"Do you believe her? That I stole the money?"

"I never doubted you, and I still don't." He stood and stretched. "Why don't I give you two some privacy? I'll keep an eye on Ana while you talk." He walked toward the pool and sat on a lounge chair to remove his sandals.

With his shorts, he could get wet to the knees, and at least he was away from the squabbling sisters. Smart man.

Marisa turned back to Leslie. "I didn't take the money."

Leslie's eyes filled with tears. "But you have to have it! If you don't, I'm dead."

* * *

MARISA SHIFTED IN THE most comfortable bed she'd slept in since New York. Part of her had wanted to stay awake to enjoy the luxury—soft sheets, a real mattress that wasn't fifty years old, and air conditioning. It was like heaven.

Instead of enjoying it, she worried. Who could have threatened Leslie, and what could Marisa do to help from her home in Mexico? Though she'd known just enough about the illegal real estate deals Vinnie and his boss had been involved in to put Nate on the case, he knew a lot more than she did about what went down the night the money was stolen.

Marisa couldn't tell Leslie or the people who'd threatened her anything that Nate and the FBI didn't already know. But if somebody thought Marisa had the money, then whether she had it or not didn't matter. Leslie was in danger.

And there was nothing Marisa could do to help her. She'd been over what she knew a thousand times, hoping for some way to prove who'd taken the money, because if she couldn't figure it out, she'd never be able to go home again, not while Charles believed she'd done it. Charles had resorted to murder once. She had no doubt he'd do it again to get his money back, even from prison. So she was stuck, unable to help without more information, and how could she get more information without exposing herself?

She turned over, twirled one of her daughter's curls in her finger. A tangible reminder that there was more at stake than her own safety and Leslie's.

Her thoughts spun until they nearly made her dizzy. But she still had no new ideas about who'd threatened Leslie.

Meanwhile, Leslie had fallen asleep almost immediately in the other bed. Of course, she'd traveled all night, so exhaustion must have helped.

Finally, little Ana's gentle breathing beside Marisa lulled her to sleep.

She woke early to discover Leslie had slipped out of the room. Ana was awake and bouncing on Leslie's bed.

"Look at me, Mama!" She jumped high, pulled her legs up, and landed on her bottom.

Marisa smiled but shook her head. "We don't jump on beds."

"Why not?"

"You'll break the springs."

Ana tilted her head to the side, a twinkle in her eye. "But I'm just a little bird, right?"

"A hungry bird, I bet."