Enticed by the Operative by Lara Lacombe

Author:Lara Lacombe
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-06-02T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

Olivia tried not to wince as the acrid stench of cigarette smoke burned the lining of her nose. She didn’t want to let this man know he affected her in any way. There was something about his cold, flat gaze that told her a show of weakness, no matter how small, would be a dangerous mistake. He was a predator, plain and simple.

And she refused to be his prey.

“You have something for me?” She spoke the question in English, wanting him to think she had no fluency in Spanish. Let him be the one to underestimate her—it might be her only advantage.

He tilted his head to the side, openly studying her. She met his gaze, ignoring the ongoing insect harassment. A few bites were a small price to pay to make him think she wasn’t intimidated, even though her insides were quivering like jelly.

After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. “Where is the money?”

“Where is the product?”

He glanced at her shoulders where the straps of her backpack were plainly visible. His mouth twisted in a cruel smile. “I could just take it from you.”

“You could,” she agreed. His eyebrows shot up—he clearly hadn’t expected her to display such sangfroid about the suggestion of assault. “But I think we both understand it would not be in your best interest to do so.”

“What if you did not live to talk about it?” His voice was low and menacing and he took a half step forward. Olivia’s heart shot up into her throat, but she stood her ground.

“Then you would not live long enough to spend it.”

Hesitation flickered in his eyes, and she pressed her advantage. “They are expecting my call after I retrieve the product. If I do not contact them, well...” She let the suggestion hang in the air between them. In truth, she had no such arrangement with the cartel, but he didn’t know that. Given the fearsome reputation of Fantasmas del Mal, she was only too happy to let his imagination run wild. The theoretical consequences he conjured up were likely much more frightening than anything she could say.

His lips flattened and he nodded once. “Very well.” He raised his hand, and the three men who had walked into the clearing behind him moved forward.

They didn’t speak while they waited for his cronies to join them, and Olivia deliberately kept her gaze on him and off the tree line. If he suspected for even a second she was looking for someone else... She mentally shuddered, not wanting to imagine the bloodbath that would result if Logan’s presence was detected.

The men fanned out behind their leader and didn’t speak, but they studied her with open curiosity. Olivia met their eyes and refused to flinch in the face of their speculative perusal. One of the men licked his lips and leered suggestively, but she merely raised a brow and stared at him until he looked away.

The leader held out his hand, and the man carrying a stained cloth bag withdrew a rectangular brown-wrapped package and passed it over.

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