Into the Fray (Daring Escapes #3) - Margaret Daley Page 0,15

eroding his iron control. Tory reminded Guerrero of Anna, whose passion for Puerto Sierra artifacts led to her death. He would solve Anna's murder. He had vowed to and wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in his way, especially Tory and her particular feminine charm.

But he didn’t know what the murderer had been after specifically. After Tory mentioned calling a group that occupied this area the Star People, he wondered if Anna’s death couldn’t be tied to the Temple of the Stars. He couldn’t shake the image of the star drawn in blood next to Anna’s body at the museum. Why? Had she sent him a message?

Until he finished his mission, everything would be placed on hold. He struggled to steady his quick intakes of air, flexing and unflexing his hands at his sides.

As he watched one of the two elevators go up, pause on the fourth, and then the second floor, Guerrero's determination to stay away from Tory cemented in his mind. He had one purpose in life, to find his wife's murderer, and he was beginning to think Tory Winters was the means toward that end. Someone was either trying to kill her or frighten her away. Why? Was the archaeological site that she was in charge of excavating bigger than even Juan felt? In Guerrero's gut, he knew the black-market ring he had been researching and tracking for the past three years was behind the sabotaging of the temple site. Tory was in danger—just as his wife had been. That was the main reason he’d changed his mind and decided to help her.

When the elevator doors slid open and the man in the white slacks exited, Guerrero locked away his feelings in a cold, hard case about his heart. He had learned long ago that was the best way to deal with his emotions.

Pushing himself away from the wall, he followed the man from the building, making sure to keep a discreet distance between them. The man walked to the street, hopped into a car that pulled up to the curb, and disappeared from view before Guerrero could get to the Jeep and start the engine.

"Aren't you going to follow that car?" Tory asked.

"No. The traffic is horrible." He slanted a look toward her. "Besides, we have a long trip ahead of us."

"Did you find out anything inside?"

"Only that our man visited someone either on the second or fourth floor."

"There's probably over thirty offices on those floors."

"I know." He threw the Jeep into gear and pulled out into the heavy flow of cars.

* * *

Tory glanced at the hard angles of Guerrero's profile as he maneuvered through the traffic. Grim lines were carved deep into his features, marking his jaw with an aura of guarded intensity. He was totally closed off, but beneath the harshness, she sensed a vulnerability. He acted like a man who had seen too much violence and not enough love.

When the buildings of the city gave way to the rolling hills of the countryside, Tory finally was able to relax back against the cushion. With one last look over her shoulder, she released a long breath. "At least we weren't followed."

The noise of the engine was the only sound. Tory shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the silence. She liked people. She liked to talk, whereas Guerrero seemed happy with the quiet.

"What convinced you to finally take the job?"

Guerrero tightened his hold on the steering wheel. "Part of the reason was Juan called in a favor."

"What did he do? Save your life?"

"Something like that.”

"He did?"

Their gazes touched and held. The air crackled with tension like lightning striking between them. Tory waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. He returned his attention to the road, effectively shutting himself off again.

She clutched the edge of the seat in frustration. She didn't like a mystery and sought to unravel any she encountered, painstakingly and determinedly working until she knew everything there was to know. That characteristic was what made her a good archaeologist, but she didn't know if it would do her any good with Guerrero. What was he hiding?

"How did he save your life?" she asked, deciding on the direct approach.

He shrugged. "He was there when I needed help."

Oh, good. That told her a lot. "When the bullets were flying?"

"Something like that.”

“Juan was only part of the reason you took this job. What was the other reason?”

He didn’t say a word for the next five minutes. Then he broke his silence. “We'll