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He took a deep breath and glanced back toward the airfield, and then he looked back at me again. My vision had adjusted to the dark enough that I could see the gravity of the moment in his eyes. Whatever troubled him was serious.
“The way you crashed into my life—quite literally—was unforgettable as it was,” he admitted. “Now I just jumped out of an airplane with you, we’re running through the Colombian jungle together—after you forced an invitation to join, mind you—and I… I don’t know. You’ve changed my life, Crew. I’m absurdly attached to you already, and I want to be sure you will give me an honest chance. I understand our age difference is significant—”
“Baby. What the fuck?” I had to cut him off. I closed the distance between us and cupped his face in my hands. “I’mkidding, Adrien. I was literally just thinking how you drive me crazy in the best fucking ways, something I’ve never felt before. And the fact that we’re having this talk right here—like, can youcomprehendwhere we are right now?—is the icing on the cake. I’m hooked. You’re talking about our first date, and I’m thinking about the tenth when you possibly introduce me to your old man and your son.”
He was thawing out. My words were working—and I wanted to give him more.
“You’ve changed my life too,” I confessed. “I thought becoming attached to someone meant getting all my ducks in a row—and it turns out it’s the complete opposite. It’s about losing control and realizing I didn’t have shit figured out before either, because clearly, I didn’t know what I wanted until you drove me bananas.”
His mouth twisted into a smile he couldn’t hide. “I didn’t think someone like you existed.”
I smiled back, and I finally got my kiss.
“Just don’t get too used to jungle action,” I mumbled against his lips. “I’m really looking forward to those mad long breakfasts in your pop’s backyard, you know.”
He hummed and squeezed me to him. “I’ll probably introduce you by date four.”
That worked for me. Four was a great number. We’d get one dinner date out, one home-cooked meal at his place or mine, then maybe a barbecue at Roe and Jake’s place. Then bam, breakfast and crossword puzzles.
* * *
We were drenched in sweat and panting like madmen by the time we reached his little jungle house. Well-hidden, maybe half a klick from the nearest dirt road, he had a one-bedroom crib, two concealed off-road vehicles, a diesel generator, and some much-needed supplies.
Every window was boarded shut, so I flicked on the light while Adrien shed his clothes.
“Are we safe here?” I asked, having a look around.
The place had everything we needed. Small kitchenette, mattress on the floor of the bedroom, pullout couch in the main room—oh, look. A portable toilet, bucket style. I hadn’t seen those since Afghanistan.
“Yes,” he answered. “We’re three hours away from Blanco territory. They steer clear of this area because of its proximity to an air force base ten miles south of here.”
Oh, that was good. The Colombian Air Force was badass too. I’d watched documentaries about their domestic ops.
“Okay, we have twenty-four hours,” Adrien said. “You try to activate the phone again. I’m gonna see what we can eat. When Marco’s men pick us up tomorrow night, we can’t afford a single error.”
Yeah, no, that was…yeah. Got it. No mistakes. We had suits and all the pizzazz that would make us look like we’d arrived in luxury. Rafael Delgado was a wealthy man.
“Can you tell me who to keep an eye on?” I asked. “Like, I don’t know, who are these people? Will we see Luca right away or…?”
I started stripping down too.
“I’ve only personally dealt with Marco and Enzo before,” he replied. He was digging through the cupboards. “The way these gatherings work is, there’s always a grand party. Every single night. We willseeLuca but be nowhere near him at first. He’s ninety-three years old and shows no signs of slowing down. He’ll sit in his VIP area with those who are closest to him. No one ever sleeps around here.”
I remembered that much. Elliott and Reese had told me similar stories.
“I suppose the only thing that’s changed is that Luca likes to surround himself with family rather than prostitutes,” Adrien went on. “We’ll see both. But his restricted area is where the kids run around. He has countless grandkids and great-grandkids, and everyone lives on the property in the summer.”
I pursed my lips and left my clothes by the door. Down to boxer briefs and a tee, I trailed over to the couch with the satphone and my tool kit. “Sounds like human shields to me.”
“You catch on quick.” There was no sarcasm in his voice. “Tania, my partner, was horrified. She spent much more time around the family than I ever did, and she never saw Luca without a handful of kids nearby.”
Jesus Christ.
“So how’s that even gonna work?” I asked. “You told me you’ve been here a single time—”
“I lied.”
I sighed. Of course. He’d told me that in Italy, before we’d gotten all lovey-dovey.
