Lethal Deception. Lynette Eason

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. Rafael’s sister, Juanita Morales, is also on the police station wall. As a missing person. She disappeared over thirty years ago. They keep her picture there next to Rafael’s in hopes that if someone sees her, it will lead them to Rafael. Although, many people say that she was Rafael’s first victim. That he kidnapped her and sold her and has been in business ever since.”

      Cassidy groaned and dropped her head in her hands. God, let what we’re doing be making a difference. Please get us home safe.

      Francesca threw open the door to the cafeteria, and the sound of laughter and children’s voices greeted them. Approximately seventy children sat around wooden picnic tables finishing up their midday meal. Cassidy ignored the rumble of her stomach as she made her way over to the only towheaded child in the room. Alexis was adorable, dressed in a little red-and-white sleeveless jumper with red tights and white tennis shoes. Cheese, rice and beans covered her rosy-red cheeks.

      Cassidy approached slowly and bent down next to her, hoping that all of her hard work in getting to know Alexis the previous month hadn’t been wasted.

      “Hello, Alexis.”

      The child stopped eating and blue eyes looked up to frown into Cassidy’s. Alexis tilted her head as she studied Cassidy, then she grinned wide and laughed, “My Cass-ty.”

      Cassidy let out a sigh of relief and leaned over to place a kiss on the head covered with wispy blond curls. “My Lexi.”

      “We’ve got to go. They’re here.”

      Gabe’s tight whisper in her ear brought her joy crashing down. She quickly stood and picked up the child, whispering reassurances in her ear. Alexis didn’t protest.

      Anna appeared next to Gabe. “Come on, you three, no time for goodbyes. There’s a jeep around back in the garage. I don’t know how great it runs, but it should help you put some distance between you and them.”

      Cassidy looked up at Gabe. “Now we can head west.”

      

      Gabe cranked the vehicle and felt responsibility sit heavily on his shoulders. How was he going to get them out of here and safely home? He punched the gas and the jeep lunged from its hiding place in the ramshackle garage. Gabe’s knuckles turned white from his grip on the wheel and Cassidy struggled to hold on to the squirming child and keep the seat belt around both of them.

      “Hang on!” Gabe shouted.

      “Behind us!” she yelled.

      Gabe spared a quick glance in the rearview mirror. Rafael sat on a seat with his head sticking out above the roll bar, balancing a rifle against his shoulder. Gabe spun the wheel to the right and swerved around a fallen tree. The jeep followed.

      Gunshots sounded and Gabe ducked and hollered, “Put Alexis on the floor and cover her with your body. Keep your head down and hold on tight!”

      Cassidy fumbled to obey. Gently but firmly she put the child on the floorboard, then bent over her to keep her own head down and Alexis covered. Cassidy winced as Alexis screamed her fury. Gabe continued to do his best to keep them on the makeshift road, one of the government’s many unfinished projects, and out of range of the bullets. His only hope was to outdistance them. There was no way he could get his gun out, drive and shoot all at the same time.