CA 46.5 Operation Second Honeymoon Read Online Free PDF

settling next to Lavina. "Are the contractions closer?"
    Lavina nodded, her face constricted with pain. Her child sat on the other side of her. He held on tight to the sleeve of her blouse. His mother had warned him to be very quiet no matter what happened.
    "When did you and Emilio get here?" With all that had been going on, Victoria hadn't asked a lot of questions.
    "This morning." Lavina swallowed hard. "When I find building like this I wanted to go back home," she explained. "But the baby was coming. I look for a place to hide from the gringos who roam the desert."
    Victoria understood. The men outside were likely nothing more than sand pirates. Bastards roaming the desert looking for tourists to rob or kidnap. Or worse, drug or arms smugglers.
    "Did you have any difficulties when Emilio was born?" Victoria hoped not. Of course that didn't guarantee she wouldn't have problems this time, but it would give Victoria some understanding of what was to come.
    Lavina shook her head. "He came fast. No trouble."
    "Well." Victoria scrubbed her hands with the antiseptic cleaner. "Let's see where we are." Lavina bent her knees and widened them as Victoria tucked the skirt of her dress up to her thighs. Once undergarments were out of the way, Victoria barely stifled a gasp. The baby was crowning. She met Lavina's gaze. "Looks like this one is ready to join us."
    Lucas waved at Victoria then touched his lips.
    Her breath caught as she heard what had garnered his attention.
    Heavy steps overhead.
    The enemy was searching the monastery.
    Chapter Seven
    Lucas took a position against the stone wall to the left side of the hidden entrance. He'd changed the clip in his weapon to be on the safe side. If the trouble came through that door, they were going down. No way were they getting past him.
    He braced for the worst.
    A low moan drew his attention to his wife. She leaned forward and whispered to Lavina. Victoria patiently stroked her hair and smiled comfortingly. The small boy sat silently watching. The scene tugged at Lucas's heart. His wife—the woman he loved more than life—was more beautiful now than she had been thirty some odd years ago when they had first met. Though they had no children together, he had been at the hospital when Jim was born. He'd paced the waiting room right alongside Jim's father. Years later Lucas had held Victoria in his arms as she grieved the loss of her first husband, Lucas's best friend. He had never loved anyone, never wanted to be with anyone but Victoria. Having her become his wife had been the happiest day of his life. He didn't intend to miss a moment of the rest of their lives. Together.
    The thugs tearing through the rooms upstairs weren't going to take that away from him.
    Lucas listened, tried to determine the number. Two, maybe three. Not such bad odds. He'd been in worse situations.
    The silence interrupted his musings. The enemy had either exited the monastery or gone still in an attempt to locate their prey.
    Not good. His fingers instinctively tightened on his weapon.
    Victoria's gaze lifted to the ceiling. Cobwebs lined the rafters that held up the floor separating the cellar from the kitchen overhead. The abrupt absence of noise had startled her as surely as if someone had tapped her on the shoulder. What were those bastards up to? The possibility that they had given up and gone on their way was too much to hope for. They were still there.. .watching and waiting.
    Lavina writhed with the pain of the next contraction. Victoria whispered soft encouragements to her. The baby would be here soon. Lavina pushed harder and the head was out. Joy burst in Victoria's chest. She cradled the baby's head and braced for the next contraction. They had reached the most difficult stage now. Emilio sat quietly just as his mother had told him to do.
    During the moment before the next contraction, Victoria watched her husband. He was as handsome as ever. Brave. Strong. He would give his life to protect hers,