Lara Lacombe - Enticed By The Operative

“I thought we might revisit our conversation from this afternoon.”

Olivia cut her gaze to Carlos, then back to the man with the gun. “I have nothing to say to you while I’m being held at gunpoint.” Her voice wavered a bit, but she was proud of herself for getting the words out. Her fear of getting shot weighed heavy on her chest, making it so hard to breathe she felt like she was drowning. If he would just put the gun away, she might be able to actually think!

Carlos tilted his head, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He was enjoying her fear, damn him! Olivia straightened her spine and clamped her mouth shut, determined not to give him any more satisfaction. After a moment, he nodded at the younger man. She refused to turn her head to look at him, but she caught movement from the corner of her eye and breathed a silent sigh of relief as he returned his gun to its hiding place.

“Now, then,” Carlos said. “As I was saying. Have you had time to reconsider my earlier offer?”

“My answer hasn’t changed,” Olivia replied. The other man moved, and she fought the urge to flinch. But he simply walked around the couch and took the rocking chair in the corner of the room, his gaze watchful. At least he wasn’t threatening her again.

Carlos merely nodded. “I thought you might say that. So I brought along some additional material for you to examine.” He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew an envelope, holding it out for her. She refused to take it from him, so he dropped it on the table between them and leaned back. “I think you will want to see what’s inside,” he said, with a nod at the envelope.

Keeping her eyes on the men in front of her, Olivia leaned forward and brushed the table with her fingertips, catching the edge of the paper. She reluctantly set the candlestick on the seat next to her, but really, what good was it against a gun?

The envelope wasn’t sealed, and she lifted the flap to find a stack of photographs. The bottom dropped out of her stomach when she saw Avery’s face, and she quickly flipped through several of the pictures. Avery at work. Avery at the gym. At the grocery store. At home. The last one had been taken through her bedroom window as her friend packed a suitcase on the bed.

I’m leaving tomorrow for a small town in Kansas...

Olivia moved to the next picture, her fingers so stiff she almost dropped the stack. Tears sprang to her eyes as she saw her other best friend, Mallory. She’d thought Mallory of all people would be safe, since she worked on a cruise ship and was always gone. But apparently Carlos had eyes and ears everywhere.

When she reached the end of the stack, she glanced up to find him watching her. “So you see,” he said, as if they’d been talking all along, “you may feel that because your parents are dead, you are safe. But I hope you realize that is not the case.”

Olivia swallowed hard. “You can’t be serious.” Would they really go after her best friends? That was the kind of thing that happened in movies, but not real life. Right?

“Dr. Sandoval, I assure you I am deadly serious. If you do not agree to cooperate, we will target your friends. If that doesn’t work, we will move on to their families, as well. Would you really risk the safety of innocents for the sake of your precious pride?”

Her heart sank as she realized the full gravity of his threat. She couldn’t bear to think of a world without Avery and Mallory in it. They’d been best friends since medical school, and Olivia thought of them as family. The only family she had left, in fact.

Helplessness crashed over her, bringing with it a wave of weakness that made her head feel too heavy for her neck. She stared down at her lap, lacking the strength to even meet Carlos’s eyes. What choice did she have now? If she refused, she had no doubt Carlos would follow through with his threats. He was never going to go away. He was never going to leave her alone. She’d been so arrogant earlier, assuming he’d just accept her refusal and slink away. But now she realized she was nothing more than a pawn to him, and he was going to play this game with or without her consent.

Anger flared to life deep inside her chest, sending tendrils of heat through her limbs. Sweat gathered at the back of her neck, and she reached up to lift her hair, exposing her skin to the cool air of the room. She eyed the candlestick next to her—could she club Carlos with it? The idea was distasteful and went against the vows she’d taken to do no harm, but in this case, she might be willing to make an exception.

Her eyes shifted to the young man in the chair. He was watching her with dark eyes, his gaze alert. No. If she made any kind of move toward Carlos, he’d shoot her before she could harm his boss. She was well and truly stuck.

“Fine.” She spat the word at him, her acceptance leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. “I’ll do it. But I want your guarantee that you won’t harm them.”

Carlos lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “If you fulfill your responsibilities, I will forget all about them.”

It was as close to a promise as she was likely to get, and while she didn’t trust him, she had to believe he was telling the truth. Why target her friends unless absolutely necessary? It would draw too much attention, and Carlos seemed like the type who didn’t make a move unless it was going to benefit him.

He stood and smoothed a hand over his jacket. The young man rose as well and moved to stand beside his boss. Carlos smiled down at her. “I am so glad we were able to come to an agreement,” he said solicitously. “You are an intelligent woman, and I knew you would see reason.”

Olivia stood but didn’t reply. She had nothing to say to him and didn’t trust herself to speak. The last thing she needed was to antagonize him just as he was leaving. He might lash out at one of the innocent people in her life just to teach her a lesson in manners.

Her silence didn’t seem to bother him. He gestured to the young man, and together they moved to her door. Olivia stayed where she was, turning to watch them go.

He glanced back at her before walking out the door, his eyes going cold when he saw her expression. He looked at his partner and nodded once. Before Olivia realized what was happening, the younger man closed the distance between them and slapped her hard across the face.

Her head snapped back and tears flooded her eyes. She staggered, grabbing onto the back of the couch for support to keep from falling down.

“What was that for?” she said, pressing her hand against her throbbing cheek.

“Consider it a warning,” he replied. “You work for us now. We won’t tolerate insubordination.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she protested.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You have a very expressive face, Dr. Sandoval. You must learn to control it. The next time, I will not be so kind.”

Chapter 2

Logan Murray pulled into his driveway with a sigh, glad to finally be home. It had been a beast of a day, and he was looking forward to a cold beer and a little mindless TV to help him unwind. Most days, he enjoyed his job as a DEA officer. Taking out drug dealers and breaking up smuggling rings was incredibly satisfying, but not every day was an adventure. And after spending the last week buried in paperwork he was ready for something—anything—to break the monotonous routine.

He climbed out of the car and headed for his mailbox, glancing at the house next door as he walked. The windows gave off a warm glow, indicating Olivia Sandoval was home. One of these days, he thought wryly. She was an attractive woman, and he’d been meaning to connect with her for a while. But the timing was never right. He was off on assignment, or she was out of town. Or they were both too busy to run into each other. Still, part of him held on to the fantasy that they’d magically connect and just click, the way his friend and his soon-to-be-fiancée had while in line at the grocery store. If it could happen to Greg, it could happen to him. Right?