Page 80 of Wicked Intention

As for Ramos, he had warmth in his eyes when he looked at Zo. Not romantic. Finn would have identified that immediately if it had been there, but there was an affection he’d label brotherly. So had Ramos ordered their deaths, or did he care enough about her to keep them alive once she led his men to the disk?

Finn didn’t know and couldn’t guess.

Which brought him back around to trying to escape. He’d been watching the team escorting them, and they hadn’t made any mistakes. Even if he could come up with some kind of scenario that gave them a fifty-fifty chance of success, it was unlikely there’d be an opportunity to implement it.

Without warning, Zo stopped short. The feeling of agitation skyrocketed, and Finn tensed, ready to leap to her defense.

“We need to go back to the previous landmark,” she said.

“What?” the man nearest her asked coldly. “Why?”

Zo’s smile was weak. “I went the wrong way at the boulder. We should have headed to the right.”

No one responded for a moment. Then Vargas said, “Señora Finley, if you think stalling until it’s dark will stop us from retrieving the item, you are wrong. Even if we have to use flashlights, we will continue the search. Understand?”

“Sí,” Zo said, nodding her head. “Everything looks so much the same out here.”

Finn felt the man’s anger. “City girl,” he said under his breath, but he knew Vargas heard. It was enough to defuse the situation for now, but Zo could make another error, and things might go to shit fast.

His brain ran scenarios again, but the answers didn’t change. Dread settled low in his belly. They couldn’t escape.The best he could hope for was that if—when—Zo found the disk, he’d be close enough to her to prevent Ramos’ men from putting a bullet in her head.

He didn’t like those odds either.

In his years in the military, he’d never faced a no-win situation before, but he was square in the middle of one now. With Zo. Nothing and no one was more important to him than Zofia Parker. She was as necessary to him as the air he breathed, and Finn couldn’t envision his life without her in it. Watching them kill her—

He cut the thought off. Going down this road was a good way to miss an opportunity…if one presented itself. Maybe they’d be distracted by the gold disk.

What had he told Griff? That going undercover was about improvisation? Now he wanted a solid plan that would get Zo out of here with minimal danger. A plan that would get Tia Izel off Ramos’ compound and back to her home.

But he wasn’t going to get that. His actions would depend on what the men with them did, on the terrain, on the way the vegetation grew, or even an animal or bird providing a distraction beyond the artifact. Fuck, everything had been easier before he’d met Zo. Before she’d taken him down for the count.

Easier, but also emptier.

Yeah.

When they reached the disk, he’d find a way to get to Zo. He’d find a way to run with her into the rainforest. They’d reach his team, and there’d be backup.

Finn’s brain continued to spin options when he noticed that Zo’s pace had slackened. The men around him were growing impatient with her, and while that could lead to an error, it could also lead to trouble. He tensed, ready to intercede if they made a move toward her.

It took a moment for him to realize his loquita wasn’tconfused; she was carefully examining the area. They were close, and time was running out.

The terrain here wasn’t going to give him an edge. There wasn’t much ground vegetation to offer cover, and the wet leaves covering the forest floor would make it harder to get traction on the soft soil. Zo had probably picked it because it was open, and there were two small trees with their trunks growing in an X that worked as a landmark for her, but for what Finn needed, it sucked.

Sure enough, she slowed even more.

The man nearest to her ordered, “Move faster!”

Zo stopped. “If I do, I’ll miss the spot. It’s here. Somewhere.”

Great. Finn fought off a grimace. Now, these assholes knew to be ready, too. And sure enough, Ramos’ men repositioned themselves, another dropping back to join Vargas behind him.

She resumed the snail’s pace, her head turning this way and that as she searched for whatever. He knew when she found it. Zo lunged forward before being stopped abruptly by the man closest to her.

The two men grabbed his arms, twisting them up behind his back to prevent Finn from moving. He tested the hold, but they twisted harder, stopping him.

“Where are you going, Señora Finley?” Vargas called from behind him.

“There.” She pointed to a fallen tree that partially hung above a rock the size of a large grapefruit. It was the perfect weight to bash heads.

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