Jemma bit her bottom lip. “Even if that means putting the rest of your life on hold?”
“The rest of my life? Or my life with you?” Rocco asked.
“Always straight to the point, aren’t you?” Jemma said, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. “This thing between us, this … “ Jemma huffed.
He swore he could see a blush creeping across her soft brown skin.
“Relationship is the word you’re searching for,” Rocco said, taking another opportunity to emphasize how serious his feelings were becoming for her.
A flash of panic crossed her face.
“Jemma—”
“No, get down,” Jemma whispered, pulling him to the ground. She pointed through a dense copse of trees, then yanked binoculars from her backpack.
Rocco grabbed his and pointed them in the direction Jemma was focused on. Twisting the binoculars to get a better focus, he understood what had gotten her attention.
Through the fauna, there was a distinct clearing of land that hadn’t shown up on any of the satellite images they’d obtained. Dust rose in the air as a convoy of black luxury SUVs pulled to a stop. The doors opened, and armed bodyguards exited, followed by three men.
“Well, look at what we have here,” Rocco muttered as Vance Neville and Eddie Baez came into view. There was a third man with them, one who looked familiar to Rocco, but he couldn’t place from where. “Do you recognize the guy with Vance and Eddie?”
“No, I don’t,” Jemma whispered back. “But I’ll get some photos and see if Proteus can identify him.”
Rocco lowered his binoculars and glanced at Jemma. “What do you think this place is?”
“If I had one guess, it’s a future staging area for drug trafficking,” Jemma said, lowering her binoculars. “The image feeds are being hacked to make it look like the jungle is still here when it’s not. Maybe the connection El Sombro wanted from Eddie was a place, not a person.”
Rocco said, “An area that El Sombro thinks is off the radar of any law enforcement. All we’d need is a schedule of when drugs will flow through here, and we could bust his operations wide open.”
Jemma said, “Perhaps the shipments moving through the clinic are the key to getting that intel.”
Chapter 34
Grabbing the paper cups filled with coffee, Jemma popped the lids and poured the steaming hot liquid into two coffee mugs. A paper bag filled with two croissants, two donuts, and a cup of fruit sat on the edge of the kitchen counter.
She glanced over her shoulder, straining to hear if Rocco was stirring in the bedroom. He’d be almost ready to leave for work soon and she wanted to send him off with a good breakfast. Placing the food on an oversized platter, she fussed with the arrangement until it looked more than presentable. Then tossed the bag into the trash can.
“What you got there?” Rocco’s low voice rumbled behind her. Before she could turn, his arms were wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close.
She closed her eyes and allowed herself to indulge in the moment. Mornings like these, they were two people exploring a deeper intimate connection. Not DEA agents on an undercover operation.
Just Rocco. Just Jemma.
“Breakfast,” she said, then bit her lip as she turned in his armsto face him. “It’s bad that I don’t know what you normally like to eat.”
“Well, you got most of it right,” Rocco said. “I like my coffee like my women … black and strong.”
“Is that so?” Jemma said, unable to hide her smile.
“And I’m a sucker for fruit at any time of the day or night,” Rocco said, grabbing a handful of grapes and strawberries. He tossed a couple in his mouth.
Damn. He was sexy when he was chewing.
“No carbs?”
Rocco shook his head. “But I’ll take them into the clinic. They’ll be gone quick with The Two Carlas around.”
“Your nurses,” Jemma said, remembering the two other employees of the clinic. “Well, I’m keeping the donuts. Nothing like a burst of sugar with my coffee to fuel me for the day.”
