Men of Intrgue A Trilogy by Doreen Owens Malek Page B

leap into the realm of rash, impulsive behavior, leaving good sense far behind.
    For once she had an opportunity to follow her heart, and she was going to take it. She believed that it was not the mistakes that haunted people in later life, but the chances missed, the roads not taken, and this was one road she was going to follow as far as she could.
    Helen snapped the tabs on her suitcase and picked it up, along with her purse.
    She was ready. She glanced around the beach house for a last look and then marched out the door to share Matteo’s fate.

 
    Chapter 4
     
    When Helen returned to the warehouse, Matteo was waiting for her. He took the suitcase from her hand and said, “It’s a rare woman who can pack for a trip with one bag.”
    He was trying to lighten her mood, and she smiled briefly. Now that she saw the car standing ready for them and realized that she was actually going, the butterflies in her stomach were turning into hummingbirds.
    “We’re leaving from the Jacksonville airport,” Matteo said as they walked out to the black sedan in the alley. “We’ll be taking a commercial flight; the private planes are being watched too closely.” He handed Helen’s bag to one of the guards and said something in Spanish. The man stowed it in the trunk.
    “They don’t think I can be trusted, do they?” she asked Matteo suddenly, and he shot her a quick, intent glance.
    “Why do you say that?” he asked.
    “It’s just the way they look at me. Like they’ll go along with anything you want to do but they have their doubts.”
    “You’re very perceptive,” he replied quietly.
    “That’s not exactly encouraging.”
    He smiled reassuringly, touching her hair briefly. “You let me worry about them. They can’t help their prejudices. The only thing they understand is that the United States is an ally of the government we’re trying to overthrow. But they don’t know you.”
    “Why do you do business here, if they distrust Americans?”
    Matteo shrugged. “Best prices on black market guns, the best supply. You have to go where the trade is, and you have to deal with whoever is running it.”
    He handed Helen into the back seat of the car and slid in beside her. “The flight leaves in an hour. We have to go straight to the airport.”
    “Is there a price on your head back in Puerta Linda?” Helen asked, as the driver started the car and pulled out of the alley and onto the road.
    Matteo turned to look at her and then faced straight ahead.
    “ Don’t think about that,” he answered.
    “Is there?”
    “Of course, Helen. You know the answer to that. I’m an enemy of the government. My picture is in every post office.”
    He picked up a briefcase from the floor and snapped it open. He handed her a sheaf of documents, some in Spanish, some in English.
    “These are your passport, identity papers, everything you’ll need to get into Puerta Linda. Look them over. I doubt very much that you’ll be asked any questions, but just in case you are, try to get familiar with the information.”
    The papers said that she was a textile importer out of Dallas, Texas, going to Puerta Linda to buy raw silk, which was apparently one of its biggest exports. Matteo was her husband, and they were planning to stay for five days.
    “Do you think these things will hold up?” Helen asked doubtfully. “This picture that’s supposed to be me is so grainy it could be anybody.”
    “The usual method of entry into Puerta Linda these days is by bribe,” Matteo answered dryly. “The papers are just a formality; few people actually look at them. All the airport officials are on the take. Getting a job there is considered a great coup.”
    Helen thought that over; no wonder he wanted to reform things back home. “What about on this end?” she asked.
    “Don’t you know how it works in America?” he said, turning to smile at her. “They’ll always let you leave; it’s getting back in that’s hard. And for that you