Page 60 of Wicked Ambition

Then they were at risk of being stopped, and Ayla grabbed. Her disguise? It would need to be reconsidered once they reached Trujillo, but that was a problem for when he had her safely tucked away in some obscure hotel.

“Oz?”

He bit back a sigh. The hope that she’d sleep all the way to the city was gone. “What, Pollita?” he asked, digging deep for his patience.

“How much longer?”

“Maybe an hour.” With evasive maneuvers, once they reached a place where he had more than a straight stretch of highway, it might be longer than that.

After studying him for a moment, Ayla said, “You’re worried.”

It wasn’t a guess. “Why do you think that?” Oz was positive his expression and body language were not transmitting that message.

“Because I know you. It’s not only the mobsters showing up in San Isidro. What’s going on?”

Ayla’s answer startled him. Oz didn’t let anyone get too close, certainly not close enough to read him, to figure out his state of mind simply by looking at him. Fuck, he’d learned as a kid to throw on a façade. It was safer that way. He couldn’t afford to have Vargas or one of his employees figure out he was more than he seemed.

“I think Petrova was in the lobby of the hotel when I escorted you to your room the day you arrived. If he identified me yesterday, then he probably ID’dyouand thinks you’re Iona even with the wig on.” He was sugarcoating it. There was nothinkorifabout it.

“You’re pretty unforgettable,” Ayla said slowly. “He would have recognized you as soon as you walked in. We left this morning while he was…busy? Away from the inn? But now you’re worried he’ll catch up to us. That’s why you’re driving so fast.”

Reluctantly, Oz nodded. “Pretty much, yeah. Don’t worry, Pollita. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and our baby safe. Trust me.”

“I do trust you.”

Her response was immediate and certain. Her faith in him was a double-edged sword. Part of him loved it, but it also scared the shit out of him because he’d been lying to her. That wasn’t all. What if he let her down? Petrova was dangerous and he had a small army in Trujillo with him that vastly outnumbered Oz’s Special Forces team.

While it seemed the Russian had few of the A-Team with him on this trip, his boss, Ivanov, hired formerSpetsnazoperatives and there must be some of them along for the ride. That meant they’d be dealing with peers, not the lackeys Oz had encountered so far.

“Oz? How much of a head start do you think we have on them?”

“I’d guess an hour.” He already calculated the minimum time, but it was likely the window was bigger. Petrova left one of his men behind at the inn. Señora Alvarez had added a sleeping powder to his coffee, and Oz had dumped him on his bed while Ayla was in the bathroom. There wouldn’t be a call to alert his boss that they’d taken off.

Without a warning, there was no need for Petrova to hurry, and Vargas would expect deference and discussion with any purchase. That meant the meeting would be on the longer side. But Oz wasn’t taking any chances. Not with his woman. Not with their unborn baby.

As far as he was concerned, the time frame was one hour.

“This disguise isn’t going to work any longer. Not after the mobsters saw me.”

“I know. We’ll figure that out later. Our first problem is getting back to the city.”

“Can I ditch the wig?” There was definitely a hopeful note in Ayla’s voice.

“We’ll probably get you a different wig instead.”

“And different clothing.” Ayla sounded glum. “Thatshould be fun when it was already difficult to find this style. This is going to waste even more time. Between me and my sister, we cover a large swath of the fashion spectrum.”

Whenever she commented on wasting time, he felt a sharp jab in the pit of his stomach. Ayla noticed things, and if she put the pieces together before Baggs found her twin, Oz would lose her trust. The thought of her looking at him with suspicion… He shook his head. It was the price of keeping her safe. He’d pay it if necessary and work on fixing things between them later.

“We have a head start on a new disguise since we already ruled out so much. We’ll discuss it more when we have a hotel room.”

The hush lasted about ten minutes. “Oz?”

His lips curved, and Oz shook his head. Even when she drove him crazy, he enjoyed her. “More questions?”

“Sorry. There’s not much to do except think.”

“True.” The amusement faded. Ayla was too smart for his own good. Baggs better move his ass on the search. “We can talk if that will help take your mind off the situation.”

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