Although she didn’t have the picture of Sarai, she inquired about the girl also. The responses were the same, but a single girl piqued more curiosity than a lone boy. Some asked if Hugo and Sarai were traveling together, and promised to be on the lookout.
By midmorning, Maria was exhausted. She sank into a sitting position at the base of a block wall and buried her head in her arms. This was impossible. She was going to have to return to Mezcala without news of her brother.
Without money for her family.
Without Ian.
Her eyes burned from lack of sleep and her heart ached with emptiness. She was too drained to cry. Parting ways with him again this morning had felt awful, like a death. She knew he couldn’t stay, but she didn’t want to let him go. She wanted to hold him close.
After a brief rest, she walked away from the station and talked with one of the charity workers from the Cruz Roja. A woman with kind eyes took the time to study Hugo’s photo in detail. Maria felt a twinge of hope. Her brother was tall and handsome, like their father. He had a charming, crooked smile. Strangers had always remarked on it.
“So many young men come through here every day,” the woman said. “I can’t remember all of their faces.”
“What about a girl the same age?” Maria asked.
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen a teenage girl in over a week.”
Maria thanked her for her trouble and accepted some leftover snack items. Two apples, a carton of milk, and crackers. As she walked away, crunching on an apple, it occurred to her that Sarai was clever enough to disguise her appearance. Maria had done this herself in San Diego. She’d worn a baseball cap and baggy clothes to hide her curves.
Like Maria, Sarai wouldn’t pass as male up close. She was too pretty. But she’d be much safer, and more incognito, in boys’ clothing.
Maria returned to the cargo station and studied the crowd with fresh eyes. She didn’t see anyone who matched Sarai’s slight figure. Instead she spotted a tall, broad-shouldered man. It was Ian! He’d come back. Her spirits rose, even though his expression indicated that he wasn’t happy with her.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked.
She bristled at his harsh tone, but she was also secretly thrilled. That ugly English word sounded sexy when he said it. His teeth bit into his bottom lip as he enunciated. She imagined those teeth grazing her neck and shivered.
“You were supposed to get on the bus.”
She dropped her gaze from his tense face to his lean body. His shirt was torn, as if he’d been in a scuffle. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“What happened?”
Instead of answering, he grabbed her upper arm and glanced over his shoulder, as if he thought someone might be following him. Then he led her behind a crumbling block wall that offered a modicum of privacy. “You’re not safe here. You have to go home.”
She’d been planning on it, until he showed up. “Where will you go?”
His phone made a noise and he dug it out of his pocket impatiently. Whatever he read on the screen wasn’t good news. “Fuck,” he said again, raking a hand through his hair. There was a bloody scrape on his right elbow.
“Did you find Sarai?”
He put the phone away and removed another object from his pocket. A butterfly pendant. “I found this.”
“That’s Sarai’s. I saw it on her.”
Cursing, he sank to a sitting position against the wall. There were dark circles under his eyes. He looked tired and disheveled.
Maria sat down beside him, her pulse racing. She wanted to ask him where he’d gotten the pendant. Instead she offered him milk and an apple from her bag. He accepted both. She watched his strong white teeth pierce the skin of the apple. Perhaps it was inappropriate to feel lust and concern at the same time, but she couldn’t prevent her body’s response to him. He was an exciting man.
“I asked the passengers if they’d seen my brother,” she said. “They haven’t. No one has seen a girl like Sarai, either. But I have an idea.”
“Of course you do.”
“I think she is in disguise, as a boy.”
He arched a brow at her triumphant assertion. Instead of sharing her optimism, he finished the apple and tossed the core into a nearby bush.
“We should get on the train again, and keep looking.”
“We aren’t doing anything.”
She wondered if he meant to go without her. Why else would he be here, at the cargo station? “You can’t ride the train alone.”
He swallowed some water and wiped his mouth. “Why not?”
“You are a rich American. You’ll get robbed.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You have me.”
He laughed at this. An ugly laugh, mocking her. “You think you can protect me? You’re a fucking beacon for men. They’ll tear me apart just to get to you.”
She didn’t like his tone. Or his words, for that matter. She wasn’t sure she understood his meaning. He sounded dismissive and sort of accusatory, as if she was responsible for the attacks she’d suffered. “What is a bee-kin?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“You are saying that I ask for rape? I deserve this because of my looks?”
“No,” he said flatly. “I’m saying that traveling together puts us both in danger. This route is patrolled by bandits. You know what they do to women.”
“They do it to men too.”
He didn’t deny the possibility. “I’m a federal agent, trained for combat and paid to take risks. You’re not.”
She fought down a wave of frustration. They were stronger together, not weaker. Two sets of eyes were better than one. She didn’t care what he was trained for. She knew the language, customs, and territory better than he did. He’d also been shot last week, and he’d run into some kind of trouble today. She was certain that he needed a partner. He needed her.
“You are injured. I will go with you.”
His eyes darkened. “No, you won’t.”
“You can’t stop me.”
A hint of danger flashed across his features. “Actually, I can.”
She rose to her feet, irritated with his high-handed attitude.
He stood with her. “I’d kill any man who tried to hurt you. I’d take on an army for you. But I don’t want to be put in that position. Do you understand?”