Page 97 of Wicked Intention

When the captain nodded, Pruitt said, “I’m on it.”

“You think this unknown seller is going to mess things up?” Griff asked.

Finn shrugged again. “I don’t know. The bigger problem is the price the boss is going to demand for the merchandise. Ramos might decide that since Bianchi’s dealer doesn’t have any to sell, he can get by with the ARADs or some M4s.”

“That means the new weapons stay out of the hands of a drug lord,” the new guy said.

Everyone looked at him. “It means,” Finn corrected, “they go to auction and get sold God knows where. It means they could be packed up and shipped out of the country before me, Lurch, or anyone else can get close enough to locate them. You want to bet against the buyer being in Russia or China? Ramos is our best chance to recover them. As long as he’s on the table, Silva might hold off selling to someone else.”

“Might?”

“Might.”

After a moment of silence, the captain said, “Do what you can to convince Silva that Ramos will pay whatever he asks. Those weapons need to stay in Puerto Jardin.”

Finn nodded. “I’ll work on Ramos, too. Talking price will give me a good idea of how serious he is to acquire more of them, or if he’ll settle for the ARADs. The fact that he already has some of the precision-guided rifles might work in our favor. He likes them a lot.”

“Speaking of that,” Cordy said, “any progress on locating the half dozen Ramos bought earlier?”

Shaking his head, Finn said, “His men are already using them, and I can’t get near enough to most of them to check out what they’re carrying. The only thing in our favor there is that I’d bet Ramos has those men protecting him and his compound.”

“Cordy,” the captain said, “let’s see if we can get a couple of guys in Ramos’ organization. Stony can’t wander around, but maybe someone else can. Oh, and put someone in Bianchi’s camp, too. Let’s dual-path identifying the unknown arms dealer.”

The chief nodded.

BD took a long drag on his beer bottle. “Anything else you need to tell me, Stone Man?”

“No. I hit the highlights.”

“Okay, we’ll work on finding those loose weapons, you work on keeping the rest of them in the country. How did Silva react to Lurch’s presence yesterday?”

Lurch shifted in his seat, and Finn wished he wasn’t at the table, but he told the truth. “He was dismissed as too young and not too bright. Everything was addressed to me.”

The captain tapped a finger on the table for a moment before he said, “Do you want me to replace him with someone else?”

Lurch stiffened, but he remained quiet. He clearly wanted to take over the role Finn had played when he’d been with the team, but he was willing to put the op before his own wants.

Taking his time, Finn ran through his teammates in his head. Which one of them could lie convincingly in insanely stressful situations? Not Ski, that was for damn sure. Winter and Griff were possibilities, but they’d need more practice before they were ready to deal with men like Silva or Torres. The new guy was a definite no, and the rest of the team? Unlikely. Lurch might appear to be younger than he was, but he had thecajonesto play in the big leagues. “No, he’s the best option, and looking like he’s sixteen might work in his favor.”

“Dude, I look at least twenty. For real.”

“Maybe if you could get your beard to grow in.” Finn tapped his cheeks where Lurch’s facial hair was so sparse, it was almost nonexistent.

“Fucking genetics.” But Lurch’s eyes danced with amusement.

“Children,” the chief interrupted, “let’s remember why we’re here.”

He’d missed this, Finn realized. The joking around with the guys, the strategy sessions, the high stakes. Yeah, he liked his job with the Paladin League, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t even close.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Los Angeles, California

19 Months Earlier

ZO STOOD in front of the full-length mirror inside her closet and dithered. She had one dress she wore when her parents were in town, but it needed a trip to the cleaners—an errand she’d penciled in her planner for Monday. Her other black dresses were evening gowns for Paladin League events or something she’d wear to drive Finn crazy when they went out. Neither style was appropriate for tonight.

That left her with a sleeveless sheathe dress that was a bright, hot pink.

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