Mimi's Mix - A Book From Each Series! Hot Suspense & Active Spirits! (11 page)

“I’m boiling the scissors, but they’ll still need to be washed with the peroxide.”

“Good idea. The baby’s coming, I can see the head. Help Isobela. She needs to lean against you now.”

“Who, me?”

“Do it!”

Liam settled behind the exhausted woman and lifted her shoulders gently so they rested back against his chest. He grabbed a towel, leaned over her to wipe the sweat from her face, and asked soothingly. “Comfy?”

“Yes-s, gracias.” She let her body weight fall back trustingly.

Liam noticed the painfully dry edges on each side of her mouth. He scanned the room and sure enough, there was Pedro crouched under a wooden chair, watching. “Hey, kiddo, can you get your mom some ice from the freezer?”

The boy nodded and jumped up to disappear.

And at that moment, Liam watched as Isobela’s stomach rippled and her legs splayed. After a moment, she balanced her heels on the floor, reached for his hand, and using it as a counterweight, the little warrior began to push. He felt as if she’d be ripping his arms from their sockets before she stopped. And no sooner did he get to rest for a moment but she started again, this time almost in a sitting position.

“
Perfecto, mi amor
.” Ruiz’s face, sweaty as his wife’s, beamed for a moment from above the blanket. Then his head disappeared once again. His voice came muffled but understandable “The baby comes soon. Push once more.”

“Ahhhh!!” The scream tore from her before she scrunched her face for the final grunting thrust.

Liam heard Ruiz’s gasp of joy and felt intoxicated himself from the swell of relief. The baby’s cry sounded loud and annoyed.

“
Una bebé niña! Una niña Hermosa!
Beautiful! She’s beautiful.” The proud father cried the words, taking sobbing breaths between each phrase, tears cascading down unshaven cheeks. He wrapped a towel around the infant and laid her over his lap.

Isobela fell back against Liam and sighed deeply, her hand wiping her face before reaching for the babe. “Darla a mi.”

Liam felt his own body sobbing inside and tried desperately to stop the tears that wanted to fall. He shared a moment with the proud mother that would be etched forever in his memory, and then propped her with the pillows. On his knees he crawled to where Ruiz had collapsed, seemingly useless now that the worst of the trauma had passed. Not thinking, he reached in the water for the scissors.

“Son of a bit… god, that’s hot!” Just in time he spied the boy crawling to his mother, holding out a prized piece of ice. He hefted the pot in his hands and returned to the kitchen to pour out the water so they could retrieve the tool they needed. And then he hurried back to Ruiz, who waited with the hydrogen peroxide. Once they’d soaked the scissors long enough to be sure, the two looked at each other and hesitated.

Liam spoke first. “I’ll hold it and you cut.”

“We need string. We need to tie it.” The man looked around as if he’d never seen the house before.

It was Isobela who chimed in and made sense. “The telephone table.” She pointed, and Liam cautiously handed the slimy grayish umbilical cord back to Ruiz. He’d disarm a live bomb any day over this ordeal. He scuttled to the table and back, string clutched in his sore hands. In moments the deed was done and the noisy infant lay cuddled in her mother’s arms.

“Chico,” said Ruiz, dragging his son’s rapt attention from his new baby sister. “Go and get two beers from the fridge for me and
mi amigo, por favor
.”

His raised eyebrow asked and Liam’s nod answered. The two men, shoulders slumped, drew deep breaths while their eyes stayed glued to the charming performance of a mother meeting her daughter for the first time.

Just then, the outside door was flung open and a middle-aged woman dashed into the house, only to stop dead at the sight of her patient holding the newborn. At a glance, she seemed to know what to do and quickly took control, pushing her way between the men and taking charge. With a very few terse questions, she deemed everything to be in order.

Liam backed away and watched as Ruiz scooped wife and baby into his arms and hugged them both so tenderly that Liam once again had to bite down hard.

Since both he and the boy were superfluous, Liam led him into the kitchen, to the table, and sat him on top. After he shut the open freezer door, he looked to see if there was anything in the fridge for the boy to drink while he sucked up his beer in three swallows. “Want some Coke?” He’d seen a can on the door.

“Mi mamá says no pop—only milk and juice. I have a new sister?”

“Yes, and she’s beautiful.” He took the apple juice carton and snagged a glass to fill halfway. Once the boy held it, Liam clinked his bottle against it in a toast and said, “Here’s to the new princess Ruiz.”

Obviously loving the attention, Pedro giggled. “She’s all red.”

“Uh-huh!”

“And wrinkly.”

“Yep.”

“And she screams really loud.”

“Oh, yeah!”

“Do we have to keep her?”

Maybe he shouldn’t have laughed, but nothing in the world could have stopped the waves from bursting loose. He picked the boy up in his arms, and all the while he hugged, he swung him around in a circle, loving the happy squeals. “She’ll be your best friend one day, little guy. You’d better take care of her.”

“Okay, okay-y!”

The door opened and Ruiz slowly stepped into the room, his shoulders slumped like those of a beaten man. It reminded Liam a little of someone else he’d seen recently.

Ruiz plucked his son from Liam’s arms, hugged him for a second, and then lowered him. “
Tu mamá
wants you,
mi hijo
.”

Once the door closed and the two men had nowhere else to look, Ruiz turned to Liam and held out his hand. Liam slapped it away and shoved his face right up close to the other man.

Chapter Ten

“What the hell is wrong with you? What if something had happened, if the baby hadn’t come properly or… or something? She could have died in the hands of two bloody incompetent idiots who had no reason to take chances with her life. You’re a fool! Why the hell wouldn’t you let me call the ambulance?” Liam lowered his voice for the last part when he’d noticed Ruiz’s warning glance aimed toward the other room.

“Easy for you to say,
Señor
. I no have health insurance. I am here illegally. What do you know? You think the doctors would have treated her?” Veins stood out on his forehead, and his bloodshot eyes pierced Liam’s conscience. “Why do you think we hired a midwife?”

With both hands held in front, Liam took a step back and calmed down. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I would have paid for her treatment in a second.”

“But I have no money to pay you back. I work long hard hours and get paid
nada
.” Ruiz’s fingers rubbed together, his expression disgusted. “Gringos like to take advantage of a man who can’t fight back.”

“Not all gringos. What kind of work do you do?”

“Anything! Dig ditches, clean sewers, work in a kitchen, whatever I can find. But the pay is bad, if I even get paid. My big-shot boss stiffed me today and… Look, I’m not complaining. We’re here in America, safe from the drug cartel on the streets of Ciudad Juarez. So no matter what happens, we are better off.”

“You’re mixed up in the drug trade back home.” Liam couldn’t help the disgust evident in his words.

“No! Never! They forced Isobela’s father to work for them, and then they killed him. The
escoria
… how you say…?”

“… scum.”

“
Si!
They think Isobela witnessed this-this
atrocidad
—”

“Atrocity?”

“
Si!
And they want to kill her so she can’t testify. But she saw nothing. We fled with only the clothes we wore.”

Liam could see the man was done. He looked so tired that he reminded him of soldiers coming off days of advanced training, exhausted and beaten.

“I’ll leave you to your family now, but I’d like to come back and talk to you again, if I may? I might have a job for you, one that will pay proper wages for the hours you work.”

Hope lit the man’s eyes. A little light that started small, then flared and grew as he stared at Liam and looked into his soul.

“You are the man in this morning’s accident,
si
?”

“Si!”

“Then I owe you twice. You have managed to save both my children today.”

“No. You have it wrong. You saved your daughter, and Miss Bertolli saved your son. Twice I’ve managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Chapter Eleven

By early Sunday, Sadie’s patience had vanished. She had to get out of the loony bin. Of course, before Bea would let her leave, she made her call Greta to be sure she’d be there. In case Sadie got into trouble. What the heck kind of trouble did she think she’d get into?

Thank heavens Greta had answered and agreed to stay home. And they still balked. Finally, she sweet-talked them with promises. Like spending the next weekend together at their beach house for a pajama party. They’d watch chick flicks and eat junk food. It didn’t seem too dreadful to her right now, but she knew when the time came that would change. It was their idea of a good time. And her idea of a nightmare.

But right now, she’d do anything to get away from their constant singing, their mind-numbing cheeriness, and their maddening references to her new boyfriend, spoken with tongue in cheek, of course. Any chance to tease, they took.

Right from the beginning, their sickeningly sweet tones had warned her of just how much they’d taken to Liam. If that wasn’t enough, the proof became very clear in the way they’d opened up to him while he’d been their guest. They talked to him about business, things that would normally only be shared between the family. They’d lit up when he praised their food. In fact, you’d think the player had never had a well-cooked meal before he met “the sweet gals,” as he’d referred to them more than once. All the time he overstayed his welcome—in her opinion—he’d overplayed his part and they’d simpered disgustingly.

Considering that they had very few men to cater to, since neither of her sisters had a serious beau at the time, nor her mom, she supposed she shouldn’t mind so much that they’d sucked up to Liam like glaze on a honey donut.

But she did.

Both her sisters had made a play for his attention. When that didn’t seem to work, since he teased them equally, they did their best to sing her praises.

It had curdled her stomach.

Chapter Twelve

Early Monday afternoon, at the approximate time specified and the address Bea had written down, Liam showed up ready and willing for work—more fool he!

Impatient, Sadie stood clicking her booted heel against the sidewalk—fists planted on her hips. Her tight sweater and jean-clad body drew stares from other drivers, but she never even noticed. She was too busy eyeballing her watch, and as he approached, her eyes drilled him.

The words popped out before he could stop them. “Traffic was slow.”

“Not the way you drive.”

“I had an unwanted guest who kept me within the speed limit.”

He watched her look at his car, angle her head questioningly and then turn back his way.

“He got out on the last block. You’re obviously ready so let’s go.”

“Not in this pretty toy you call a car. We’ll have to use the company vehicle.” He should have known something was up when her checks reddened.

Hobbling along by his side, she led him into the underground parking lot right up to the ugliest monstrosity on four wheels he’d ever seen—a rosy pink doggie van with splashes of paw prints streaked to run along each side. The hideous, doggy, shag-mobile was outfitted with a penned-in back where the animals rode, each with their own windows and special enclosures reminiscent of baby seats.

She frowned at him when he couldn’t stifle his horror. “Don’t you say a word! My mother and sisters bought this through the company when they realized my own car was too small to transport the animals safely. They ordered it specially designed and painted, and if you’d been there to see their expressions when they presented it to me, you couldn’t have refused their generosity either.”

He grinned.

She glared.

Then he helped her step up into the passenger seat, got behind the wheel, and drove it out onto the street. The silence had thickened, so he spoke.

“No, really! It’s roomy. And the pink is… is eye-catching. Paw designs, are a good way to advertise.”

She said nothing, but she did snort.

“We’re getting lots of attention.”
Yeah, everyone’s laughing!
Words popped into his head coming straight from his conscience.

He hated himself for lying, and the truth must have showed in his sour expression.

“Not funny! And slow it down, especially when the dogs are with us. They’ll get antsy if you go too fast.”

“And you know that how?”

“Never mind… and lose the grin.” Even though her voice sounded rough, the chuckle he heard negated her being in a real snit.

“Yes, ma’am.” Maybe the stares won’t be so hard to take after all. It was nice being with Sadie again. She looked stunning with her soft curls bouncing around her pretty face. He’d looked forward to spending the afternoon with her, and if it meant driving a pink puppy parlor, he guessed he could take it.

After all, guys who had a firm grip on their sexuality didn’t get rattled with minor shit like this. And if the asshole in the car next to his didn’t stop wiggling his eyebrows and smirking, he’d be more than happy to rearrange his face at the next light.

“Liam. Quit glowering at everyone and listen. Please. I have to explain a few facts before we start the day. I don’t want you to undo all the work it’s taken me months to put into practice. My students are in training, and unless you do exactly as I tell you, it won’t be pretty.”

“Students? I thought they were dogs.”

“They are dogs, silly. But they’re my students, also. I train them during these walking exercises, and they respond very well—to me. I just don’t know whether you’ll be smart enough.”

“Now you’re just being mean and… and rude.”

“I’m not being rude. These dogs are very intelligent. They know whenever they can get away with anything, and like children they’ll try to take over, be the pack leader. It’s up to you to stay in control—to show them who’s boss.”