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Had she just signed a death warrant for her best friends?
A terrible squeezing band of pressure wrapped around her chest, and she struggled to breathe. I shouldn’t have said anything. Damn her emotions! They had made her weak, made her seek out the comfort of an understanding listener. She’d thought Logan could help her, but now she realized getting him involved had been a huge mistake, one that would cost her friends the ultimate price.
Black spots danced in her vision, and the roar of blood filled her ears. Something grabbed her shoulders, and then she was pushed down, her fall broken suddenly by a solid structure underneath her. A warm weight pressed against her back, guiding her head forward until she was nearly bent over.
After a moment she registered a low voice, close to her ear. “Take it easy. You’re okay. Just keep breathing for me.” It was Logan, his breath warm as it fanned across her cheek.
He sounded so calm, so soothing. She felt the pressure in her chest ease, and the whooshing sound in her ears receded as she focused on his voice.
“There you are,” he said, after a moment. “Glad to have you back.”
“You have to leave Avery and Mallory alone.” She gripped his arm and squeezed hard, trying to make him understand how important this was. As much as it pained her to think of her friends being under surveillance by the cartel, at least they were still alive. If the police suddenly showed up, it would do more harm than good.
“Whoa,” he said, placing his hand over hers. “Slow down. You’re jumping to conclusions here.”
“I can’t risk their safety. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to them.”
“It won’t,” he said, his tone brooking no argument. “This isn’t my first rodeo. I’m not going to have uniformed officers suddenly start following your friends around like lost puppies. The type of protection I’m talking about is more subtle than that. These guys hang back and watch. They focus more on the cartel’s men than your friends, making sure the bad guys don’t try anything.”
“So Carlos won’t know they’re around?”
Logan shook his head. “Think of them as guardian angels. They’re around, but invisible to most people.”
That sounded better. Olivia took a deep breath and felt her heartbeat slow as she considered his words. It would be nice to know someone was watching over them, someone who was trained to keep them safe. And if they could do it without tipping off Carlos and his men? All the better.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
He smiled, his gaze warming as he looked at her. She felt drawn in by his eyes, their mossy green color reminding her of the jungles of Colombia. Was that why she had started talking to him? Because her subconscious had made a connection to her familial home?
For the first time, Olivia became aware of Logan as more than her nice neighbor. He was a handsome, strong man, and he seemed to be very interested in helping her deal with her problems. Her stomach did a funny little flip as the implications of that sank in. It had been a long time—too long, her libido chimed in—since she had noticed a man and been noticed in return. She’d been in a serious relationship once. But Scott had dumped her after the deaths of her parents, saying she’d changed too much. Maybe he’d had a point. At first, her grief over their loss had been so raw it kept her from doing much more than surviving. Scott had accused her of shutting down and had pushed her to move on. When she resisted, he’d left, saying he didn’t want to be tied down to someone who could give up so easily.
His departure had been another painful blow to her heart, and Olivia hadn’t dated since. She couldn’t bring herself to trust another man, but she was also a little afraid: if she didn’t open her heart to new people, she wouldn’t be hurt by their inevitable losses. Avery and Mallory had made it clear they thought she was making a mistake, but in truth, Olivia hadn’t met anyone who made her want to take that risk.
Logan spoke again, interrupting her thoughts and reminding her this was no time to get distracted. “There’s another possibility you should consider.”
“What’s that?”
“Your friends may not be under constant cartel surveillance at this time. Carlos may have had his men follow them to get the pictures he showed you, but that doesn’t mean they’re still being trailed.”
His words lit a candle of hope in the darkness of her thoughts. “Do you think so?”
Logan lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Following people takes time and ties up resources. I’m not saying your friends are in the clear, but Carlos probably feels pretty confident that he can find them. Why waste time having men shadow their every move when he can just pick up the phone and get them back on the radar at a moment’s notice?”
A growing sense of excitement made Olivia’s skin tingle. Were Avery and Mallory safer than she thought right now? If that was the case, maybe she could somehow warn them, get them to run far away until the danger had passed.
Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Logan held up a hand as if to slow her down. “I can’t be sure they aren’t being followed,” he began, but Olivia cut him off.
“What if I somehow got a message to them, let them know what was going on? They could hide until we figure out what to do about Carlos.”
Logan shook his head, his mouth flattening in sympathy. “Too risky. Carlos is going to be hyperaware of your actions until you’re in Colombia. I know you’re worried about your friends, but trust me, staying away is the best thing you can do for them right now.”
Olivia sank back into her chair, her enthusiasm waning. “How can I be sure he hasn’t killed them already?”
“Believe me, you’d know.” He sounded quite certain, but Olivia didn’t share his conviction.
“How do you figure that?”
Logan grimaced. “These are the kind of people who send graphic videos accompanied by body parts. If your friends were already dead, Carlos would make sure you were aware of that fact.”
Olivia felt the blood drain from her face. “Oh, God.”
“Try not to think about it.”
Oh, sure. Like her imagination was something she could just switch off on command. Maybe that was how Logan dealt with such matters, but Olivia’s mind didn’t work that way.
She glanced around the room, looking for something to distract her from thoughts of Avery and Mallory being tortured at the hands of vicious strangers. Logan seemed to sense her trouble, and he reached out to grab her hand with his own.
“I know it seems hopeless now, but we will find a way to make sure everyone comes through this safely. Especially you.” He punctuated his words with a gentle squeeze, and warmth traveled from her hand up her arm and into her chest. Although she didn’t know him very well, Logan’s presence was a comfort. It might have been the fact that he was so calm when her emotions were all over the place. Or it might have been the confidence he projected, as if he could take on the problems of the world and put them to rights. Or perhaps it was just the peace that came from being touched by another person seeking to offer reassurance, something she hadn’t felt since Scott’s departure. Either way, Olivia closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment to savor the contact.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that Logan was watching her. His expression was one of concern, and she had the fleeting sensation that he really and truly cared about her and her problems. But that was probably just wishful thinking on her part. After all, they barely knew each other, so why would he care about her on a personal level? He was likely interested in her story as it pertained to his job, but nothing more.
Disappointment felt like a stone in her stomach, but she ignored it. It was her own fault she had to turn to a neighbor she barely knew for help.
Pushing aside those thoughts, she refocused on Logan. “What happens now?” The words were unfamiliar in her mouth. As a doctor, she was used to having complete control over a situation. In her office, in the operating room—even in Colombia—she was in charge. People looked to her for guidance and direction, and she had no problem stepping up and taking the reins. But this was a situation she didn’t understand and didn’t know how to navigate. She felt like she’d been dropped in a foreign country, with no idea of the customs or how to speak the language.
He frowned slightly. “Two things. First, I need to call this in and inform the team what we’re dealing with here.”
“Wait a minute,” Olivia replied, disentangling her hand from his and holding it up. “I’m not willing to risk the safety of my friends like that.” Had she made a mistake after all?
Logan’s expression was a mix of pity and kindness. “We’ll do everything in our power to keep them safe,” he said. “But I have a responsibility to report this, and the only way we can find out what’s really going on is if we launch an official investigation.”
“Won’t that alert the bad guys that I talked to you?” Panic clawed up from her chest, threatening to strangle her. Things were moving too fast, spinning out of control. If Logan got more people involved, it increased the chances of Carlos finding out and killing her friends.
“We won’t do anything to tip our hand.”
“What’s the second thing?” At his puzzled look, she continued. “You said there were two things that need to happen next. What’s the second?”
He nodded. “We’re going to find a way to keep you alive while you carry this out.”
Olivia wanted to believe him, but she didn’t dare get her hopes up.
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
Logan apparently heard the resignation in her voice. He reached out and placed his hand under her chin, tipping her head up until she met his eyes.
“You’re going to get through this, Olivia. I will make sure of it.”
Chapter 3
She was quiet on the drive in. Logan couldn’t tell if she was shutting down, or merely being considerate since he spent most of the time on the phone. He made a few calls to some key players, people who needed to know what was going on and would help decide what to do about it. He didn’t want to bring everyone in just yet—not until he knew exactly what they were dealing with. He didn’t want to have to tell Olivia this, but the threats from Carlos could be a false alarm, or it might be too late for her friends. Either way, he wasn’t going to pull the trigger on a massive operation without a little more confirmation.
He glanced over, hoping to get a read on her mood. But she was turned away from him, staring out the window at the passing buildings. It was just as well. He didn’t exactly have a script of comforting words to draw from, and he certainly didn’t want to make things worse for her by saying the wrong thing.
Part of him was glad she wasn’t looking at him. He’d had a hard enough time containing his reaction at the kitchen table. As soon as she’d told him her story, complete with mention of the mysterious Carlos Martinez, his skin had started to tingle as if he’d been dropped into a pool of champagne. Her description of the man had fit perfectly with the profile they had on one of the US operatives for Fantasmas del Mal. The administration had been working for ages trying to gather more intel on this guy and his associates. If they could stop the US cell of this organization, it would be a major blow to the Colombian crime lords. Furthermore, crippling the US arm of Fantasmas del Mal might just weaken them enough that their competition would finish off the cartel.
But first things first. They had to figure out a way to keep her alive while she did the group’s dirty work.
Once again, his protective instincts fired up at the thought of Olivia in danger. He wasn’t quite sure why she elicited such a strong reaction from him, but he wasn’t going to dismiss the feeling. It had been so long since he’d felt much of anything that he welcomed the emotion, even though he knew it would only make matters more complicated.
Some things were worth the trouble.
The way he saw it, the only way her friends stood a chance of getting out alive was if Olivia carried the cartel’s money and exchanged it for drugs. A simple plan, except for one obvious flaw: Olivia wasn’t trained to handle this kind of situation.
And the bad guys knew it.
Logan tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he thought about her, alone and helpless, sent to deliver a pile of money in exchange for a suitcase full of drugs. She would be like a lamb to slaughter. The suppliers would likely give her the drugs—fear of Fantasmas del Mal ran deep in Colombia. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt Olivia in the process. Everyone knew these exchanges were dangerous. And as long as Olivia didn’t die... No harm, no foul, at least as far as the cartel was concerned.
Besides, unless he missed his guess, Carlos Martinez or another mystery man would probably kill her once she got back and delivered their product. She was clearly reluctant to participate, and they didn’t need anyone with a conscience knowing too much about their business. Once Olivia had completed the job, she’d be considered a loose end, someone to dispose of quickly before she could do any damage.
He shook his head. No matter what she did, she was damned. He clenched his jaw, hating the thought of her being treated like a loose end. She was so much more than that...
Did she realize the magnitude of the danger she was in? He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but her posture hadn’t changed. From what he could tell, she was a smart woman. They didn’t exactly hand out medical school diplomas, and he imagined plastic surgery was a demanding specialty. But book smarts didn’t always translate into street smarts, and it was possible Olivia hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“There’s no happy ending here, is there?”
Or maybe she had.
He winced, but really, it was better this way. He’d much prefer her to be informed than to be ignorant of the risks and realities of her situation. And a big part of him was relieved that he didn’t have to be the one to crush her hopes. Call him old-fashioned, but he really hated to be the guy who made a woman cry.
“We don’t know all the facts yet,” he cautioned. “There’s a lot of information we still need before we act.”
Olivia turned to face him then, her wide mouth pressed into a thin line. “You and I both know that the only way I’ll ever see my friends again is if I do what they want. That’s assuming the cartel doesn’t kill them just to make a point.”
Logan didn’t reply. He couldn’t deny the truth of her words, but he didn’t want to confirm them, either.
“So the only way to get out of this is for me to work with the devil. Which will probably get me killed.”
“Not necessarily,” he interjected. For some reason, it was important to him that she not give up hope. The odds were not in their favor, but there was always a chance.
And he was going to do his best to make that chance a reality.
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m not stupid,” she said softly. “And while I don’t know much about this organization, I doubt they’re the type to let me walk away. I refused them once, and they made it clear that to do so again would be a bad idea.” She ran her fingertips along her cheek as she spoke, and for the first time he noticed a faint darkening there, like the beginnings of a bruise. Had they hit her? He nearly snorted in disgust. He wouldn’t put it past Carlos or his men. From what he knew of them, they weren’t above bullying a woman to get what they wanted.
Logan was quiet as he pulled into the parking lot. He found a spot close to the door and cut the engine, then turned to face Olivia. “Can I ask you a question?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
“What’s the worst case you’ve ever had?”
Her brows drew together. “Worst in what way? Most difficult, or most frustrating?”
“I mean worst, as in you thought there was nothing you could do.”
Olivia’s eyes dropped to her lap, and he knew she was thinking. “There was a child in Colombia,” she said. “He was about six and had a cleft palate. The surgery itself wasn’t terribly complicated, as these things go, but once we got him onto the table everything went wrong. We lost power, his pulse dropped dangerously low, and the anesthesiologist had no way to truly measure his state of consciousness. I thought for sure we were going to lose him.”
“Did you?”
“No.” She shook her head, then lifted her eyes to meet his. “We didn’t. We pulled out all the stops, and by some miracle we were able to save him and complete the operation.”
“It wasn’t a miracle,” he replied. “It was your talent and the skills of those on your team.”
Olivia tilted her head. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”
“I know this is a lot to ask. I know you don’t know me, and you don’t know the members of my team. But please try to trust me. Things look bleak now, but I will find a way to get you and your friends through this.”
“How can you be sure?” The words were barely more than a whisper, but he heard them loud and clear in the quiet car. “I want to believe you—I do. But I’m so afraid.”
“I know,” he said, just as softly. “But it’s my job to make sure the bad guys don’t win.” Especially where you’re concerned. For some reason, Olivia’s dilemma was more than just another case to him—protecting her was something he felt compelled to do. “Is this the part where you tell me you’re the best there is?” She gave him a shaky smile, trying to pass the question off as a joke. But he saw the curiosity in her eyes, the burning need to know if he really could deliver on his promises.
“Would you feel better if I did?” He could rattle off a list of his accomplishments in his sleep, but that’s not what she needed to hear. Besides, he knew better than anyone that words were meaningless. He had to show her by his actions that he was capable of keeping her safe.
“I honestly can’t say.”
Without thinking, Logan reached over and brushed a thick tendril of glossy brown hair behind her ear. “Tell you what. Let’s go inside and have a conversation with some of my friends. You can listen to what we come up with, and I’ll let you decide if I’m good at my job.”
She nodded, and they climbed out of the car. He walked around the hood and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her into the building. It fit perfectly, as if that spot on her body had been made for his touch.
Don’t even go there, he told himself. Olivia was a woman in trouble, and while his inner hero was thrilled to be the one to ride to her rescue, he had no business entertaining those kinds of thoughts. His personal feelings had no place in this situation, a fact he couldn’t afford to forget. Things were bad enough—one slipup on his part could cost several lives.
It was a sobering realization, and one that got his brain back on track.
Time to go to work.
* * *
Olivia was beginning to regret her decision to stay in Logan’s office.
It was a nice enough place, but being alone with her thoughts only gave her the opportunity to obsess about Avery and Mallory—where they were, if the cartel had kidnapped them yet. If they were all going to make it out alive.
Logan hadn’t been gone long. “You’re welcome to sit with us as we hash this out,” he’d said.
“No, thanks.” She didn’t need to be in the room while he and his friends talked candidly about her situation. She wanted them to feel free to come up with a plan, and if they were trying to be sensitive to her feelings, they might not discuss all their options.
“Want some coffee?”
She’d declined his offer. She was jittery enough already—if she added caffeine to the mix, she just might vibrate right out of her skin.
He’d given her a sympathetic look. “I’ll come back for you soon.”
She’d merely nodded, and he’d turned and left the room.
To pass the time, Olivia stood and walked over to the wall behind his desk. It was filled with pictures and plaques, physical evidence of his commendations and awards. She stepped closer, peering at a photo that showed a group of men sitting on a large pile of plastic-covered bundles. Drugs, she realized. It took a second to find him, but Logan was sitting on the right-hand side, grinning widely underneath his sunglasses. There were several other similar photos on the wall, making her wonder just how many successful operations he’d conducted. Her heart lightened a bit at the proof that Logan really was as good as she’d hoped. Maybe she and her friends would get through this after all.
Her gaze flickered over to a formal picture, one of Logan in a suit, standing next to a dignitary who looked vaguely familiar. He was quite handsome when he dressed the part, but her eyes kept going back to the more casual shots of Logan with his team. There was something about those images that drew her to him. Maybe it was his tanned skin, his tangled hair or even his knockout grin. Perhaps it was the combination of all three. But the longer she studied the pictures, the more she realized she liked looking at him like this because he appeared to be happy. The photos had captured a man who truly enjoyed his work, one who was totally comfortable in his own skin. It was a rare quality these days, especially in her field. She was so used to being around people who hated some aspect of their appearance that some of their negativity had rubbed off on her, making her forget that not everyone was unhappy. No wonder she had found Logan attractive from the beginning—he was the natural antidote to the melancholy of her daily job.
Not that it was all bad. Her trips to Colombia made the daily grind worth it. There was nothing like using her skills to change someone’s life for the better. These were not people who felt a little too fat or a little too wrinkled to be pretty. These were patients who couldn’t eat properly because of cleft palates, people who had massive scars, people who truly needed help. Fixing them gave her the only peace she’d felt since her parents had died, and she lived off the sense of contentment for the rest of the year.
Olivia rubbed her hands up and down her arms, suddenly feeling cold. Logan had a light jacket hanging off the back of his chair, and she reached for it, vowing to return it to its rightful place before he caught her wearing his clothes. She shrugged it on, rolling up the sleeves so her hands were free. It hung off her shoulders and halfway down her thighs, but she felt immediately warmer. Breathing in, she caught a hint of laundry detergent, male body wash and a faint, clean note that could only be his skin. It was a pleasant scent and she closed her eyes, taking a deeper breath. Being wrapped up in his jacket made her feel secure, and as she stood there snuggling into the fabric, her heart rate slowed and her muscles began to relax. For the first time since Carlos’s appearance in her office, she felt normal.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her sanctuary. She turned to find Logan standing in the doorway, his eyes dark and unreadable.
“We’re ready for you now.”
She swallowed, her heart in her throat. “Okay.” She took a step toward him, then realized she still wore his jacket. With a small sound of embarrassment, she moved to take it off.
Logan held out his hand, stalling her. “Leave it,” he said. He eyed her up and down, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half smile that was too sexy for her liking. “It looks good on you.”
Goose bumps broke out along her arms, making her glad the long sleeves covered her completely. Logan was here as a favor to her, and the last thing she wanted was to make things awkward between them.
“Did you come up with something?”
Logan’s eyes sparkled as he looked down at her. “We did, indeed. Come on—I’ll introduce you to the team.”
* * *
She would make a terrible poker player, Logan thought to himself. Olivia sat and listened patiently while the other men spoke, but her furrowed brows and turned-down lips made it very clear what she thought of their plan.