Ricardo (The Santiago Brothers Book Three) by K. Victoria Chase Page A

controlling the conversation more than she. That not only embarrassed her, but it made her feel completely useless. If she were to trust Ric when he promised to get her out of here, that would mean her life — everything — was in his hands. She didn’t like that one bit. The hands she preferred to rely on were her own, with a little help from God.
    How am I supposed to rely on myself when I can’t even fall asleep? She had counted every dot in the pattern on the ceiling fabric three times and—
    Ric was as stealthy as a jungle cat. She hadn’t heard him enter the room and already he was halfway across it to the opposite corner of the bed. Her eyes, having long adjusted to the darkness, saw him set some sort of fabric, possibly clothes, on the edge of the bed before he moved to an obscure corner of the room.
    “You never told me what you’re doing out here?” Mel asked tentatively. Not only was he reluctant to say why he was here in the desert with a sheik, but he also hadn’t bothered to mention his last name.
    Movement in the corner halted before it continued again. “There’s a reason for that.” He kept his back to her.
    Mel’s investigative sense kicked in. She might be halfway around the world with strangers who were her only chance of survival, but she wouldn’t stop fighting. “Well, we’re in this together, right?”
    He pivoted, and Mel gasped as he came closer to the bed. Ric had removed his shirt. The contours of his muscular chest and abs were clearly visible — if she strained her eyes. The grin was back. “Are you suggesting a willingness to let me use half of the bed? Because my back is killing me and—”
    “I’m suggesting the truth. All I have is your first name. As a law enforcement officer, I can’t engage in certain activities that would jeopardize my position.” In silence, he turned away. A few seconds later, sounds of him rummaging through something replaced the voice she wanted to hear. Mel let out a frustrated breath. She opened her mouth to speak when he turned around and spoke.
    “Look, I understand your concern, but what I’m doing is on a need-to-know basis.”
    “Need to know? You expect me to believe that?”
    “How about you just trust me then?”
    “Trust you? I don’t even know you!”
    “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” he gritted.
    Mel bit her lip. Exhaustion gripped the muscles of her body, and the discomfort was impossible to ignore. “I can’t sleep,” she whispered. “My body won’t let me. I didn’t sleep those days Abdul had me. I couldn’t. I knew if I did, something terrible would happen to me and…” Emotion strangled her last words.
    His voice sounded empathetic. “Look, I’m sorry. I can’t tell you what I’m doing but if it helps, I’ll tell you a little about me. But you have to promise to keep this information to yourself. The men here know me as a businessman from South America. I can’t exactly have my cover blown. Do you understand?”
    An undercover mission? She understood more than he knew. “You’re willing to trust me?”
    He flicked on a lighter and lit a small candle on the table closest to his bedside. He grinned lopsidedly. “Do you mind?” He gestured toward the unoccupied side of the bed separated by the pillows he had laid out hours before. When she shook her head, he eased onto the mattress. She turned onto her left side to face him. “My name is Ricardo Santiago. Here I go by Ric, of course. At home it’s Ricardo. Don’t say my last name. I don’t use it here. I’m a Marine with a black-ops background. I’m here because my country needs me.”
    “And which country is that?” Melanie held her breath, hoping he wasn’t on a mission other than one sanctioned by the United States government.
    Ric smiled. “The United States.”
    Melody nodded. She glanced down at their hands. Her right hand had moved on top of the pillows and was dangerously close to his left hand. Inches from touching him, yet she felt