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She wet her lips, nearly giving-in to the need to kiss him when his gaze slipped to her mouth before sliding back up. “In a nutshell? I need a partner. Someone I can trust. Who I’m confident can’t be bought. Who won’t balk at flying a chopper in questionable conditions in a foreign country. Who can back me up on the ground when things inevitably go sideways. Who has a contact who can acquire a fewkeyitems. And who isn’t afraid to break some rules if it means bagging the bad guys.”
She leaned toward him, brushing her lips across his. “So, Booker… Do you know anyone like that?”
He stared at her, mouths barely touching before he grinned. “A name springs to mind, assuming he’s free. Does this guy get to know where to have yourkeyitems delivered, which I’ll surmise is code for a helicopter, vehicles, and a variety of weapons?”
She swallowed, ignoring the instant echo of gunfire in her mind. The damn voices that never stopped screaming inside her head. “That would be the minimum I’d want, seeing as it’s San Juan.”
“Puerto Rico? I thought you only went undercover in Mexico? Where you knew all the players.”
She simply shrugged. “I got reassigned.”
“I see. Isn’t it the rainy season in Puerto Rico, right now?”
“Wettest month of the year with the real possibility of hurricanes.”
“Sounds lovely. And by bad guys, I assume you mean drug dealers with guns.”
She snorted. “Are there any other kind?”
“Not generally. And I’ll also assume that backing you up on the ground is because you can’t fly directly to wherever it is you’re going. Due to these bad guys with guns.”
“Of course, I can’t fly directly to their shack. That would be suicidal.”
“Thought as much. Which means, at some point, you and thispartnerwill be running through the jungle being chased by these bad guys… With guns.”
She grinned. “Why else would anyone run through the jungle?”
“No other reason, really.” He eased back slightly. “Yeah. I know a guy who meets those qualifications.”
“Don’t forget the most important part.”
He arched a brow.
She swallowed, again, nearly choking on it. “The one where he can’t be bought. Is someone I can trust with my life.”
That brow furrowed, his gaze sweeping over her. “He’d be a pretty shitty guy if that wasn’t the number one reason to rely on him. So, yeah, Calliope. You can trust him with your life. Be assured that, if anyone wants to get to you, they’ll have to go through him, because he always brings his teammates home alive…”
He cleared his throat, those shadows in his eyes staring back at her. “Well, you get the gist. Just answer me one last question…”
“What’s that?”
“How much time do I have to pack?”
She pursed her lips to hold back the giddy laugh threatening to claw free. The overwhelming sense of relief that, maybe, she’d finally unearth the bastard who’d set up her team — left her for dead. That, with a whole lot of luck, she might just make it back alive.
Callie stuffed her hand in her jacket pocket, removing two tickets to San Juan. The ones she’d bought before she’d had time to consider that he might turn her down. That she’d have to go alone. She held them up. “Not long if we’re going to make our flight.”
He took the tickets, looking at her when he realized his name was on one of them, before nodding. He stepped back, motioning to the stool. “Guess that’s my cue to start packing while you finish your drink.”
Booker gave her one last once-over then headed for the hallway. He stopped when she called his name, glancing at her over his shoulder.
She tilted her head, giving him a soft smile. “Pack light. We can’t afford to be weighed down.”
He nodded. “So, only the sexy boxers. Got it. I won’t be long. And maybe, once we get there, you can tell me who the hell we’re hunting and why. Because there’s no way you’d go rogue if this wasn’t DEFCON one level shit.”
He disappeared down the hallway, his words lingering in the air. He was right about one thing. She was walking a very fine line where the DEA was concerned — what her boss had sanctioned her to do — and if this didn’t pan out the way she hoped, her career would be just another ghost in her past.
CHAPTER3
