Page 51 of Wicked Suspicion

Captain Nguyen didn’t react. “Do we need to worry about a hit?”

Shaking his head, Oz said, “I doubt it. I was fired for incompetence, not because they suspect me of anything.”

One of BD’s eyebrows went up. “Incompetence? Care to explain that one?”

“There was an attack on the compound last night. Ramirez’s rebels came over the wall and made some headway before they were repelled. It turned out they had some inside help. Those men didn’t live to see the dawn.”

“But Vargas isn’t going to have you killed?” The Big Dog sounded skeptical.

Oz looked down at the floor that had been painted an ugly redwood color. It was peeling in places, worn in others, and a general eyesore. When he had a chance to organize his thoughts, he raised his gaze. “Lurch used the attack as a diversion and escaped with the archaeologist. I was manning one of the gates away from the incursion. When he turned up, I gave him my pistol and all the ammo I had, and then he zip cuffed me and knocked me out.”

BD nodded. “And Vargas’s men found you out cold and trussed up.”

“Yes, sir. I told them Lurch came up behind me, and by the time I saw him, it was too late.” Oz’s lips quirked. “I was accused of being stupid and useless before I was told to get my gear and leave.”

The captain leaned back in his chair. “I’m calling this a win. Lurch and the civilian are out of Vargas’s hands, and you’re unlikely to be looking at a bullet in your head. Losing eyes on the drug lord is an inconvenience, but nothing more than that.”

“Yes and no,” Oz said. “BD, something is going on. I don’t know what, but Ramirez didn’t send his men onto the estate on a whim. We know they’ve been after Lurch for a while. You don’t think?—?”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Nguyen frowned. “They could grab Lurch later after he was off the compound. Why risk a war with Vargas?”

“Maybe they had a deadline and couldn’t wait for Lurch to leave? Or maybe something is going on between Ramirez and Vargas that we don’t know about.”

“Option two is more likely, and as long as it doesn’t impact our op, it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, sir. What do you want me to do now?”

“KW is scheduled to make a check-in. I was going to send Rusty, but you’re the better option. Be at El Taller in an hour.”

Oz nodded. He’d rather be undercover and doing something, not meeting up with other teammates for reports, but it might take a while before he received a more interesting assignment. He shrugged it off. Like the captain said, at least he didn’t have to worry about taking a bullet in the back of his head.

Archer shook off the annoyance. Given their history, he couldn’t blame Nguyen for his attitude. And Nyx was safe—Archer’s primary concern. Although he would have liked to talk to her himself and be absolutely certain.

She’d check in as soon as she was able, and hiding for a time was probably in Nyx’s best interest. He frowned. The chances of the drug lord forgetting about her were slim, and he needed to get her home. That would aggravate her, but he’d rather deal with an unhappy employee than a dead one.

Should he leave Francesca and Ellis in Puerto Jardin or extract them at the same time as Nyx? They seemed to have escaped the attention of Vargas. As long as Nyx stayed away from them, his other two operatives—employees—should be fine.

If there were any danger to Francesca, Nguyen would have already loaded her on a plane and returned her to Los Angeles. Archer’s lips curved, but the amusement didn’t last long. Of the three women, Nyx was by far the one he trusted the most to handle potentially dangerous situations. With her out of Trujillo, that left Francesca to watch over Ellis.

He was in his public office, the show place with the marble floor, white metal molded desk, and the small circular table with the crystal brandy decanter. Turning in his leather chair, Archer looked out the window at the city. Sending Ellis had been a risk. While she was his best art historian, she was also his youngest employee and the most naïve. Would Francesca alone be enough to keep Ellis out of harm’s way?

He needed to factor that into his plans.

Losing Nyx in Puerto Jardin was bad enough, but to bring all three women home? It would derail almost any chance the Paladin League had to locate the Treasure of Trujillo.

Standing, he walked to his chess board and glanced down at the carefully aligned pieces. The problem was that he wasn’t playing a game with only one opponent. There were many. Some were identified, like Jorge Torres. Others were known, but shadows like the mysterious Fuentes. Yet more were completely hidden from his view.

Archer preferred to know his adversaries. He wanted the odds in his favor, in his employees’ favor, and in the Paladin League’s favor. He couldn’t maneuver against what he couldn’t see. Or in Fuentes’s case, against a whisper.

At least his operative was on her way to Puerto Jardin to track down Fuentes for him. Her plane left in twenty minutes. Some instinct honed during his time at ARC told Archer that this man was a serious threat to reach the treasure first. The idea of all that history disappearing into private collections, or worse, being destroyed for the price of the gold or the jewels hardened his resolve.

Francesca and Ellis would stay in Trujillo. Only Nyx would come home.

He turned, walked to his private office, and closed the entrance behind him. Archer picked up the phone. He needed to fill Francesca in and let her know that she wouldn’t have Nyx to work with much longer.

“Francesca,” Archer said easily when she answered, “I have good news.”

“Nyx is okay?”

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