Page 67 of Extracted

“Damn right I did. I almost didn’t survive the bombing. Got out before the authorities got there. I knew the bombing had to have something to do with us, so I planned to lie low until it was safe to reach you. You’re okay, I assume?”

There was a long pause.

“They didn’t succeed in killing me, if that’s what you mean. A woman was responsible. We spotted her getting on a plane a few days ago with two men. Word is she’s in Ecuador. Haven’t found her yet, but we will.”

Trepidation dampened his collar. Silas wouldn’t just forget about Gemma. He was on a hunt that only blood would satisfy.

“We still have business to do.” Silas’s words punched through his anxiety. “Are you close?”

Shit.

It didn’t look good that he’d run out of the country, but he couldn’t lie about being in Colombia. Not when Silas wanted to meet. The American businessman surely wanted to get back to the US quickly, just as he did. “I had a matter that took me to Ecuador. Any chance you can meet here?”

With any luck, the CIA had thought they’d succeeded in killing Silas and the man wasn’t being watched. The meeting would be quick, and he could take precautions just in case.

“I can arrange that. One moment.” He exchanged some words in Spanish with someone in the background. “I can be there in a few hours. I’ll call you when I land and we can set a meeting point.”

The call disconnected and Dallas let out a sigh. He squeezed his device in his fist and then dropped it into his pocket.

Didn’t Silas know he was with Gemma, the woman believed to have bombed him? It wasn’t like he could ask for fuck’s sake, but doubt gnawed at him. This could all be part of a plan to kill him. But Silas was a man on a money mission. There were few, if any, mercenaries who could help him move guns to Venezuela, especially on short notice.

He’d have to tread lightly.

He glanced over his shoulder. The blinds of their motel window were still closed. Maybe he hadn’t tried hard enough to convince Gemma to stay with him. He’d been short with her, but more because her decision made the strings around his heart twang, and not in a good way. It was similar to the sensation he’d felt when he knew—thought—Cole was going to drown.

Helpless.

Pulling out his phone again, he called Lorenzo. He needed to find out if Silas had any idea he was helping Gemma.

“Yo.” Lorenzo’s voice boomed through the speaker. “Holy Jesus. I thought you were dead.”

“Me too. Listen, I need your help. What does Silas know about me and why I left Cali the other night?”

“Um, shit. I dunno. I mean, he called looking for you. I told him you had to leave but didn’t mention where you were going.”

“Does he know I was with a woman?”

“Nope. I didn’t say shit. Played dumb. I don’t need his diabolical ass sniffing around my family. He killed my friend Don and man . . . let me tell you, ain’t no one want to die like that.”

The dampness around Dallas’s collar turned cold. He tugged at the material, but nothing took away the crushing sensation of suffocation.

“You there?”

He coughed. “Uh, yeah. He wants to meet me here in Ecuador and tie up loose ends for the shipment to Venezuela. I’ll need your help processing the deal, so stay near your phone.” He disconnected and moved across the pavement.

Gemma turned when he walked in. She was shoving items into her backpack, which was on the bed. Her sharp gaze took in his collar then dropped down to his torso and back up. “You look like you just walked ten miles in the heat.”

She wasn’t far off. He wanted to take another shower, but they didn’t have time for that. He kicked off his shoes and strode across the room to where she stood.

Snagging her wrist, he stopped her hand in midair before she could put the bra she was holding into her backpack. “Can we talk?”

Gemma’s lips parted half an inch, and it took everything in him not to kiss her.

He couldn’t.

Their relationship was on shaky ground. And even if he never saw her again, he had to make sure he did everything he could to save her life. She didn’t pull away but dropped the bra and turned to face him, placing her free hand on her hip.

“Shoot.”

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