Page 74 of Hidden Falls

There wasn’t.

I hugged Papa goodbye. “I’ll see you at Christmas.”

He squeezed me hard, then grabbed my hand and kissed the ruby ring that had belonged to my birth mother; I never took it off. “I will look forward to that.” He got up and went outside.

Lei smiled from the board. “Looks like we’re on track to get back to Maui today.”

And then, from the hallway outside, raised voices. Yelling.

A gunshot.

“Papa! No!” I jumped up from the table and ran for the door.

34

Lei tackled Malia as she screamed for her father. She rolled the girl to the side but kept a grip on her, making sure the girl stayed down, as Harry opened the door leading into the hall to see what was going on.

Cruz stood framed in the portal. His face looked tense; his eyes were impossible to read. “The FBI is taking Ramirez in. The bodyguard fired a shot, but no one was injured.”

Sophie came forward and spoke. “This wasn’t in the plan. We had no idea.”

“Why are they doing this?” Harry’s voice was sharp with anxiety. She pushed forward and peered out past Cruz and Sophie, down the hall. “You’re taking Ramirez in? Why didn’t you tell us? Why make us go through that farce of a meeting?”

“The FBI made the call,” Cruz said.

Malia must’ve figured out what had happened, because she lunged out from under Lei’s grip, leaping to her feet, and threw herself through the doorway. “Papa!”

Cruz stood aside and so did Sophie, letting the teen pass.

Harry and Lei, concerned about Malia’s safety, gave chase. The women reached the hallway to see Malia, near the elevators, embracing Ramirez.

Her father’s hands were cuffed behind his back. Agents in FBI emblazoned Kevlar stood on either side of him. Paulo and Joachim were also restrained.

Ramirez murmured into Malia’s hair as the girl sobbed. Finally, Malia let go, and the three men were escorted away, disappearing onto the elevator.

Harry hurried to hug Malia. “I had no idea they were going to do that!”

“Yeah, right, Mom!” Malia pushed Harry away. “At least you could be honest right now.”

Lei put her hands on her hips. She glared at Cruz, her eyes hot; the knife of betrayal was painful on her chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

His gaze back at her was steady, uncompromising. “It wasn’t my call. I couldn’t break confidentiality.”

“What was the point of breaking Malia’s heart?” Harry yelled at Cruz.

“I told you. It wasn’t my call,” Cruz said. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re a spy. Plausible deniability is your middle name.”

Cruz raised his shoulders, then dropped them. “If it’s any consolation, Ramirez will be extradited back to Mexico very soon. I feel confident his connections will get him out quickly. My guess is the FBI wanted an excuse to seize his assets here in the United States. That fancy La Jolla mansion will fetch a nice return for the taxpayers.”

Harry embraced her weeping daughter, and with Dr. Wilson on one side, the three of them walked down the hall. Cruz jerked his head toward the boardroom. “Lei, can I have a word?”

Sophie caught Lei’s eye. “The Security Solutions jet will be taking off in an hour. I’ll hold the door for you.” She followed the dispirited little cavalcade toward the elevator.

That left Lei alone with Cruz.

She didn’t want to be alone with him; she never wanted to be alone with him again.

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