Page 18 of Liaising Kai

Kai sagged against him, unable to hold in all the raw and turbulent feelings that surged through her. He made it almost tolerable with the feel of his arms around her as she huddled there, nursing her wounds, pressing her wet face into his neck. He was a gift she wasn’t sure she deserved.

Slipping part of the blanket over her and drawing her deeper into his warmth, he cradled her head even closer, his breath warm against the side of her face. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. With his words, he’d alleviated some of the devastation, and they drew warmth and comfort from each other.

But their private, comforting cocoon was invaded moments later when the pilot came over the speaker alerting them to their arrival in Guayaquil. They prepared to deplane, knowing that they were heading into a country rife with danger and corruption. But it wasn’t going to stop them from finding and talking to Eduardo Mosquera.

They were greeted at the airport by a man dressed in green camouflage, a ball cap, and a black vest with Policia in white across the right-hand side.

Kai approached him and said, “NCIS Supervisory Special Agent Talbot and CGIS Special Agent Davis Nishida.”

The man shook their hands. “Pleased to meet you, Agents. I’m Colonel Cesar Aguilar and this is Sergeant Dario Loor.” The young man, dressed similarly, nodded. “Would you like refreshment before we talk about the man you’re here to interview?”

“No, we’re good. We can rest after we get squared away. Thank you for cooperating with our government.”

“My pleasure, Special Agent Talbot.”

“Please, call me Kai.”

He nodded. “This way,” he said, gesturing to the exit. They gathered their carry-on bags and headed to the doors where a police SUV was parked at the curb, and they slipped into the back seat, the sergeant driving and Colonel Aguilar beside him.

As they merged into the early evening traffic, toward the vibrant, sprawling city of Guayaquil, known as the gateway to Pacific beaches and the Galapagos Islands. During the drive along the Rio Daule, they passed a lively downtown area with glimpses of a long dock and a pristine white Ferris wheel, telling her there was an amusement park on the water. That would be cool to visit. But she had to remind herself they weren’t here for sightseeing, especially when Davis was a constant sensual reminder. Being in close proximity on the plane and now in the car, his delicious scent distracted her, along with his earthy, sexual magnetism, which was dangerous on so many levels. They passed an area with colorfully painted houses stacked on a hillside, and more shops and people before pulling into the local precinct where the colonel led them to a conference room.

“Mr. Eduardo Mosquera is a fisherman with a small crew and a mid-sized boat who has a license to fish in the open sea at least forty nautical miles from the coast for mahi-mahi, dorado, swordfish, yellowfin and bigeye tuna, covina, and billfish. We’ve been to his mooring at the Marina Río Guayas, but his boat—” He consulted his notes on a pad of paper. “—the El Regulo de Mayta is not there.”

A lump formed in Kai’s throat. He’d named his craft Mayta’s Gift. She felt sorry for him having to find out from a stranger that his daughter was dead. Her stomach dropped, remembering the exact moment when she’d found out. She grit her teeth against her pain and his incoming grief. “We can plan to go to his residence in the morning, but with his boat gone, we may not find him at home.”

“Does he have family in the area, and is it possible to see if any of his crew are available?”

“Yes, we can go to the marina tomorrow when it opens and ask around about his crew. Someone there should know him, the boat hands are a tight-knit bunch. He has an aunt here in Guayaquil—” He looked at his pad again. “Solange Cordero.” He leaned back in his seat, his eyes and expression speculative. “Why is a military-based federal law enforcement agency looking for this man?”

“His daughter, Mayta Mosquera, immigrated with her mother, Eduardo’s ex-wife Lena, to the United States when she was young.” She could see he realized that Eduardo’s boat was named after his daughter. His expression turned sad. “She enlisted in the United States Navy, and she was murdered this morning in her home in San Diego, California. Our agency, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is responsible for all Navy and Marine personnel. We’re here because she had some concerns about her father, and we’re following up on a lead I can’t discuss.”

His eyes flashed, and he swore softly. “I’m very sad to hear this. We have our share of murders in the city.” He pulled up something on a laptop. “We just need to go over the paperwork for you to carry weapons in Ecuador?—”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no. We have your request from your government, and all is well. We just need to see what firearms you’re carrying.” Each of them presented their Glocks, and the numbers were registered on the paperwork. “Let us be done for today, and Dario will take you to your hotel. He’ll be there at ten a.m., and we’ll hopefully find Mr. Mosquera tomorrow for your questions.”

Kai nodded wearily.

A short ten minutes later, Dario dropped them in front of their hotel. Once inside they got their room keys from the front desk.

As they climbed to their floor in the elevator, she wondered if she could finally entice Davis into her bed. The thought of the monumental distraction that would cause made her shiver. They were only going to be here for a couple of days, and muddling up their time with intimacy could be problematic, especially when they needed to keep their focus and attention on the case, and on their own personal security in a city rife with crime.

“This is me,” she said, her voice going soft as she stopped in front of her door.

He turned, looking as if he was going to say something, but then nodded and said, “Good night.”

Feeling shaky and a little disappointed but realizing that this was the best course of action, she opened her door and slipped inside. He must’ve agreed with her summary of the situation. As she slipped into bed and turned off the light, she couldn’t help remembering how he had drawn her into his embrace on the plane, where everything was on the surface—the comfort, the warmth, the loneliness, and the pain.

But she had wanted that comfort, that warmth…for years. She wanted everything with him. God, it was frightening how much she wanted that, and it was even more frightening knowing that if she wanted it, she might have to reach out for it. She didn’t know what she would do if he didn’t reach back…again.

In the morning, when she opened her door, he was poised to knock. He smiled, and she felt such a strong tug. A tug that wasn’t entirely physical. It was bad enough that he could make her body tremble in need with nothing more than a glance and a smile. But her heart was in the most danger from him. “Good morning, Kai,” he said. “Perfect timing. I’m starved.” He did a quick head-to-toe rundown that left her feeling more flushed and breathless.

Her cheeks heated, and she shouldn’t be encouraging him by blushing. But his gaze was so direct, she found herself reacting in ways that were dangerous. She wondered what it would be like to interact with him on a daily basis without having to examine and analyze every word, action, or reaction for potential problems.

Probably wonderful, heavenly.

“I bet you are,” she said, ducking under his arm and closing the door. She headed for the elevator.

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