Free Morgan's Rescue by Lindsay McKenna Page A

her a glance. Beneath the streetlights, Pilar's face appeared taut and colorless. She had wiped away the telltale blood at her temple, but her eyes were wide, and he could see terror and anxiety in them. Even now she was beautiful. They'd almost been killed. He could have lost her. His heart squeezed in pain at the idea. No, he didn't want to lose her. Despite all she'd done to him, she still managed to look innocent—and vulnerable—as if life hadn't hardened her as it had him.
          Culver digested those discoveries about Pilar. Her hair was windblown, in mild disarray around her soft, oval face, and she seemed untouched by the unfolding events except for her concern for her daughter. On that point, Culver agreed with her. No child deserved to be caught in the cross fire between adults. Pilar's daughter was too young to protect herself, and her safety had to come first, before their own.
          Pilar began giving him directions as they entered Lima . "It's an apartment east of the city. My housekeeper, Alexandra Somoza, lives there with us," she explained as they wound their way through quiet back streets tightly lined with houses.
          "Good, then Rane has someone to take care of her."
          "Yes," Pilar whispered unsteadily, "she does."
          "So you think your grandparents' village is the best place for her?"
          "It's safer there."
          "Why not leave her with Hector?"
          Pilar heard the derision in Culver's voice and met his eyes momentarily. "Hector would put her in a safe house if I wanted, but Rane is sensitive, and I know she would be frightened. No, I want her with people who love her. She's used to going out to the village on weekends with me. My grandparents love her dearly. They will see to her safety."
          "There's a possibility Ramirez or the mole inside the government knows exactly where your grandparents live."
          "I know that." Pilar touched her aching temple. "It's a risk I have to take. I don't see a better option."
          "We can't take her with us."
          "No!" Pilar didn't mean to sound so alarmed, but she couldn't help herself. "Rane has been protected all her life. She knows nothing of what I once did for a living. I want my daughter to be able to sleep at night without nightmares."
          "Did you have nightmares after you quit your job as an agent?"
          Pilar avoided his sharp look. A lone car passed them as they moved down a curving side street. "I have them to this day, sometimes," she whispered.
          "Part of the trade."
          "Isn't it, though. " Pilar gave Culver more directions, then murmured, "I don't know how you continue to be an agent."
          His smile was cutting. "I was about to turn in my resignation to Jake when this thing began to unfold," he admitted. "I've had it. All I want is to get back to the land, where I belong."
          "You talked of wanting to live with my people at one time," Pilar reminded him quietly. Culver had confided in her during their three months together that he'd fallen in love with her village and the jungle. She glanced at him shyly. "What would you rather be doing?"
          Culver shrugged, never losing his awareness of passing automobiles. "I'm not sure. Some of my ancestors were Scottish seafarers who sailed the world, so I think it's in my genes to travel. But we always had an anchor, a homebase to come back to after wandering." His mouth flattened. "I guess that's what I'm missing most now—a home."
          Pilar absorbed his words. This was the first time Culver hadn't treated her coldly. He was more like his old self, the person she remembered from so long ago. "I…never knew much about your background—before."
          His laugh was sharp. "Yeah, we didn't spend too much time doing background checks on each other, did we?"
          Heat rushed into Pilar's face at his words. They had been thrown together on a