Rio looked up at the screen. “The whole writing on the wall thing has always bothered me. It doesn’t go with anything else he’s ever done.” It also didn’t fit the man on the video.
“We assumed he went after a contact at the resort, then literally sent a message.” Gatlin shook his head studying the original board. “Now I’m not so sure.”
“The first one looks like gang on gang. Ayala cartel versus Guerrero’s. We’ll double-check to be sure.” Gatlin nodded in agreement. “The rest is escalation by whoever’s trying to pass for Oz.”
“You still think there’s an inside guy?” Celeste looked up at that, her face pale. Her eyes found his, filled with a glimmer of unshed tears and a heavy dose of hope. It took everything in him to keep from wrapping his arms around her.
“Yes,” he said quietly. Her shoulders sagged, and she released a breath she’d been holding. His attention shot back to Gatlin. “Our guys are pulling out today,” Rio informed. “So if you have questions for Ayala, you need to get them asked ASAP.”
Gatlin dropped the remote beside him and pushed off from the desk. “Roger that.” He picked up his notes. “Let me head next door to use the phone.”
Rio nodded, looking past to where Celeste sat on the far side of the room. She looked so damn small, staring into space, shoulders hunched as if she carried the responsibility for her father’s actions. I hate you. How could you do this to me? Her words echoed within the hollow in his chest. Although the office seemed bigger than ever before, he knew the space between them was a lot more than the few yards separating them.
“If we’re done,” Celeste asked, clearing her throat, “may I go back with Kari?”
“Yes.” He stood, drawing her gaze to him. For half a second he saw recognition of him, as a man. As something he’d been to her back in Breman. But she blinked it away. “I’ll walk you back.”
She shook her head, crossing her arms. “That’s okay. I’m just going next door.”
He had the urge to tell her he’d go, because he made the rules at the facility. But he bit off his words. She didn’t need to hear that, or to know he could make exceptions. “Guests need to be escorted around the grounds. Even next door,” he added. Disappointment, annoyance, and resignation flashed across her face. Her pattern held strong, but she nodded and moved forward, scraping the floor in her government-issued steel-toe boots.
Maybe she’d be more at ease if she realized he wasn’t the enemy. What was a guy supposed to say at a time like this? Most guys would be glad or regretting their actions. He just felt her words echoing inside him. But that was secondary to the fact she carried his child. For a guy who’d grown up alone, shipped off the moment he was born, he was surprisingly good with becoming a father.
Steeling himself, he said, “I got the results of the test.”
Celeste straightened her spine. When she looked up, her expression, or lack of one, knotted the muscles along his throat. “You don’t have to worry,” she said with a cool, businesslike tone. “I’ll take care of everything.”
What? His chest tightened, the pressure splitting the halves in two. No, she couldn’t be thinking of ending the pregnancy.
Her hands covered her stomach. “We’ll be fine once I’m far away from here.” And from him, though she didn’t say it out loud. Still, the simple action gave him a sliver of peace.
With that, she went past him to the hallway, carrying herself with the same serene bearing he’d first seen at the airport. If he hadn’t caught that spark of something in her eyes, he might have believed she was unaffected.
If things were different, he’d be glad she was handing him an easy way out. Otherwise, he’d play the asshole and give her a reason to stay away. But as things were, he didn’t want her to stay away. He needed to find the quirky, fun, sexy woman who’d haunted his dreams for weeks. He had questions that needed answers, for both him and her. They wouldn’t have much time. He’d already laid out a plan to lure in the impostor. At most they’d have a couple of days together, at worst, only a few hours. He had to move now, and he knew exactly where to start.
Chapter Fourteen
“Come on,” Kari said, closing her laptop. “I’m starving, and you need to get out of here for a while.”
Celeste cringed inside at the thought of everyone’s attention focused on her, knowing all they saw was the cartel leader’s daughter. But yes, she was starting to get hungry. She tied the laces on the combat boots Kari got her, then straightened, pulling her top into place so her cleavage wasn’t on full display.
In the back of her mind, Vix drew in a deep breath, letting her chest expand to show off her breasts. She draped her fingers against her collarbone, letting the tips drift down toward her cleavage.
“You’re rocking the Lara Croft look.” Kari winked, holding the door for her.
Yeah, Lara in a borrowed sports bra that pinched at the sides. She folded her arms, then put them down, leaving her hand over her belly. The thought of everyone looking at her was like a bout of poison ivy inside her. “How are they going to feel about sharing a table with an Ayala?”
Kari pulled the door shut, her hand resting on the knob. “It’s not unusual to pull an embedded agent for a debrief during a raid.”
“Women work undercover in this, too?” Celeste didn’t want to imagine a woman doing the god-awful things she’d seen on the internet.
Kari took a deep breath, staring into her eyes like she was coming to a decision. “We have a lot more people in deep cover with your organiza—”
“Not my organization,” Celeste rushed to cut her off.
“Within the cartel…than you’d imagine.”
“Wouldn’t they know I’m not one of you?” She worried her lip. “I mean, how am I supposed to act?” She scrunched her brow, trying to figure out what television show might give her a clue.
Kari chuckled. “There is no ‘way’ to act. If there were, the baddies would figure out who our people are in a heartbeat. Come on, we’re going to have dinner, and you’re going to be yourself.” She pushed open the door.
They walked across the yard, several men greeting them along the way. The looks they got ranged from curiosity to blatant interest. Celeste managed a stiff nod and kept her attention on the building ahead. “Are you the only woman here?”
“The one and only.” She did a walking bow. “Though I’m really just one of the guys. I just happen to have bigger boobs than they do.” She grinned, thrusting her chest out playfully.
Celeste gave her a sidelong glance. It was tempting to confide in Kari, someone who would understand her conflicted feelings about Rio. Surrounded as she was by people she could only consider as the enemy, it was a risk she couldn’t afford. As much as she wanted to completely hate him, her body and her heart continued to betray her. Meanwhile, her father’s warnings nagged at her, and Rio had done nothing to convince her that her father was wrong. She’d fallen for his brand of BS, thinking they’d have a wild, no-strings-attached weekend and never see each other again. He could have been her perfect fantasy, instead, he’d gone and ruined what was arguably the single best moment of her life.
They neared the cafeteria, and the spicy scent of Italian food wafted out to greet them. Kari reached for the door. Garnering courage, Celeste stepped in. Food, voices, laughter, and classic AC/DC surrounded them.
“Welcome to the chow hall.”
Kari swept by, heading to the serving area and leaving Celeste no choice but to follow. With green, cafeteria-style trays in hand, they each took oval plates and served heaping portions of spaghetti. Ooh, garlic bread. Her mouth watered as Kari took the last piece.
“Hey,” Gatlin called from a nearby table, waving them over. “You made it.”
“Hi.” Celeste kept close to Kari, setting her tray on the table as the weight of curious gazes followed their every move.
“He
y, Gatlin. Snow White’s going to need some of her stuff so she can shower.” Kari pointed a thumb at her as they settled into the round seats.
“Sure. I’ll sign out her belongings after we eat.” Gatlin shoveled spaghetti into his mouth.
Snow White. She almost laughed out loud. If only they’d seen her a few weeks ago. Before Leonard deemed her in need of a tan. The next day he got her a drawer of bikinis, which was disturbing in itself. Then his people had herded her out to sit in the sun, until only her hair remained as a pale reminder of her former self.
She twirled noodles on her fork. It had been weeks since she had pasta. An image flashed through her mind. Her, kneeling on a stack of pasta sauce boxes, her dress pooled at her waist, with Rio behind her, stroking between her thighs. Pushing the thought out of her head, she took a bite, savoring the rich sauce.
A few forkfuls later, a burly man approached them, setting a plate stacked high with garlic bread on the table. Everybody reached for a piece. “Hey.” The man’s sharp tone stopped all but Kari. “Let the señorita have some. This dinner is for her.” She hesitated only a second before reaching up and plucking the largest chunk of bread from the plate. The man nodded, apparently happy with her choice. The rest disappeared in seconds.
“Jorge, this is Snow White.”
Oh, she was serious about the name. “Thank you, Jorge,” she murmured.
“Glad you’re feeling better, ma’am. Our Parker, she’s a great caretaker.” So that was the story. Illness was keeping her at the clinic with Kari. “Eat. Eat, please.”
She picked up the bread, taking a bite, and she almost swooned. Warm. Lightly toasted, with a sliver of roasted garlic crowning the center. She pushed noodles on her fork with the bread, soaking in the sauce before taking a bite.
“Rio nailed it,” he said, pleased. But Celeste stopped, mid-chew. “He said he’d never seen anyone enjoy sauce the way you do.”
The bread all but turned to cardboard in her mouth. A full second went by before she managed to swallow. If Jorge wasn’t standing there, she would have spit the food out. But it would be rude to do so, after the man had obviously gone out of his way for her.
“Excuse me,” she mumbled, pushing back from the table. She was halfway to the hall before Kari’s fork clattered to the table. Without slowing her pace, she pushed the door open, then headed away from the other buildings.
The rotten bastard. He knew she’d think about what happened in the storeroom. She pressed her lids shut, trying to banish the image. Unless a condom failed, that’s likely when she’d gotten pregnant. Even with no penetration. She dug her nails into her palms. Sentimental idiot. She’d thought to name the baby River, after the father, at the time, believing she’d never see him again.
“Wait.” Kari plowed into her, throwing her off balance.
“Let me go.” Celeste wrenched her arm away. She kept walking, though the clearing only went so far, then tall grass and mesquite peppered the ground into the distance. Rotten bastard. She needed to stay as far away—
“Stop! I’m trying to keep you from getting your ass shot.” The words penetrated her mental rant. “She’s good,” Kari called out, waving her arms. Celeste followed Kari’s line of sight to the man on the roof holding a weapon aimed in her direction. Then she looked across to the other building, slowing her steps as if she’d been weighed down. “I got her.” Kari dragged her to one side, pinning her with a glare. “Either one of them could have brought you down. And you’d be lucky…if you could get patched up.” She shook her head. “I figure the guard would end up paying in the long run.”
Her pulse pounded in her throat. She’d nearly found out the hard way, why she needed an escort.
“So,” Kari said, releasing her. “You gonna tell me what all that was about?”
Once again she was tempted to share. She was out of her element, and she could really use someone to vent with. But she couldn’t do it. Didn’t even know where to start, so the silence stretched out like the land around them.
“Come on.” Kari led them back to the infirmary, taking her time with each step. “I’m going to try putting the pieces together myself. Stop me if I’m off track.” They walked away from the edge of the clearing. “I figure you didn’t just meet Rio yesterday.”
Celeste kept her expression neutral.
“In fact, from the way he was acting, I’d say the last time you saw him was three weeks and two to three days ago.” She held up a finger. “Well, three to four, since that was a day ago.”
It shouldn’t surprise her that Kari had figured things out on her own. Did everyone else know? Did they realize he’d played her for a fool? She closed her eyes, wondering if everyone in the chow hall was laughing at her, even now.
“Oh, come on. When you two were together there was so much sexual tension in the room I thought I’d end up pregnant.”
Damn, she’d hoped she’d been wrong about that.
“There’s no reason you can’t pick up where you were back then.”
Celeste’s gaze snapped to Kari. Did she mean sex? If so, no. She shook her head. They wouldn’t be picking up there. She’s been seduced for one reason and one reason alone. To get the Ayala cartel.
“Rio’s an intense guy, and the way he looks at you…” She looked over and winked. “Well, as long as he doesn’t launch himself off the ceiling fan, you should be good.”
No-no-no-no-no. Celeste shook her head.
“You can have a normal, healthy, satisfying relationship,” she continued.
“That’s not going to happen,” Celeste said with finality.
“Uh-huh.” Kari pulled open the door. “I prefer my version.”
Chapter Fifteen
The building didn’t smell like any gym Celeste ever visited. The worn hallway held some light citrus cleaner and a hint of leather. Kari led her to a doorway at the right, dropping her clothes on a wooden bench by the entrance. A dozen shower stalls, in two rows, took up the center of the room.
“The place wasn’t built with women in mind.” Kari patted the white-tiled walls stopping around mid-chest. “But if we face away from each other, we can have some privacy.” She went to the other side and pulled her shirt over her head. Celeste undressed in silence, hanging her towel on a hook outside the nearest stall before turning on the water. “Oh crap.” Kari set shampoo and body wash on the wall between them. “With all the hair, I should have gotten you another towel.”
“Don’t worry,” Celeste said, ducking under the spray. “I’ll make do.”
“Nah.” Kari pulled on her top. “The towels aren’t the best. I can barely manage, and my hair’s a lot shorter.” Her boots clomped on the cement floor. “Ugh, what I wouldn’t give for a pair of slip-ons right now.” She propped her foot on the bench, next to Celeste’s clothes, pulling at the laces. Celeste turned, giving Kari her back. “There we go. I’ll be back in a sec.”
Celeste worked the shampoo through her hair, letting the hot water drain away some of her tension along with the bubbles. She was running a soapy hand towel over her body when the door slammed, echoing throughout the building. Kari’s determined steps came closer.
“Where’d you learn to tell time?” Rio’s voice boomed from a few feet away.
Eyes wide, she covered her breasts and glanced over her shoulder. “I-I’m almost done.”
A loud clank came from down the hall. Rio scoffed. “Damn it, Parker.”
“Kari?” She shut off the water.
“Yeah.” He ran a hand over his hair. “We got set up. Parker told me you couldn’t use the shower because one of the guys was in here.”
She reached around, trying to find the towel, but her fingers fumbled over the bare metal hook. She turned, finding nothing but wet tile. Rio’s words sunk in. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath.
Pulling her hair to one side, she twisted it
to wring out as much water as possible. Rio stood like a giant, taking up a good portion of her peripheral vision. “The tan looks good on you,” he said in a gentle voice.
Oh God. And he’d been the one to see all of her. Had he thought he suffered through sleeping with her, for his job? Hunching her shoulders, she let her head drop back.
“But I thought your skin was beautiful before.” The words sounded so sincere, they sent her into a tailspin.
“Stop it.” She couldn’t even tell what was real anymore.
Vix popped up, frowning at her for the outburst. Celeste glared at her alter ego. Whose side are you on? Following Vix was the whole reason she was in this mess. No, she lost some of her steam; she’d wanted to step outside herself for just one day. To live the life her readers thought she led. And she’d gotten more than she expected.
“Here.” He walked toward her, and she turned, her eyes bugging out when he pulled off his shirt.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a strangled voice. Rio, all smooth, hard muscle was temptation itself. She couldn’t stop her eyes from raking back and forth across his chest.
“I’m giving you something to put on.” His navy-blue T-shirt hung off the end of his fingers. Could she literally wrap herself in something covered in his scent? Her knees felt weak even thinking about it. She reached out an unsteady hand, snatching the shirt to her chest. “I’m not going to hurt you.” The soothing tone managed to fan her temper.
“You’ve done enough of that already.” Giving him her back, she pulled on the shirt. When her head popped through the collar, she found him standing next to her.
“I’m sorry if I did…hurt you.” He shook his head. “But this job, is me. It’s my life.”
Temptation and Treachery (Dangerous Desires) Page 10
