Page 54 of Wicked Intention

Finn stayed quiet.

The Big Dog turned to face him. “No one else made it out quicker than you did.”

Torres and Silva. Word was they’d been released three or four days after Finn had gotten out. “I know, sir.”

It was tempting to bitch some more about his time in prison, but the captain had already cut him a hell of a lot of slack tonight. Finn wasn’t going to push it.

“Sergeant.”

Finn braced himself. The captain’s tone put him on edge. “Yes, sir?”

“There’s time to reconsider leaving the Army.”

Shaking his head, Finn said, “Sorry, captain, but I’m out.”

“I have re-enlistment papers in my desk with your name on them, and a bonus figure twenty percent higher than the usual Special Forces incentive. All you have to do is sign them.”

That gave Finn pause—not because he wanted the money, but because the Army was offering it. “Why me?” he asked, unable to keep the suspicion from his voice.

“Your ability to play any role? It’s a skill that’s hard to come by.”

“It’s a skill that can be learned,” Finn said. “I joined the Army so I could go to college, not to make it a career.”

“You could have done that without joining Special Forces. You wanted the challenge, and a civilian job will leave you bored. Imagine sitting behind a desk for the next forty years.”

The thought was bleak, but Finn shook it off. “I’m heading to Los Angeles.”

“Re-up, take leave, and go see Zo. Find out what’s between you. One doesn’t preclude the other.”

“Right. Say I go to LA, and Zo doesn’t view me as a threat. Say things click with us, and then my leave is up, and I have to fly back to Tampa. Her job is in Los Angeles, and our intel said she travels a lot. I’d be in the field for months at a time. If there was a small chance for things to work out, that would kill it.”

“The odds are against you even if you leave the Army.”

Finn nodded, and one side of his mouth kicked up. “I know that, but I’m throwing the dice anyway.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Rainforest

Near San Isidro, Puerto Jardin

Present Day

ZO FROWNED as Finn kept walking. Her voice had been little more than a squeak, and it was no wonder he hadn’t heard her. She needed to get down and catch up with him before he disappeared.

But her foot slipped as she tried to shift position, and she closed her eyes. She couldn’t rush her descent. If she tried, she’d fall, and from this height, her injuries would be severe. She swallowed a few times, trying to moisten her throat. Finn was farther away now, and she’d need to be louder. Maybe if she pitched her voice lower, it would carry to him.

“Finn.”

He paused, looking around, his posture alert.

Zo tried again, ended up coughing as her throat rebelled, but it caught her lover’s attention. He came back toward her tree. “Where are you, loquita?”

She couldn’t even manage a squeak this time, but she had the pistol in her hand. Zo banged the butt against the trunk. The noise had Finn looking upward and scanning. Relief flooded her as his gaze locked on hers.

“Are you okay?” he called as he walked to her.

With a nod, she holstered her gun. “Yes. Fine.” Her voice was no more than a thick whisper, but it seemed he heard her.

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