turned around in her seat to look at him. “How long have you been staying at Portia’s? She didn’t tell me she was expecting you.”
“She didn’t know I was coming. It was a surprise visit,” he said. “But I think she was happy to see me.” His laugh sounded rusty, even to his ears. “If she wasn’t, she put on a good act.”
“Portia’s always gracious,” Julia said, her eyes meeting his. “She’s a very special person. I think a lot of your aunt.”
Julia Vandamme didn’t know what was going on, but her message was obvious. If he had hurt her friend, Cruz could expect some trouble of his own. Although pointless, he was struck by her warning. Just looking at Julia, he would have made the assumption that she wasn’t someone who valued loyalty but he’d be mistaken. Maybe that explained her appeal to Meredith. That kind of devotion meant a lot to her.
The SUV pulled to a stop and Guillermo reached for the door handle.
“We’ll take it from here,” Julia ordered, stopping him with her voice. “There’s no need for you to bother.”
The bodyguard’s jaw twitched and he opened his mouth to protest, but Julia was already out of the vehicle. She slammed the door in his face, then turned to Cruz. He limped pitifully out of the car.
Julia reached out and touched his arm. “Can you walk? Should I go get help?”
“I’m fine,” he said stoically. “No problem.”
As if realizing what she’d done, Julia snatched her hand away from his arm and sent an uneasy glance toward the SUV. The bodyguard looked at them both then he put the truck in reverse and backed away. Only after the gates had closed, did Julia turn to Cruz.
“You’ve got ten seconds to explain who the hell you are,” she said evenly. “If the story isn’t a good one, you’re a dead man.”
“CAN WE GO INSIDE first?” The man in front of her took a step back and flinched again. “I don’t know how much longer my knee is going to hold.”
“Did you hurt my friend?” Ignoring his question, Julia tilted her head to the house behind her. “If you hurt Portia—”
“She’s fine,” he said. “She wants to help you, just like Meredith does. Just like I do, if you’ll let me.”
She stared at him, trying to judge the truth of his answer, but he gave her no more time. Limping, he headed for the front door. Short of screaming for the guard, there was nothing Julia could do but follow. Ever since she’d recovered from her last escape attempt, she’d been working out, but there was no way she could take on this man. He was more than simply tough looking, he really was tough and the coldness in those eyes of his told her he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her, either.
He rang the bell then opened the front door and called out. “Aunt Portia, it’s me. I’m home.”
Before his voice had finished echoing in the marble entry, Portia appeared at the top of the staircase. In her seventies, she’d always seemed like a timeless beauty to Julia, her silver hair shiny, her bearing elegant, her eyes bright. To anyone else, she would have appeared the same now, but Julia saw that she’d aged overnight. Gripping the railing with an unsteady hand, she started down the stairs. “Are you all right, Julia?” she asked.
“I’m fine, Portia.” Julia hurried to meet her. “But are you okay?” She took the older woman’s arm. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Oh, my goodness, child, no. Nothing’s wrong with me. Mr. Cruz is here to help you.”
Julia turned to the man who waited below, her eyes narrowing. “Mr. Cruz? Is that your real name?”
“Yes, it is.” He walked to where Julia and Portia waited, his limp gone. “My name is Jonathan Cruz and before you can ask again, yes, Meredith did send me.” His expression shifted slightly. “She said to tell you I’m a bueno gib, whatever in the hell that means.”
Julia kept her face neutral but with those two words, Meredith authenticated Jonathan Cruz in a way that left no confusion. She and Julia had made up the code words in college for guys they thought would be really good in bed. Using the term now for another reason, Meredith knew this would be the best way for Cruz to gain Julia’s trust. No one but the two of them even knew the foolish phrase.
Still, she hesitated. “Why would Meredith send you? If she wants to help me, why didn’t she come herself?”
“Let’s just say I have some special skills that Meredith doesn’t. We thought this would be the best way.”
Julia felt her pulse begin to race. Jonathan Cruz had already scared her, but now he was making her worried. “I don’t think I believe you.” She started to walk away from him. “I’m calling Meredith right now—”
He stepped to her side and stopped her, his fingers gripping her arm. “No phone calls. The lines are bugged.”
In reflex, Julia’s startled eyes met his.
“You’re just going to have to believe me,” he said. “After she saw how things were at the party, she wanted to do something to help you. She said she couldn’t stand by and let your husband ruin the rest of your life. She really did send me.”
“Well, if she did, she made a mistake.” Julia started to add more, then she stopped. Meredith didn’t know who she was dealing with—Miguel was ruthless. The only law he respected was his own and if she got in his way, Miguel wouldn’t hesitate to remove her.
“I’m sorry you went to so much trouble, but you can turn around and go back from wherever you came. I don’t need Meredith’s interference.” Still wary despite the code word, she kept her own plans to herself, only adding, “It’ll just make things more complicated. If Meredith did send you, then she’ll understand why your presence here isn’t helpful.”
“I’ve been given a job to do and until that job is done, I can’t leave San Isidro.”
“I appreciate the thought, but I take care of my own problems,” she replied icily. “I don’t want to be rescued.”
“That sounds good.” His drawl disappeared, along with his injury, and he spoke in a way that matched his hard, cold eyes. “But you’re going to think differently once you get in the jungle and your husband comes after you. You can’t just run away and expect a man like Miguel Ramirez not to react. He’ll come after you and won’t stop until the day he dies. I’m here to make sure that day arrives sooner than he’d like.” He stared at her flatly. “I’m going to kill your husband and you’re going to help me do it.”
Suddenly she felt as if her life had turned into a bad movie and all Julie could do was stutter. “Wh-wh…?”
Moving closer to the bottom stair, he repeated himself as if she’d asked him for the time of day. “I said I’m going to kill your husband. And you’re going to help.”
Julia turned in a daze and stared at Portia.
The older woman clutched Julia’s arm. “Come and sit down, Julia. I think you need to hear what Señor Cruz has to say.”
She let herself be led into the living room. The area was huge and it merged seamlessly with the patio outside. There were French doors between the two, but Julia had never seen them closed. At one end of the vast space, Portia kept cages filled with wild canaries. The birds were singing when they entered the room, their colorful wings flashing, their sweet voices mingling with the sound of the wind chimes Portia collected. There were dozens of them dangling outside, in the trees, on the patio, off the overhang of the roof.
Refusing the older woman’s urging to sit, Julia stood beside one of the couches in a state of shock. Jonathan Cruz took off his jacket and dropped it onto a nearby chair, then he walked to the unlit fireplace.
“I’m going to get tea,” Portia said. She gave the unshaven man a look that Julia wasn’t