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Wanted Tierney Evans Dead?”
    Tierney sighed
as Kiel clicked off the TV. “Maybe I should watch Hawk’s special.
I’d like to know who wants me dead, too. I dated him once, back when he was
still pretending to be straight.”
    “Who haven’t
you dated?”
    “There’s no
call for that, Kiel . The child is shaking so bad I can hear her
knees knocking. Be nice.”
    “I didn’t mean
anything.” He stood, she squinted her eyes as she followed him up. “I’m sorry,
Tierney. We all have a lot of baggage. I have no right putting you down.”
    “No, you
don’t!” she spat and walked back to the galley. She was wearing the pink polka
dot bikini and shorts. Kiel tagged along behind her; she turned,
almost bumped into him. She noticed he was moving his gazes along the crest of
her cleavage. He licked his lips, she tingled. It was really going to be hard
to keep her hands off of him.
    “Did you say we
were going to your … hacienda?”
    “Yeah, it’s in
Baja, near the sea. My folks had it built there forty years ago.”
    “Your … oh,
Travers told me about them. They died in an earthquake?”
    He threw
Travers a fierce glance. “Yeah, they did. They were explorers and philanthropists.
They were down in Chile doing some work for Unicef in the 90s
when a big quake hit.”
    “I’m sorry. You
were just a kid, right?”
    “Sure, but I
survived. A person can survive anything if they try.”
    “Oh, Travers,
what about your family? Won’t they believe you’re dead, too?”
    He entered the
galley. “I called them last night, made sure they knew I was okay, and that
they needed to pretend I wasn’t … for awhile. The cops had already been to see
them once. They probably will again.”
    “I hate that
you two were dragged into this mess! Maybe I should go home and try to
straighten it all out.”
    “No, I don’t
want you stepping into any more booby traps. We’ll all be safer at my house.”
    He went on deck
without explaining.
    “What’s he
mean? Is someone after him, too?”
    “I’m afraid
we’ve all stepped on some booby traps, Tierney. Do you think you can handle it
if things get rough?”
    “What choice do
I have?”
    “Good girl.
Have another donut?”
    She shook her
head, wondering what sort of danger she was in now.
    Kiel’s hacienda
was more like a palatial fortress; made of concrete with white, hand-veneered
plaster, a red tile roof, brightly colored tile floors throughout, sturdy,
comfortable furnishings, with a secure wall surrounding the property. The
interior of the grounds was lush and cool, thanks to a mango orchard, a stone
fountain and long, lazy palm trees. There was even a freshwater pond full of
fat, happy koi.
    “I thought you
were kind of a …”
    “What, a
drifter?”
    “Well, yeah,
you seemed down on your luck, anyway. How can you afford this place?”
    “It was built
by my parents. I told you that. My great granddaddy got rich in South American
oil.”
    “Oh. Kiel ,
did your parents love you?”
    “They said they
did. Why?”
    “I was just
wondering.”
    He led her and
Travers through the enormous foyer and up a winding staircase to their rooms.
    “I think I’ll
take a nap Kiel . It’s been a hard week.”
    “Sure, bud,
I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
    Kiel opened a door near the back of the house and ushered Tierney in. “How do you
like it?”
    She walked in,
examined the giant carved wooden bed and elaborate furniture then she tested
the veranda, smiled at its seaview.
    “It’ll do, I
suppose.”
    “You know you
like it.”
    She smiled
again. “I do. I can’t understand why you’d leave it. If it was mine, I don’t
think I ever would!”
    “I thought that
way, a long time ago. But then I made some bad mistakes …”
    “What mistakes?
Tell me, please? I’d like to help you if I could.”
    He watched her
mouth as she talked; his gaze intense, hungry. If he could let his guard down
long enough she knew she could make him love her.
    “No one