Page 87 of Wicked Intention

“But Archer showed up.”

“With the perfect job for me.” Zo sighed. “It was the spur I needed to finally address the elephant in the room.”

“And dropping out of your grad school program underlined for your parents that you were done with their path.”

Another long sigh. “Yes, dropping out of school and breaking up with the man they wanted me to marry were my ways of making it clear that I was living my own life.”

“Marry? You were engaged?” Finn felt poleaxed.

“Hell, no! He was my parents’ type, not mine.”

Her answer allowed him to breathe again. “What is your type?”

“If you can’t figure it out, you’re not as smart as I thought.” Zo went up on tiptoes, pressed her lips against his, and walked past him, heading back to the hotel.

With a grin, Finn followed her.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Trujillo, Puerto Jardin

Present Day

FINN STOOD in the vestibule ofLa Brisa Griega, hands over his head and watched his weapons get placed one by one on the counter. As the saying went, it was déjà vu all over again. The same woman was behind the cash register. The same obstacles to quickly exiting the restaurant remained in place. He even had the same bodyguard patting him down.

There were a few differences from two years ago, though. This time, Case Lundquist—AKA Lurch—was along as sidekick, they’d had enough notice to get his team in position to back them up, and Zo wouldn’t be in the dining room, glaring daggers at the back of his head.

Zo. Yeah. Finn took a deep breath and forced her out of his mind. Meeting with Silva was going to require his full attention, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted with worry for her. He had to trust she could take care of herself and he had other, more immediate concerns.

Bringing Lurch was a calculated risk. Silva could get pissed and call off the meeting, but the captain wanted someone set up for future missions, and so did Finn. He was done being dragged into this shit—either by his team or by Ramos.

The bodyguard who’d gone to check whether or not Lurch would be permitted to join them returned to the foyer. “Señor Silva,” the man announced, “will allow both of you to meet with him.”

“Gracias,” Finn said.

His second pat-down ended, and the guard indicated they should precede him into the dining area. Finn had been through this procedure so many times two years ago that he didn’t so much as glance at the pile left on the counter, but it was Lundquist’s first go-round.

“Hey, what about my weapons?” Lurch asked.

“Señora Rosa will watch over them until we leave,” Finn told him and nodded to the woman behind the cash register. She inclined her head.

They followed the bodyguards. Silva had taken over the same corner table where Finn had met him two years ago. It wasn’t a surprise because there were no differences in the dining room, and it was the most secure location available. The man had his back to the wall, a bodyguard standing on either side of him.

Finn’s gaze raked over their host as he walked. Silva hadn’t changed in two years. His silver hair was precisely cut, he wore the round-rimmed glasses he favored, and his suit was fitted perfectly. The man looked like a Fortune 500 CEO, not an arms dealer. Exactly as he had at their first meeting, and every other time he’d seen him after that.

But while he might appear the same, Silvahadchanged. He’d always been cautious, but now he’d taken it to extremes, at least according to the briefing he’d gotten from the chief. The word paranoid had been used.

The buffer zone around his table was larger than Finnrecalled, but maybe it was nothing more than people choosing outdoor seating. A bodyguard stepped forward and pulled out two chairs. Finn sat, and Lurch followed a split second later. Their escorts took up their positions.

After taking a sip of coffee and placing his cup in its saucer, Silva said, “Ah, Señor Finley. The last time I met with you, I ended up in prison.”

“And the last time I met withyou, Señor Silva,Iended up in prison. Because I’m an American, my friends couldn’t bribe the kind of accommodations you and Señor Torres were able to secure.”

For a moment, Silva considered his words. “Is this why you retired from the business?”

Finn shrugged. “It’s part of it.”

“And the other part was your woman’s dislike of your profession.”

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