Happy Sunday, all! I feel like the end of the last chapter was just a tease. So, how about a little bit more? Buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Enjoy!

Linny

Chapter Twenty One

"That doesn't belong to you." Her voice was as cold as her eyes, while her thumb eased back the gun's hammer.

The words had startled him as they came from her mouth. She spoke almost perfectly, except for the slightest hint of a lisp. Was this woman really deaf or had she just been pretending all along? He motioned to his ears and mouth, shrugging.

She rolled her eyes at him. "That won't work on me. I've been watching you and I know you can hear." She held her free hand out toward him. "Give it back."

He motioned again that he couldn't hear. It was best to play dumb in a situation like this.

She raised the barrel of the gun so that it was directly in his sightline. "Does your master know what you are? Or are the two of you in it all together? Are you his spy?"

Again, Bernardo acted like he didn't understand what she was saying. But, she wasn't so easily convinced. She'd figured him out. He tried to remember a few of the signs he'd learned from the book Don Diego had borrowed from Padre Felipe, they escaped him at the moment because something else had caught his attention, now.

"I knew there was something about you that I didn't completely trust."

Bernardo wasn't listening to her anymore. He could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Without thinking, he reached out and covered her mouth with his hand. His free hand had turned into a single finger which he pressed against his lips when she made a sound of disapproval. Someone was coming and if they didn't do something quick, they would be found out.

She seemed to realize what he was trying to say and she stilled at his instructions.

The noise was just outside the door, now.

"Quick," she whispered, "under the bed."

Bernardo quickly snuffed out the candle with his fingers and followed as she dropped to the floor. He rolled underneath and held his breath as the door opened and a pair of men's boots came into sight. They were followed by two more.

"She's not here," one said, sounding disappointed.

"Then, we just wait, amigo," said another as he moved toward the bed. It creaked as he climbed onto it, putting his feet up.

The third stood over by the window, peering out through the curtains to keep a lookout. "Did the boss say what was so special about this one?"

"Does it matter?" the one on the bed asked. "Whoever hired us is paying hundreds of pesos to get her out of the way. I don't need to know more than that."

So this was it, then. This is what the Lieutenant had been planning. But, Bernardo was trapped under the bed with no way to get word to Don Diego. Even if he was able to find him, it would be too late. No. All he could do now is lay in wait and hope he and Emily wouldn't be found out.

"I've missed our conversations, Olivia," Diego told her as he opened up the front door to the tavern and led her toward the stairs.

"As have I, Diego," she told him as she clutched her sketchbook to her chest. "You are so easy to talk to."

"I know how you feel. When we talk with one another, I feel as though I'm talking to someone who truly understands me. Someone who..."

"Doesn't make you feel so alone," she finished for him with a hint of melancholy to her tone.

His eyes shot to hers as they met. She stood on the first step leading up to her room, so he found himself looking up at her for a change. "Exactly." He didn't resist the urge to reach out for her, taking her small hands into his much larger ones. She was forced to awkwardly hold her portfolio with her arms, but neither of them seemed to notice. "This week has sounded very productive for you. When are you planning on returning home?"

"Not for some time, yet. We still have some business to deal with."

"Good. It would be an honor if you would come to our hacienda for supper. My father has been eager to get to know you in a more intimate setting." He raised their enclosed hands to his lips where he tenderly kissed the backs of each of her hands. "And so would I."

She blushed warmly at the attention he was giving her, but she was responding to his ministrations like he'd hoped she would. "I would like that," was her reply which was breathy and very soft. "Very much."

"Tomorrow night, then?" He was eager for her next reply, for if she agreed, he would be ready to rush home and start planning the evening. He wondered what her response to being serenaded would be.

"That sounds wonderful."

He couldn't resist pressing his lips to her hands again. They were soft and smooth to the touch. And warm, so very warm. He wondered what her lips would feel like pressed against his. Would they be just as warm and soft? "I look forward to it." He retained his stalwart composure and didn't allow his urges to control him. He didn't want to frighten her away and he felt that if he gave in to his inner Diego—the part of him that wanted to pull her close and capture her mouth with the fervor of a man who'd gone without sustenance for days—then he surely would scare her away.

"As do I." With a blink of her eyes, the moment was broken and the room suddenly felt very, very cold. "Until tomorrow, then."

"Sleep well, Olivia," he bowed his head respectively to her, yer his eyes never left her face.

"And you, Diego." She turned to go up to her room and he was already halfway through the empty posada before she called out to him again. "Diego?"

He paused, turning back to look at her. "Sí?"

She didn't say anything else. Only quickly bridged the gap that separated them. Before he knew it, she was standing in front of him, her blue eyes staring up at him in almost wonder. He wanted to ask if something was the matter, but before he could get the words out, she was up on her toes, her hands bracing her form on his chest as she leaned in. Diego felt his eyes drift closed in instant response.

The touch of her lips upon his was whisper soft. Like a downy feather brushing against his skin. It was there and suddenly, it was gone.

Opening his eyes again, she was no longer in front of him, but back on the stairs as if he'd merely imagined the slight contact. But, his lips still tingled from her touch and that was how he knew it had been real.

She smiled at him—a mere quirk of those soft lips—before she turned and continued on her way. She vanished from sight a second later.

Diego remained frozen in his spot for a moment as the realization seeped in. She had kissed him. And his heart soared.

There had been a part of him—a very small part—that had wondered if he'd been imagining that she cared for him the way he did for her. But, there was no doubt at all, now. For as light and gentle as that kiss had been, it had spoken volumes to him. It told him everything he needed to know.

Lost in a stupefied fog, he took a step toward the door. His boot became tangled in something though, which stopped him. Bending down, he realized it had been the shawl she'd been wearing. She must have dropped it when—he smiled—she'd kissed him.

She hadn't been gone long and he would probably be able to catch her. But, it would be indecent for him to knock on her door at this time of night. He supposed he could just take it with him and return it tomorrow night. That would be the correct thing to do, he knew.

But, he was no longer thinking straight and was quickly up the stairs. He was surprised to find her standing out in the hall, but was instantly alert when he realized that something was wrong. Her portfolio had been dropped to the floor and her back was resting against the wall a few feet from the door to her room.

"Olivia?" He reached out to gently touch her arm.

She jumped at his touch, surprised to find him standing beside her. He wasn't certain what he'd expected to see in her face. Perhaps a dreamy, far-off look at what had just transpired between them.

Instead, he was met with a cool, burning glow in her eyes. She was on edge.

"What is the matter?"

She put a finger to her lips to hush him. His gaze focused on the thin, milky white digit pressed against the rosy bow of her mouth. He was eager to taste her again.

His arduous fog instantly dissipated as he heard it. There was the sound of rustling coming from the other side of the door and the thud of something hitting the floor.

Instantly on alert, he handed her the shawl and took a step toward the door. Grabbing at his arm, she pulled him to a halt.

"Please, don't," she quietly urged, her eyes wide and pleading.

He patted her hand reassuringly and offered her a smile. "I'll be careful." He wouldn't allow any harm to come to her.

She didn't seem convinced but still reached into her skirt to produce her room key.

He took it from her and slowly approached the door. He heard her sharp intake of breath, but not the release as he inserted the key and reached for the latch.

Carefully, he opened the door, giving it a push. He was silently letting whoever was inside know that they had been found out. The room was dark when he took a step forward but there was the distinct odor of smoke in the air as if a candle had recently been snuffed out.

He could feel their presence. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at full attention. He noted the oil lamp atop the tall dresser to his right and reached out for it. The click of a pistol's hammer being pulled back echoed in his ear.

"No sudden moves, señor," a gruff voice growled at him.

Diego's hand stilled, showing that he understood that his life was at stake. He noted a silhouette moving on the other side of the room near the window and heard the shifting of the bedsheets as someone stood up from the bed. He would have to think quickly if he was going to outsmart them.

"I am unarmed," Diego informed them.

"Where is the woman?" the silhouette questioned as he opened the balcony door to allow a bit more moonlight to shine in.

Diego shook his head, thinking of a quick lie. "There is no woman here. This is my room." He waved the key he still held in his other hand for them to see.

"Really, señor?" asked the man holding the gun to his head with a chuckle. "Then, you have a very interesting wardrobe." He picked up a white corset from the back of a nearby chair and held it out in front of Diego's eyes. "Not exactly the typical attire of a caballero, eh compadre?" He pressed the barrel of the gun tight against Diego's temple. "Now, where is she?"

Diego was about to come up with another excuse, but he heard her come into the room. And he inwardly cursed for her doing so. Why hadn't she run to fetch the soldiers?

"Please," she pleaded, "it's me you want. If you promise not to harm him, I will go with you."

"Olivia, no."

"Silencio!" The man with the gun pressed harder against Diego's skull.

"Señorita," the man in the shadows began as he circled around to meet her, "you will come with us either way." The threat was clear in his tone.

"If you hurt him, I will scream and wake up the entire inn. That certainly won't make an easy escape."

"We didn't say that you would be awake when we left." The man in the shadows quickly grabbed hold of her, one arm tightly banding about her waist while the other held taut to her throat. "You won't scream now, pretty one."

Diego moved to attack, but a sharp pain hit him in the back of the head. The world spun around him as he felt his knees buckle. And quickly, the world was dark.