Page 34 of Wicked Ambition

“It’s okay. Baggs and I will eat them. It helps us look normal.” Damn, he hoped this stop would bore the shit out of the assholes. Or they’d decide they didn’t want to get caught in the rain for a mercenary and his woman.

When the cupcakes were packed, he paid for them and passed the black-and-white striped box to Ayla. He needed his hands free, and it wasn’t as if the purchase was heavy.

No luck on the Russians finding something better to do. Fuck. They were running out of shops before they reached the stanchions with the chains. The sky was seriously dark now, and while the air remained heavy, the wind blew strongly.

How the hell wasthatgoing to affect the wig?

The few people who hadn’t cleared out of the shopping area were rapidly moving, trying to find somewhere to wait out the storm. While it did rain nearly every day, this was the dry season in Trujillo, so the downpour wouldn’t last long. It didn’t matter. It would be long enough to cause problems. He and Ayla needed to find some shop to wait out the storm, too, since it didn’t lookas if the assholes planned to break off. Oz began to surveil what he could see up ahead.

There was a movie theater, but the lobby was already crowded. He didn’t want anyone that close to Ayla. The men’s suit store was also a hard no. Oz glanced over to the other side of the pedestrian walkway, but those stores were boarded up. Turning around and going back the way they came would attract the Russians’ notice.

Oz fucking hated when he missed a contingency, but the weather was one he hadn’t factored in. It was biting him in the ass now.

The wind picked up. Empty wrappers blew across the walkway.

He continued moving, taking in their options on both sides. Toy store. Tobacco shop. Nope. Phone store. They’d probably call the police if Oz walked in there dressed like a merc. Ice cream parlor.

Bingo.

“Come on, Pollita,” he said, taking her hand. “The skies are about to open up and I’d like to avoid getting soaked.”

They were nearly there when a powerful gust of wind whipped through the walkway between the buildings. It blew the synthetic strands from the wig into her face, and Ayla tried to push it out of the way as if it were her own hair.

She yanked the wig partially off her head.Fuck.

Chapter 14

Ayla felt the wig move and squeaked.

“Breathe, Pollita,” Oz said quietly. “They’re behind us. They can’t see what happened. Calmly, carefully, reach up and reseat the wig. Try to act as if you’re fixing your own hair after that gust.”

Her hands shook.

“I can’t do it for you. It’ll look too strange,” he said. When she continued to hesitate, he added, voice hard, “Take a deep breath and act like a Scorpio.”

She glowered. “I saw your face when I mentioned being a Scorpio. What do you even know about my sign?”

“I know it’s supposed to be badass.”

The trembling in her hands had her worried about touching the wig again. What if she made it worse?

“Do you want to help your sister, or should I take you back to the house?” Oz asked.

She thrust the box of cupcakes at him.

Trying to appear natural, she moved the wig back into place. “Is it straight?” she asked, glancing at him. If her tone was grudging, well, whatever. She was still pissed off at him.

“It’s good enough that no one is going to give you any weird looks.”

Ayla took a shuddery breath and gave him a warning. “Next time, don’t threaten to take me off the search for my sister to goad me.”

“Sorry,” he said, taking her hand, “but if we’re in a critical situation and you’re dithering like a damsel in distress, waiting for some knight in shining armor to save your ass, you can bet I’m going to use whatever it takes to get you to act.”

“I thought you were supposed to be my knight?”

“I’m trying my best, but in what world would it be normal for me to fix your hair?” He raised his eyebrows and waited.

She didn’t have an argument. He was right. Standing like a mannequin while he adjusted the wig would look beyond odd. Before she could think up some way to divert the conversation, it began to rain. As soon as the first drops fell, Oz hustled her toward a shop. No sooner did she step inside than a monsoon hit.

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