole time.  I just want you to walk to the end of the block, look in a few of the store windows along the way and then return here.  It will only take about 15 minutes.”  Laurie hoped that would give her enough time to slip out the back and that the two bodyguards watching the back entrance would leave and following Jenny as well as the two bodyguards out front.

“I guess I could do that then,” Jenny said as she slipped into the dressing room to change. 

Laurie sucked in her breath when Jenny reappeared, noting that the likeness between her and Jenny was quite remarkable, even better than she’d hoped. 
This could work!

“Are you sure this will be all right?” Jenny asked nervously as she adjusted the sunglasses that effectively covered her bright blue eyes and then pulled the wide-brimmed hat down low over her forehead.

“It’ll be fine,” Laurie reassured her. 
Surely Luzaro’s men won’t harm the girl.  Scare her  a little, maybe.
  Laurie could see that it was already too late to stop the girl who was opening the boutique’s front door and stepping outside. 

As soon as the door closed behind Jenny,
Laurie quickly grabbed a pair of designer jeans and a blouse off of a nearby rack.  Slipping her sundress over her head she tossed it aside and quickly slid into the jeans and cotton blouse.  She hurried back to the store’s front window and breathed a second sigh of relief when she saw all four of the bodyguards trail Jenny down the street.

             
Her heart in her throat, Laurie raced toward the back door of the boutique and pulled it open, hoping against hope that an alarm wouldn’t be triggered.  She stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine still wearing the dark sunglasses, but minus the floppy-brimmed hat. 

Enrique sat in his car watching the store front where Luzaro’s woman was still shopping.  He didn’t trust Laurie Kincaid, even with four bodyguards watching her.  He thought Luzaro a fool for letting the woman come into Nogales where she might be tempted to try escaping.  He’d watched her leave the store earlier, strolling along the street followed by her four bodyguards.  She’d then returned to the same store about fifteen minutes later as though she’d forgotten something.  Enrique was getting a bad feeling about this shopping expedition.  The sun had almost set and the store was getting ready to close and still the woman hadn’t reappeared. 

             
Opening the car door, Enrique stepped out into the street and strode purposefully toward the boutique, determined to find out what was going on.  He would hunt Laurie Kincaid to the ends of the earth if he found out that she’d escaped and he would destroy anyone who got in his way.  She’d seen him kill the DEA agent in cold blood and knew that she would be only too happy to testify against him if she got the chance. 

             
Enrique forced the front door of the boutique open, startling the young woman who was trying to hang a “closed” sign in the window of the front door.

             
“Where is she?” Enrique snarled as he shoved his way into the boutique.

             
“W . . . who?” Jenny stammered, frightened by the hateful look in the man’s furious, smoldering eyes.