Page 11 of Wicked Suspicion

But they’d also alert Archer, who would put his own plans in motion. For all his failings, the man took care of his employees, even contractors like her. He’d launch some rescue scheme of his own.

That might make things worse, depending on who he hired.

Then there was her father. When she didn’t phone home on schedule, he’d start asking questions, and with his contacts, it would only be a matter of time before he found out she was in Puerto Jardin. From there, he’d pinpoint her location in the drug lord’s compound and make calls. The first one would be to Dylan who’d take leave and find some friends to come along for the rescue.

Nyx looked out the window and saw the guards with their M4s, the wall with the razor wire and more guards, and beyond that, open land. Not a tree or bush to offer cover. Even her brother and his Special Forces buddies would have a hell of a time getting in here.

Swallowing hard, she squared her shoulders and returned her gaze to the mercenary. “How many months?” Her voice came out levelly and Nyx was grateful for that.

“Relax, Fireball, it won’t be that long. I’ll come up with a way to get you out of here quickly.”

His voice was calm and easy. Nyx wanted to believe he’d manage it, but she knew better. The balance of power was firmly on the side of the drug lord. She nodded anyway. If he’d missed a camera or microphone, she wanted to appear in complete alignment with him. To show anything else was to display a weakness that Vargas could exploit.

“How are you supposed to negotiate with the arms dealer when Señor Vargas took your phone?” If the mercenary had his mobile, she could contact Archer. Of course, calling for help was why his phone had been confiscated.

“Señor Vargas is going to want a conversation with me. I’ll find out more then. Stop worrying.”

“Easy for you to say,” she muttered.

For a moment, he studied her, and then the mercenary straightened and crossed to her. He took her hand, and the jolt was so strong, Nyx felt as if she held a live wire. She wasn’t the only one who experienced the shock either. She saw his eyes widen.

He recovered quickly. “Come on,” he said and tugged her into motion.

Curious, Nyx allowed him to lead her into the bathroom. Once the door was closed behind them, he turned on the shower full blast. As they stood next to it, he let go of her and said softly, “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’ll take care of you and I’m going to do everything in my power to get you out of here.”

Now she knew why they were in the bathroom. With the shower running, he must feel confident even if he had missed a mic that their conversation would go unheard.

“Why do you want to help me? I’m not rich. My parents aren’t rich. I can’t pay you anything.” She remembered his reaction to taking her hand. The attraction was strong, and it went both ways. “Anything,” she repeated with emphasis.

He shook his head, his lips turning down slightly at the corners. “I don’t expect you to pay me, not in money or anything else.”

“Why?” Nyx couldn’t help the suspicion. “Mercenaries don’t tend to be altruistic.”

Another one-shoulder shrug. “Chalk it up to wanting some good karma.”

That was bullshit, but ultimately, it didn’t matter. She was in over her head and the merc was her best chance at getting out of this mess.

“We’re safe to talk?” she asked.

“As long as we keep our voices low, yeah.” She nodded, but before she could say anything, he spoke. “What the fuck were you doing at the ruins today? Are you following me?”

“I’m not following you.”

“Don’t lie to me. I won’t tolerate it.”

“I’m not lying! I was out there at first light to hike into the ruins. You and the brute squad didn’t show up until I’d been there for hours. Believe me, if I’d known you and your friends were planning a rendezvous, I’d have bugged out earlier.”

“Which brings me back to my original question. What were you doing at the ruins?”

Nyx decided it was in her best interests to tell him. “My job. I’m working on my PhD in geoarchaeology. I was checking something out at the ruins.”

“Geoarchaeology?”

She was used to the question. “Geoarchaeology combines earth sciences like geology and geophysics to answer questions about archaeological sites.”

“Who do you work for?”

She waffled for an instant. Archer might not like her passing along the intel. Bottom line though, she needed the merc’s help. “The Paladin League.”

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