Cold Day In Hell (30 page)

Kay laughed out loud. The sound of sincere humor burst from her.

"You are so funny. Was Nate this hard to get along with before he admitted he was in love?"

"Hell, yes, he..." Ty clamped his teeth closed. "You tricked me."

"Why are you fighting it?" Her expression turned serious, and her eyes filled with compassion.

Ty took a sip of the scalding-hot coffee. "I'm not fighting the fact that I love her. That's like telling the sun not to come up. Why waste my breath? It is what it is."

"Then what's the problem?"

He closed his eyes. Sometimes doing the right thing was the hardest. Could he do it? Hell. How could he not? Living without Ana was killing him.

"I resign."

Kay sat forward. A smile replaced her worried expression. "Well, it's about time."

"That I quit?"

"No, that you admitted out loud you're miserable without Ana."

"How'd you get so smart?"

"It's the company I keep."

A rock the size of Dallas lifted off his lungs. He could actually fill them with air. The black cloud in his mind cleared as if he'd emerged from a dark tunnel into the dawning of a new day. He glanced around the room, then his gaze returned and settled on his friend. The euphoria weakened.

"My heart knows what I have to do. Then my brain reminds me I'll have to leave everything and everyone behind, including my country. This," he waved his hand to indicate her and the outside, "is home. It may sound cliché, but I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Texan. Cut me, and I bleed red, white, and blue American."

"Nobody would argue your love for your home country."

"Yet I can't ask her to leave Colombia. She's fighting for hers."

"Your friends will understand why you went to her. What else is worrying you?"

"Getting over there and resenting that I gave up my life here. The work we're doing, this company Nate designed to help people, it's important, too. Besides, I made a long-term commitment to him."

"Who says you have to give up your work with Lost and Found?"

"That's a daily five-hour flight each way. A bit of a commute, wouldn't you say?"

"You made a long-term commitment to the military when you signed up, but they didn't expect you to stay in one place. What makes you think you have to work out of here?"

Ty thought a minute, mulling over her words. "You and Nate have already talked about this, haven't you?"

"He knew you wouldn't discuss Ana with him." Kay lifted her shoulder, absentmindedly fingering the St. Jude medallion hanging around her neck. "So I sent him to help Marcus."

"Did you pack for me, too?" His jaw hurt from holding back the smile. Fuck it. He let one slide across his face. Damned if it didn't feel good.

"Some things you'll have to do yourself." Her bottom lip trembled.

"You're not going to cry."

"What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart." She swiped her hands under her eyes. "We don't have staff meetings. Anything we have to talk about can be done over a conference call."

"It could work." Hope flared. A giant lump formed in his throat.

She stood and took his cup out of his hand. "What are you waiting for?"

Ty stood and hugged her close. What he'd done to deserve friends like her and Nate, hell, he'd never know. But thank God, he had them.

A thought popped into his mind. "What if she doesn't want me there?"

"Gee, Tyrell. How could she not?"

****

Ty shifted the weight of his carry-on and checked his watch. Three weeks, four days, and eleven hours ago, he'd begun this trip. During that time he'd sold everything he owned. He'd packed the one bag and left the rest with Nate, who'd ship everything once Ty had an address.

Standing in the customs line, he read the visitor information sign at El Dorado International Airport. He'd been in and out of this country twice but never legally. He was an outsider. Quite possibly an unwelcome one. If she said no, he'd stick around until he changed her mind.

The customs officer motioned him forward with a nod. No smile, no welcome to Colombia, the guy took Ty's passport and ran it through the machine. He studied the screen entirely too long.

"What's the reason for your visit, Senor Castillo?"

"I'm here for a wedding," Ty answered truthfully.

"A friend's wedding?"

"No. My wedding." Ty hit the guard with a big smile and sighed with relief when his passport was returned.

"Congratulations."

"I hope so," Ty muttered to himself.

Nervous as a kid on his first date, he followed the signs to the car rental area and rushed to the lot. It took a few wrong turns, but perseverance paid off, and he finally found the right highway out of town.

His stomach growled angrily, reminding him he'd failed to eat today. Who could swallow? His future was riding on her forgiving him for being an ass. He could fill a book with the things he should've told her.

He left the main road and wove his way to Ana's Uncle Rod's house. That area of the country was still green and colorful. The shrubs were lush with flowers. Something Texas wasn't this time of year.

Why did his roots go so deep? He had no blood relatives left. His mother and sister were buried side by side. Nobody knew what had happened to dear old Dad. Yet, even knowing Ana was at the end of the line, getting on that plane in Dallas had felt as if he'd lost a piece of his soul.

That was nothing compared to what he was about to face with Ana. Remembering the two armed guards stationed in the loft of the barn, Ty parked away from the house. He stepped out of the car and held both hands over his head, stopping at the hood to wait for further instructions.

The openings in the loft filled with men aiming rifles at him, and a woman walked out onto the front porch.

"I'm looking for Ana," Ty called out.

She studied him for a long moment.

"Please," he said, putting as much sincerity as he could into one word.

"You're the American?"

"Yes, ma'am. Ty Castillo." His skin itched like ants crawling around on him. Nerves had never been a problem for him. Until now.

The woman wore her hair pulled back in a severe knot. Best he could tell, her hands were covered in flour, as were her tan slacks and black blouse. She walked to the top of the driveway, studied him a minute, and then motioned him to approach.

Concentrating on keeping his gaze on her and not the two rifles aimed right at him, he dropped his arms to his sides and played his casual card. A big smile and his Texas charm had come in handy in more than one foreign country.

With a flick of the woman's wrist, the gunmen disappeared faster than they'd moved for Rodrigo. "Come inside."

Ty followed a safe distance behind so as not to spook the guys watching, because he had no doubt they'd kept an eye on him. Up on the porch and into the familiar house with the warm atmosphere. On the table rested a pile of dough, which explained the flour. She pressed her hands into the lump and started kneading.

"I'm looking for Pablo and Lina. Will you tell me where they live?" He wished for the impatient words back. He should've gotten acquainted a little before asking questions. This country moved at a different pace than the US. Maybe slower would grow on him.

"There's no need." She nodded, indicating something behind him. "They are recuperating here."

He turned to find Lina and Pablo entering from a side room. They looked far different than they had when he and Marcus had left them at the hospital. They were healing, but both would carry scars for the rest of their lives. Ty extended his hand and was relieved when they both reached for him. He found himself pulled into their arms.

"I'm glad to see you two are mending."

"It's a slow process," Lina said.

"I hated to leave you—"

"You did the right thing," Pablo said. "We are grateful."

"That's not necessary. Thanks to Ana, we did the right thing."

"Have you come for our Ana?" Lina's eyes widened. A flash of concern flared in her gaze.

Ty had to reassure her. "Not to ask her to leave Colombia. I'm here to stay, if she'll have me." Ty squirmed. He hadn't been this nervous in years. Would they welcome the idea of him moving here? Gratitude might only go so far. Would they stand in his way?

The tension in Lina's face relaxed. She smiled, reached out, and patted Ty's arm. "She mourned for you. It's good you came."

"We hated to see our Ana so sad." Pablo nodded. "It will be wonderful to see her smile again."

"You can wait here," the woman working the dough said. "She and my husband drove into town for a meeting with the Minister of Justice." She glanced at the clock on the stove and then cut her eyes toward the door as if expecting them to walk though it at any time. "They should have already returned."

A cold chill gripped Ty's lungs. "How long have they been gone?"

"Hours." She folded the dough over, stopped, and looked at Ty. "Are you serious about staying in Colombia with Ana?"

"As long as she will have me."

The woman walked to the door and waved. A few minutes later, a man entered the house. Ty recognized him as one of the gunmen from the lofty perch in the barn. He was tall and thin, and his dark eyes and facial bone structure pegged him as Rodrigo's kid. He was somewhere around thirty. His jeans and shirt were clean and fit well. So did the rifle resting in his arms.

Damn. What had he said to warrant calling in a guard?

"
M
amá
?" The man spoke to the woman, but his gaze never left Ty.

She spoke in Spanish, a language barrier Ty was going to have to get serious about eliminating. The words he could follow let him know she wasn't upset about him showing up. She was worried.

Ty had to interrupt. "
Inglés, por favor
."

"Sorry. This is my son Ángel, and
I'm
Ana's Aunt Sophia."

Ty shook both their hands. "You have my word I'll get better at Spanish."

She lifted an eyebrow but made no comment on his declaration. "I asked my son to ride with you into town. You find Rod and Ana. See what's holding them up."

Ty ran a hand over his head. His pulse pounded, roaring in his ears. Not again. Please, God. Not again. He would not lose her.

"Let's go." He rushed out the door, jumped in the car, and before his guide had buckled up, Ty floored the gas pedal. "You can program the directions or just tell me when to turn."

"Just drive. I'll get you there."

"You speak English well." Ty swapped lanes, moving around the slower traffic.

"My mother likes us to use both languages. If you're going to stay, Ana can get you up to speed."

Ty cut a quick glance at Ángel and saw no resentment. "She's everything to me."

"I figured."

They fell silent. Ty couldn't think of any small talk. His mind spun, and his gut churned that Ana could be injured or hurt. What if she needed him and he hadn't been there?

"There," Ángel shouted, pointing toward the oncoming traffic. "That's our blue pickup."

Ty spun the wheel to the left, cut across two lanes, and dodged a moving van before kicking the speed up again. The pickup didn't seem to be in a big hurry, and Ty gained on it quickly.

"Looks like just the two of them." They exited onto the smaller highway. The same one Ty had driven to Rod's house. Relief loosened the knots between his shoulder blades.

No way could he wait. He had to know she was okay. He pulled next to the pickup and honked his horn. "Tell your dad to pull over."

"Here?" Ángel's voice had jumped a full octave higher, but he rolled down his window and motioned his father to the side of the road.

He risked a glance and caught Ana's eyes. Was that a look of surprise? Excitement? Would she forgive him? This might be his only shot. He had to make her understand. He'd gone all in, and there was no turning back now.

Ty pulled over and parked behind them. Ana got out and slammed the door. Jesus, she was beautiful and unreadable. The wind whipped her long silky hair across her face and was tossed back over her shoulder. The closer he got to her, the more he sensed her anger.

"You don't mind riding home with your dad?" he asked Ángel.

"Not at all. Good luck with her. She's been in a mood."

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rodrigo and Ángel quickly drove away, leaving Ty and Ana on the side of the road. She couldn't have stopped them if she'd tried, because both men had their eyes on the road in front of them.

His hands itched to grab her and drag her into his arms. He wanted to kiss her into submission. To hold her tight and never let go, but her expression warned him not to touch.

"Why have you done this?"

"What exactly have I done, except show up unannounced on your doorstep?"

She held her head high, keeping all emotion from showing. It was obvious humor wasn't going to work.

"You hate this country. Yet you're back. Why?"

"Right to the point, huh?"

 She was working hard to keep her emotions hidden, but he caught a glimmer, a spark, a flare of recognition in her brown eyes. The same rush of desire he felt whenever she was near had just flickered across her face. Please, let me be right.

"I love you." His chest constricted, squeezing the life out of his heart while she stood there not speaking. Had he misread her look?

Ana closed her eyes for a long second. Her feelings weren't masked when she opened them. He hadn't read her wrong. She loved him. But did she trust him enough?

"We're from two different worlds. I can't leave mine any more than you can leave yours."

Ty worked up the nerve to advance a step. He couldn't back down now. "I already have. You are my home now. Where you live, I'll live."

"I don't believe you. Why? How?"

"I've already answered the why. Because every time I close my eyes, I see you in the village, laughing and playing with the children. I want that. I want that with you. I want to feel your legs lock around me while I'm buried deep inside your body."