Page 19 of Wicked Intention

More than half the time, the information was outright wrong—or the rebels rearranged their plans. Either way, he could expect hours in this mess.

Finn made himself take it down a few notches. Zo was okay. Whoever was after that damn disk was probably searching Rio Blanco for her, and she was in San Isidro, safely tucked away at the inn.

And it didn’t matter how safe she was. He needed to hold her, to see for himself that she was fine.

Finn shifted restlessly but tamped down on his agitation before it went farther. Causing trouble would slow him down, not get him out of there faster. He knew how to be patient. He’d spent his entire life learning patience.

But his woman’s life had never been on the line before.

Trujillo, Puerto Jardin

27 Months Earlier

Finn staredat the outside of the run-down structure. The road was dirt, the name of the bar,El Taller, was nailed to the building with slats from a pallet, the E was tilted, looking ready to fall, and the corrugated tin roof had rusted. He was tired of seedy dives like this, but the check-ins had to happen somewhere natural, and that meant where mercenaries drank. Damn, he wished he could skip this meeting, but if he did, someone would be sent to find him.

Better get it over with.

Crossing the street, he pulled open the door and walked inside. He paused, letting his eyes adjust as he scanned his surroundings. It was packed with mercs in camo, the music was loud enough to mask conversation, and cigarette smoke filled the air with a haze. His teammates had grabbed a table in the corner, and he joined them, taking the open seat next to Ski against one wall.

“You’re late,” Griff snarled from the other side, his back to the second wall.

Finn glanced at the time. “Three minutes isn’t late,” he said, careful to keep his tone neutral.

Griff and Ski shot him incredulous looks, but Kyle Winter shrugged. The newest member of the their team didn’t know Finn well enough yet to realize he was normally punctual to the second. He returned the stares, taking in details with a glance. JT Griffin looked rough, and his nearly-black hair was stringy and longer than Finn had ever seen it. Same with the beard. His friend also appeared haggard, as if he hadn’t slept for a month.

Maybe he hadn’t.

There was no fucking way he should have been allowed on this mission, not so soon after what had happened in Tahoe.

Kyle Winter, KW, sat next to Griff. His brown hair was shaggy, but not nearly as long as the rest of them. Then again, he’d only joined their team a week or so before they’d left on this mission. He had a beard, but it was neatly trimmed.

Then there was his best buddy, Ryder Pienkowski. His hair was darker and longer than KW’s, but he only sported a few days of stubble. Ski wanted to finish this job and go home to his fiancée. He’d said as much the last time they’d met and who could blame him?

Finn wanted the mission over, too. He was tired down to his soul of dealing with the worst humanity had to offer. He thought of Zo, of her opinion on mercenaries, and suppressed a grimace. Yeah, he wanted to be done pretending to be one of the bastards. The next time he had his mouth on hers, he didn’t want her to be horrified when the kiss ended. He didn’t want her running away from him as if he were some kind of monster.

“You spent extra time in San Isidro,” Griff accused.

The tone pissed him off, but Finn tamped down his irritation. “Because I didn’t want to drive through the rainforest in the dark.”

“The boss’s men made it back last night.” Griff didn’tsaybullshit, but his inflection did.

Okay, itwasbullshit. Finn had wanted to spend more timewith Zo, and it’s why he’d postponed his departure. He might as well have driven back because she avoided him the entire evening. He’d had about two hours of sleep last night because he couldn’t stop remembering the feel of her body against his. Because he’d been too aware that her room was right across the hall. Had she slept any better than he had?

“They probably needed to report ASAP. I had until tonight.”

Griff’s eyebrows came down, making his glare fiercer. Finn returned the glower.

The pissing match lasted until Winter said, “I’ll go get some beers.”

Once he was out of earshot, Finn leaned forward. “I know you’re dealing with some shit, but don’t fucking take it out on me.”

“The team was worried,” Ski said, trying to smooth the moment over. “Don’t take his attitude personally—Griff can’t help that he doesn’t know how to express concern.”

It worked. Griff’s expression evened out, and his lips quirked momentarily. “You told us the chick who was following the boss’s second-in-command was staying at the same inn, remember? Pru came up with more intel about her after he briefed you on the phone.”

“What else did he learn?” Finn kept his voice level, trying to sound as if he wasn’t particularly interested.

It was Ski who answered. “She was childhood friends with Ramos. His grandfather was the foreman on the dig site her parents were excavating. It’s unclear what her current relationship is with him, but you said yourself that she calls him Al.”

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