Lara Lacombe - Enticed By The Operative

“Fantasmas del Mal,” she repeated. The name triggered a dim spark of recognition in the recesses of her brain. She tried not to get involved in that aspect of Colombian life, but no one who spent time in the country could long ignore the collection of organizations that operated in the shadows. “The Evil Ghosts? Is that some kind of drug cartel?”

Logan lifted one shoulder. “In a manner of speaking. The Colombian cartel system isn’t what it once was, but the power vacuum left behind by the deaths of Pablo Escobar and his rivals didn’t last long. Fantasmas del Mal is one of several militant organizations that stepped in to fight over control of the drug trade.”

So it was as bad as she had feared. “That’s a rather poetic name.”

A small smile flitted across his face. “It is, indeed. Rumor has it the locals coined it because the members of the cartel sweep in to mete out punishments, then disappear like fading ghosts.”

She swallowed hard. “I see.”

“Olivia, I need to ask you something.” He pressed his lips together and looked away, as if he were searching for the right words. “Why didn’t you go to the authorities after Carlos came to your office? We could have moved on this, started the process earlier if you’d said something.”

“Would it really have mattered?” She walked over to the coffee table, picked up the photos of her friends and held them out for Logan. “Those pictures aren’t all from today or even yesterday. Someone has been following my friends for weeks, if not longer. They’ve been in danger this whole time. What good would a few hours have done?”

He reached up and gently touched her cheek. The pain from the slap had faded, but the memory of it made her shudder. “That’s a fair point,” he said softly. “Now that we know they’re being threatened, I can make sure they have protection.”

Some of the tension left her body at his assurance, but then a horrible thought entered her mind. “What if Carlos’s men see their guards? Won’t that tip him off that I spoke to you?” She started to pace, wrapping her arms around her waist as she walked. If the police suddenly showed up at Avery’s home or office, it would definitely be noticed. And she had no doubts that Carlos was ruthless enough to take out a couple of patrol officers if it meant killing her friends, too. That was just the kind of message he’d love to send, and something told her he wouldn’t hesitate to act.

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.”