Read Marked in Mexico for Free Online

glanced at Jack, she could see one eyebrow slightly cocked and a devilish grin on his lips.
    “I’m flattered, but this isn’t really the time or the place,” he said as he continued to smile.
    “If I didn’t think the guy by the back door would shoot me I’d slap that look off your face.”
    Jack chuckled. He had no doubt she would gladly carry out her threat if she thought she could get away with it. Despite her delicate features and graceful beauty, she had spunk and he couldn’t help but admire it under the circumstance, nor could he seem to stop himself from antagonizing her further.
    “And that’s the thanks I get for cushioning your fall.”
    “Silence!” screamed the driver of the van.
    Jessica shot Jack a furious look and settled back for the ride. She was so afraid of what might happen to them next and that he could find anything the least bit amusing made her livid. But, no matter how mad she was, she knew they must stick together if they had any chance to survive. He had already risked his own safety twice to intervene on her behalf. His actions had exposed his true character, even if he hadn’t wanted to, and Jessica knew he was someone she could count on.
    The small glimmer of hope the sirens had given was short lived and once the sound died, she suspected they wouldn’t be able to count on anyone to rescue them. They were on their own, but she’d no intention of giving up without a fight.
    By now she assumed her father, Phillip and probably everyone in America had heard about the kidnapping. She knew her father loved her and was probably beside himself with worry, but she also knew this crisis couldn’t have come about at a better time for him. With the Primaries only weeks away he would have public sympathy on his side and none of the other candidates would dare go after him with his only child being held hostage somewhere in Mexico.
    Jessica knew he and his campaign advisors would not hesitate to take advantage of the situation. She remembered all too well how her mother’s highly-publicized death had tipped the scales in her father’s favor during a very close race and this election was going to be even tighter.
    She wondered if Phillip would even be concerned about her safety or if he would just be angry that she was messing up the appeals process and defense of Cooper. She had no doubt he would put on an award-winning show in public ¾ the distraught boyfriend and co-worker of the lovely and likable daughter of Senator Hughes. But in private, she was certain he would lose no sleep over her abduction. If there was any benefit he could gain from her capture he would take it, but otherwise he would go on as he usually did.
    Jessica’s eyes moved from gunman to gunman. She doubted they knew who she was. If they did, surely she would have been the only hostage taken. Her family possessed power and money that she felt certain would dwarf anything Gilbert claimed. She glanced over at him and his eyes were squinting, studying her face, trying to place her. She quickly looked away. She couldn’t get out of his sight within the crowded confines of the van, but she could keep him from looking into her eyes.
    The first time her father ran for public office she was only ten years old. Every time her picture appeared in the paper with him, someone always compared the color of her eyes to a Texas bluebell. He had always called her his little Bluebell for that same reason and the media caught on to the pet name and it’d stuck.
    If anything could trigger Gilbert’s memory, it would be her eyes. If he explained to their captors who she was the rest might be let go, but she doubted it. She was more afraid that as witnesses, they would be killed if they were no longer deemed useful. For everyone’s safety she believed her identity needed to stay hidden. Her captors knew her name from her wallet, but hopefully they hadn’t made the connection and she hoped none of them had access to a television or a