Man of Passion (4 page)

"Many times.
Antonio is a mole in the Brazilian government for
Perseus
. He's aided us on a number of missions over the years. He's also our eyes and ears down there regarding the drug trade."

"And how do you think he'll react to having to babysit my daughter?"

"I don't know," Morgan said. "I'll contact him and find out.
Rafe
is someone you want around if trouble stirs. He comes from a very rich, old, aristocratic family in
Manaus
. His father's family comes from direct Castilian Spain aristocracy. His mother was a socialite from
São Paulo
.
Señor
Antonio is a very rich and powerful man in
Brazil
."

"Sounds like
Rafe
went his own way," Ben muttered. "If he comes from rich and successful parents, not to mention aristocratic bloodlines, to be nothing more than a damned forest ranger—"

"Hold on," Morgan warned. "
Rafe
has a Ph.D. in biology from
Stanford
Medical
University
in
California
. He's written several books on herbs used by the medicine men and women down in the
Amazon
Basin
. He's widely regarded as an expert on them by scientific and pharmaceutical industries around the world."

"Oh," Ben muttered, "I thought he was just a junkyard dog."

"With no breeding and papers?"
Morgan controlled his mounting anger. Sometimes Ben Worthington was a snob. He was born of money, power and position, and had not come up through the ranks of the little people, as Morgan had.

"All right, all right.
I was out of line. I apologize. So you think he can handle my daughter?"

"
Rafe
won't ‘handle' your daughter," Morgan said softly. "I'll give him orders to protect her, though, to help her fulfill her mother's dream. He lives on a houseboat three hours from
Manaus
. I'm sure he can provide shelter for Ari."

"Frankly, I'd like him to talk my bullheaded daughter into coming straight home."

"You aren't going to be able to tell a twenty-five-year-old much," Morgan said with a chuckle.

Ben scowled heavily and drummed his fingers on the desk. "Tell this Antonio that if he talks my daughter into doing an about-face at
Manaus
International
Airport
, there's a hundred thousand dollar bonus in it for him."

Morgan hesitated. "I'm afraid that kind of carrot dangling in front of
Rafe
won't work. He's got pretty strong moral and ethical boundaries. He can't be bought off, Ben."

"You mean he wouldn't try and talk my daughter into turning around and getting back on a plane headed for the States?"

Morgan shook his head. "He's a man of honor. The type of honor the old Castilian aristocracy still has. Actually, he should be living in Victorian, or maybe Napoleonic, times. He's fighting for the underdogs, the weak, and those who need the kind of help he can supply. The miners, drug runners and drug lords hate him and have a heavy price out on his head.
Rafe
is a modern-day knight in many respects. I don't think he would take money to do something he saw as underhanded to someone like Arianna."

Snorting, Ben rolled his eyes skyward.
"Just my luck."

"I choose people with strong morals and values, Ben. You know that. If they aren't in that category,
Perseus
won't hire them."

"I know, I know…." he said in exasperation
. "
On one hand, I feel good he'll protect Ari. On the other…well,
dammit
, everyone can be bought for a price. It just depends upon what's important to them. Does he have a foundation or something set up for his Indians?"

"Yes, he does." Morgan eyed him warily. "If you think a hefty donation to his foundation will make him talk Ari out of staying in the Amazon to complete her dream, you're barking up the wrong tree, Ben. In this case, Ari is the underdog and
Rafe
won't take your side against her at any price."

"Just a thought…" Ben leaned back in his chair, pondering the situation. "Well, I've got one last chance to talk Ari out of this fiasco adventure of hers. I swear
,
she's like Joan of Arc on a mission. I've never seen her like this. Before…well, she did what I wanted or asked of her. Now she's digging in her heels like some kind of fanatical zealot and refusing to budge from her position. This is a girl who always knew the meaning of the word
compromise
and would bend over backwards for me." Drumming his fingers again, he added in a frustrated tone, "But not this time."

Sitting up, Morgan said gently, "Ben, maybe your daughter needs to spread her wings. She's at that age. I watch our kids growing up, and every day I see them becoming more and more independent from us."

Arching one brow, Ben said, "And you encourage it?"

"Of course.
The last thing Laura and I want are kids who can't struggle and survive in life. They have to learn how to do that. It hurts us to see Jason and Katy exploring, knowing that they're going to make a mistake, or learn a hard lesson. No denying it's painful to watch. But they've
got
to make mistakes, Ben. You can't keep protecting Ari because you lost your other daughter. And reading between the lines, it looks like you did just that and she's become very dependent upon you as a result." Opening his hands, his voice becoming softer, Morgan added, "Loving our kids is hell on our hearts, Ben. And with you losing Ellen, as well as Janis…well, I can't blame you for wanting to protect Ari like you have. Someday I'm sure she'll appreciate what you've done and are trying to do for her."

"But not now?"

"She's only twenty-five," Morgan said, smiling faintly. "Remember when you were in your twenties, Ben?"

"Yeah, I had a jet strapped to my butt and I was shooting
Migs
out of the skies over
North Vietnam
."

"Not exactly a safe job, was it? Did you ever think what your parents must have felt or thought?"

"Not at the time, no.
I felt it was my right to do what I wanted to do."

"Okay…then transfer that feeling, that driving need to be yourself, to Ari. That's where she's at."

"Humph."

Morgan drank his coffee and allowed his words to sink in. He saw Ben's large, fleshy features set into a bulldog look of denial. Placing his cup on its saucer, Morgan said, "At least she hasn't got a jet strapped to her, out in combat. Look at the bright side of this. Hunting down orchids and sketching them isn't exactly dangerous. Let her off that protective leash you've got her on.
Rafe
Antonio is a man of honor.
A modern-day knight.
I know he'll care for Ari like you or I would, if we were in his shoes."

"But…she's just a girl!"

"Maybe you need to shift how you see Ari," Morgan warned. "At twenty-five, Ari is no ‘girl.' She's a young woman."

Rubbing his brow fiercely, Ben glowered across the desk. "
Dammit
, Morgan, did Ari pay
you
to come in here and be on
her
side of this thing?"

Grinning sourly, Morgan sipped his coffee. "Not a chance, Ben. This is a parent talking to a parent. Jason's ten. In three years he'll hit his teens, and from what I'm seeing, he's going to be a rebel without a cause.
A handful.
At least Ari is rebelling for the
right
reasons. She wants closure with her mother's death and maybe she hopes to find herself—her
real
self—without any of her family being around. All kids need that adventure in life to give them a sense of who they really are. Ari needs to find out who
she
is. Not the daughter. Not the sister.
But herself."

"I should pay you a hundred bucks an hour to be my shrink," Ben griped good-naturedly.

Chuckling, Morgan stood up. "I'm going to be late for my appointment with the Joint Chiefs of Staff if I don't
hightail
it out of here, Ben." He thrust his hand out to his old friend. "I'll have my office fax a dossier on
Rafe
Antonio, and his photo, to you. You'll have them by this afternoon. That way, you can talk intelligently with your daughter about him being her guide."

"Bodyguard."

Morgan released Ben's hand.
"That, too.
My office will get in touch with
Rafe
by Iridium phone satellite transmission. Down there in the jungle, only direct satellite transmissions can get info in and out. Standard cell phones are useless. I'll make sure my people give you the confirmation that he knows Ari is coming to
Manaus
. Just call and give them the airline and flight information."

Ben sighed and looked dejectedly down at his desk. "I don't know, Morgan. Being a parent is hell. I worry for Ari. I'll probably have insomnia while she's down there…."

"When you read up on Antonio, I don't think you'll lose sleep," Morgan reassured him as he opened the door. "Just tell Ari she's in good hands."

"Will you settle down?" Ari hissed the words to herself as she sat tensely in the living room of her condo. It was located near
Georgetown
University
, where she'd spent five years of her life pursuing a degree she didn't want. Her father was to meet her at 8:00 p.m. She knew he'd be punctual; he always was. In fact, he ran his life by that darned appointment book of his. After all, Ben Worthington was a power broker who moved in the highest circles of politics and government in the country.

Chewing on her full lower lip—a nervous habit she took up whenever she was about to have a confrontation with him or anyone—she uncrossed her legs and sat straight on the flowery print couch. Her mind raced. She had to have all the reasons why she had to go to the Amazon down pat or her father would shred them with his cold, analytical skills. Her heart almost burst with anticipation and she collapsed against the back of the couch. She
had
to go! Her father
had
to let her.

When the doorbell rang, Ari jumped what felt like three feet off the couch. Instantly, her stomach knotted as she leaped to her feet and walked breathlessly to the door, smoothing a hand over the long-sleeved lavender blouse she wore with dark navy trousers and comfortable brown loafers. Opening the door, she saw her father standing there, towering over her with his massive height. She could see dark shadows beneath his pale blue eyes, and the set of his mouth sent a frisson of fear through her. Beneath his left arm was a manila envelope, and he carried a black leather briefcase.

"Hi, Father, come on in…." She stepped aside. "You look really tired.
Hard day?"

Ben ambled into the small, neatly kept condo. "It was a tough day, Ari. Yes, I'm beat." He glanced around the room, realizing once again how much her condo reflected Ellen's taste in furniture, colors and greenery. Ari had created space for about six orchids on the windowsills. Some of them were in bloom. When he halted, turned and looked down at his youngest daughter, he thought about how much she looked like Ellen had when they'd first gotten married. They'd been in their mid-twenties, and Ben recalled vividly how he'd plunged over the edge when he'd seen Ellen. She was so alive, almost ethereal. More like a diaphanous cloud than something created from terra firma. Though Ari had his light blue eyes, she had Ellen's thick, gold hair and oval face. In fact, Ari was the same height and build as Ellen. His daughter had let her hair grow since graduating from college and it hung in a loose pageboy around her slumped shoulders.

Ben wished Ari would square her shoulders and stand up tall and proud. But she never did. He watched as she fluttered around the living room, removing several magazines from the couch to the coffee table, next to the lacy fern that sat there.

"Have you eaten?" Ari asked, her heart pounding hard with anxiety.

"Yes, I have." Ben sat down. Ari took the overstuffed chair opposite him. Chewing on her lip, she watched as her father put down the briefcase and then slowly opened the thick manila envelope.