Morgan's Rescue Read Online Free PDF Page A

couldn't. He just couldn't. Pilar tried to focus on her legs, willing strength into her wobbly knees. "Very well, Hector, I'm going to go home."
          "Good," he said, getting up. He came around the desk and threw his arm around her shoulders briefly. "Be careful, Pilar . I know you are an excellent agent. And you have much to live for. You've got that beautiful daughter. . . ."
          Tears flooded her eyes as she hugged the older man affectionately. "I'll be very careful," she whispered. "Just knowing you're behind me, Hector, gives me hope."
          He released her and looked at her worriedly. "This is one mission we cannot fail. I know the walls have ears. I pray to God I have taken every possible precaution to ensure the safety of you and your family."
          Pilar nodded, sniffed and turned away. If she didn't leave, she was going to cry in earnest. For herself. For the fear she felt about the mission. As she walked to the door to let herself out, she knew she had to tell her grandparents what was happening. Even though the mission was classified, she had to get Rane to the safety only they could provide.
          As she walked down the long, polished hallway, Pilar hoped Hector had already provided those outlets on her behalf. He knew how much family meant to her. She'd already lost her mother and the two men in her life she'd loved with a fierceness that defied description. Her father had passed away. And Culver? He'd probably thought she was dead. Or wished she was. She knew he would never forgive her. Not even after eight years.
          Her hands felt damp and cold as she stood waiting for the elevator that would take her to the first-floor lobby. It was January, the beginning of summer in South America . Although Lima was the country's largest city, and its capital, it wasn't nearly as large as New York or Buenos Aires . Still, people in impeccably tailored business suits traversed the halls as she stepped from the elevator and headed toward the revolving glass-and-brass doors. Pilar hated the city. It was her Indian blood, she knew. To her, cities meant congestion, chaos, pollution and stress—people hurrying and scurrying everywhere.
          Catching a taxi outside the complex, she directed the driver to take her to the train station, from where she would head south, out of the city. Rancho Verde was a mere hour away from all this craziness, but right now, Pilar longed as never before for its peace and open spaces. She felt suffocated in the cab, even though the windows were down, allowing the warm salt air of the Pacific to waft through, lifting strands of her shoulder-length hair.
          What was she going to do? How would Culver react to her? She tipped her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She could almost feel his hatred. His anger. Could she blame him? No. But then, he never would have understood, either. He could be stubborn, immovable and highly opinionated. He had walked into her life like a tank blasting away, and she had been soft and malleable in response. And then things had gotten out of hand. Completely.
          Sighing, Pilar pressed her hand against her brow. What was she going to do? She had signed a contract she had to fulfill. And she wanted to fulfill it, because Morgan deserved her help. But how was she going to do it with Culver at her side? She would be terribly distracted, she knew. And distraction could get her killed. Rane would be in danger, too. What if Ramirez found out the truth of her identity? Her precious daughter's life would be on the line as much as her own—as would her grandparents'. What was she going to do? And how, with Culver's glowering, menacing presence, was she going to hold herself together long enough to rescue Morgan?

Chapter 2

         C ulver is coming. Culver is coming. The words echoed through Pilar's thoughts with each beat of her thoroughbred mare's galloping hooves. Desperate to do