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“Uh, no, I’m with another American. When the Policía and soldiers started questioning people, we came up here. As soon as it cools off a bit, I’ll leave. Roger. See you soon.” Disconnecting the call, Gray stuffed his phone back into his pocket and returned his attention outside.
“Who was that?” Aubrey asked.
“Hell, it sounds like they’re gearing up for World War III down there.”
Aubrey stood up and walked over. Peering around Gray’s massive shoulder, she glanced through the tiny slit of drapes. There was a small, decorative iron balcony beneath her window overlooking a courtyard, and it lined most of the third floor and held potted plants and flowers. It obscured most of her line of sight, but she could still clearly hear the chaos taking place in front of the hotel and in the lobby.
A wave of unease passed through her. “Do you think we’re safe?”
Gray slanted a look down at her. “For now,” he said.
That didn’t reassure her and she stepped back, swallowing hard, folding her arms over her chest. For an entire year, she’d had no major issues and felt relatively safe. And now, on her last night, everything went to hell because someone just murdered the son of the most powerful man in Colombia. Talk about timing.
Her attention locked onto Gray’s big, solid form and the tattoo peeking out from beneath his sleeve. Maybe her timing was better than she realized. If this had happened tomorrow, she never would’ve had this extra time with Gray. After he got his food, she’d been prepared to walk away. She never would have seen him again. Another lost opportunity, merely a memory that would tease her mind every blue moon.
But now he wasn’t just some what-if scenario. He was there, every rock-hard inch, and she breathed in his spicy scent tinged with leather. She still planned to leave in the morning and things wouldn’t go anywhere with him but, holy hell, the possibility of something maybe occurring was a little enticing.
“You said you’re former military,” Aubrey said, and Gray grunted. “So who’s this team? Who’s Pharaoh?”
Gray slowly turned around, letting the curtain slide shut, and crossed his big arms. “The less you know, the better.”
“I’m letting you hide out in my room. The least you could do is tell me what you’re doing down here.”
He huffed out a breath. “My team and I are down here for work.”
Aubrey waited for him to offer more information, but he didn’t. “Are you still working with the Navy?”
“No.”
What kind of team would come down to Colombia? Plus, he was armed. Was he some kind of assassin or spy who worked for some off the books, secret organization? No, that was silly. She knew real life was completely different from the crazy action films Hollywood created. The same applied to the sweet romantic comedies that gave women unrealistic expectations. People didn’t meet on some once in a lifetime adventure and fall madly in love along the way.
Those kinds of things only happened in books and movies. Real life meant online dating and the agony of rejection. She knew that better than anyone. But if she could be caught up in this unimaginable chaos, maybe romance wasn’t that far out of the realm of possibility. Or, maybe she was foolishly wishing for the impossible.
Giving herself a mental shake, she lowered back down on the edge of the bed again. But she wasn’t quite ready to let him off the hook. Or give up getting information about the man she was harboring in her hotel room. “So, what do you know about Mesa?”
???
Christ, she’s nosy. Nosy and persistent.Moving away from the window, Gray sat down in a chair opposite Aubrey. Leaning back, the front legs lifting, he eyed her closely.Too smart for her own good, too.
“I know he’s not a good guy,” Gray answered vaguely.
“That’s an understatement. The CDE is renowned for its ruthlessness. Did you hear the story about the crocodile? It’s practically an urban legend around here,” Aubrey said.
The chair’s front legs dropped down onto the carpet with a thud and Gray leaned forward, hands dangling between his legs, fingers lacing. “Yeah, it’s not a legend. Alvaro Mesa chopped up one of his enemies and fed him to his pet crocodile.”
Aubrey visibly shivered. “Were you special ops?”
“DEVGRU.”
“What’s that exactly?”
Gray hesitated, but he supposed it couldn’t hurt to tell her a little about his military history. It might make her feel more comfortable, help put her at ease. “Naval Special Warfare Development Group. It’s a counter-terrorism unit made up of a select group of Navy SEALs.”
“You were a SEAL?”
Gray gave a sharp nod but didn’t comment further. His throat tightened and he immediately pictured his brothers. So far, he’d done a pretty good job keeping his shit locked down since arriving in South America. But now wasn’t the time or place to talk about his painful past and what happened down there. Even though it was a year ago, the anguish, sorrow and loss he experienced still felt raw to the point of being debilitating.
“So you took out bad guys and kept our country safe,” Aubrey said.
