Lenora Worth - Double Exposure

“Got an ID on your guy,” Cole said. “But you’re not gonna like it.”

Ethan glanced at Jennie. Saw her eyes narrow.

He didn’t want to ask but he had to. “Who is he?”

“His name is Juan Munoz. Lives here in Portland. He’s a known member of the Sotos gang.”

“What’s that?” Jennie asked.

“A local gang affiliated with Eduardo Sotos’s drug cartel in Mexico,” Cole explained. “They’re based out of Matamoros and specialize in exporting cocaine to the U.S.”

Jennie gasped.

“This guy is dangerous, bro,” Cole went on. “Besides priors for drug trafficking, he’s a person of interest in several gang slayings.”

A murderer?

Ethan’s heart slammed against his chest. He couldn’t look at Jennie. She must be terrified. Still, he wouldn’t lie and tell her discovering Munoz’s history was no big deal.

It was a big deal.

Her attacker was wanted in gangland slayings and the important thing to focus on right now was finding out what a vicious killer like Munoz wanted with Jennie.

THREE

Jennie could barely breathe. It seemed as if all the air had been sucked out of the truck.

“I’ll get Kat to start tracking down Munoz, but we need to figure out his connection to you,” Ethan said. His tone was soft, but did nothing to ease her distress. “I know this is shocking news, Jen, but we need to focus here.”

She pulled in a deep breath. Let it go. In, out. In, out. One after another.

“This is crazy,” she wheezed. “Just crazy.”

“You’re right, but dwelling on it won’t help us move forward.” He paused as if waiting for her to get it together.

She lowered the window to let air fresh from an afternoon shower cool her burning face. Tipping her head toward the opening, she peered at familiar sights as the tires spun over wet pavement toward her home.

She sighed and waited for normal breathing to resume.

“Okay to talk about this now?” Ethan asked.

She nodded.

“So what do you and a Mexican drug cartel or a local gang have in common?”

What, indeed. “The only thing I can think of is that most of the pictures for the show were taken in Mexico.”

“What part of Mexico?”

“Just over the South Texas border in Nuevo Progreso.”

“Cole said the cartel’s home base is in Matamoros. Is that close to Nuevo Progreso?”

“Less than an hour away.”

“Then this could be our connection.”

“You think I caught a cartel member in a picture?” Her voice was starting to rise again.

“I can’t think of any other motive the cartel or this gang might have. I highly doubt they have a grudge against the gallery. And I’m assuming your charity hasn’t done anything to anger either of them.”

“Of course not. At least, not that I know of.”

“So catching them doing something illegal in a picture is a more logical explanation, which means we really need to get those negatives scanned.” He glanced at her, and she could see the concern in his eyes, the warmth lingering in the depths.

She may have hurt this man, but she wasn’t alone here. He was with her. No matter what they learned next or what happened. He’d stand by her side or in the line of fire until this was resolved.

“Thank you, Ethan,” she said. “For being here and not treating me the way I deserve.”

He cast a tender glance her way, warming the chill still claiming her body.

She rushed on without thinking it through. “I’m so sorry for hurting you. I didn’t want to end things that way, but I…” She couldn’t explain so she looked away. There was a pause, then Ethan spoke.

“I told myself this wasn’t the right time, but with the way this case is heating up, we need to talk about our past and clear the air before our history gets in the way.”

She froze at the tension in his voice.

“I mean,” he went on, “we can’t just ignore it.”

Yes, they could. At least, she had for years whenever thoughts of him had come up.

“Can’t we just leave it in the past where it belongs?” She shifted and peered at him. “I’m sorry I even brought it up. It was a long time ago. We’re both adults and we can—”

“Can what?” he jumped in. “Spend time together and not remember how much we meant to each other?” He gave her an appraising look. “At least, you meant a lot to me.”

“Ethan,” she said and let her voice fall off before she shared something she’d later regret.

If she shared, he’d look at her with the same loathing she’d seen in her last boyfriend’s eyes when she’d told him about her past. Or feel the same judgment people in her church had meted out.

They’d claimed the church was a safe place. A place to cast all of her burdens. When she’d believed them and told them about her pregnancy, they’d judged her and treated her like an outcast—or rather, more of an outcast. Her family situation had ensured that she felt out of place even before she shared her secret. She knew her place now and it wasn’t with a decent man like Ethan, so why put herself through all of the pain of rehashing the past?

“I’m sorry, Ethan. I just can’t talk about it.” She clenched her hands and waited for him to yell at her. To get angry. To do anything other than look at her with such intense pain.

He turned his attention back to the road but she couldn’t help thinking about his eyes. Those amazing deep brown, almost black eyes.

She’d never seen eyes like his before. Never forgot them. The way they cut through everything. Warming her heart with one look.

She looked away, but could still feel his larger-than-life presence.

He’d always made her feel special. The first man—the only man—ever to make her feel cherished. And here he was. Beside her. The same unwavering set to his prominent jaw, his profile all hard and angular. With this new determination and focus as if nothing could best him anymore.

That was so powerful. And attractive. So attractive.

Jennie, Jennie, Jennie. You have got to get a grip.

Thinking about him like this was nuts. Just plain nuts. Sure, he’d let go of his professional detachment and gotten personal for a moment. But only because he wanted an answer. Closure, maybe. Nothing had changed. She’d hurt him too badly for him to care about her again.

He pointed out the window. “The one with black shutters yours?” His tone was flat and all business again. The way she wanted it. So why did she suddenly feel sad and alone?

“How did you know my address?” She stared at him.

“I did my homework after Madeline called me.” He pulled into the driveway and killed the engine.

Good. She needed to put some space between them. She reached for the door handle.

“Not so fast, Jen. I need to check things out first.” His pain vanished and a deadly intensity darkened his eyes to a midnight black, reminding her of where she should focus her mind.

She had no time to linger on thoughts of their past or how he still made her heart beat faster. No time. Not when a killer remained at large and could return any moment to finish what he had started.

* * *

Ethan watched a variety of emotions flitter across Jennie’s face. She was thinking about Munoz, as was he. But despite the threat, he wanted to move back to their discussion of their past. Have a do-over. This time he’d use more patience and understanding. Not be all blunt and harsh.

He needed to talk about what had happened between them. To get it out in the open so he could let it go, focus on the job and figure out how to keep her safe. But her mind was somewhere else, her eyes staring blankly at his chest.

“Jen,” he said, trying to sound detached. “What’s going on?”