Buck

Chapter 13

Buck could only think once again,What. A. Monumental. Cluster. Fuck! Not just for the case. By busting in here, they had shown their hand to Diego and Mari. She wasn’t stupid. She would put all the pieces together, and she would realize that he’d been working this mission through his ties with her.

They searched the warehouse from top to bottom and found absolutely no evidence of cocaine. They even brought in the DEA dogs to sniff. He was subtly separated from Mari, and he had to wonder why. Did his LT or Kat not trust him to be impartial, and could he be impartial given the fact that he was half in love with her?

Diego and Mari had already been taken to the local precinct under noncustodial circumstances. They weren’t under arrest, but there were questions that still needed to be asked and answered. With the Drug Control Police of Costa Rica involved in the investigations, if there was evidence found regarding Diego’s collusion with the cartel, or gangs, or involvement with Barrantes’s murder, he would be incarcerated in their local jail. The implications for the future of La Buena Tierra would be dire if that was the case.

He never even entertained the thought that Mari was involved in any way. Or, for that fact, Diego. They were both dedicated to the family where every single one of the family members, except Sofia, was employed. Neither Mari nor Diego would have knowingly put their livelihood or the legacy of their family in jeopardy.

Diego was anxious and nervous, but it wasn’t the I’m-a-criminal kind of nervous. It was more personal. He was afraid of someone, something, but it wasn’t the cartel/gang fear, that hopeless, mind-numbing terror of being murdered. Buck was so damn sure of it. Which meant there was some other force at work here. Something hidden and underhanded.

“The place is clean,” one of the DEA agents said to Russ. “Dogs found nothing.” He walked away with his dog on a leash. Russ looked disappointed, and Buck understood that, but he was relieved for both Mari and her brother. At this point, Diego’s suspicious behavior had to be chalked up to something else.

“You all head back to the plantation,” Russ said. “I’ll question the?—”

“Wait a damn minute,” Buck said. “What was the purpose of putting me undercover if you’re going to cut me out of this? Mari trusts me, and I can get more out of her than you could.” He would play this against the DEA, CIA, and his own team if he had to. They were the ones who put him in this situation where he had to compromise his own morality and subsequently jeopardize his relationship with Mari. They certainly weren’t going to eliminate him from protecting Mari in any way he could. That was his main purpose.

“No. I’m not letting you anywhere near this. You’re compromised as far as I’m concerned. Biased.”

“Biased?” Buck took a step toward him, kicking up a little dust. “You have no idea how I feel about this mission. You don’t know me, so don’t presume to act like you do.” Fury built and burned inside, searing his skin from the inside out. He would have loved to punch the guy right in the face, but he had the common sense and the conviction that this prick wasn’t worth jeopardizing his career. Mari needed him right now, her family needed him, and he was going to make good on his promise to her about keeping them safe.

Russ was careful to move back a step or two, and Buck got enough satisfaction from that. “Since you’re not my boss, and he hasn’t given me an order, I’m going to the jail, Watson.”

“Time will tell whether your girlfriend was involved in us losing people in that crash.”

Buck’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Fuck you, Watson. Mari saved our lives. You’re too eager to get an arrest for your people, and railroading innocents into a crime or crimes they didn’t commit is a dick move, especially when you don’t have a shred of evidence.” Without a backward glance, supported by his teammates, including Joker, he headed for the vehicles.

When they reached the police station, typical and nondescript as any he’d seen, he went inside. As he pushed open the glass doors, he saw that Kat was there, and Watson was talking to her. Only Joker came inside with him. The rest of the team waited by the SUV.

“Looks like Watson is going over your head and mine,” Joker gritted out, his jaw hard.

“I’m not worried. Kat is the one who roped me into this. She wouldn’t have if she didn’t trust me.”

“What are you talking about? Buck is the perfect person to be here. He has a relationship with both people. We need answers, Watson, and we can’t coerce them in any way.” She paused, looking at him for a moment, defiance in her gaze, which made Buck think he threatened to go over her head. “If you want to make this a pissing contest, go ahead. We found nothing at that warehouse, except the legal actions of the occupants. If you don’t like it, tough. That’s the way it is. Buck stays.”

Watson huffed out a breath and stalked away. Kat turned to him and Joker. “Idiot,” she said with exasperation. “So, Diego was nervous for all the wrong reasons?”

“Yeah, I think so. He was hiding the prototype from his family for a reason.” He looked down the hall. “Let me talk to him. We have a rapport connected to Mari. I’ll get the information from him.”

“We need much more information regarding the shipping of the product. If the cartel/gang are involved in some way, that will prove it.”

He nodded. “Innocent people have nothing to hide.” He looked down the hall again. “Where is he?”

“Through the second door on the right.”

Buck headed that way, wondering where Mari was. But to get to her, he had to get this questioning over. He opened the door to find Diego sitting at a small table, water in a bottle near his hand. He looked up, then his expression leveled out.

“What’s going on? Why are we here? We’ve done nothing wrong.” He leaned forward, his gaze narrowing. “Where is my sister?”

“Calm down, Diego. You’re not in trouble or under arrest.”

He frowned. “You’re the first person who’s told me anything.”

Buck pulled out the chair across from Diego and sat down. “Why were you keeping that prototype hidden?”

Diego huffed. “Because of my father. He wouldn’t approve. I wanted to finish it and make sure it works before I try to change my dad’s mind,” he said bitterly. “My father isn’t exactly open to change, but we’ve had that pan roaster forever. It’s old, outdated, inefficient, and Mari has to clean it constantly. My drum roaster would save hundreds of dollars in electricity alone, not to mention man hours.”

“Okay, that sounds reasonable.” He leaned back. “If you wish to leave, you’re free to go.”

Diego studied him, then his eyes narrowed. “But?”

“I’m sure you’d like to clear up anything to do with the murder of your shipping manager, and for us to get off your plantation and go home.”

“You have no idea.” He held up his hands. “No offense. Personally, all you guys are great people, but we would like to get back to normal.”

Over his tenure in the SEALs, Buck had learned to carry a wide range of gear, tools, and important stuff. Ammo, rucksacks, rockets, wounded. He trained for every conceivable combat scenario and learned to adjust to those real-world situations no instructor could have foreseen. Tools of the trade: his weapons and his instinct.

His instinct was working overtime right now. Diego was still hiding something. It was clear to Buck that Diego didn’t trust him enough to tell him, or what he had to say had ramifications Diego wasn’t ready to handle. For Mari’s sake, he hoped her brother wasn’t mixed up in something that was going to ruin their family and their business.

“Diego, you can trust me. I care about your sister a lot and would hate to see your life’s work and your family legacy demolished. The DEA won’t stop trying to root out drug traffickers and anyone who’s aiding them. Let us help you.”

Diego exhaled a heavy sigh, the edge completely gone from his voice when he said quietly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not—I’m not involved with drug traffickers.” His expression hardened, a glint of steel in his eyes. “I swear, Buck.”

Buck believed that Diego believed what he was saying. “I assume you won’t have a problem if we dig into your finances, your family’s finances, along with your production and shipping accounts. They are also going to ask you where you were three days ago at about twenty-one hundred…ah nine p.m.”

“Why?”

“That’s when Juan Barrantes was murdered.”

Diego stared at him, his color fading beneath his dark tan. The muscles of his jaw tensed, then tensed again, his expression fixed and inscrutable. He didn’t say anything for a moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was flat and controlled. “Do what you have to do. I haven’t done anything illegal.” He looked away, his tone seething with anger. “As for poor Mr. Barrantes, I was in the greenhouse, and several workers were with me. I was preparing seedlings for the transition to planting. I’ll give you their names.”

They were at the end of the line as far as information was concerned. Buck couldn’t force him to trust him enough to tell him everything. He had to hope that they wouldn’t find anything in their finances or reports that implicated Diego. He left the small room with the names of Diego’s workers to corroborate his story. Kat was on the phone when he emerged from the room. She hung up immediately.

“He has an alibi for the time of death.” He handed her the pad and gave her a quick rundown of what he and Diego had talked about.

“I was just on the phone with the FBI office in Panama. They are working on the records right now.”

Buck nodded. “Now, where is Mari?”

“You think she’s going to have a convenient alibi as well?” Russ sneered.

“She does have an alibi,” Buck said, losing his patience with the DEA agent. At first, he had sympathy for the man. His whole operation to apprehend one of the biggest drug cartel traffickers in Colombia had ended in disaster with dead pilots and one of Watson’s own, injured SEALs, culminating in a shoot-out on personal property with innocents. “Just a bit of advice, Watson. Shit happens in operations. The plan never goes to plan, but you need to own your mistakes and not take out your frustrations, guilt, or failure on the people around you. A good leader knows that.” He glanced at Joker. “And Mari’s convenient alibi? It’s me. I was with her when Barrantes was murdered.”

His expression solemn, Watson glanced away, the muscles along his jaw tensing, then he looked back at Buck, his voice quiet. “Of course you were with her. She’s your assignment.” He looked down the hall and let out a hard breath. “She’s across the hall from her brother,” he said wearily.

He nodded, then looked at Kat. “I’m going to tell her everything. After that raid at Diego’s, she has to be suspicious, and I will garner more trust in her if I tell her what happened, and why I’m really here. Lying to her doesn’t really serve any purpose now that we’re digging into the family.”

“I agree. You’re authorized to reveal the mission to her, but only to her. Let her know this is important information to keep to herself.” When he started down the hall, Kat put her hand on his arm. “Tell her that we genuinely care about her family’s protection, and we want to see them safe with their business intact.” She released a soft sigh, and he understood completely. The CIA, like his team, saw some horrific stuff during their service, and so many times they were powerless to truly help the innocent. This was a moment when they could make a difference, and he’d be damned if Mari’s family business, her family, and more importantly, if she suffered unduly. He wanted with all his heart for them to come out of this unscathed.

* * *

Mari satin the uncomfortable chair, sweat trickling down her sides and between her shoulder blades. She had been trying to sort through everything that had happened. Her stomach knotted with dread, not because she feared any repercussions regarding this incident, but because something was going on underneath it all, and she wasn’t exactly sure about the impact to her, her family, Diego, the business. It all ran around in her head, full of chaotic thoughts.

First, her brother had created a new drum roaster, on his own initiative, behind her father’s back…a prototype, an engineering marvel. That was so damned impressive. He had kept it secret, and he didn’t have to explain to her why.

Don Raul Navarro was so old school, he couldn’t see the jungle for the trees. He was rigid and set in his ways. His big-picture view was blinded by tradition. His favorite saying was: It was good enough for my father and grandfather, it is good enough for us.

She suspected that he wanted to show her the machine to garner her opinion and sway her to his way of thinking. She had to commend Diego for his foresight, his skill, innovation, and his courage. Standing up to Don Raul wasn’t an easy task.

It made her think about how much stock she’d put into his leadership all these years from the time she was a small child. Her father loved it when she excelled, succeeded, and paid little heed to her when she didn’t. Whenever she deviated from the family business path, he none-too-gently manipulated her back on it, until she fell into line. He didn’t seem to be interested in her true feelings, leaving her feeling lonely and scared when she wasn’t recognized for just being herself.

Her reaction to all this was to shapeshift into whoever she needed to be to promote and safeguard her family legacy. Her workaholism was a direct result of juggling everything to please so many people. She had lost herself, and with it, her real emotions. Her strategies had worked so well, she never even had time to wonder about who she really was.

Then there was Buck.

On the one hand, she was upset about him not confiding in her, and on the other, she was trying not to overreact here.

After the raid on Diego’s secret workshop, Mari couldn’t continue to buy into the fact that Buck was here simply for protection. They had been following Diego. It was the only way they could have found the place. It hadn’t been random.

They had been geared up for action, had zip-tied her and her brother, and they were both now at the police station. He had a secret agenda he didn’t tell her about, and with a sick feeling, she suspected he wasn’t here by accident. Had he been working her for information about her family and their possible cooperation with drug trafficking? She didn’t want it to be true, because she trusted him unconditionally, but with a sinking sensation, she couldn’t ignore the facts either.

Buck was an American military special operator. He would always put his country first. He must. She had to wonder where that left her.

Draping her arms over the table in the room, she rested her head on her wrists, her heart pounding so hard she could barely breathe, pain gathering. She worked at stopping the ache from spreading. She was in so deep here. She couldn’t figure out how to pull out of…this…death spiral. That’s what it felt like

The sound of the door opening made her sit bolt upright. Finally! But her stomach dropped when she saw it was Buck who entered.

He was carrying a bottle of water. He walked to the chair and offered her the water. She already had one beside her, but she took it, set it down, while he sat in the chair.

“Hey,” he said. “I’m sure you’re confused and have a lot of questions.”

Focusing on keeping her voice steady, she said, “You’re here to enlighten me and answer them.”

“Yes. There’s a lot at stake.”

Annoyance flicked through her, and her chin came up. “For me and my family. Is that what you mean?”

A look of deep disquiet darkened his eyes, a somber, distracted frown appearing. She suspected that she would have immediately dissolved into indignant anger if he had let that unaffected SEAL mask slide over him. But she didn’t get the special operator, she got the man, and she got the truth. “That, and our mission here isn’t just protection.”

Gripping her forearms, Mari tried to will away the thickness that was growing in her chest, a thickness that was rooted in her deep feelings for Buck. She thought as much, but to have it confirmed hurt like hell. She trembled from head to toe, trying to process the truth. Raking her hair back from her face, she tried to make her mind focus, shock draining the warmth from her. It took a moment before she was able to frame the words, her voice numb when she whispered, “You used me to get information about my family, to get close to them.”

He braced his arms against the table, his rib cage expanding and contracting. A taut silence hung between them until, finally, his voice raw and strained, he said, “I want you to fully understand what happened.”

She heard his agony and felt his pain, and something broke loose in her. Her vision blurred, and she folded her arms tightly in front of her. Her throat was so cramped that her jaws ached. She took a deep, unsteady breath, her voice breaking when she got the words out. “You’re not denying it. Oh, God—” Her voice broke completely, and she had to wait for the nearly suffocating swell of emotion to pass. Wiping her eyes with the side of her hand, she collected herself and went on. “Was any of it real?”

“Goddamn it,” he said, pushing out of the chair and coming around the table. He pulled her into his arms, and a shudder coursed through him as he closed his arms around her in a rough, desperate embrace. “God, don’t cry,” he whispered hoarsely. “Yes, it was real. Let me explain, please. I would never hurt you, Mari.”

She took those words deep inside her, sure they were true. How could she doubt it when he’d risked his life with the puma, when he carried her so carefully back to her room, tended to her, and slept with her? She would listen because she hadn’t just given her trust blindly to him, he had earned it.

She looked up at him. He held her gaze, strong and steady, the disquiet in his eyes deepening, his expression taut. “When I met you, it was just as it seemed, fate. I never engineered any type of contact. Although you were constantly on my mind. I wanted to see you again.” He stared down at her, strain deepening the grooves around his mouth, then he inhaled unevenly. “After LA, after I got off the train, I knew someone was following me. It turned out to be the DEA.”

“Why were they following you?”

He rubbed his thumb against her cheek, then looked at her, his eyes bleak. “They weren’t initially. I was a secondary, unexpected target.”

Realization dawned on her. They weren’t following him. They were following her, and they had seen an opportunity. “It was me they were following. Why?”

There was an edge of urgency to his voice when he answered her. “This is classified information I’ve been authorized to relay to you. It’s for your ears only, Mari. We’re trusting you with this information because I convinced Kat, Russ, and my LT that you were trustworthy and had nothing to do with this whole mess.”

She blinked at him in confusion. “I’m at a loss. Completely, so tell me why all this is happening.”

“The night that you saved us, someone from your plantation gave away our location to Nacho’s men. Ever since, the DEA has been keeping you and your family under surveillance. After the murder of your shipping manager, we suspected that Diego might be involved. When I questioned him, he was evasive, and I thought he was the leak.”

She pushed away from him. Mari exhaled a deep breath, feeling as though her world as she knew it had tilted on its axis. And in a big way, it had considering nothing had been as it seemed, including the reason why Buck showed up here. “He would never do such a thing. He would never put us all in danger for monetary gain,” she said, angry that he would even suggest that Diego was compromised. “Never, Buck. He cares too much about the plantation and our lives. His wife and children are everything to him. Family is everything to him. His love for La Buena Tierra goes as deep as its coffee roots. No. Never. He’d die first.”

“I hope so, Mari, for your sake, Diego’s family and your family. The consequences of anyone from your family being involved with the cartel or their gang affiliation means that the DEA and your government will dismantle La Buena Tierra, confiscate your land, your wealth, everything.”

Mari’s face washed white, and she brought up a trembling hand to press against her mouth, to press back the cry, to hold back the bile that rose in her throat. Every single family member depended on the plantation and the hotel. Without them, they would be destitute.

He was right. The Costa Rican government had no tolerance for anyone who worked with the cartel or gangs, profiting off the misery drug trafficking had brought to their country—homicides, a drop in tourism, drug addiction, and the loss of tranquility. Maybe the government wasn’t the only threat to her way of life as her country turned into a narco-state.

Understanding her distress, he closed the distance between them and rubbed his hands down her arms, his caress as gentle and caring as the look in his eyes. “As it stands, Diego has convinced me he has nothing to do with drug trafficking. We will continue to look for the culprits who leaked our location and murdered your manager. Your plantation should be safe, especially once we find the leaker. Trust me, Mari. I won’t let you down.”

Tears stung her eyes, and she swallowed hard. “Thank you,” she whispered, aware that any promise Buck made, he kept. At least, that was evident so far. What she couldn’t quite shake was her caution around him now. He was working for justice, especially when it came to Mr. Barrantes, but if something came up that jeopardized her family’s business, how would he handle that? His hands would most likely be tied. She could only think that would leave her to safeguard their livelihood on her own.

She wasn’t going to back down from that challenge. Not for one minute.

He drew a deep, uneven breath, his voice raw with emotion, cupping her face. “I know we need to talk some more,” he said. “I can come by later after we’re done here.”

She nodded, wanting that conversation and moved by the depth of feeling in those hoarsely spoken words. She shifted her head, her mouth connecting with his in a kiss that was filled with so much emotion, with such an open, unfettered feeling. Rising on tiptoe, she molded herself tightly against him as he shifted his hold.

A quick knock on the door brought them back to reality.

Buck abruptly dragged his mouth away, his breathing uneven, his hold almost savage, then he let her go.

When he opened the door, Diego was standing there. “Mari,” he said, softly, apologetically.

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. “Let’s go home.”

He nodded and they left the station, a police officer drove them home in silence. When he dropped them off, she could feel the tension in her brother the longer the silence went on.

“Diego. What’s wrong?”

He turned to her, drawing her into the jungle as he shot a look toward the plantation. “I didn’t tell them everything, Mari.”

Fear spiked in her, turning her legs to jelly. “What did you leave out?” she demanded, distress causing her voice to be sharp.

He hung his head in shame and closed his eyes. “I haven’t been handling the shipping orders. I was more interested in building my prototype and supervising the new plantings.”

She gasped. “You turned it over to someone else?”

The look on Diego’s face had her stomach dropping. “Sort of. Juan’s second in command. He’s been doing the shipping for a month. Juan was grooming him, and I should have promoted him to shipping manager, but I was so busy and distracted.”

“Okay, so no problem. Promote him now.”

He was trembling and panic flashed in his eyes, along with a stark fear he couldn’t conceal no matter how hard he tried. “I can’t. They’re digging into all the records, financial, shipping, and production. If there’s something off—they’re going to blame me.”

Utterly chilled to the bone, Mari knew she had to do something. “Oh, my God,” she said on a sob. “Why didn’t you tell Buck this information?”

“Well, because they were investigating me, and I didn’t want it to get back to Dad. He’s going to be so angry, Mari. I didn’t want to let him down. You know? But I was so busy with every?—”

“Okay. I get it. I’m questioning a lot with my own role in the family.”

He nodded, his eyes full of compassion.

“You work so hard, Mari, and have sacrificed your own happiness. We all see it, and we all want more for you.”

She reached out and hugged her brother tightly for a few minutes, blinking away tears, realizing how blind she’d been. She needed to allow herself the space and time to understand how she felt. Feel all her emotions and realize that she could trust them to guide her. Something would have to change in her life. She didn’t want to conceal her unhappiness anymore. But right now, she had to deal with this latest problem. “Who is this man?”

Diego released her and said, “Kevyn Sanchez. Juan taught him well. He knows everything.”

“I’m going to need his address,” she said firmly.

“Mari—”

“Don’t argue.” Her mouth tightened into a hard line. “We need him on board. I can offer him the management position. We’ll work this out.”

Diego dragged both hands down his face and released a rough exhale of breath, and she could see his concern. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, I’ll go. You stay here.” Diego hugged her hard, and she hugged him back. Her first instinct was to tell Buck, confide in him, but she just couldn’t be sure of his loyalties, and it would put him in a bad position. She would fix this. Everything would be all right.