agreed to his terms, she hadn't thought every action would be governed by him. Anger seethed beyond the cool facade she presented to him.
"Can we get out the back?" she asked, ignoring his earlier statement.
His gaze was piercing as it took her in. "He can't see the door leading to the back entrance. We shouldn't have any problem."
"Fine," she clipped out. "I'll follow you."
As she did, she had a strong urge to make a detour and see what the man near the reception desk looked like. Her curiosity was something that was a benefit in her job, but she suspected in this situation, it might get her into a lot more trouble with the people after her than with Guerrero.
At the back entrance, he checked the alley first before allowing her to exit the hotel. Already the air was hot, almost oppressive as they made their way toward his Jeep parked on a side street. On the short trek, his vigilance and alertness italicized the danger she was in, and she almost regretted her earlier thought of defiance—almost but not quite.
"We'll get the supplies before visiting Juan," Guerrero said as he slid behind the wheel and started the engine. "What kind of supplies do you need?"
"The market will be fine. Mostly it's personal things for the others. The dig is isolated. The nearest village is hours away. We don't get much time to go shopping for things like soap.”
He threw a glance over his shoulder before pulling out into traffic. "I don't like it. The market is busy, especially this time of day."
"That's just it. What could happen with so many people around?"
He speared her with a slicing look. "Lady, a lot of things."
"Do we have a choice?"
"There's always a choice. You don't have to get the supplies."
"No. The conditions at the dig are primitive enough. These things are important." She met his look with her own steely determination.
"Okay. But you'll have to stay by my side."
"I will.”
He stepped away from her and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket then made a call.
She didn’t hear what he’d said to someone on the phone. “Who did you call?”
“A friend about some equipment we might need. Let’s go.”
Tory had no idea that when he had said by his side he literally meant by his side. He took her arm in his firm grasp, plastered her against him and then placed his arm around her shoulders. They appeared to the crowd as if they were a couple.
"I don't want to be here any longer than we have to," he bent down and whispered close to her ear.
His nearness was doing strange things to her body. She was experiencing sensations she had thought only existed in romantic movies. She was hot and cold at the same time, each breath labored. Was that because of Guerrero or the fact she could be spotted by whoever was after her?
I can’t let fear drive me. All I can do is turn my safety over to You, Lord.
Scanning the booths lining the square, she noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seemed so peaceful. People milled about, selecting their goods, bartering for the best price. These people had other concerns, day to day concerns. They weren't involved in the trauma unfolding in her life. She was beginning to think Guerrero was taking his job a bit too seriously. How would the persons after her know she was here? She didn't think anyone had followed them from the hotel. Guerrero had taken a roundabout way to the marketplace, always vigilant of their surroundings. Besides, it was still early, and the ones after her probably thought she was still asleep.
She forced herself to think about the list of items she promised to bring back, trying to block from her mind the feelings churning in her, caused by her hyper-vigilance. She reached for a bar of homemade soap, and her hand trembled. She clasped the item to still the quivering that ran rampant through her body. So much for her earlier declaration about not letting fear run her life.
By the time she had gotten everything, including something for them to eat on the road later, her nerves were shot, not from worrying about anyone attacking her but from Guerrero's ever-attentive presence, a heartbeat away. She again had the sense of how capable the man was of protecting her. He exuded self-confidence and power. She rarely dated because her career dominated her life.
She tilted her head so she could look