Against the Odds (10 page)

“I will let you know what these samples show, but I can tell
you now this looks very promising. If that is the case, we’ll need to drill core
samples to determine the extent of the deposit, as well as the purity of the
ore. That will also tell us the limits of the deposit or deposits, and the
quantity of material present in them.”

Sabrina started grinning. “So you’re fairly sure there’s silver
in the mine?”

Hernandez frowned. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to give you the
wrong impression. What we are looking at here are deposits of molybdenum and
copper.”

“Molybdenum?”

“Moly, they call it,” Alex said.

“I’ve heard of it, but I’m afraid I haven’t done any research
on it,” Sabrina said.

“Mainly it is used to make stainless steel,” Arturo explained.
“Since steel production is down, the price is down, but it is still over thirty
thousand a ton.”

“That sounds as if a find could be very good.”

“Indeed, it could be.” Hernandez gave her a slow smile and
Sabrina smiled in return. Alex gritted his teeth.

“I guess Uncle Walter was right,” she said, flashing him a look
of triumph. “We may not have silver, but the mine is worth something.”

Alex flicked a glance at the dark-haired man and hoped for
Sabrina’s sake the guy was right. “Looks like.”

Her attention swung back to the engineer as he returned his
equipment to the bed of his pickup. “How soon will I know anything?”

“I should have something for you by the end of the week.” His
dark eyes slid over her in a way that made the hackles rise at the back of
Alex’s neck. To hell with just being friends. They were more than that—whether
he wanted it that way or not, and he wasn’t going to let some slick-talking
joker take advantage of her.

“As a matter of fact,” Hernandez said, “I’ll be in Houston next
week for a business meeting. Perhaps we could get together, talk about your
project over supper.”

Alex’s jaw tightened. Hernandez might be good at his job, but
he was clearly a ladies’ man. And it was also clear he wanted more from Sabrina
than just her business.

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” she said in an irritating
show of naïveté. Couldn’t she see what Hernandez was after?

“If you’re right and the deposits are there,” she said, “how
much would the property be worth?”

Hernandez shrugged. “It depends on what we find. There is a
twenty-eight-hundred-acre parcel for sale in this part of Texas with some rich
deposits. The asking price is twenty million.”

Sabrina’s mouth dropped open. “Dollars?”

Hernandez smiled. “That doesn’t mean your parcel would be worth
that much, but it is possible.”

So much for motive. Sabrina’s parcel could be worth big bucks.
Alex thought of what had happened to the helicopter and how close they had come
to dying. Twenty million dollars was more than enough reason to commit
murder.

Hernandez handed Sabrina a business card. “I have put your
phone number in my cell. Perhaps I should have yours, Alex, as well.”

Alex handed him a business card, which Hernandez perused.

“A private investigator?”

“That’s right. I also provide personal security.” He glanced
down at Sabrina in a way that let the guy know he wasn’t going to stand by and
let some sleazeball take advantage of her.

Hernandez just smiled. “Yes, I can understand that a beautiful
woman might need protection traveling all the way out here by herself.”

Sabrina actually blushed at the praise. Alex wanted to wring
her neck.

“I will let you know what I find out,” Hernandez said to
her.

Alex felt a sweep of relief when the guy headed back to his
truck.

Ten

D
ust swirled around them, the hot breeze
lifting the sand up off the desert floor, carrying it toward the mountains as
the white pickup drove away. As she stood next to Alex on the porch and watched
the truck disappear in the distance, Rina couldn’t keep a smile off her
face.

“Twenty million dollars,” she said. “I can’t believe it.”

“Don’t get your hopes too high,” Alex said. “He’ll need to take
more samples and these things can be tricky.”

No kidding. The odds were probably a million to one. “You don’t
have to tell me that. Uncle Walter was up and down, high and low for years. He
was sure he was going to be rich, then certain he was doomed to failure.”

“Maybe this time he hit the jackpot.”

“He never mentioned molybdenum. All he ever talked about was
silver.”

“You hadn’t seen him for a while though, right? Not since
Christmas before last.”

“That’s right. He could have found moly instead of silver and
never had the chance to tell me.”

“If Hernandez is right, then I guess you’ll sell the property.
Make a nice tidy sum.”

She looked up at him and thought of the letter she had left
inside the cabin. It seemed as if it belonged there, waiting for her return,
waiting for her to take up where her uncle had left off.

She smiled. “If Hernandez is right, I’m about to go into the
mining business.”

One of Alex’s dark blond eyebrows went up. “You don’t even know
what it takes to mine molybdenum. Hell, you didn’t even know what it was.”

“True, but as I said, I’m a fast learner.” She stepped off the
porch and Alex fell in beside her. “You’d be amazed how much I’ve learned about
mining silver.”

He laughed. “No, I really don’t think I would. You’re a pretty
amazing lady.”

Her head came up. She looked into his handsome face and her
stomach flip-flopped. She’d been doing her best to ignore those gorgeous dimples
all day. With the possibility of millions of dollars to keep her distracted, she
had managed fairly well.

But now they were alone and her mind kept sliding back to those
moments in the cabin and the tender way he had held her. For an instant, she’d
thought he was going to kiss her.

She should have known that wouldn’t happen. Alex was an
extremely virile male, but she wasn’t really his type, and neither of them
wanted to get involved in a relationship. They were friends, she reminded
herself. That was all either of them wanted.

“We never had our lunch,” he said as she buckled her seat belt
and he started the engine of the Jeep.

“Too hot to eat out here now. Let’s wait till we get back to
town and find someplace with air-conditioning.”

“Amen to that.”

They headed for Highway 67, the road that would take them back
to the airport and their return trip to Houston. In a few days she would hear
from Arturo Hernandez. She would know whether Uncle Walter had been right.

Rina smiled as she leaned back in her seat. The next few days
would determine the course of her life.

* * *

It was getting late by the time they pulled up in front
of Sabrina’s apartment. After such a long day, both of them were exhausted. She
paused beneath the porch light, waited while Alex took the key from her hand and
opened the door.

“Are you really going to have supper with that Hernandez guy?”
he asked.

“What do you mean, of course I am. I need to know what I might
actually find on my uncle’s land. If there’s moly there, I’ll need to find a
mining company to work with. Mr. Hernandez may be able to help me.”

“I’m sure he’ll be able to help you with something,” Alex said
sarcastically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means the guy is interested in a lot more than mining.
Surely you can see that.”

She blinked up at him, surprised at his words. “You think he’s
interested in me personally?” She smiled, flattered by the idea. “Well, he
certainly seemed like a nice enough man.”

A muscle ticked in his cheek. “If you like the slick type.”

Rina ignored him. He was just tired. They both were. “I really
appreciate you taking me back there, Alex. I feel like I should at least pay for
your time and the gas for your plane.”

“I went as a friend,” he said tightly.

“Yes, but still, I ought to at least pay—”

“You want to pay me? Fine.” She heard the anger in his voice,
gasped as he hauled her against him. “I’ll take this in payment.” His mouth came
down over hers and Rina clutched his shoulders to stay on her feet. It was a
hot, fierce, wildly erotic kiss that had her senses reeling. Her stomach muscles
contracted and her breath whispered out on a moan.

Alex didn’t stop, just kissed her until her whole body tingled
and she was hot and embarrassingly turned on. She didn’t remember her arms going
up around his neck, didn’t remember kissing him back as wildly as he was kissing
her.

It hit her like a splash of cold water when Alex broke
away.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day. Consider your debt
paid.” He turned and started walking.

For several long moments, Rina just stood there, her legs
quivering, her lips still on fire. She wondered if Alex knew what a kiss like
that did to her. Wondered if he knew it made her so weak in the knees she could
barely stand up.

She wondered if he’d just done it to put an end to her offer of
money. Obviously he didn’t need it. She was beginning to realize he had a lot
more than she’d thought.

“What...what about the helicopter crash?” she called out to him
as he neared his car.

Alex turned and stormed back to the porch. “What about it?”

She forced herself to look at him and not think of the burning
kiss that seemed to have no effect on him at all. “We need...need to research
the man who owns the helicopter, see if...if he has any enemies, someone who
might have reason to destroy it that doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

“I haven’t forgotten what happened. I was the pilot, remember?
I’ll be checking on everything we talked about.”

“That...that’s good.”

“I went down in that chopper, too, you know. I want to know
what happened as much as you do.”

She forced herself to concentrate, reminded herself that maybe
he was the one they were after. In a way it made more sense.

“I know that. I’m sorry.”

He reached out, almost touched her cheek. “Get inside and lock
the door,” he said instead, then turned and strode away.

Sabrina forced her legs to move, to carry her into the house.
She closed the door behind her, turned the lock and leaned against it.

Thank God he’s gone,
she thought,
the taste of him still on her lips, her body still tingling all over. Worse yet,
she wished he hadn’t stopped, wished he would have kept right on kissing her.
Wished he had— She broke off the thought, didn’t dare let her mind continue down
that road.

One thing she knew—if there was any way to avoid it, she wasn’t
seeing Alex Justice again.

* * *

As he slid behind the wheel of his BMW, Alex softly
cursed. Dammit, he hadn’t meant to do that. Or maybe he had. He’d been thinking
about it all day, remembering the last time he’d kissed her, wondering if it was
really as hot and soul-shattering as he imagined.

Unfortunately, this time was even hotter. He was still hard as
stone and aching with every heartbeat. Which meant he definitely had to put an
end to his fantasies about Sabrina or she was going to wind up in his bed.

Which he could not let happen.

Sabrina deserved more than a quick roll in the hay with a guy
like him. True, her last boyfriend had been a dud. It had taken a while, but
Sabrina had finally realized what a poor match they were.

But Alex was the guy on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Unsettled, unsure what he wanted out of life. Not sure he could ever be happy
with just one woman.

She hadn’t been dating, she’d said.

Not the way he had, picking and choosing as if he were
selecting a puppy to take home for the night, then returning it to the pet store
in the morning. Oddly enough, the women he chose didn’t seem to mind. They were
in the same remote, mindless place he was, living only for the moment, with no
thought of the future. Lately, their faces had all begun to blur together.

All but Sabrina. Her pretty, heart-shaped face, glorious red
hair and brilliant blue eyes stayed with him day and night.

It’s only because you want her and can’t
have her,
he told himself. She was a friend, and friends didn’t hurt
each other.

Hell, even if he decided to give in to the relentless craving
he felt for her, he wasn’t sure Sabrina would go for it. Hot kisses were one
thing. A roll in the hay was another.

Besides, if she wanted that, she had plenty of guys to choose
from. The way Arturo Hernandez had been sizing her up, if she gave him the
slightest encouragement, the guy would be all over her.

The image set Alex’s teeth on edge.

The good news was Sabrina might be as physically attracted to
him as he was to her, but she knew very well the kind of guy he was. She didn’t
want to get involved with him any more than he wanted to get involved with
her.

Alex took a calming breath and started the engine, backed the
car out of the parking space and headed for the street. The important thing
right now was finding out who had sabotaged the chopper. He couldn’t be sure
Sabrina would be safe until the question was resolved.

On the other hand, she could very well be right about the
target being him instead of her. Anyone in his line of work had enemies. Whether
any of them would go as far as sabotaging an aircraft to kill him he didn’t
know.

While he waited for word from the sheriff, he would do a little
digging. Check his files, his client list, see if anyone popped up. If not, and
it looked like the target was Sabrina, he was going to need her help to figure
out who it was, and at the same time figure a way to keep her safe.

Alex inwardly groaned. Seeing her again was the last thing he
wanted.

Alex prayed the sheriff would make an arrest and solve the
problem for him.

* * *

Sabrina spent the following morning on the computer in
her home office, researching molybdenum. Aside from its primary use in making
stainless steel, it was also used as a super alloy for automotive parts,
aircraft engines, high-speed drills, even in the construction of nuclear power
plants. She studied how it was mined, the costs involved, companies who handled
that kind of work.

The Desert Mining Company, which employed Arturo Hernandez, was
run out of Presidio, the nearest town to the Desert Mine and also the Sabrina
Belle. It produced both copper and molybdenum. Being located so near Uncle
Walter’s property—now hers—Desert Mining could be the perfect company to form a
partnership with to extract ore from her mine.

If there was really anything there. When she finished her
research for the day, she started going over her finances, seeing how far she
could stretch the money she still had in the bank and trying to figure how she
might raise more if the mine appeared to be viable.

The phone rang an hour later. It was the call she had been
waiting for but hadn’t expected quite so soon.

“Good morning, Sabrina. This is Arturo Hernandez.”

Her pulse kicked up. “Good morning, Arturo. I’m surprised to
hear from you so soon.” But now that she had, her nerves were humming with a mix
of hope and fear.

“The assay report looks very good,” he said, and she shot a
fist into the air. “The next step is to arrange for core samples to be drilled.
Once we have them, we can determine the extent of the deposit, as well as the
purity of the ore.”

Her excitement surged. They were moving forward. The samples
looked promising enough that they were going to want core samples!

“That’s wonderful news, Arturo. I’ve been reading up on your
company. I wonder if Desert Mining might be able to handle the drilling for
me.”

“As a matter of fact, that is one of the reasons I called. As I
said before, I am going to be in Houston the first of next week. Desert Mining
has asked me to speak to you in regard to setting up a meeting to discuss your
property and its potential.”

She thought of Uncle Walter and how thrilled he would be. “Yes,
that sounds good.”

“Of course, we won’t know exactly what you have until the
samples are processed.”

Which wouldn’t be cheap. “I imagine that’s fairly
expensive.”

“Why don’t we discuss the matter in person? Are you available
for dinner Monday evening?”

For a chance at millions of dollars, of course she was! “Monday
would work very well.”

“All right, I’ll pick you up...say seven-thirty?”

Rina gave him her address and directions to her apartment then
hung up the phone. She found herself grinning. Uncle Walter wasn’t just a crazy
old man like everyone said. He’d been right all along. Her first impulse was to
phone Alex, share the exciting news.

She clamped down on the urge. Alex Justice was her weakness.
She had to stay away from him. She’d tell Sage instead, ask her to let Alex know
how things were progressing. Rina reached for the phone and punched her best
friend’s number.

* * *

Alex sat behind the desk in his office. He’d been there
for hours, making calls, running down information, anything that might give him
the answer to why the helicopter in Rio Gordo had been sabotaged. There was
nothing he could do about Sabrina’s theory that it could have just been
vandalism and they just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He
was waiting for word from the sheriff on that.

Instead, he focused on the possibility that it was someone who
wanted payback on him. He’d been going through old case files, then running down
the whereabouts of guys he’d helped put in jail, the most recent being Edward
Bagley, the bastard who had murdered Carrie Wiseman.