Page 105 of Wicked Intention

Finn crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall behind him.

Fuck, he hoped this didn’t mean Ramos was planning a double-cross. He’d balked at the final amount before agreeing to it.

It rained lightly as they waited. Silva and his men were near the pyramid while Ramos and his employees stood opposite them in front of an elaborately carved wall. The drug lord not only had his lieutenants with him, but he was alsosurrounded by bodyguards. The twitchy feeling escalated, and Finn looked around again.

There was no visible reason for his unease.

Ramos. Unpredictable didn’t begin to cover him. Finn would have had this deal in place earlier and with more goodwill than was currently the case if the asshole had stayed out of it. He’d honest-to-God hopped on the phone and inserted himself into negotiations—even insulting Silva more than once. He’d also insisted the arms dealer be there in person or the agreement was off. The fact that Silva hadn’t told them to go fuck themselves was solely because of Finn’s ability to smooth ruffled feathers, and of course, the massive amount of money involved.

Things should start rolling soon. Once Silva’s team arrived with a few crates of the weapon, Ramos would check them out, and if they met his review, he’d transfer the remaining monies owed. The arms dealer would then confirm he’d received payment before handing over the keys to the truck with the rest of the rifles. And Finn would be standing around with his thumb up his ass, watching.

He kept his face neutral, but his gut churned. Finn wanted his instincts to be wrong. He wanted everything to go according to plan. He wanted to move on to the next problem—getting Zo and Tia Izel off the compound. If Ramos decided to—

Shaking his head, he pushed that worry aside. One situation at a time.

Vargas walked toward him, and Finn tensed. Speaking of assholes. He straightened, unfolding his arms and balancing his weight evenly.

The man got straight to the point when he stopped in front of Finn. “Señor Ramos is unhappy. The weapons were supposed to be here five minutes ago. Find out why there’s a delay.”

“They gave us a window. They’re not late yet.”

“Would you like to explain that to Señor Ramos?”

Finn glanced over at the drug lord, took in the expression on his face, and shook his head. “On it.”

Keeping his hands in plain view, he crossed the divide that separated the two sides with a measured stride until he was ordered to stop. He’d gotten closer than he’d expected.

One of Silva’s bodyguards came over to meet him.

“Is there an update on the arrival time of the men with the rifles?” Finn asked.

“Wait here.”

The man went to Silva, conferred with him briefly, and then returned. “Señor Silva will speak with you.”

Finn waited for the pat-down to begin, but the man gestured for him to follow. He fell into step with the bodyguard. “You didn’t search me for weapons.”

They’d nearly reached Silva, and it was the arms dealer who responded. “Señor Ramos would have had his men disarm you already.”

“True, but I didn’t think you’d take it on faith.”

The other man didn’t answer. He simply stared across the clearing at Ramos. Silva was dressed more casually than Finn had ever seen him. He wore khakis with hiking boots and a drab green rain jacket. His slim build seemed bulked up, and it was a good bet he had a vest on underneath his gear. Ramos was similarly protected, along with his lieutenants.

“I hear your client is growing impatient,” Silva said, finally meeting Finn’s gaze.

“He is. Do you have an ETA on your men?”

Silva tapped the edge of his phone twice. “They contacted me when they parked the truck. The rainforest and the weight of the merchandise control their rate of speed, but they’ll be here well within the timeframe I specified when we laid out the details.”

“Gracias. I’ll tell him.”

“Whatever you’re earning as commission, Señor Finley, it’snot enough.” There was a hard note in Silva’s voice that made Finn pause.

“I’m not being paid any money. Señor Ramos is playing host to my wife and the woman who is her second mother.”

“Ah,” Silva said as he understood the situation. “I hope he honors his promise to you and allows them to leave at the conclusion of the deal.”

Finn shrugged. So did he. “I’ll let him know the goods are on their way.”

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