Page 13 of Wicked Intention

Neither of the bastards denied it. They’d invaded Tio Luis and Tia Izel’s home to find her, and just because they’d struck out, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t return. Maybe the next time they wouldn’t bother to be covert.

Zo dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands to keep from walking into the open. If the men made a move to hurt Tio Luis or Tia Izel, she would give herself up, but right now, everyone was safe.

Vargas stared long and hard before he crossed his arms over his chest. “If she comes here and you help her, you will pay the price. It will be a steep one, understand?”

Without waiting for a response, Vargas pivoted and went down the stairs of the porch, his partner on his heels. The two men headed for the road that ran in front of the inn. For a long moment, Tio Luis stared after them, and he suddenly looked older than his years. Running a hand over the back of his neck, he returned inside. The light went out.

Zo didn’t move. She’d believed that whoever wanted the disk didn’t know her, that she was merely an anonymous courier, but she wasn’t a stranger to Alfonso Ramos. Worse yet, he had employees who lived in San Isidro, and they’d have no choice about turning her in.

Or anyone who offered her assistance.

It meant she couldn’t approach the inn, not even to tellTio Luis what was going on. The danger was too great. She’d have to steal supplies and reimburse people later, once the situation was resolved.

Ramos had worried her when they were children, and he freaking-ass scared the shit out of her now. He was cold as they came.

Last fall, when she and Finn ran into him at the—

“Nooo,” she moaned, her voice less than a whisper.

Ramos knew she and Finn were a couple, that every time she’d come to San Isidro the last two years, he’d been with her. And Finn was supposed to accompany her to Puerto Jardin on this trip, too. Would have, if not for the last-minute phone call from the Army. That meant Ramos hadn’t only moved against her, he’d moved against her lover as well because Ramos would assume they were together.

And thanks to Archer, Finn was on his way. Her stomach turned over because she had no way to warn him. No idea how to keep him safe.

Alfonso Ramos wanted her without allies, and the only way he could keep Finn from her side was to kill him.

Chapter Five

San Isidro, Puerto Jardin

27 Months Earlier

FINN STEPPED INTO THE SHOWER, closed his eyes, and lifted his face to the tepid spray. The only thing weaker than the water pressure was the pre-dawn light, but San Isidro was more a village than a town, and he was lucky there was an inn. It was about ninety minutes from Trujillo but it felt more remote. He’d been surprised there was another guest staying here, but—

“Shit,” he muttered, opening his eyes.

The door didn’t have a lock, and he’d forgotten to put theoccupiedsign on the communal bathroom’s doorknob. After a brief debate, he decided not to get out of the shower. It was barely light outside, and there was only one other person at the inn. And it wasn’t as if a sign—or a lock, for that matter—would stop the men he was concerned about.

The water sputtered, and Finn reached for the shampoo. Damn, he wanted a haircut. His hair was past his shouldersnow and getting to be a pain in the ass, but Tom Finley wouldn’t bother with that. Same with getting his beard trimmed, and for better or worse, he was Finley until this op was finished.

San Isidro was in Alfonso Ramos’ backyard. Finn had expected to find the village as basically an adjunct of the drug lord’s property, but it didn’t appear to be the case. In fact, the place seemed to be a neutral zone, and Finn had been warned several times not to cause trouble. He suspected the innkeeper was a former member of the presidential brigade—he had the Special Forces vibe. Finn rinsed his hair and reached for the soap.

Coming here was a risk, but it had been five days since his meeting with Silva, and Finn had heard nothing. After a discussion with his captain and the chief, the decision was made to prod Torres by letting him think Finn was trying to do an end-run around him and sell arms to Ramos directly. It could prompt Torres or Silva to make a decision.

Or get Finn killed.

Torres’ men had followed him here. He’d made sure of that. He didn’t know where they’d spent the night since they didn’t check into the inn, but they were nearby. Today, he’d find someone who worked for Ramos and make it appear as if he were trying to finagle a meeting with the boss.

He turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, reached for the towel, and dried off. He’d hardly gotten it knotted at his waist when the doorknob rattled. A split second later, the door opened. There wasn’t time to grab his weapon from the back of the toilet.

Finn charged the interloper.

His brain registered who it was an instant before he would have slammed her into the wall. He couldn’t pull up or stop, but he put his arms around her, letting his forearms take the brunt of the impact. His elbow sent the door crashing closed. As his chest came into contact with her breasts, she gasped. Ithad nothing to do with arousal—Finn knew it—but the sound stroked over him like a caress. It didn’t help that she placed her hands against his chest to brace herself.

It only took an instant to register a few things. She wasn’t wearing a bra underneath the T-shirt she had on, her shorts were loose, revealing a whole lot of long leg, and her feet were bare. Her dark hair was braided, but it was messy, and her blue eyes were sleepy beneath her shocked expression.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, voice low and harsh.

He didn’t know her name. He didn’t know jack shit about her because Pruitt hadn’t been able to find anything yet. Finn didn’t like it. Pru was the best at digging up intel.

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