Page 71 of Wicked Ambition

Chapter 28

Ayla leaned back with a sigh, used her napkin to wipe her mouth, and smiled across the table at Oz. “The chicken hit the spot.”

“I’m just relieved you’re eating.”

Nausea had passed around midday after she’d napped at the latest hotel Oz had found for them. This room was boring compared to the previous one. The walls were off-white and the décor consisted of a vinyl decal of the skyline of London. It seemed a curious choice for the location, but the room had air conditioning, normal chairs with four legs, and no disco balls or faux fur blankets.

Oz had eaten a bland lunch, too, and she knew he did it for her. The little ways he cared for her kept adding up. She felt her heart swell. He’d shaved to keep her safe, to make himself harder to recognize. Ayla took a moment to admire his strong chin and jawline, noticing the small nick where he’d cut himself.

She was tempted to kiss it better, but if she did that, they’d end up in bed again. As much as she enjoyed making love with Oz, there wasn’t time to waste. Not when he didn’t let her look for Io once it got close to sunset.

“Where are we searching next?” she asked.

“I think you should take it easy the rest of the day.”

Ayla frowned. “We’ve already burned daylight while I was too sick to move without wanting to throw up. Io hasn’t been seen in a week. Unless you plan to let me search after dark, we can’t afford to lose any more time.”

“After dark is not happening,” Oz said.

“I know, and I’m not asking for you to relent on that, but I also expect us to do something to locate my sister. I’m not sitting in a hotel room when it’s my connection to Io that’s going to help us find her. Besides, neither Kyle nor Baggs will put in the same amount of effort as I will.”

Oz sighed and reached for his can of soda. “I can see why you wouldn’t trust KW, but Baggs?—”

“Oziah.”

“Right. The first thing we need to do is get you a new disguise.”

Her frown deepened into a scowl. “We wasted an entire day picking out clothes and that brunette wig. It’s nearly two already and we’ve done nothing but meet with Kyle. I’m not even sure why we bothered. He could have messaged you what little he had, and we could have been out looking for Io all day.”

Straightening in his chair, Oz leaned forward. “You were in no condition to be out hunting for your sister. You know it as well as I do.” His voice was as intense as his posture.

“I’m not sick anymore. I ate food like I promised I would once I felt better. Now I expect you to keepyourpromise and help me find my twin.”

Oz surged to his feet and began pacing. It was a small hotel room with one bed, one table, and two chairs. He had little room to vent his frustration. And he was frustrated with her. Ayla got it. He was dead serious about keeping her and the baby safe, and he was concerned now that the mobsters had seen her in the wig.She understood all that, but he needed to understand how much she loved her sister.

“Oz, it’s been a week. How much more time do you think we have before something bad happens to Io? Maybe something bad has already happened, but at least I know she’s still alive. You’re asking me to risk her life.”

“I’m asking you to be safe.” He returned to the table but didn’t sit. “Pollita, Petrova would have alerted his men by now to watch for a brunette. We’ve crossed paths with them more than once and the odds we run into them again are high because they’re looking for Iona, too.”

Ayla slipped out of her chair and went to stand in front of Oz, tilting her head back to meet his eyes. “For my entire life, Io’s always watched out for me, and not only on the travel front. When I was bullied in school, it was my sister who took them on and made them leave me alone. It was Io who spent hour after hour tutoring me when I was in danger of failing geometry. And when I still needed to ace the final to pull a C, it was Io who changed places with me to take the test. Yet the one time she needs me, you’re asking me to stand by and do little or nothing.”

“I was under the impression you regularly bailed her out of her adventures.”

It was a stall. Ayla recognized it but replied anyway. “Nothing like this.”

He took her shoulders in his hands. “Ayla, be reasonable.”

She brought her hands up, clasping his forearms, and said, “Don’t ask me to choose between you and my twin. That’s not fair.”

“And I won’t like the answer, will I?” His tone was grim.

“Io needs my help.”

It was a diplomatic response, but if Oz wouldn’t work with her to find her sister, she’d look on her own. It was stupid, and the idea alone was enough to scare her half to death, but if theirpositions were reversed, Io wouldn’t allow anyoneor anything to stand in her way. Ayla couldn’t do less.

Shewouldn’tdo less, even if it meant leaving Oz behind.

They were in another sedan.This one was tan, with a white door on the driver’s side. Ayla felt optimistic about her future with Oz. Maybe things could work between them. After all, they’d both compromised this afternoon.

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