Lethal Deception by Lynette Eason

in the side door. At least there are no nails spiked up on the wall at this orphanage.” Some orphanages used them for added security. She rubbed her hands together and smiled grimly. “Piece of cake.”
    He said, “I’ll go first. I can pull you on up if you need it.”
    “I’ll be fine,” Cassidy assured him.
    Gabe grabbed the lowest limb and started up. Cassidy followed close behind and muttered, “All those times climbing out of my window were for a reason after all.”
    He gave a soft chuckle and stepped off the limb onto the top of the wall. He straddled it and looked down. Cassidy stopped on the limb next to him and asked, “Is it too far down?”
    “No, not too bad. Probably about a twelve-foot drop. Grab my hand and I’ll let you down a bit.” She scrambled over, grasped his hand and was on the ground within the blink of an eye. Gabe swung over, gripped the top of the wall, paused, then landed like a cat beside her.
    She headed for the nearest door and slipped inside.
     
    Cassidy breathed in the clean scent of the orphanage. She’d desperately needed to see that Alexis was all right.
    “Oh! Miss Cassidy? O senhor? ” The squeal of a relief worker in her late seventies brought them up short.
    Cassidy spoke, “ Sim, Francesca. We escaped.” She reached out to hug the shaking woman. “ Estou tão pesaroso. I’m so sorry. We frightened you. Have you seen any of the rebels?”
    “No, no one. Since they took you, we have had no trouble and seen no one. Of course, we are in the process of fixing what they destroyed, but mostly everything has been quiet.”
    Cassidy gently gripped the hands of the woman. “Please, tell me where Alexis is. Is she all right?”
    Francesca smiled warmly at Cassidy, “Oh, sim. Fine. Waiting for her new mamãe to come get her. We were very worried about you. And here comes Anna.”
    Cassidy turned quickly and gasped, “Anna! You’re all right. I’m so sorry you got hurt because of me.” She hurried to Anna to wrap her in a relieved hug. The cut on the woman’s forehead had almost healed.
    Anna squeezed back and asked, “Are you okay?”
    “We escaped thanks to my father sending in Gabe here. But I’m afraid we need to hurry. The longer we stay, the more danger we put all of you in.”
    “ Sim, sim, follow me.” Francesca hurried off and the trio followed her through a maze of hallways until she reached a set of double doors.
    As they walked, Anna continued, “I’ve been thinking about one of the men who kidnapped you. There is one named Rafael? I think I know who he is.”
    “What? But how?” Cassidy asked.
    “He’s on the Most Wanted list here in Brazil. Rafael Morales,” Anna explained, “Not only is the orphanage a place of refuge for children caught in the drug or political wars, we’re also connected with the Brazil version of the Department of Social Services system. If we get an abused child, we go through proper channels and report it, or if it’s already been reported, we try to keep up with the status of the case and the child. Not that it always does any good, but we do it. Which means I’m often in the police station—waiting. I’ve studied the posters on the walls. It finally came to me that that’s where I know that guy from. He’s a well-known human trafficker.”
    Cassidy gasped, shuddered. “So, you think my kidnapping had something to do with my father’s political stance?”
    Anna shrugged and turned a corner. “Could be. Then again, they could have heard about you being at the orphanage and decided to add a pretty redhead to the auction block. Then later, somehow they learned who your father was and decided they could get more money out of him than a slave trader.”
    Gabe looked a little sick and Cassidy knew her expression said she felt the same. If Gabe hadn’t come along when he had…“Thank You, Lord, for sending Gabe,” Cassidy whispered the prayer out loud.
    Anna nodded. “Yes. God is definitely watching over you.