Page 77 of Witness Security Breach

“Stay away from him.”

She’d do whatever was necessary to cover Aiden’s back. If Devlin showed, he’d have to go through her first before she gave him an opportunity to get the drop on her man. Hers.

“Devlin is dangerous,” Aiden said, probably reading the bullheaded look in her eyes.

“So am I. You can’t take on an entire team alone. We’re partners. Don’t try and sideline me because I’m a woman or because you love me. We only win if we do it together.”

Reluctantly, he said, “All right. But if you see Devlin, don’t follow him. Come straight to the exhibit. We’ll deal with him together.”

She put her palm to his chest, stared into his deep brown eyes, finding her center. “Do you have any bad feelings?”

He nodded, his lips pressing tight like he didn’t want to say more.

She wasn’t going to push him. “Be careful.”

“Always. You, too.”

Charlie had no clue what was going to transpire once Walsh arrived in the next few minutes, but she’d promised herself to tell Aiden, every single day, what he meant to her. “I love you.”

He lowered his head and kissed her, hard, quick. “See you soon.” With that, he was off.

Taken aback, Charlie snatched his wrist and pulled him into the dim blue light. “Hey, Mr. Romantic, aren’t you going to say it back?” Weren’t couples supposed to do that? Exchange mushy sentiments before separating and running into danger.

“After,” he said. The single, steely word was his promise to her that they’d get through this, that this wasn’t their last chance to share what was in their hearts.

Oddly enough, it filled her with hope. “After.” Another peck on the lips, and she let him leave.

She watched him take the entrance to the Rainforest Exhibit through the Mayan Reef and head past the sign that read Closed for Repairs.

Outside, she found a spot on a bench under a large shade tree, facing the river. The position gave her lines of sight to anyone approaching the entrance from the south or north and was partially concealed by a closed kiosk.

She put in her wireless earpiece. “One, two, can you hear me?” she said, doing a comms check.

“Loud and clear,” Aiden responded. “I’m all set up. It’s quiet in here. I think they moved the birds for whatever maintenance they’re doing. Fish are still in the tank. Hey, did you know that a school of piranha can strip the flesh from a one-hundred-pound capybara in under a minute using razor-sharp teeth?”

“No, and neither did you until you read that on a sign.”

Useless fact, but the viciousness made Charlie think she needed that same ferocious survival instinct.

She’d never had anything in her life as precious as Aiden’s love. They had a chance at a future together, and she was going to fight like hell to keep it.

They needed a four-man team for this. Something Devlin had and they lacked. Hopefully, Enzo was doing his part. If an army of thugs showed up at the aquarium, they’d have to retreat and regroup.

At three o’clock sharp, a text came in. Charlie opened the attachment, finding a picture of Edgar Plinski at the south side of the aquarium, as they’d instructed.

Edgar was pale, with horror-filled eyes and puffy cheeks, looking as if he was on the verge of a breakdown. They must have put him through the wringer.

Charlie sent the exact location for the meet.

Amazon Rainforest Exhibit. Second level.

A man she recognized from Devlin’s group photo approached from the east, alone, and went inside.

“Albatross is here, and a scout just entered, checking the place out. One of Devlin’s.”

“Roger,” Aiden said. “I’ll contact Garcia. Tell her to get over here ASAP.”

Devlin’s scout would do a thorough sweep, making sure it was clear of feds and cops, and that nothing suspicious stood out.