me?"
She pulled away far enough so he could see her smile. "Of course."
"Bueno. Esta bien." Good. It's all right. He breathed his first full breath of relief since he'd seen her at the clinic with Poveda hovering near. She understood. All was forgiven. Now Manny would make certain that all was forgotten. "We will not speak of this again, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay."
"So..." He lifted a brow and the bottle of wine. "Should we make use of this beautiful wine you brought?"
She grinned. "Make use of? I thought we'd just drink it."
"Si. We will drink it. I'll get you a glass."
"What about you?"
"My wine," he said, methodically opening the buttons on her blouse, "I will drink from you."
He would drink from her forever, if she would just let him.
They were sound asleep when Lily received a page from the clinic. It was the middle of the night when she slipped quietly out of Manny's bed so as not to wake him. After scribbling a note of explanation and propping it against a vase of flowers on the kitchen table, she went to help with the emergency.
The sky was breaking to a pearly lavender dawn when she finally returned to the apartment. Puzzled but too exhausted to give it much thought when she found Manny gone, she fell into bed and dropped instantly to sleep. It wasn't until she woke late in the morning and Manny hadn't returned that she began to worry.
"The young Lieutenant Ortega?" A sour-faced representative of General Poveda looked up from his desk at the general's office compound three days later. "Please be seated. I will see what I can find out for you."
Three days. Lily had searched for Manny for three days and hadn't found out one thing. Desperate, she finally had gone to Poveda.
A door opened to her right. She glanced over and saw Poveda himself walk into the reception area.
"Senorita Campora."
Lily stood as he drew her to her feet and kissed the back of her hand. She endured the attention with stoic silence.
"You are asking about Manolo Ortega?"
She nodded, unwilling to elaborate and give the general a reason to question her further.
"You and the young lieutenant are friends?"
Again she nodded, second-guessing the wisdom of coming here.
"Then I am sorry to tell you—Lieutenant Ortega has died in action, I'm afraid. A terrible tragedy, to be sure. He was a fine young officer."
Lily didn't remember much of anything else Poveda said. She barely remembered walking out of the general's office. Wasn't even certain how she made her way back to the apartment.
She sank down on the bed where she and Manny had made love and had laughed and she'd had her heart stolen by the boy who was so much a man.
And now he was dead.
Terrible tragedy.
Snippets of Poveda's words rang through her mind as she lay back on the sheets that smelled of Manny. She hugged a pillow to her breast and rocked back and forth, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Terrible tragedy.
Manny was dead.
And something inside of her died, too.
CHAPTER 5
July 10, 10:00 a.m.
When Manny came to, he was lying on his back on the riverbank, covered in dried mud and blood and bugs. He'd been steeped so deeply in dreams of Lily, it took a moment to realize where he was, what had happened.
It came back to him slowly, painfully, like a dull, rusty knife slicing straight through his heart.
Lily had betrayed him.
And now he had to figure out how to stay alive long enough not only to deal with the pain of it but also to deal with her.
The first thing he became physically aware of was the diamond-bright glare of sunlight stabbing him in the eyes. The second was an odor more vile than vomit.
He rolled to his side. Groaned when his body reminded him of what it had been through—then stiffened when he realized his nose was level with a pair of scarred, worn boots not six inches from his
She pulled away far enough so he could see her smile. "Of course."
"Bueno. Esta bien." Good. It's all right. He breathed his first full breath of relief since he'd seen her at the clinic with Poveda hovering near. She understood. All was forgiven. Now Manny would make certain that all was forgotten. "We will not speak of this again, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay."
"So..." He lifted a brow and the bottle of wine. "Should we make use of this beautiful wine you brought?"
She grinned. "Make use of? I thought we'd just drink it."
"Si. We will drink it. I'll get you a glass."
"What about you?"
"My wine," he said, methodically opening the buttons on her blouse, "I will drink from you."
He would drink from her forever, if she would just let him.
They were sound asleep when Lily received a page from the clinic. It was the middle of the night when she slipped quietly out of Manny's bed so as not to wake him. After scribbling a note of explanation and propping it against a vase of flowers on the kitchen table, she went to help with the emergency.
The sky was breaking to a pearly lavender dawn when she finally returned to the apartment. Puzzled but too exhausted to give it much thought when she found Manny gone, she fell into bed and dropped instantly to sleep. It wasn't until she woke late in the morning and Manny hadn't returned that she began to worry.
"The young Lieutenant Ortega?" A sour-faced representative of General Poveda looked up from his desk at the general's office compound three days later. "Please be seated. I will see what I can find out for you."
Three days. Lily had searched for Manny for three days and hadn't found out one thing. Desperate, she finally had gone to Poveda.
A door opened to her right. She glanced over and saw Poveda himself walk into the reception area.
"Senorita Campora."
Lily stood as he drew her to her feet and kissed the back of her hand. She endured the attention with stoic silence.
"You are asking about Manolo Ortega?"
She nodded, unwilling to elaborate and give the general a reason to question her further.
"You and the young lieutenant are friends?"
Again she nodded, second-guessing the wisdom of coming here.
"Then I am sorry to tell you—Lieutenant Ortega has died in action, I'm afraid. A terrible tragedy, to be sure. He was a fine young officer."
Lily didn't remember much of anything else Poveda said. She barely remembered walking out of the general's office. Wasn't even certain how she made her way back to the apartment.
She sank down on the bed where she and Manny had made love and had laughed and she'd had her heart stolen by the boy who was so much a man.
And now he was dead.
Terrible tragedy.
Snippets of Poveda's words rang through her mind as she lay back on the sheets that smelled of Manny. She hugged a pillow to her breast and rocked back and forth, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Terrible tragedy.
Manny was dead.
And something inside of her died, too.
CHAPTER 5
July 10, 10:00 a.m.
When Manny came to, he was lying on his back on the riverbank, covered in dried mud and blood and bugs. He'd been steeped so deeply in dreams of Lily, it took a moment to realize where he was, what had happened.
It came back to him slowly, painfully, like a dull, rusty knife slicing straight through his heart.
Lily had betrayed him.
And now he had to figure out how to stay alive long enough not only to deal with the pain of it but also to deal with her.
The first thing he became physically aware of was the diamond-bright glare of sunlight stabbing him in the eyes. The second was an odor more vile than vomit.
He rolled to his side. Groaned when his body reminded him of what it had been through—then stiffened when he realized his nose was level with a pair of scarred, worn boots not six inches from his
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