Chapter 5
“Holy crap,” Alana gasped, her heart pounding hard against her ribs. “That was close.”
“Too close,” Chase said, his mouth set in a grim line, his gaze cast over his shoulder at the disappearing car.
Alana’s eyes widened. “You think he was aiming for us?”
“I don’t know. But it would pay to be more aware.”
One of his hands rested at the small of her back, the other held her hand in his.
Alana was all too aware of the strong hand gripping hers.
The man could easily crush her fingers in his, but he didn’t.
She should have let go and stepped away, but she couldn’t.
She liked the way his grip felt…firm, like he could handle anything thrown his way.
Like moving her out of harm’s way in a split second.
As soon as they entered the bar, a voice called out, “Flannigan!”
After being in the glaring sun and nearly run over, Alana had to blink several times before her vision adjusted to the dim lighting of the interior. An ample-breasted, older Hispanic woman hobbled toward Chase with a decided limp, her arms opened wide.
Chase didn’t have time to dodge her or move out of the way. Suddenly, he was engulfed in what appeared to be a bone-crushing hug.
“Mi amigo,” the woman cried. She spoke in rapid-fire Spanish, none of which Alana understood.
A younger woman followed. She appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. “Mi madre said she is very happy you returned today. She is very thankful you helped her yesterday when she fell outside on the street. No one else offered to help. Muchas gracias, Senor Flannigan.”
The older woman spoke again, winked at Chase and nodded with a smile toward Alana.
Alana frowned, wishing she’d taken the time to learn more Spanish.
“Mi madre says you are a gentleman, and your lovely bride is very lucky to have such a handsome husband.”
Chase slipped his left arm around Alana and held out his right hand to the young woman. “What’s your name?”
“Teresa,” she responded.
“Thank you, Teresa. You speak English fluently. Thank you.” Chase gave the younger woman a smile that melted Alana’s knees and made her wish he’d directed it at her.
Based on how pink Teresa’s cheeks turned, she was equally affected.
“And your mother’s name?” Chase asked.
“Delores Hernandez,” the daughter said.
Chase took the older woman’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Senora Hernandez, you have a beautiful daughter, and you are very welcome. De nada.”
Her daughter’s blush deepened, and she stammered a little as she translated, making the older woman’s smile stretch across her face.
Senora Hernandez motioned for them to continue into the establishment.
“She welcomes you back to the Cabo Wabo,” Teresa said, “and offers to provide your food and drinks. Usted no tiene que pagar.”
“Tell her thank you,” Chase said. “But we came to ask questions. You see, we don’t remember much about what happened last night while we were here. We had hoped someone could remind us, and maybe we’ll remember.”
Teresa waved toward the bar at the center of the room. “Juan was here last night after my mother left. He will be able to answer your questions.”
Alana marveled at how easily the Navy SEAL charmed the two ladies, both older and younger. When he turned those incredibly blue eyes and his killer smile on someone, she could see how someone could fall in love with him in seconds.
Was that what had happened? Had he smiled at her and turned her knees to mush? Even though he was using his charm on the other women, it affected her as well.
The thought made her frown. She wasn’t supposed to be falling for the guy. She was supposed to be discovering how they’d ended up married, why someone was threatening them and how they could end their short-lived marriage. Alana squared her shoulders and crossed to the bartender.
“Buenos días, Juan,” Alana said with a smile. “Do you remember us from last night?”
The bartender grinned. “Sí, si.” He nodded toward her. “Alana and Chase.” He spread his arms wide. “Mis amigos, what can I get you?”
“We’re having a hard time remembering what happened last night,” Alana said.
Juan nodded and winked. “Ah, the tequila. You two had several shots while here.”
“We did?” Alana cringed. No wonder her head still hurt.
“Sí, and then the senor started the conga line.”
Alana shot a glance at Chase and laughed. “You salsa dance and you conga?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been known…”
“And you help women in distress.” Alana shook her head. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“I can’t convince you I’m an okay kinda guy.” He winked and turned to the bartender. “Was there any trouble here last night? Did I get into a fight?”
Juan frowned. “You, senor? No. You and the senora had everyone laughing and having a good time. You closed the bar down at two o’clock in the morning.”
“Closed?” Alana asked.
“Sí, senora.”
She didn’t try to correct Juan regarding the senora reference, although she wanted to. Correcting him would only delay getting to the bottom of what had happened the night before.
“You did not want the party to stop.” Juan smiled. “Everyone moved to La Casa Loca, where they stay open until four o’clock in the morning.”
Alana exchanged a silent glance with Chase. Perhaps, they were finally getting somewhere in their investigation.
Chase’s lips tightened briefly. “Where is La Casa Loca?”
“Not far down the beach from here.” Juan laughed. “You led the conga line all the way there, stopping halfway for a short time.” He grinned. “I watched from the outside patio.”
“Gracias, amigo.” Chase held out his hand to Juan.
“De nada, my friend.” Juan shook his hand. “Come back later, sí? You are good for business.”
Chase smiled. “We’ll be back, but maybe not tonight.”
Juan nodded and touched his temple. “The tequila is strong, sí?”
“Sí,” Chase said. He hooked Alana’s arm and guided her out the door leading to the beach.
“Sounds like we had the time of our lives.” Alana began to regret that she couldn’t remember anything about their night together.
“I’m thinking it was a damned shame I forgot most of it.”
“Most?” Alana frowned. “Do you remember any of it?”
He squinted at the sunshine glaring off the water. “I swear I can hear the music from the conga line. And I recognized Mama Delores, though I couldn’t remember her name.”
Alana sighed. “That’s more than I got.”
They walked along the path leading to the beach in silence.
When they reached the sand, Alana automatically kicked off her flip-flops and bent to pick them up.
Chase did the same. Then he captured her hand in his, as if he had every right to do so.
Instinctively, Alana knew that if she didn’t want him to hold her hand, he would release it at once.
She hated to admit it, but she liked that he held her hand.
Well, hated was a strong word. She didn’t like that she was softening toward the man who’d obviously tricked her into marrying him.
How else had she ended up wearing a wedding ring with a marriage license to prove it had happened?
No woman in her right mind would marry a guy she’d only just met.
That was the problem. She hadn’t been in her right mind. Her brain had been soaked in tequila. She was surprised she hadn’t succumbed to alcohol poisoning.
“You say you just got off active duty?” Alana asked, curious about the man she’d married.
“Yes, ma’am.” He looked out to the sea. “I served for eleven years as a Navy SEAL.”
She frowned. “Why didn’t you go until retirement at twenty years?”
He didn’t answer for a while. Alana thought he was ignoring her question until he answered, “I used to love the adrenaline rush of going into battle. I lived for the fight, for the challenge.”
“What changed?” she asked softly.
His hand tightened on hers. “I lost too many of my friends. Some of them had taken the plunge and dared to marry and have children. They were my brothers. And they had family who loved them. Those wives lost their husbands. Those children will never know their fathers.”
Alana’s heart squeezed hard in her chest at the sadness in Chase’s voice. “Is that why you didn’t marry?” she asked quietly.
He nodded. “I figured it wasn’t fair to any woman to put her through that kind of loss.”
“What if the woman knows what she’s signing up for and loves her man enough to go into it with her eyes wide open? Don’t you think it should be her choice?”
“No woman could understand the danger we faced on every deployment. And we were gone more than we were at home. She’d have been on her own more often than not.”
“Again, why wouldn’t you give her the choice?” Alana lifted her shoulders and let them fall. “Not all women are weak and dependent on a man to survive. We’re not all wimps.”
“Lots of my friends’ marriages ended in divorce,” Chase said. “Their spouses couldn’t handle the loneliness. They found other men to make them happy.”
Alana’s lips pressed together. “They weren’t the right women for your friends.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t meet a woman who fit that bill.” Chase nodded toward a building ahead with a huge, garish red-and-orange sign proclaiming it La Casa Loca.
Rather than continue to the bar, he turned her toward a small shop several structures short of their destination.
“Where are we going?” Alana asked, trotting to keep up.
“I don’t feel good about wandering around out in the open, especially after the near miss with the car in front of the Cabo Wabo bar.”
Alana shivered. “Me either.”
Chase nodded. “And if Text Dude is looking for us, I don’t want to make it any easier for him to find us before our rendezvous time.”
Alana glanced over her shoulder. “Do you really think someone could be following us?”
His jaw hardened. “It’s possible. They knew we were at the hotel.
The bad driver could’ve followed our cab.
No matter what, it wouldn’t hurt to have a disguise.
” He stepped through the door into a cornucopia of souvenirs and junk from Cabo San Lucas, from magnets and key chains to beach towels and floppy hats.
He selected two brightly colored baseball caps with Cabo San Lucas embroidered across the front and two pairs of large, round sunglasses. He paid for them with his credit card and then handed her one of each. “Think you can hide your blond hair in that hat?”
Alana bent over, twisted her hair into a tight knot and jammed the baseball cap over her head, tucking any loose strands inside. When she straightened, she grinned. “It won’t cover all of it, but at least, from a distance, it won’t be as noticeable.” Alana put on the sunglasses.
Chase settled his cap on his head and wore the glasses. Even in the touristy getup, he was still sexy as hell.
He touched a finger to the bill of her cap. “Anyone ever mention that you look like a cute tomboy with your hair pulled up like that?”
She tilted her head. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“All good, sweetheart. Maybe, too good. I’m thinking I like this outfit almost as much as the red dress.”
Her cheeks heated and warmth spread throughout her body.
“But as cute as you are, you might want to stay here while I go check out La Casa Loca.”
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m going with you. If this is the place where the pot got stirred, you’re not going in there alone.”
He frowned. “And if it gets dangerous? What then?”
“I’ll be your back up. I’ll call the police.” When he arched his brow, she raised her hands. “I don’t know. I can hit someone with a chair or a bottle of booze. All I know is you’re not going in there alone.”
He chuckled. “You’re cute when you go all badass.” Chase bent and kissed the tip of her nose.
Alana stood still, her lips parting slightly.
Then Chase kissed her mouth, taking advantage of her parted lips to sweep his tongue past her teeth to slide the length of hers.
Too shocked to think, and too mesmerized to push away, Alana dug her fingers into his blue polo shirt and drew him closer, deepening the kiss. Her mouth moved with his as though following a muscle memory. She didn’t even realize she’d kissed him back until Chase lifted his head.
“Finally, something I remember clearly,” he whispered.
Sweet heaven, so did she.
He turned her toward the beach, took her hand in his and walked out to the sand.
Two doors down from the souvenir shop, they came to a tiny little hut with the words “Wedding Chapel Open 24 Hours” written in broad, baby-blue letters.
Alana and Chase halted at the same time.
She pointed to the chapel. “You don’t think…”
“It’s way too much of a coincidence,” Chase said. “Would they have some kind of register?”
“There’s only one way to know for sure.” Alana drew in a deep breath.
Chase’s hand tightened around hers, and they walked into the chapel.