“You do.” He slants his lips over mine, and all of my indignation, fear, and frustration fly out the window. For this one moment, all I want to do is feel and pretend that I can have everything I want. With him.
* * *
Trevor
If the last kiss left me off balance, this one knocks me on my ass. Dani’s hands flutter over my sides to the bottom of my t-shirt. I’m about to let her pull it off when my phone rings, and she jerks.
“This better be fucking important,” I growl at Leo when I answer.
“You asked me to keep you updated on the weather forecast,” Leo says, an edge to his voice. “Or do youwantto be caught with the world’s worst sunburn?”
Shit.He’s talking in code, so he’s somewhere he can be overheard. Or he’s in trouble.
“Did you bring your sunscreen?” I ask as Dani’s brows furrow and she presses closer to me so she can hear his response.
“Got my SPF 50 right here. But you’re going to need something stronger. Those storm clouds you saw earlier are over Miraflores now, and I don’t know what’s going to happen when they move on. Tomorrow’s not going to be a good day to be outside.”
“Message received. Find yourself some shade and stay there, man. Thanks.”
I drop the phone on the table next to the food, then pull out a chair for Dani. “Eat. I’m calling Ford to see how quickly he can get us out of here.”
I dig an earbud from my pocket and sit next to her. I don’t want to hide anything from Dani. She can handle the truth. At least, I hope she can.
“Ochoa went to the presidential complex at Miraflores. That’s what Leo was trying to tell me—if you didn’t pick up on it. So it’s fair to say he knows who you are and thinks you’ll be good leverage to get Luis Rojas to talk.”
Dani swallows hard, her eyes a mix of too many emotions for me to name. “He’s going to kill him, isn’t he?”
I lay my palm up on the table and wait for her to take my hand. “Not if Luis is as strong and as smart as I think he is. Did you see him when they took him away?”
She shakes her head, a whiff of her shampoo wrapping around me. “I was too focused on the asshole dragging me out of the room.”
Tightening my grip, I meet her gaze. “He can’t walk, Dani. Or hasn’t, in a very long time. His shoes were brand new. Not a single scuff of dirt on them—not even the soles. And he didn’t move his legs at all. He’s been in custody for what? Eight months?”
“Close to that, yes.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “Why let me talk to him at all?”
I shrug. “Couple of options. First, they knew who you were before we even got on the plane. Though I don’t think that’s it. More likely, they dangled a press interview in front of him like a carrot to try to get something out of him. ‘Just tell us this one thing and we’ll let you see the world above ground.’”
Dani sucks in a sharp breath and yanks her hand away. “And now that they know about me? What will they do to him?”
“Probably nothing until they confirm your DNA and can get you in front of him again. Then...all bets are off. That’s why we’re getting the hell out of here. Ford can arrange a flight for us on a private plane. We’ll have to take the long way home—probably through two or three other South American countries, but it’s the safest thing to do.” I nudge one of the plastic forks towards her. “Eat something. Tomorrow’s going to be a long fucking day.”
I take my own advice as I dial Ford’s emergency number. We all have ‘em. Forwarders that will reach us no matter where we are in the world—and our phones are more secure than any other piece of tech on the market today.
“Trev, what do you need?” Ford asks. A television blares in the background, and I think I hear an announcer call a thirty-seven yard field goal.
“Exfil for me and Dani, ASAP. She’s in danger here, and I don’t want to wait for our commercial flight tomorrow afternoon. Too many risks.”
Dani picks at her shredded beef and fried plantains, disappointment and uncertainty written all over her features, and I reach over and cup her cheek, holding her gaze and hoping I can convince her that everything will be okay if we get out of here quickly.
She gives me a short jerk of her chin towards the phone, then pulls away and stabs a plantain.
“Roger that,” Ford replies. “You have safe transpo from the hotel? Or do I need to send someone?”
“I’ll get us wherever we need to go.“ I don’t trust our rental car—not anymore—butborrowinganother won’t be a problem.
“Give me two hours and I’ll have a plan for you. Dax is home, and he can make some calls if I run into any resistance. Just stay safe in the meantime.”
“We’re not leaving the hotel until I know exactly where we’re going. Ochoa might be desperate, but he isn’t stupid. We’ll be fine until we hear from you.”
