A Texas Child

That drew a dark scowl. “Tourists are easy targets and that’s what you’ll be getting off the plane in Matamoras.”

“Okay. I’m flexible.”

“Yeah. Since when?”

She took a deep breath. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll have to call a truce with the snide comments. To work together, we at least have to be civil to each other.”

His brown eyes held hers and she resisted the urge to squirm. “You’re right. For us to have any success, we have to work closely together. I’ll have to be able to trust you.”

“Is that a problem?”

He didn’t answer for second. “Yesterday, yes. Today, I have to go on faith. I’m here, so that’s about all I can say.”

She swallowed. “I’ll take it.” She pointed to her laptop on the coffee table. “Steve sent over everything he has on the Mortez family. Or at least what he could share.”

“I already have it.”

That surprised her. An agent didn’t share information with outsiders, or maybe Steve didn’t consider Levi an outsider. But she was still curious. “How?”

“I snatched it from his computer when we were at the station.”

Now she was more curious. “How?”

“I have a thingamajig on my phone....”

“Thingamajig?”

“That’s all you need to know.”

“But how did you do it? Steve was in the room with you the whole time.”

“While Steve and Tom were talking to the lieutenant, I laid my phone against his laptop and, in a few seconds, I had everything on the Mortez family.”

“Sometimes you’re scary, Levi.”

“Remember that and this trip will go smoothly.”

“You know what you did was illegal.” Why she was pointing that out, she wasn’t sure. Maybe just to annoy him, like he was trying so hard to annoy her.

He lifted a dark eyebrow. “In the next few days, we’ll be doing a lot of illegal stuff. Are you prepared for that, counselor?”

“Whatever it takes.”

“Mmm.”

Nothing was said for a few minutes as he worked on the iPad. She watched as he was totally focused on the computer. In the old days, he’d grasped things quickly and his memory was phenomenal. She was sure that hadn’t changed. He paid great attention to detail. It drove her crazy sometimes when he could tell her exactly what she wore on a certain day and with what earrings or high heels. And yet the same man had trouble matching up his socks. She would bet that the socks he had on now were mismatched. It was a Levi trademark.

She remembered so many things about him. His gentle touch when she was down about something. His kind heart and concern for everyone. When he loved, there was no holding back. He gave all of himself and there was never any doubt that he loved her. She had failed their relationship.

Her eyes were drawn to the black T-shirt molded to the muscles in his arms and across his chest. As he worked the keypad, his forearms rippled, reminding her of everything she’d lost. And of everything she could never get back—mainly his trust.

“We’ll leave early in the morning.” His words broke through her thoughts. “And try to make it to Brownsville by noon. Do you have a passport?”

“Yes.”

“I have Daniel’s so we’re set to go.”

She frowned. “How did you get Daniel’s?”

“On my way back, I called Stu and he sent someone to Natalie’s apartment for the boy’s birth certificate and a photo. When I arrived at the home, I faxed the items to a name Stu gave me and I picked up the passport on the way here.”

“You’ve thought of everything.”

“For us to succeed, I have to.”

He reached into the backpack and pulled out a laptop and a phone. “This is a cheap phone you can use while we’re in Mexico. Put all the numbers on it you’ll need. Leave your expensive one here.”

“Okay.” She took the phone, very impressed with his thoroughness.

“I have to take mine, but I have all my information stored in case I lose it. I’ll leave my laptop under your sofa.”

“Sure.”

“Do you have some old clothes?”

She jumped up. “I just bought some clothes to wear.” She ran upstairs to her bedroom and came back with what she’d purchased.

He stared at the clothes in her hands. “Camouflage? This is not a military mission. We want to appear incognito and that means we have to blend in. We’ll stop at a thrift store and get you something.”

“Thrift store?”

“Yeah, Myra. Preferably something old and grungy.”

She wasn’t going to argue because he knew what he was doing. She held up the boots. “How about these?”

“They’ll do, but we’ll have to make them look worn and old.”

“If you say so,” she replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

“Try to get some rest. I’ll wake you about four-thirty.”

“You say that as if you’re staying here tonight.”

“I am,” he replied without even looking up.

“I just have one bedroom. The other bedroom I converted into an office.”

He looked up at that. “Believe me, Myra, I can restrain myself. I lost those feelings for you a long time ago.” He patted the sofa he was on. “I’ll sleep here. Good God, is this white?”