Page 5 of Wicked Suspicion

“Clear,” Nyx said glumly.

“I still think that Ellis and I should go with Nyx,” Frankie said.

“No.” Archer’s one word in that tone meant the discussion was finished. “Francesca,” he said, “I know you mean well, but you and Ellis will distract Nyx from her job.”

“We can help Nyx with her job,” Ellis said.

Nyx braced herself, afraid Archer would say something about her teammates not being up to hiking through the rainforest, but he was smarter than that.

“Do you believe Nyx is incapable of doing her assignment without your assistance?” As far as manipulation went, it wasn’t particularly subtle, but it worked on Ellis.

“I’m sorry, Nyx,” the blonde said. “I didn’t mean any offense.”

“It’s okay. None taken.”

“Is everything settled?” Archer asked. When he had acknowledgments from the three of them, he ended the call.

There was a long moment of silence before Nyx said, “I better find somewhere that rents four-wheel-drive vehicles. I don’t know how bad the roads will be once I’m off the paved highway.”

“Nyx,” Frankie said, “I don’t think you should make this trip alone no matter what Archer said.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “The archaeologists who worked there created paths and cut back the undergrowth. It won’t be that bad.”

Frankie arched one perfect brow. “Do you seriously expect me to believe you’re going to stroll to the ruins? After you argued with Archer that it was too strenuous for us?”

Nyx stiffened. She hated—hated—being accused of lying. She hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true.

“I didn’t say it would be a stroll. I said it wouldn’t be that bad.” She heard the defensiveness in her voice and suppressed a wince. Trying for a more level tone, she added, “That bad for me. I do hikes like this for fun.”

“You have a strange idea of a good time.” Frankie said, shaking her head. “You know this country is in disarray.”

Nyx nodded. Puerto Jardin was one crisis after another, but the civil war was hundreds of miles away from San Isidro and the ruins. Of course, there were still illegal mining and logging operations, not to mention drug lords, arms dealers, and mercenaries. The image of a blond man with blue eyes flashed in her memory. She’d shared a table with him for maybe twenty minutes yesterday. He should be easy to put out of her mind.

Only he wasn’t.

She remembered him at odd moments, and the urge to head back to the market and see if she could run into him again was strong. If Frankie hadn’t begun her discussion about secret codes, Nyx might have given in to the temptation. Something about him got to her, and she didn’t like it.

Frankie and Ellis were watching her and Nyx brought her mind back to the present. “It’s a ninety-minute drive, maybe a little longer. I won’t even need to stop for gas. It’ll be fine.”

Frankie nodded but continued to look unsure. “Call me when you arrive. Call me when you leave for the ruins. Call me when you return from the ruins. Call me before you leave to drive back to?—”

Belatedly, Nyx realized Frankie hadn’t accused her of lying. She was worried. With a laugh, Nyx said, “I’ll call, Frankie. I’ll call you so much, I’ll drive you crazy. Relax, okay?”

She headed out of the room. Her smile faded as soon as she closed the door to her bedroom behind her. San Isidro. From what she’d heard of the town, it was safe enough, but it was still Puerto Jardin.

Her friends would laugh over the research she’d done on the country, especially the area around Trujillo, but Nyx didn’t believe in taking chances. She wanted to know what she’d be walking into.

As it stood, if either her dad or her brother discovered she’d traveled here, they’d lose their shit. And if they found out she’d eaten lunch with a merc…

Nyx felt her body heat and shook her head. Damn, maybe traveling to San Isidro wasn’t a bad thing. At least it would keep her from doing something stupid, like searching for tall, blond, and sexy.

Chapter 3

The road closest to the ruins was so rutted that Case needed to hold the steering wheel with both hands. He’d have to park and hike in the rest of the way, but he was looking forward to that. At least when on foot, he wouldn’t worry about his spleen being jolted out of his body. It wouldn’t be much longer. The place where he planned to leave the SUV was right around the next curve.

Case eased up on the accelerator. There was a Jeep already parked there. That was unexpected. Vargas’s hacienda was on the other side of the ruins. This wasn’t a road he’d anticipated any of the drug lord’s men would use. It was why he’d chosen it.

Pulling to a stop behind the other vehicle, Case shut off the engine and got out. A quick walk around told him the Jeep was a rental, but that was all he learned. He tried the doors.

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