Blue Knight by Tracy Cooper-Posey Page B

inches from hers, but fury radiated from him. “Just because you are the sister of the wonderful Colonel Peña and his American wife and their privileged connections to the great Escobedo family, it does not mean you get to have everything you want in life. Don’t you understand that yet? Did your time in Zalaya’s hellhole not teach you anything?”
    Suddenly she was free of his cruel grip on her hair and wrist. She staggered backward a little, staring at Lucas’ dark shape as she massaged her wrist.
    She picked the hem of her dress up out of the sand. “Well, I didn’t turn into the world-class cynic you want me to be. I learned that life can be cut brutally and unfairly short, so it’s better to live it to the full while you can. I want my life to include you, Lucas. You’d better figure out what you want to do with that.” She headed back toward the lighted area where the wedding party was still going strong, far down the beach.
    “Don’t do this, Téra,” he said from behind her.
    “If you really don’t want me to do it, stop me now,” Téra called back. “If I get back to the wedding and you don’t stop me, I’ll know that deep down, you really want this.”
    “Damn it, if I touch you now, we both know what will happen,” Lucas growled.
    “Then you’ve got two things to work out, don’t you?” Téra said sweetly. She didn’t look back and she kept walking. Her heart was screaming at her by the time she stepped back onto the dance floor.
    She circled around to the tables where the wine was being served. She needed a serious drink. She felt like she had just baited a jaguar and won by the skin of her teeth.
    * * * * *
    Ibarra saluted smartly as the long limousine came to a smooth halt inside the compound. He was sweating profusely despite the cool of the early evening. Four more armed guards hurried to form a square around the back door of the limousine and a subaltern opened the door with a salute and click of his heels.
    General Serrano eased himself out of the car and looked around. “This place is a mess,” he observed. After a moment he flicked his fingers to his cap, which released Ibarra from his salute.
    Ibarra relaxed from parade stance, but didn’t let his mental guard down. “We’re slowly clearing up the compound as I can spare the men, General. My first priority is security, of course.”
    Serrano grunted as he looked up at the walls of the hotel. “It used to be a great place for parties, once.”
    “I’m sure once peace has been restored, we can return the White Sands to its former glory,” Ibarra said smoothly.
    “We have peace,” Serrano snapped.
    “Of course we do,” Ibarra returned, mentally wincing over his gaffe. “I meant, once the last lingering traces of the old government have been wiped away and full diplomatic relations have been restored with the rest of the world, of course.”
    Serrano readjusted the band of his pants under his belly. “So show me the mess you’ve created on the inside of this place. I hope it is not as bad as the outside, Ibarra. One disaster a day is all I can tolerate.”
    Ibarra waved Serrano toward the wide stone stairs that swept up to the foyer of the hotel and sent a hand signal to his lieutenant, who slipped back inside to warn the others.
    The President was here.
    * * * * *
    The guards were nervous and distracted, so Olivia found it easy to ask for permission to go to the washroom, then find a moment when they weren’t looking and dodge back into the corridors of the hotel.
    She knew they would find her again quickly enough, because unlike Daniel, she didn’t know where all the cameras were placed and wasn’t able to avoid their one-eyed gaze. As soon as whoever was monitoring the cameras realized she was wandering the corridors, they’d send a guard to round her up and bring her back to the public rooms with the rest of the herd.
    She even had her excuse ready to go. “Oh, I just wanted to get some tampons from my