Sooner or Later (8 page)

He should be asleep, Murphy
thought darkly. He would be, too, if the little hellion next to him hadn’t irritated him to this extent.

Carlos’s friend had generously put them up for the night, a risky proposition for a man who jeopardized his life doing a favor. After all, he and Letty were strangers, and this man owed them nothing, least of all his hospitality.

Murphy was the one who’d insisted they stay in the barn. From the look Miss Holier-Than-Thou had given the stall, one would think she’d expected him to locate a Hilton Hotel just for her comfort. Concierge level!

What irked him was that he was even in Zarcero. All he’d been looking for when he’d traveled to Texas was a little rest and relaxation. Instead he was risking his ass for a man already dead because this woman was convinced her brother was alive.

As best Murphy could figure it, there’d obviously
been a lapse in his sanity. He’d spent less than two days with Letty Madden and couldn’t imagine enduring that many more.

Even asleep she irritated him. The pristine postmistress lived in fear that he’d take advantage of her. Well, Murphy had news for her. He’d rather become a monk than lay a finger on her.

Her problem, he decided, was that the woman didn’t know what she wanted herself. Her mouth said one thing and her body another.

He doubted she’d be that forthright or honest about her own needs. She batted her eyes at him, moistened her lips, and tempted him beyond what any red-blooded man should be asked to endure.

One night with her had only created a need for more, but he wasn’t game. This woman was trouble. Big trouble.

She’d have to strip naked and beg him to make love to her before he’d so much as touch her again. Even then, he’d need to think twice.

The outraged virgin could—He stopped. Letty was no longer a virgin. She’d surrendered that to him in exchange for his help.

Regret settled squarely, heavily, on his shoulders. Regret and guilt. He was uncomfortable with both emotions. Uncomfortable and unfamiliar.

Murphy wished to hell he could remember what had happened between them, but try as he might, the memory was lost.

Letty slept soundly at his side. They shared a common blanket, which she’d insisted they place on top of the straw instead of using it for warmth.

Her deep, even breathing lulled him into a state of semiwakefulness. With his hand tucked behind his head, he lay on his back and forced his body to relax.

It’d be light in another couple of hours. He’d prefer to travel at night. Both Carlos and Juan, the farmer, had warned him about guerrillas who roamed the countryside. Murphy wished he had the luxury of waiting, but he needed a vehicle and there wasn’t exactly a used-car lot for him to choose from.

Without a means of transportation, it would take them several days to find their way into San Paulo, the capital. From what Letty had told him, Luke’s mission was situated in Managna, less than ten miles outside of the capital.

San Paulo was located in the central part of the country, in a lush green valley. No matter which route he took, they had to get through the dense mountains.

His best chance, he decided, was to make his way into the nearest village and steal a jeep, preferably one from the army. Thievery didn’t bother him while on an assignment, especially when he was able to abscond with the adversary’s property.

Letty rolled from her back onto her side, facing him. Apparently she was cold, because she snuggled up against him tighter than a miser’s budget. He was still figuring out how to ease himself away from her when she pressed her head against his shoulder, using him as a pillow.

With anyone else he might have shared his body’s warmth, but he wasn’t about to be accused of anything untoward with her. The woman was under the misconception that he lusted after her every minute
of the day and night. Well, it’d be a cold day in hell before he’d give her that satisfaction.

Murphy squeezed his eyes closed, determined to ignore her close proximity. He’d partially succeeded when she moaned. He frowned, wondering if he’d imagined it.

Then she did it again, louder this time, as if she were in a great deal of pain. Murphy waited, unsure what he should do. Her head rolled from side to side, and a low, almost wailing sound slid from her lips.

“Letty,” he whispered, not wanting to startle her awake. But he couldn’t very well have her raise a commotion. A woman’s scream had a way of echoing through the night. The last thing they needed was for her to send out an announcement of their arrival to a rebel outpost.

No sooner had the thought entered his head than Letty bolted upright and let loose with a bloodcurdling cry that roused the chickens and just about everything else.

Rarely had Murphy moved faster. He had her flipped onto her back with his hand planted over her mouth before another second passed.

Her frantic eyes flew open and met his in the dim moonlight. What happened next surprised him even more than her scream. She released a soft sob and wrapped her arms around his neck as if she intended never to let go. Next she buried her face in his neck and began to sob.

“Letty?” He’d experienced just about everything in his lifetime, but he hadn’t a clue on how to comfort a crying woman. “What is it?”

“A dream.” Her hold tightened, and she trembled in his arms.

“There’s nothing to worry about—everything’s fine,” he said as matter-of-factly as he could.

“No. No, it isn’t. My brother’s in terrible pain.”

He should have known the dream involved her brother. “It was a dream, Letty. You don’t know what condition Luke’s in.”

“But I do. I saw him.”

“Saw him?” The least he could do was humor her. Murphy didn’t go for this so-called telepathy between her and Luke that she’d attempted to feed him. Something about a mental connection. Okay, so they were twins. But Luke was a man and she was a woman. He’d read that that sort of thing happened with identical twins, but even then he wasn’t entirely sure he bought it.

“He’s been tortured.”

That part Murphy could believe. If the missionary hadn’t been murdered outright, there was every possibility he’d been taken in for questioning. What Letty’s brother could possibly have to disclose remained a mystery.

Letty felt incredibly soft and vulnerable in his arms. Almost against his will, he found himself stroking her hair away from her face.

“We’ve got to find him.”

“We will,” he said as if he believed it were possible.

Letty sighed audibly, releasing her warm breath against the skin at the hollow of his throat.

“Promise me,” she insisted. “Promise me we won’t leave Zarcero without finding Luke.”

He couldn’t do that. “Letty, be reasonable.”

“Please, we’ve got to rescue him.”

Murphy said nothing. He wasn’t being cruel, just realistic. He’d like to give her all the reassurances in the world, but he couldn’t, not this time.

Not that he opposed lying to a woman in bed. He’d done it plenty of times. He simply told a woman what she wanted to hear and saved himself grief.

But he couldn’t make himself do it with Letty.

“Luke’s going to die unless we rescue him.” Her words trembled from her moist lips. Murphy felt the action of her mouth against his skin and the slick feel of her tears as they rolled down her cheeks.

“You don’t understand,” she said. “Luke’s dying.”

Murphy struggled, not knowing what to say.

“Promise me.”

Instead of comforting her, his silence agitated her, and she moaned softly, her pain and grief overwhelming her.

“All right, all right,” he whispered against her hair. “You have my word of honor. No matter what it takes, we’ll get Luke out of here.”

“Thank you. Thank you,” she repeated again and again until her voice faded completely.

Murphy didn’t know how long he continued to hold her. Long after she’d returned to sleep. Much longer than was necessary.

He’d find her brother for her. Dead or alive. If nothing else, Murphy was a man of his word.

Letty woke with her head
nestled against Murphy’s shoulder and his arm tucked protectively about her. She felt both cozy and shielded from harm until she remembered her dream.

A sense of urgency filled her, and she rolled away from Murphy and sat up. She tried to think, tried to remember the dream. Luke, poor Luke, had called out to her to tell her he wanted to die because the pain was too much to endure any longer.

She sensed that he was already close to death. They had to get to Managna and find him before it was too late.

Brushing the wild array of hair from her face, she recalled the way she’d clung to Murphy last night and pleaded with him to find her brother. And he’d given his word. From the hesitant reluctance in his voice, she’d known he would rather have ignored her fears,
but in the end he’d vowed they wouldn’t leave Zarcero without finding Luke.

The man was an enigma. In the two full days that they’d been together, he’d been impatient and sometimes cruel. Yet last night he’d taken her in his arms and agreed to rescue Luke, even if it meant putting his own life at risk. Letty simply didn’t understand him, but then she suspected that no one really did.

She felt his movement at her side as he stirred. He didn’t look at her, and she sure as heaven didn’t glance at him. The scene from the night before mortified her now.

“We need to get out of here,” he muttered, “the sooner the better.”

Letty realized Murphy was concerned about putting Carlos’s friend in danger, and she shared his fears.

“How far from San Paulo are we?”

“A hundred miles, maybe more. There’s a village close by. I’ll get us a car there.”

It went without saying that he’d have to steal it. Letty never would have believed she’d condone such an action, but she did. Her heart sagged with relief. With a vehicle and a bit of luck, they could reach San Paulo and Luke before the end of the day.

Murphy left her for a short time while he scouted out the surrounding countryside. She used the minutes effectively and was packed, ready and eager to leave the protection of the barn, when he returned.

He held open the door for her. Sunlight spilled into the cool, dim interior of the outbuilding, heralding another picture-perfect day in Zarcero.

They left the farmyard and walked through a field of tall grass, avoiding the road. For the better part of two hours they traveled without communicating.

Murphy seemed aware of every sound and stopped abruptly a couple of times. He pressed his finger over his lips and waited before proceeding.

When they came to a grove of large Guanacaste trees, Murphy stopped and reached for his canteen. He drank first, then handed it to Letty. The water tasted terrible. She’d seen Murphy add a capsule to it and knew it must have been some form of purification pill. It was difficult for Letty to estimate how far they’d traveled. It felt like five miles or farther, but she couldn’t really say.

Murphy wasn’t any friendlier than he had been earlier, which disappointed her, following his promise from the night before.

A conversationalist Murphy wasn’t.

He seemed to have reached a decision, because he sat down near a tree. Without a word he unfolded a map, pressed it down upon the ground, and studied it intently.

“How much farther is it to the village?” she asked.

He didn’t look up. “Not far.” He refolded the map carefully and placed it inside his knapsack. He stood, and Letty reluctantly came to her feet.

“I want you to stay here.”

“Why?”

He answered by removing the pistol from his shoulder holster and handing it to her.

She stared at it, almost afraid it would explode in her palm. “What’s this for?”

“I want you to keep it with you from here on out. Understand?”

“But—”

“Do you want to find your brother or not?”

“Of course, but—”

“Then do as I ask.” His eyes cut her to the quick. “You probably couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, but it’s the only security I have to offer you.”

“What should I do while you’re away?”

“Wait quietly,” he suggested impatiently.

He started to walk away, but a terrifying thought came to her. “Murphy?” she called out.

He glanced over his shoulder, looking none too pleased with her.

She implored him with her eyes, nervous and more than a little afraid. “What if…what will happen if you don’t come back?”

A slow, easy smile claimed his face as if he found her question comical. “I’ll be back.”

She nodded and offered him a shaky smile of her own. “Okay.”

Holding on to the gun with both hands, she glanced around her suspiciously, wondering if there might be guerrillas hiding in the bush, ready to attack her the minute Murphy was out of sight.

She started to call out to him a second time, but he was gone. He’d virtually disappeared from one moment to the next. Vanished like a puff of smoke.

Truly alone, Letty walked the circumference of the grove and glanced at her wristwatch. Murphy had been away all of five minutes and already she was worried.

She shifted the pistol from one hand to the other,
wondering if she was actually capable of killing another human being. And doubted it.

As far as she was concerned, Murphy’s lessons on firing the .45 had been for naught. Apparently it made him feel better leaving her with some form of self-defense, despite the fact she found it useless.

By five o’clock, nine hours after he’d left, Letty forced herself to stop looking at her watch. Murphy had been gone far longer than she’d expected.

He could have been captured. Could have been killed.

He had no means of letting her know his predicament. True, he’d given her specific instructions to remain right where she was, but just exactly how long was she supposed to wait? Nine hours seemed far too long.

As unpleasant as it was, she had to accept the possibility that he would never return. True, he was an expert at what he did, but that didn’t make him invulnerable.

The chance existed that he’d met up with a group of guerrillas and been taken captive himself. Perhaps he’d been caught attempting to hot-wire a vehicle and thrown in jail by the local authorities.

Fearing the worst, Letty wondered what she should do. If anything.

The option of retracing her steps and going back to the farmhouse presented itself, but she didn’t want to backtrack. Not after her nightmare. If she intended to reach Luke in time, it meant making her way into San Paulo or Managna, and she couldn’t do that waiting days on end for Murphy. Especially if he was no longer able to come for her.

On the other hand, Murphy had been specific about her following orders. She’d never seen a man so hardheaded or unreasonable. Just exactly what was she supposed to do?

The decision was made for her several minutes later when gunfire sounded in the distance.

Murphy was in trouble. She could sense it. Not in the same way she knew Luke was in trouble. This time it was woman’s intuition.

She had to find a way to save him.

Praying she was doing the right thing, Letty reached for her backpack and placed it on her shoulders. With the gun clenched in her hand, she headed in the same direction she’d seen Murphy go.