Page 71 of Wicked Intention

“No, there wasn’t. You know as well as I do that Tio Luis will only be patient so long, and we don’t know how Al will react to you showing up instead of me.”

“I could bluff about the location of the disk if I needed to.”

Zo leaned forward, her nose nearly hitting Finn’s chin as she misjudged glaring distance. “And risk pissing off Al if he figures it out? I don’t want you in any more danger than you’ll already be in. Damn it, Finn, I don’t want you to go at all, but it’s Tia Izel.” She had to blink rapidly to dispel the tears thatsuddenly welled in her eyes. It didn’t matter, Finn saw it and wrapped his arms around her.

“I’ll be okay, and I’ll make sure Tia Izel is safe, too. Trust me to know what I’m doing.”

“I do trust you.” She rested her hands on his shoulders. “I want to go with you.” She shook her head, cutting him off. “No, I know I can’t. I told you I don’t want you in danger, and I’m aware Ramos can use me against you the same way he’s using Tia Izel against me, but I hate that you’re going alone.”

“I won’t be alone. My team will have my back.”

She wanted to tell him thatshewas his team now, but she didn’t. Zo had worried for the past two years that he would miss the excitement of working covert ops, that he’d get bored with her and the Paladin League, and now he was back with his unit, back playing Tom Finley again. They were both going to find out how much he missed the old days. “And to pay BD back for the assist with Tia Izel, you’re going to be down here for months helping them.”

“It might not take months.”

“Don’t hedge the truth. I know too much to buy it.”

One side of Finn’s mouth quirked up in a half-smile. “Yeah. I’ll do the best I can to make it quick.”

Zo shook her head again. “No, don’t take any additional risks by pushing things faster than they want to go. Your priority is staying alive and healthy, understood?”

“I hear you loud and clear, loquita.” He brushed his lips over hers but didn’t linger. Instead of setting off, though, Finn kept studying her.

“What?”

He shrugged, grimaced, then said, “Once you get back home, stay there. Even after Archer gets this mess in Puerto Jardin cleaned up, I need you to avoid the country. No Paladin League assignments, no coming down to visit San Isidro, no flying in to make sure I’m okay— because you’re right. Ramoscan use you against me, and I’m sure this op is going to pivot to Torres, too.”

“Who’s already used me as a pawn.”

Finn nodded. “If there’s a way you can avoid South America completely until this is done, it would help. Ramos and Torres—especially Torres—have tentacles everywhere. They could grab you in Argentina or Brazil as easily as here.”

“They both have connections in the States, too,” Zo reminded him. “They could have someone pick me up in Los Angeles.”

“They could, but for either of them to make a move like that on US soil, the situation would have to be a hell of a lot hotter than I’ll allow it to get.”

Zo swallowed a sigh. “You’ve overplayed your hand before.”

“I have a better idea now what will set him off.”

It wouldn’t matter. Finn would test the line, and sometimes find it wasn’t where he expected it to be. The damn thing was that there was nothing Zo could do about it, not without being by his side and putting him in more danger. She swayed, tightened her hold on his shoulders, and said, “I won’t go farther south than Panama until you’re finished.” She perked up. “That should irritate Archer.”

Finn smirked. “He’ll find a way to turn it to his advantage. He always does. And Panama is closer to Puerto Jardin than I’m comfortable with. How about we say Guatemala?”

“Let’s compromise and make it Nicaragua.”

Finn scowled for a moment before he nodded. “Deal. Are you up to taking me to the disk?”

With a nod, Zo stepped back. She didn’t want to move. What she wanted to do was wrap her arms around Finn and hold him while she slept, but that would take time they didn’t have. “Sure, get me back to the tree where you found me, and I’ll navigate from there.”

As they slogged through the mud, Zo mentally retracedher steps. Even as tired as she’d been, she’d known the only way she’d find the disk again was to memorize everything she could about the location and her path. But she hadn’t paid attention after Finn had found her, so it was a damn good thing he remembered where the tree was.

The Disk of the Gods. It made her sick when she thought about turning it over to Al, but she would never let anyone die for an artifact, especially not Finn or Tia Izel.

She couldn’t be sure why Ramos wanted the disk, but Zo was reasonably confident that he wouldn’t melt it down or sell it. He’d spent three summers shoulder to shoulder with her, searching for it. If it had meant that much to him as a teenager, there was no reason to believe it meant less to him now.

If she could accompany Finn, maybe she could talk to Al and remind him how significant the history of Puerto Jardin had been to his grandfather. Maybe she could convince him not to lock the disk away in a vault, but to donate it to a museum.

Sure, because he’s always been an altruist.

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