Page 16 of Wicked Ambition

“No, if they had your sister, they wouldn’t have tried to grab you today. But I guarantee you they’re looking for her.”

“Because they invaded my room?”

He nodded. “They were on you immediately.”

“How did they know what floor I was on, let alone which room?”

The question made it clear that she didn’t understand Puerto Jardin. “One of the men probably bribed the desk clerk before we even made it to the elevators.”

Her eyes widened, but she asked, “And they waited for you to leave?”

“My guess is they watched from the south stairwell, and as soon as I headed toward the elevators, they moved.”

“That’s why we used the stairs near the elevator,” she said slowly. “Because there could have been more Russians on the other side.”

She might not have any experience with this kind of shit, but she was smart enough to figure things out. He liked that. “I doubt there was anyone else, but why take chances?”

“They had someone watching the lobby, too, didn’t they?”

“That’s where they spotted you. It’s the only thing that makes sense with the timing of the invasion.” A memory of the man reading the newspaper, the one with the expensive watch on his wrist, resurfaced. Not Ivanov, but one of his top lieutenants? Did BD and the team know that the Russian mob was back in town?

Ayla reached out and touched his knee briefly before quickly withdrawing her hand. “If the Russians don’t have Io, who does?”

Oz frowned, struggling against the heat her fingers left behind. It took a few seconds to refocus on the discussion. Why did she assume her sister was imprisoned? “Maybe no one has her. She could be in hiding.”

“Maybe,” Ayla agreed, but Oz got the sense she didn’t believe it. “Why did you call the men dumb and dumber? Why did you say the next team would be better?”

“Those men I fought in your room weren’t the most skilled and definitely not the best on Ivanov’s payroll. They waited till I left and viewed you as an easy grab.” That brought another question to mind. “Would your sister have put up a fight?”

Given what Ayla had already told him about Iona, it wasn’t a surprise to see her nod. “Io took some kind of martial arts class. I forget which one. She’s kept up with it and practices regularly. She’s nobody’s pushover.”

“And she’d probably cause some damage before she went down.”

It wasn’t a question, but Ayla answered, “I don’t know if she would go down. She’s smart, knows how to fight dirty, and she would only be trying to get away, not to arrest them or anything. It wouldn’t take total victory in that scenario.”

“It sounds as if they’re not familiar with Iona.”

The lack of knowledge about her increased the odds that Ayla’s theory of wrong place, wrong time was correct. But the Paladin League. Oz ran a hand over his chin. What were the chances that whatever department was in charge of the magazine mailed to donors had sent a photojournalist to Puerto Jardin? There had to be other ruins in safer countries.

“Who do you think kidnapped my sister if it wasn’t the Russians?” Ayla asked again, yanking him out of his thoughts. “Give me some possibilities.”

“We still don’t know she’s been kidnapped.” She simply stared at him, waiting. “Okay. We have drug lords, arms dealers, illegal miners, illegal loggers, smugglers, and relic thieves. Among others,” Oz tacked on and then kicked himself because Ayla looked stricken. Quickly, he added, “But if she’s as smart as you say, she probably went into hiding. That would be the best thing to do if she’s being hunted.”

Ayla walked over to gaze out the windows. He didn’t need to give her a warning. The overgrown foliage blocked anyone from seeing in from a distance, and with the security they had around the house, no one was creeping up undetected to peer in.

“Io is in a lot of trouble, isn’t she?” Ayla turned her head to meet his gaze. “Don’t lie to me or sugarcoat it. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Getting to his feet, Oz closed the distance between them. “Yeah, my guess is she’s in deep shit if the Russians are looking for her.”

He didn’t think she could pale any farther, but Ayla managed it. She swayed. Oz took the last two steps to her side andwrapped an arm around her waist in case she was in danger of passing out again.

“I’m fine,” she said. The impatience in her voice told him she was okay, but he didn’t step back, and she didn’t pull away.

“What the hell?” a voice demanded from behind him.

Oz moved, his hand going toward his weapon, but stopped when he ID’d Baggs, the team’s new medic. He appeared angry, but as Baggs gaze settled on Ayla, his expression became puzzled and then evened out.

“What the fuck’s your problem, dude?” Oz asked.

---