Zeke Read online

  Zeke

  ❖

  Annette Broadrick

  Copyright © 1993 by Annette Broadrick

  Australian Copyright 1993

  New Zealand Copyright 1993

  Philippine Copyright 1993

  First printing July 1993

  First Australian Paperback Edition May 1994

  ISBN 0 373 05793 8

  ANNETTE BROADRICK

  lives on the shores of Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, where she spends her time doing what she loves most - reading and writing romance fiction. Since 1984, when her first book was published, Annette has been delighting her readers with her imaginative and innovative style. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times magazine as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best in its Series for Heat of the Night, Mystery Lover and Irresistible, the Romantic Times WISH Award for her hero in Strange Enchantment and the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award for Series Romance.

  Dedication

  I dedicated my first book, written in 1983, to Lynn Jordan and Lauraine Snelling, acknowledging the fact that without their assistance and encouragement I would never have been able to finish and polish that first effort of mine.

  Now, nine years and thirty-four books later, Lynn and Lauraine have once again come through with encouragement, advice and steadfast support to keep me going when the going gets rough.

  Thank you both for always being there for me. I couldn't have done it without you.

  Annette Broadrick

  Prologue

  Zeke strode down one of the many hallways that formed the maze of offices of his headquarters. Since he'd had little reason to visit the place during the years he'd worked for the agency, he clutched a hand-drawn map in his fist.

  He was a field man because that's what he wanted. He enjoyed being on his own, making his own decisions, following up on leads in his own way.

  His reports were timely filed with the appropriate individuals and quickly dismissed from his mind. He abhorred paperwork of any kind. He assumed that after he passed on information, it was carefully analyzed and eventually fell onto the proper desk in the prescribed manner.

  The fact that he was in the Virginia office at all was proof that the world had changed in a radical way. He was still having difficulty adjusting to some of those

  "Actually, we've been quite busy around here. There's always a need for intelligence reports from around the world... always something brewing.''

  "So why the scrutiny into my physical condition? Are you thinking about calling me in on a permanent basis?" Zeke looked around the room, futilely trying to imagine himself working in a similar environment.

  "On the contrary, I've received a rather urgent request to lend you to another branch of the government."

  Zeke's usually quick tongue betrayed him, causing him to stare at his superior in surprised silence.

  "I don't know how well you've been able to keep abreast of the news in this hemisphere during the past few years," Frank began, "but we've got another kind of war on our hands here in the States.. .a drug war."

  Zeke leaned back in his chair, straightened his long legs and crossed his ankles. "I would've had to have been on the moon not to have heard that piece of news. Come to think of it, even there I could probably have picked up some of the satellite transmissions."

  "The Drug Enforcement Administration has doubled, almost tripled, its agents along the Texas-Mexico border in an effort to stop the incoming flood of drugs. In beefing up their operations, however, they've managed to develop more problems."

  "Such as?"

  "They are very much afraid that some of the agents have discovered a sizable second income by looking the other way when a big shipment is due from one of the Mexican cartels...at least that's what some of the department heads in this area are beginning to suspect."

  "But they can't prove it."

  "No. There are still numerous arrests being made from Brownsville to El Paso and points in between. In charting those arrests, the DEA discovered that most of them were small-time drug runners, some college kids looking for thrills and extra cash, and an occasional expendable member of one of the Colombian cartels. What has them on edge is that despite all their efforts, they've never been able to get anything on Lorenzo De la Garza."

  "De la Garza? Who is he?"

  "He's a wealthy businessman who lives near Monterrey and owns several factories scattered throughout Mexico. After he gathers the raw product— everything from wool to mineral ore to wood—he turns it into salable merchandise and exports the products made."

  "Sounds legitimate to me."

  "It's supposed to. About two years ago the agency received an anonymous tip that De la Garza was using his established shipping routes to smuggle drugs. Since they check out every piece of information received, the DEA set up a surveillance on random shipments coming through customs. Although traces of drugs were found on two separate occasions, there wasn't enough evidence to make any arrests.

  "The DEA decided to place some agents around De la Garza in an effort to find out more about his operation. Although those agents have been reporting for almost a year now, they insist they can find no evidence to link his organization with drugs. However, his shipments have increased substantially and he continues to expand his business."

  "So where do I come in?"

  "The DEA is afraid that De la Garza has bought off their agents. In return, he's being alerted to which shipments will be checked for drugs. The agency came to me with the idea of placing someone inside De la Garza's organization who no one in their group knows to find out who's passing on information. I thought of you."

  "You want me to go undercover on a drug operation?"

  "Yes."

  "Pretending to be what, exactly?"

  Frank smiled. "Yourself, with some slight modifications in your work history. We suggest that you present yourself as a mercenary, bored with inaction, and offer your services. De la Garza's been having security problems lately, that much we've learned. He could use a man with your skills to help him. Once you get inside his operation, you'll be able to gain access to his files, find out who's on the take... that sort of thing. In essence you'll be spying on the spies." Frank closed the file in front of him. "The DEA wants verification of what they suspect is happening. They want to nail whoever is giving De la Garza information on their movements along the border. Of course, if you happen to get your hands on enough evidence to get De la Garza at the same time, they won't complain."

  Zeke shook his head. "They don't ask much, do they?"

  Frank shrugged. "They wanted our best agent, which is why I recommended you. You've gained quite a reputation in the business over the years, you know. Of course, De la Garza will do a check on your background. He's a smart man or he wouldn't be where he is today. What we intend to do is publicize your exploits to the right people, play up your nickname, that sort of thing. I don't think you'll have a problem getting hired."

  Zeke eyed his boss with a hint of wariness. "What, exactly, is my nickname?"

  Frank smiled. "I thought you knew. The opposition began to call you 'The Intimidator,' a few years ago. Guess the tag stuck."

  "The Intimidator? Where did that come from?"

  Frank shook his head. "Who knows where it started? The interesting point about it is that everyone immediately knew who they were referring to— you."

  "You've got to be joking."

  "Nope."

  Zeke tugged on his earlobe. "I don't go around intimidating people."

  "You think not? Some people think you can read minds, know when they're lying or hiding something. They find that particular kind of talent downright intimidating, but we don't need to tell De la Ga
rza how you got that nickname."

  "So let me get this straight. I'm to walk up to this guy and offer my services. If and when he hires me, I'm supposed to figure out which agents he's got on his payroll and, incidentally, gather enough hard evidence to nail him in U.S. courts. You think he's going to let some stranger learn all his secrets?"

  "I don't think he'll have a choice once you're in there."

  Zeke slowly sat up in his chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. "I don't suppose you have any ideas about how I can accomplish this assignment, do you?"

  Frank grinned. "A few. I've already requested files on every one of their field agents so that you can familiarize yourself with their descriptions." He nodded to a stack of folders piled on the side of his desk. "In addition, I've thought of a way to use your background to benefit the role I have in mind for you."

  "I'm listening."

  "We could let it be known that we're terminating you with harsh feelings on both sides. As a soldier of fortune with an extensive background in intelligence work, you might find your talents in high demand in certain circles."

  "That's always good to know," Zeke drawled. "Job security is always reassuring, I suppose."

  Frank thumbed open another file and glanced at its contents. "Another reason you're a good choice is because you were born in South Texas. You grew up speaking both languages fluently. You know the area. I understand you used to do some camping and fishing in the mountains down in Mexico as a teenager."

  Zeke's jaw tightened. "Yeah. I had a good friend whose family came from there."

  "Yes. Carlos Santiago...you used to call him Charlie."

  Zeke glanced at the file in front of Frank. "Pretty extensive study you made there. I suppose you have the name of the girl who stole my virginity noted, as well."

  Frank glanced up from the papers and grinned. "I could probably make an educated guess."

  Zeke rolled his eyes. "Never mind. So I was born in the lower part of the Rio Grande Valley. I suppose that would give me something of an advantage."

  "Exactly. It would be logical and perfectly natural for you to return to Harlingen to regroup. De la Garza would be a natural prospect for a man of your talents."

  "If the man is as smart as you say he is, I can't see him offering a job to someone who's worked for the U.S. government most of his adult life."

  "By the time we embellish on your record, add a few shady exploits and plant a few charges, he'll know full well why you left and why you have no particular allegiance to our government. From his point of view you'd be a good man to have around."

  Zeke stood and stretched, looking around the room once more before meeting Frank's inquiring gaze. He nodded, reaching for the stack of files.

  "It sure beats tap dancing five times a day at Disney World."

  Chapter 1

  Zeke casually leaned against a wall of the international airport in Mexico City, his hands in his pockets, and watched the trickle of people exiting the customs area.

  Ignoring the speculative glances aimed in his direction by some of the women who passed, Zeke kept his gaze and thoughts focused on the passengers who had recently arrived from Madrid, Spain.

  Although he had never seen her before, Zeke knew he would recognize Angela De la Garza. During the weeks he had been working for her uncle, Zeke had been in Lorenzo's office many times and had seen several photographs of the woman. He knew what she looked like as an infant in her mother's arms and what she looked like seated on the back of her prized pony when she was eight years old. He had seen her smiling face peering from multiple poses and situations spanning two decades.

  Therefore, he would have no trouble recognizing the woman he had come to Mexico City to collect and fly back to Monterrey where she was to visit her uncle. He had no problem fulfilling the assignment. Taking orders from Lorenzo De la Garza was all part of his job, all strictly routine.

  According to Lorenzo, Angela had a charming disposition. Too young when her parents died to remember much about them, she grew up considering Lorenzo to be her parent. He now admitted that he may have been too lax with her in an effort to make up for her loss. By the time he had placed her in a private school for her formal education, she had become quite self-willed and independent.

  The nuns who taught Angela had reported her on numerous occasions... her lack of behavioral training had shocked them. She was continually being called in to the front office for talking too much in class, for laughing during study hours, and more often than not for failing to turn in completed homework.

  Instead of improving when she entered high school, her actions incurred more frequent reprimands. Her hoydenish behavior often ran afoul of the rigid rules of the prim nuns. Lorenzo explained to Zeke that he finally had decided to send her to her mother's family in Spain during her second year in high school to finish her education, in hopes that they would be able to train her in the social graces expected from a properly brought-up young lady.

  Lorenzo felt he had made the right decision. His beautiful, bright-eyed niece had matured into a warm, vibrant woman with a great deal of charm. He had made frequent visits to Madrid to see her during those years. She had completed her education and had become an elementary school teacher, much to his surprise and pleasure. Lorenzo enjoyed talking about her whenever he noticed Zeke looking at her photographs.

  Consequently Zeke had become inordinately aware of the young girl who stared back at him from all the different poses. The latest one, taken in the spring during Lorenzo's last visit, kept flashing into Zeke's head at night when he closed his eyes to sleep.

  The picture was an enlargement of a candid photograph taken out of doors near a waterfall and large outcrop of rock. Green shoots of spring grass framed her as she leaned against one of the boulders. The spring green was reflected by the color of her eyes as she gazed into the lens of the camera. Her hair was a golden riot of waves streaked with shimmering strands of copper and silver. The wind had tossed it into a tousled mass of color that tumbled around her face and shoulders.

  She had been laughing into the camera, her face glowing with love for whoever had taken the picture. It was that expression that haunted his dreams at night. During those late-night hours, she was looking at him in just that way.

  He'd never reacted so strongly to a woman before, much less a photograph. Zeke enjoyed women. He was attracted to those intelligent, self-confident ones who were comfortable with who they were and didn't feel the need for a special man in their lives to feel complete.

  In between assignments he generally spent his time with someone whose company he enjoyed. His women friends understood that their relationship created no binding commitments.

  For him to be having fantasies about the niece of a man he hoped to bring down was the height of foolishness and he knew it. The fantasies hadn't become a problem until Lorenzo informed him that, despite everything he could say to discourage her, Angela was coming to visit him.

  Zeke had known immediately that he had to wipe from his consciousness all of his fantasies now that the woman whose photograph had teased and tantalized him would soon be a part of his daily existence. He would distance himself from her emotionally, intentionally keeping a wall between them, and hope like hell that she would not be staying long.

  At least Lorenzo joined him in that final wish, which helped. This was not a safe time to have a member of his family at the De la Garza compound, not after the recent trouble there.

  The increasing tension surrounding De la Garza and his business had made Zeke's efforts to get hired by Lorenzo much easier than he or Frank could have planned. Zeke had been hired to beef up the security around the place and to serve as Lorenzo's personal bodyguard. The fact that he had lived in Europe for the past several years with no ties to the area caused Lorenzo to trust him more than he trusted some of the men he already had on his payroll.

  Lorenzo knew he had a powerful enemy working hard to destroy him and his many businesses. He just didn't know
who. Zeke assumed it was another cartel muscling in on Lorenzo's territory, but if Lorenzo had any suspicions about the identity of his enemy, he wasn't sharing them with anyone.

  During the weeks he had worked for Lorenzo, Zeke had learned the layout of the place, met several of Lorenzo's business associates and had identified two undercover drug agents.

  What he didn't know was which one was on the take. For that information he would need to get into Lorenzo's personal files in his office.

  Lorenzo zealously guarded his office. He never allowed anyone inside when he wasn't there. The room was kept locked. Although locked doors had never been a problem for Zeke, he needed sufficient time to get inside and look through the files without being missed. However, since he rarely left Lorenzo's side, he'd yet to find the opportunity he needed.

  Angela De la Garza had become an added nuisance in more than one respect. Not only did she already haunt his dreams, causing more than his fair share of sleepless nights, she would be one more person he had to elude before he could accomplish his assignment.

  Zeke shifted his weight and propped his booted foot against the wall, his gaze focused on the incoming arrivals.

  As soon as he spotted Angela, Zeke lazily pushed away from the wall and straightened to his full height. She looked smaller than he had expected. He wasn't a particularly large man, but he doubted that the top of her head came to his chin. She was also dressed more sedately than he'd pictured her. She wore a pale green suit and had her hair pulled away from her face in a formal style she had never worn for any of her uncle's photographs. The soft chignon would have been too severe for most women. For Angela, the style framed and emphasized the oval shape of her face and the creamy smoothness of her fair skin.

  She bore little resemblance to her father's side of the family. Zeke recognized her resemblance to her mother in the pictures he had seen of her with Angela as a baby.