Enticed by the Operative (Doctors in Danger, Book 1)

by Lara Lacombe

  His compatriots grumbled in agreement, and another one spoke up. “This woman thinks she is in charge. She should learn the truth.”

  Olivia kept her gaze on their leader, who did not respond. As his men continued to complain, Olivia decided to take matters into her own hands. It was clear the idea of hurting her was starting to override their fear of the cartel, and if the balance tipped in the wrong direction, she wasn’t going to get away unscathed.

  “Are you really that stupid?” she said in Spanish. The men stopped talking and stared at her, their jaws hanging open in shock. She rolled her eyes at their surprise. “Did you honestly think I don’t know your language? I know everything about you. Where you eat. Where you sleep. Where your families live. Fantasmas does not take chances.” She let that sink in and looked at each man in turn. “And neither should you.”

  The men glanced at each other, chastened into silence. The one putting the drugs in her bag swallowed hard, his face now pale under his tan. He hurried to complete his task and then stepped back, clearly wanting to distance himself from her.

  The leader gestured to one of the other men, who knelt down and scooped up the money. Olivia slung the bag over her shoulder and nodded. “Our business is finished. You can go now.”

  The three men didn’t waste any time heading for the tree line, but the leader stayed behind a moment, glaring at her. Their tables had turned, and it was plain he didn’t like being on this end of the deal.

  Just go, she urged him silently. She wasn’t going to leave until he did—it would be foolish of her to turn her back on him. She had won this round, but she wouldn’t put it past him to go for a cheap shot if given the opportunity.

  He muttered something under his breath, then turned and stomped off after his men. Olivia waited until they disappeared in the forest before releasing her breath in a gusty sigh. It was done. Now she just had to get back to the apartment and hide the drugs.

  She waited a moment longer, just to be sure they weren’t coming back. The normal forest sounds of birdsong and wind-rustled leaves filled her ears, and her heartbeat gradually slowed back to its normal speed. With one last look at the clearing, she turned and walked back into the forest.

  She’d gone about thirty yards down the trail when Logan stepped out of the vegetation and onto the path in front of her. The shock of his sudden arrival made her freeze in place, and she emitted a startled yelp.

  His frown eased as he realized he had scared her. “Sorry,” he muttered, taking her arm and tugging her farther along the path. “Don’t stop here. We need to keep going.”

  She stared up at him, taking in his mud-caked skin and dirty clothes. “What happened to you?”

  He cast her a puzzled glance, then seemed to remember his appearance. “Oh. That. It’s bug repellant.”

  “I see.” She bit back the urge to laugh, but was unable to stop a squeak from escaping. Logan frowned down at her and she quickly smoothed her features into an appropriately serious expression. She didn’t let his display of grumpiness affect her, though. Relief had made her feel lighter than air, and she had the sudden, absurd thought that if Logan let go of her arm, she’d float away.

  I did it, she thought, with no small amount of wonder. Somehow, she had stood up to those men and come out a winner, despite the fact that her confidence had been nothing more than an elaborate bluff. It was unlike anything she’d experienced before, and she felt simultaneously buoyed and drained by her success.

  Logan tugged hard on her arm and she picked up her pace to keep up with him. “Where’s the fire?” she asked, a little breathless. When he didn’t reply, she dug in her heels and wrenched her arm free. “What is your problem?” He hadn’t said a word, but she could practically feel the angry tension radiating off his body. Why was he so upset? Everything had gone according to plan.

  Logan glanced around, then stepped off the path into the shadows of a small grove. Having no other choice, Olivia followed him.

  He stood with his back to her, scrubbing furiously at the dried mud on his face. It flaked off in a shower of dust, but when he turned to face her, she could see his skin was still dark from the dirt left behind. The filth caked onto his skin gave his features a masklike quality, but his displeasure still came through loud and clear.

  “You want to know what my problem is?” he said, practically hissing the words. “Do you have any idea how close you came to getting killed just now?”

  His question popped the bubble of her relief, and she felt her own anger rising in response.

  “What are you talking about? I thought that went about as well as it could have gone.”

  His eyes widened and she had the distinct impression he was reevaluating his estimation of her intelligence. “Those men were inches away from violence.” He held his hand up, fingers almost touching in illustration. “If they had decided to hurt you—” He broke off, shaking his head.

  “You would have stopped them,” she said, placing her hand on his arm in the hopes of calming him.

  “That’s just it. I don’t think I could have gotten to you in time.” He was still upset, but now she heard a new dimension in his voice: fear.

  Olivia rocked back on her heels, uncertain how to respond. She’d never considered the possibility that Logan might be afraid, as well. He’d always seemed so confident, so sure of himself and what they needed to do in order to get through this alive. His unflappable demeanor had comforted her on many occasions and reassured her that she was going to be okay.

  The fact that he was scared, too, should have worried her, and for a brief second, it did. How was she going to survive if her protector was just as afraid as she was? But the concern passed before she took her next breath. Logan’s fears didn’t make him any less reliable or any less capable. If anything, they made him more human.

  The urge to comfort him rose in her chest, and she stepped forward and put her other hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay,” she said, pitching her voice low in the same tone she used to soothe an anxious patient. His muscles were tense under her fingertips and she squeezed gently, urging him to relax. “Nothing happened. You don’t need to keep worrying about an outcome that didn’t take place.”

  “You took too many risks,” he said through clenched teeth. “You practically dared them to kill you.”

  “I did not!” She may have goaded them a little bit, it was true. But only because it was her best chance at keeping them at bay. Surely a man like Logan would understand that?

  “I saw the expressions on their faces—you said something to make them angry. Did you forget you were outnumbered?”

  “No.” She glared up at him, indignation quickly replacing any remaining sympathy she felt for causing him undue stress. “Did it escape your notice that they didn’t hurt me?”

  He dismissed this point with a wave of his hand. “You don’t get it. I—”

  “No, you don’t get it,” she interrupted. “I did what I thought was best to complete the deal and get out. Maybe I didn’t make the choices you wanted me to, but it worked and we have the drugs. Why are we standing here arguing when we should be celebrating?”

  Logan simply stared at her a moment, emotions flickering across his face in rapid succession. Then he shook his head again. “Let’s go,” he muttered. “It’s not safe for us to stay here. We need to get back to the apartment.” He walked past her and stepped onto the trail, pausing for her to join him. As soon as she did he took off again, setting a punishing pace.

  Olivia gritted her teeth and trotted behind him. She’d let this slide for now. But as soon as they were back at the apartment, she was going to find out what exactly was bothering Logan. It wasn’t like him to act this way, and they couldn’t work as an effective team if they didn’t communicate.

  “Get ready,” she muttered to his back. “This isn’t over.”

  * * *

  Logan pushed a vine out of the way, remembering just in time to hold on to it so it wouldn’t fall back and
hit Olivia in the face. She probably wouldn’t believe it after his behavior in the glen, but he hadn’t meant to take his frustrations out on her.

  How could he explain it, though? She’d think he was crazy, getting all worked up over seeing her in danger like that. He was the DEA agent after all. He was supposed to deal with this kind of thing all the time.

  And he did. But a woman he was beginning to care for generally wasn’t part of the mix.

  As he’d learned the hard way, it was one thing to put a stranger in danger. Quite another to watch someone close to you risk themselves.

  His heart had nearly stopped when she’d faced off with the four men. He’d been too far away to hear what they were saying, but their facial expressions spoke volumes. It was clear that, at least initially, they’d seen her as little more than a nuisance. Perhaps a plaything to be used up and discarded. He’d very nearly blown his cover when the man had leered at Olivia, but he’d stopped himself just in time.

  For her part, Olivia had kept her cool. He still wasn’t sure how she’d done it, but she’d shifted the balance of power in her favor and managed to hold on to her edge until the meeting was over. And it had ended just in time. The leader wasn’t happy about the way things had gone, and if he’d stuck around much longer, his fear of Olivia probably would have given way to his anger.

  Which was why they needed to get back to the apartment. He didn’t think they were being followed, but the thick vegetation of the jungle had a muffling effect on noises, and it would be all too easy for the men to sneak up on them.

  Olivia panted behind him but didn’t speak. Maybe she was angry with him, or maybe she was just saving her breath for the hike. Either way, there would be time for talking once they were safely indoors.

  If she was willing to listen.

  He felt his face heat, and not from the exertion of the hike. He’d acted like a child, yelling at her when he should have been congratulating her. She’d gone into the lion’s den and emerged unscathed, which was something to be proud of. She’d come a long way from the fragile, scared woman still shaking in the aftermath of Carlos’s appearance at her home.

  He pulled his hat down low on his face once they entered the village, not wanting to draw attention to his dirt-covered face. Fortunately the streets were fairly empty, as it was the hottest part of the day and most people were inside. They made their way quickly to the apartment building, and he led the way up the stairs to their second-floor unit.

  The cool darkness of the apartment was a relief after his time in the jungle. He laid his pack on the ground, sighing in pleasure as the air hit the sweat-damp skin of his back for the first time in hours. He wanted nothing more than to lie on the floor and let the fan blow over him, but he had to make peace with Olivia first.

  She carefully shut the door behind them, looking every bit as relieved to be inside as he felt. He watched her set her own backpack down, saw her features relax as she pulled the thick braid of her hair off the back of her neck to take advantage of the cooler air.

  Words of apology crowded into his mouth, but he remained quiet for a moment, drinking in the sight of her. She truly was a remarkable woman, and she deserved to hear him say that. The last thing he wanted was for his earlier temper tantrum to crush her newfound sense of confidence with respect to this operation.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened back there?” Her eyes were closed and her tone was mild, but he could tell from the remaining tension in her muscles that she was still annoyed with him.

  “I overreacted,” he said simply.

  Her eyes popped open and he caught a flash of surprise in their brown depths. Olivia clearly hadn’t expected him to admit fault so quickly, and her reaction stung a little bit. Did he really seem that arrogant?

  “I’m sorry,” he continued. “You were right—you did an outstanding job, and I shouldn’t have given you a hard time about it.”

  She studied him a moment, weighing his words. “I’m sorry I scared you,” she said finally. “I honestly didn’t mean to.”

  He thrust a hand through his hair and looked down. “I know. It’s not your fault—I just let my emotions get the better of me. It won’t happen again.”

  “Is that right?” He heard Olivia take a step and he looked up to find her standing only inches away. His muscles tensed in anticipation and his fingertips itched to touch her, but he forced his hands to remain by his sides.

  She stared up at him, her dark eyes pulling him in. He couldn’t look away, even if he’d wanted to. “Does that mean you care about me?” Her voice was soft, but there was no artifice in her tone. She wasn’t asking because she wanted him to stroke her ego—she was asking because she genuinely wanted to know.

  Might as well give her the truth. “You know I do.” He unlocked his arm and brought his hand up to touch the side of her face. Just a brief caress, the slide of fingertips on skin. Enough to tide him over for a bit, until they could get out of this hellhole and back to a place where they could explore what was between them.

  She closed her eyes and turned her face into his touch. His heart kicked against his ribs and he felt his breath hitch in his chest. They were standing on dangerous ground. He had to move away now, before he did something foolish.

  Summoning all his self-control, Logan dropped his hand and took a step back. Disappointment flashed in Olivia’s eyes and it took a lot of willpower to keep from reaching for her again. But it was important to maintain the separation between them. He couldn’t think straight when he was touching her, and they were still in danger.

  He cleared his throat. “We need to hide the drugs. It’s not smart to have them in the open here.”

  Olivia nodded. “Did you have someplace in mind?”

  “The mattress.” It was a cliché, but it looked like the only viable option. The floor was tiled, which meant there were no loose boards to pull up. And the ceiling was a flat expanse of adobe with no nooks or crevices that would allow for concealment. The cupboards were too obvious, and the toilet tank wasn’t large enough. That left the mattress. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

  They walked over to the bed and he flipped the mattress over, exposing its dingy yellow underbelly. Olivia brought her bag and knelt on the floor, then withdrew the plastic-wrapped packages.

  “Are you sure we’ll be able to get these back to the US?” she asked doubtfully. “Won’t they be easy to detect?”

  “Probably, but we have a baggage handler on the payroll,” he explained. “He’ll take the bag off the plane and bring it to Alan, bypassing customs and the drug dogs.” He retrieved his pocketknife as he spoke and sliced through fabric. Fortunately the mattress was old and the stuffing crushed down, which meant he didn’t have to pull any of it out to make room for the drugs. He inserted the packages, making sure they were flat. They did still have to sleep on this thing, after all. Then he sealed the slit in the mattress with a strip of duct tape and put the bed back together.

  “Very tidy,” Olivia observed drily.

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  “I can’t believe I’m actually going to sleep on a mattress full of drugs,” she muttered, shaking her head. “How did my life get so messed up?”

  “For what it’s worth, I doubt you’ll even feel it,” Logan said, striving to lighten the moment. “Just try not to think about it.”

  A mischievous glint entered her eyes. “I can think of some ways you can distract me.”

  Heat flared in his chest, spreading down his limbs in a trail of sparks. He swallowed hard. “I can, too,” he said, his voice suddenly raspy. “But we agreed to wait until we got back.”

  “Hmm...” She stepped closer and trailed her finger up his arm. Goose bumps rose on his skin and his mouth went dry. “We did say that. But what if I want to reconsider our arrangement?”

  His body rejoiced and he reached for her before his brain could butt in and ruin things. She emitted a soft, breathy laugh as he
pulled her hard against his chest. The sound warmed his blood and made his skin tingle with anticipation.

  He threaded his hand through her hair, which was thick and damp with the sweat from her earlier exertions. A gentle tug brought her chin up and her lips into the perfect position.

  “Are you sure about this?” he whispered. Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes...

  Her breath was warm against his chin when she responded. “I’ve never been more sure in my life.”

  CHAPTER 12

  “She has the packages.”

  Carlos picked idly at his salad, searching for a stray tomato. “You are certain?”

  “Yes.” But there was a slight hesitation to the word. Carlos remained silent, waiting for his informant to elaborate.

  “I’m confident she has them. I saw her hike into the forest this morning, and she just now returned.”

  “Perhaps she was simply communing with nature,” he suggested, feeling a perverse sort of satisfaction at antagonizing the caller.

  “That’s not like her.”

  “So you say.”

  The informant was silent for a moment. “I will search the apartment as soon as they leave to confirm she picked up the merchandise.”

  “They?” Carlos seized on the word. “You haven’t dealt with him yet?”

  “No.”

  Carlos dropped his fork and it clanged loudly against his plate. Heads swiveled, but he picked it up again, playing it off as a fumbling error. People quickly lost interest, but he waited a moment before speaking just to be sure.

  “Were my instructions unclear?” He was careful to keep his voice level—it wouldn’t do to draw attention to himself again.

  “No—not at all. It’s just—”

  “Just what? You know how I feel about excuses.”

  “Yes, sir. I just haven’t been able to get him alone. Yet,” the informant tacked on, almost stammering with anxiety. “I will, though. Soon.”

  I doubt it. It seemed he was going to need to find another tool for this particular job. But whom could he trust?