Page 78 of Wicked Ambition

BD raised his eyebrows and turned his attention to Oz.

“Excuse me, sir. I’m the person giving the report,” Ayla said. “It’s a subdivision south of Trujillo. The home is deep inside and toward the end. My sister is on the second floor of a room at the back of the house.”

“If you didn’t investigate, how do you know?” BD asked.

Ayla struggled to remain impassive, but she messed up already, damn it. She ignored the question. “Oz identified three security cameras in the yard and suggested there were other measures in place.”

Before she could continue, BD stood, leaned his hips against the table behind him, and crossed his arms over his chest. “How do youknow?” he repeated.

“You’ve theorized that my sister overheard something about arms dealing and that’s why she disappeared. Rescuing Io means you can question her. If she knows something useful, it will help you complete your mission.”

BD’s brows went up again. “Mission?”

“The Army sent you here for a reason.” Ayla was fairly certain why they were in Puerto Jardin, but ultimately she was guessing. She needed to hope she was right. “They want you to stop the flow of illegal arms. If Io has information, you might be able to accomplish your goal more quickly and save lives.”

Now BD’s brows came down, but his glare was directed at Oz.

“I didn’t tell her anything,” he said quickly. “We went to San Isidro. Señora Alvarez…” As his voice trailed off, Oz shrugged.

Ayla drew a deep breath as BD’s gaze bore into her. When he spoke, she knew how he’d ended up as an officer. “What you know could get people killed.”

“You can rely on my discretion,” she said. “I understand your cover must remain intact. Back to my sister. The longer we wait to check out the site, the greater the chance that she’s moved to a new location.”

“They won’t move her while there’s daylight, not in that neighborhood,” Oz said. “If she’s there.”

Oz was standing close enough for Ayla to nudge him with her elbow. He didn’t have to tack on that last part, not when BD already appeared skeptical.

“Ms. Desmond, I’m asking you this question for the third time. If you evade it again, I will be getting my report from the Wizard and not from you. How do you know your sister is in that house?”

The minute she admitted she’d sensed it, Ayla would lose any chance of BD sending his men to that house. She’d lose any chance of saving her twin. It had already been a week. How much longer would the kidnappers keep Io alive? But if she didn’t answer, BD would turn to Oz andhewould have no hesitation about giving the full details. She was in PR. She knew how to deal with this type of situation—acknowledge concerns, validate them, address objections, and find common ground.

Piece of cake. Sure.

“I felt my sister’s presence in that house.” BD’s expression was exactly what Ayla expected. “I understand your concerns, sir,” she replied. “It’s not tangible evidence and you have no reason to believe in something you can’t independently confirm. I understand it would take time and resources, but what about reconnaissance? It wouldn’t hurt to take a look.”

“You’re asking me to send a team on a recon mission because you hada feeling?”

“Yes, sir, I am. I have every confidence that a team of Green Berets could be in and out without anyone seeing them. If my sister isn’t there, no one ever has to know about the trip. If she is there, then you might be able to get information to help your mission after you rescue Io.”

BD stared at her, face impassive, before he turned to Oz. “What do you have to say about this?”

Ayla’s heart sank. Oz would heap his own disbelief on top of BD’s and no one would check on the situation. If her sister died, she would never, ever forgive Oz even if she had to spend the next eighteen years dealing with him because of their child.

“It was the only house in the entire network of neighborhoods with any security, and those cameras I spotted were cutting edge. Not something you’d see installed on a residential property,” Oz said. “It might be worth taking a look around.”

Her gaze flew to Oz. He hadn’t thrown her under the bus. He’d backed her up.

He’d backed her up!

The relief was short-lived. Oz might have ulterior motives. She needed to stay on guard.

Chapter 31

Oz drove. Rusty was in the passenger seat, and Ski sat in the back with Ayla, reading intel reports on the area. This wasn’t the original plan, but things went to shit. Pruitt, their intelligence sergeant, had ID’d a man watching the safe house.

He worked for Petrova.

Oz’s scowl deepened. His plan to leave Ayla at the safe house had been torpedoed. The team was bugging out and they didn’t have a replacement location yet. BD told him to bring Rusty along to babysit.

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