Page 2 of Her Last Hope
But he supposed that didn’t matter anymore since he’d found her. He was hired to bring her back to daddy, so that was exactly what he intended to do.
Tonight.
He tossed the fishing line over as the boat drifted closer to shore. He knew the best way onto Ramos’ property was through the waterfront. All he had to do was wait for them to go to bed and then find the room where Leandra rested her pretty little head. Hopefully, she wasn’t crazy enough to sleep with Ramos in the name of solving a case.
He pushed that thought out of his head and focused on how much fun he’d have covering her mouth and carrying her out of the house as she fought him.
Kidnapping a woman shouldn’t be a turn on, but when Leandra turned her head, looking out over the lake, her white skin being kissed by the moon, Nick knew he’d never enjoy anything more.
Leandra let Ramos kiss her cheek as he patted her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. She tried not to shiver in utter disgust. It didn’t matter that the man’s body looked like it jumped right out of a firefighters’ calendar, with his dark skin, green eyes, and full lips that made most women swoon.
She wasn’t most women, and Ramos was the armpit of the earth.
“I’m glad you took me up on my offer to be my guest.” He looked her up and down, smacking his lips, his fingers still digging into her ass.
“I don’t think your current girlfriend would appreciate you groping me right under her nose.”
“Alicia isn’t my girlfriend.” Ramos licked his lips. “She works for me and couldn’t care less who I fuck. Hell, she might even join us.”
Leandra swallowed the bile that smacked the back of her throat. “This is a business arrangement. Nothing more.” Whatever had made her think she’d be able to sneak around his house in the middle of the night while he slept, she had no idea. Security cameras lined all the corridors, and armed men roamed inside and out. Luckily, she’d done a comprehensive sweep of her room, and so far, she’d found no cameras or bugs.
Now she just had to fend off his advances a little while longer.
Or worse, fend off an attack.
He grabbed her hand with his slimy fingers andbrushed his lips against her skin, drawing her a little closer with the other hand. “I think we should make it more.”
“I don’t mix business with pleasure,” she said in a stern tone, lowering her chin. With heels, she had him by three inches. Flat-footed, her five-foot-eleven-inch frame put her eye to eye with Ramos. It was possible he could overpower her.
But the reverse was also true.
“All right then. Is everything all set?” Ramos asked, his hand still on her butt-cheek. His breath reeked of whiskey. “Because I’d hate for you to disappoint me.”
“I told you this isn’t my first rodeo.” Researching the human trafficking racket didn’t make one an expert in the field, but neither was Ramos, since he’d only branched out from underground casinos and drug running in the last few months. “I also told you my contact doesn’t like doing business with someone who is as secretive about their operation as you are.” She inched away, peeling his hands off her body.
“I don’t knowyourguy,” Ramos practically snarled, narrowing his eyes. “Why should I trust him?”
“Because I trust him.”
“I don’t trust a woman who won’t fuck me.”
She forced a smile, tilting her head. “I’m married, so I’m not going to fuck you.” Her stomach churned. Kent, her late husband, had supported her career decision as a private investigator, but he didn’t like it when she took cases like this, and during their marriage, she never had.
Sorry, Kent. But it’s the only way I can survive without you.
He arched his brow. “I don’t care, and I bet I could make you forget all about your man.”
“I’m not going to bed with you. Now we either move forward, or I’ll walk out tonight, and you’ll be stuck with merchandise you can’t move.”
The way he adjusted his pants, obviously shifting his package, giving it a good shake, made her body go cold. Her skin tensed as goosebumps prickled the surface.
“I wouldn’t have to house them long. I’m sure I could find buyers quickly.”
She forced a smile. “Except you’ve got a Fed up your ass, and your buyers are running scared, which is why you came looking for me.”
“That’s not how I remember it, sweetheart.” He licked his sun-cracked lips. The deep-set lines on his overly tanned face looked more like scars than wrinkles. “As I recall, you took one man’s unfounded paranoia and turned a profit for yourself.” He winked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you made my buyer more paranoid just to get the business yourself.”
She shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time a woman went after what she wanted.”
