Page 49 of Rogue Voice

“I set it up so we would all be alerted if he tries to use the program,” Rogue said. He didn’t mention he’d purposefully done that in case something happened to him. “But it’s probably a dead end.”

“Yeah. You can say that again,” Roberts said.

“So, we have nothing,” Rahmer said.

Something fierce pounded behind Rogue’s temples. Rahmer and Roberts were both under pressure to find Cruz. If they knew Cruz’s niece was with them …

“We’ve told you everything we know,” Dark said simply. Rogue stared at Dark and Slate. He already owed them both his life, but now he owed them so much more than that.

“Then we’re wasting our time here. You can find your own way out of Colombia while we sort out the mess you left,” the man said crudely. There was silence in the kitchen long after the call was disconnected.

“So,” Slate finally said.

“You didn’t tell them Bea is with us,” Rogue said.

Dark shrugged. “We’ll have to let them know, eventually. But not until we’re out of the country.” Rogue breathed out a relieved sigh.

Bea watched the exchange without saying anything. “I don’t know where he is,” Bea said. “I swear. If I did, I would tell you.”

“We believe you,” Rogue said. It wasn’t something they’d asked her directly, but there was no doubt in his mind she would have told him if she had any idea where her uncle could have gone.

Fuck. A man with his resources, he could be halfway around the world by now. Or not. His business was here. And it was a risky business. If he left it unattended for any length of time, somebody like Miguel Ruiz or Oscar Aguilar would be happy to take over. Already his reputation must have suffered for letting Rogue into his house and into his business. He’d let Rogue con him, and that wasn’t something Oscar Aguilar or Miguel Ruiz would let him forget.

“I spoke with Thorne,” Dark said. “He’s working his contacts to get you a passport.”

“A passport?” Bea shivered. “Then my uncle will know?—”

“Don’t worry. It will be in a different name.”

“You can do that?”

“Leave that with us. We just need to hang tight until it’s ready.”

21

Bea

Freedom smelled like tropical coconut.

Bea soaped her hair a second time, just because she could. Back at thehacienda, her showers had always been lightning quick. She’d wanted to spend as little time as possible naked and vulnerable. Not that her uncle had ever done anything to her, but he had walked in on her a couple of times, while she was in the shower, and it’d been awful.

Bea shivered, even though the water was almost hotter than she could stand. No amount of heat could erase the memories of the fear she’d lived with. Now, for the first time in forever, Bea felt safe. She felt free. And it was strange that this sense of freedom should come now of all times, when she was sharing a small house with three strangers.

The thought shook her. It was difficult to think of Rogue or his friends as strangers. They’d saved her life multiple times and were protecting her in a way not even her father had done.

Not that what she felt for Rogue was fatherly in the least. Far from it. Just thinking about him made her feel warm inside. Tingly, when she remembered their kiss. If that’s what it felt like to kiss him, what would it feel like to go … all the way?

Bea blushed. It wasn’t something she’d ever imagined, wanting a man like this, but then, Rogue made her feel in ways she’d never felt before. And she was done second-guessing herself and her feelings. For once, she was just going to enjoy it.

By the time she finally turned the shower off, her skin was pink and shiny. She might have stayed even longer under the spray, but she didn’t want to take all the hot water; she also knew water wasn’t the best thing for her still-healing feet.

Her heart sped up as she heard the object of her affections move around the bedroom. It washisbedroom, to be fair, which she’d claimed as her own while he was ill, and which she hadn’t left yet.And won’t leave, unless he asks me to.

Though Slate had told her Rogue’s life wasn’t in danger, that his body just needed time to recover from what he’d been through, seeing him lying unconscious for so long had scared the hell out of her.

She dried herself briskly and wrapped the threadbare towel around her body before walking outside.

Rogue was on the floor near the window, doing push-ups. Down, until his nose almost touched the floor, then up again, his arms and back muscles bunching deliciously under the soft gray T-shirt he was wearing.All that raw power and strength.With clothes on, it was impossible to tell that he’d been injured, but she knew the skin underneath would still be mottled with bruises. Some of the scars, he’d carry with him for the rest of hislife. He paused halfway through a push-up and turned his head. Their eyes met. Something electric sizzled between them.

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