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He buried his face in my neck, his lips gently brushing my skin. “You’re safe. I’ll do everything I can to make sure nobody touches you again.”
Each word was spoken like a vow, the deep timber of his voice sinking into my skin. Each touch of his lips made me want to find out what it would be like to kiss him.
But before I made a mistake neither of us could come back from, he released me and left without a backward glance.
I sank into the closest chair as soon as the door closed. I had to find a way out. The longer I stayed here, the less I wanted to leave Lucius. And that was crazy talk.
Maybe my panic attacks were killing off my brain cells.
Chapter10
Lucius
“Your informant confirmed the location?”
“He’s as sure as he’ll ever be. If you want to grab him, you have to do it now.”
I paced along the edge of the forest, not liking the intel I’d received. “You mean ifyouwant me to grab him, I have to do it now.”
“We don’t owe you anything. You came to us. And this is part of the deal. We’ve been holding up our end.”
I wanted to scream and rage, but instead I stopped, taking a deep breath. This was part of what it took to make amends. And I’d do it. Didn‘t mean I had to like their methods or taking orders from a suit in Washington.
But they’d been after the Cartenas for a long time. I was their chance at finally making some headway. And it served their purposes as much as mine.
I was after a killer; they were trying to bring down the head of the family that hid the killer. With their help, I now had enough proof to know who it was. The only thing missing was a location.
And I’d just received another piece leading me to him.
“Our man on the inside is ready. You just have to give the signal. But if anything goes wrong, you’re on your own.”
They couldn’t send a team or risk a diplomatic nightmare. Which was where I came in.
“Tell your guy I’ll be there tomorrow night. Any news on the plane?”
As long as I could get Everleigh to the airstrip in Georgetown, I’d be able to get her out. With Maurizio having such tight control over the country, a commercial flight would be impossible as long as he was in charge. But a small private plane had a chance of getting past him undetected.
“I might be able to get one for next week,” he hedged.
“I’m running out of time.”
“I know. And I’m trying everything I can.”
We hung up, and I paced the edge of the cliff. I’d have to leave Everleigh alone for a night. The thought didn’t sit well with me, but I didn’t have a choice. I’d make sure Santino watched her. And my room was locked up tight. The door and windows were bulletproof, and it was nearly impossible to get in without breaking the steel door that opened only to my or Everleigh’s handprint.
I’d even revoked the cleaner’s access, only allowing her inside when I was there.
The night was pitch black, heavy rain clouds blocking out the stars. It was nearly midnight, but I couldn’t give in to the urge to go back to Everleigh. I had a lot of things to organize before I’d be ready to leave.
And unfortunately, Maurizio would be back by then. I’d have to find a good excuse for my absence.
I went to my office, nodding to the many guards on my way. It was overkill employing this many people, but Maurizio was paranoid. Ever since someone broke through and put a bullet in his leg, he surrounded himself with bodyguards.
They were quick to shoot anyone they perceived as a threat, and we’d lost our cook and two maids to their trigger-happy fingers. None of them died, but they also weren’t keen on coming back and risking more holes. Not even threats worked.
There were a few guys I’d been working on who I thought could be swayed to join me against Maurizio, should the time come. They weren’t happy with his increasingly heavy-handed methods. But until I was ready, I had to hide my little side project with the CIA and make sure I followed orders without raising suspicions.
My bag was ready and waiting in the hidden compartment under my desk. If someone was to take a closer look, they’d find it, but I was running out of hiding places. I added a fake passport from my safe and an extra gun to the pile I’d take with me tomorrow.
