Chapter 18
Gemma stepped out of the shower and mopped her face with the gritty white towel that had seen too many rounds of bleach. Tears mixed with the water droplets on her face, and she exhaled into the terrycloth to prevent a scream.
Men.
Well, she couldn’t exactly blame all men for Dallas’s stubbornness, but god he was hardheaded. If he wanted to sit in Ecuador as a wanted person, when literally anyone on the street could be paid to kill him, then so be it. That’s not what she wanted for herself. She wanted all of this to go away.
Being hunted. Running for her life. Men showing up at every corner trying to murder her. How much could a person take? Not to mention everyone, like everyone, including her family, surely thought she’d been cloned or was being held captive or something because there was no way anyone would accept that she was behind a bombing.
As shitty as it was, the quicker she got back into the CIA’s good graces, the quicker all this nastiness would go away. And the quicker Dallas could have his life back and not feel he needed to hover over her as bodyguard. She had to accept the reality—the only reason they were in the same motel right now was because people were after her.
He could act as if she was the one to cut and run after every romp, but he sure as hell hadn’t complained. Hadn’t tried to call. Hadn’t expressed that he wanted more. She hadn’t given him her phone number, but so what? Clearly the guy had the resources to find her if he desired.
Her insides constricted and sadness stung her tear ducts all over again. Okay, so maybe he’d said on more than one occasion that they shouldn’t wait a year to see each other. But still. They had been offhand, playful remarks and not ones she could place weight on.
Nope.
Dallas was as uninterested in having a relationship with her as she was with him.
She wrapped the towel around her torso and tucked the end between her breasts with more force than necessary.
Sure, Dallas could be boyfriend material. Really, the dude had it all. He was built like a linebacker, hot as hell, hung, incredible in bed, and devilishly good-looking—like geez, just take my panties. He was also sensitive, and caring, and... protective.
All the things she’d always hoped for in a boyfriend.
Except there was one major red flag.
He was... how had he put it? A mercenary. Made a living committing crimes. And his family, though he hadn’t said a lot, was cut from the same cloth. She couldn’t live her life worrying about him. He traveled for work, would be gone all the time. He could end up in a foreign prison, and every time he left, there was a chance he’d return in a casket.
So, no. As perfect as Dallas was, she couldn’t go there. Nor would she let him act as though she’d screwed him over by calling Charlene. All she’d done was throw him a freaking lifeline, and he’d spat on it.
Combing her damp hair into a side braid, she fought to keep the fumes of her fury under control. Showing Dallas how upset she was wouldn’t help matters. She needed to channel the cool and confident Gemma who managed to get her shit together and walk away from him every year.
This was no different.
She stepped into her shorts—hopefully this time her plane didn’t crash—and fit a black tank over her head. She badly needed to wash her clothes, but at least her body was clean. She brushed her teeth then tossed all her toiletries into her travel kit.
In a few short hours she’d be out of Ecuador.
Dread made her stomach clench, and a warning touched her spine. Dallas’s words echoed in her head: They can’t be trusted.
He might be right. But she also didn’t have much choice.
Not if she wanted to live.
***
Dallas stepped outsideas he stared at the unfamiliar number lighting the screen of his phone. He shut the door behind him. Now that he had cell service, messages were coming in. He’d surely missed a few calls from Lorenzo.
Clearing his throat, he swiped to answer. “Hello?”
He closed the door behind him and moved into the mostly vacant parking lot. The morning sun hit his face.
“Dallas. You’ve been a hard man to get a hold of.” The slurring voice piqued Dallas’s senses.
Silas.
“Yeah. What a shitshow. I went offline for a few days—just got back on grid last night.”
“You left Cali pretty quickly. We never got to have our meeting.” Suspicion lined every syllable of the man’s words.
“Damn right I did. I almost didn’t survive the bombing. Got out before the authorities got there. I knew the bombing had to have something to do with us, so I planned to lie low until it was safe to reach you. You’re okay, I assume?”
There was a long pause.
“They didn’t succeed in killing me, if that’s what you mean. A woman was responsible. We spotted her getting on a plane a few days ago with two men. Word is she’s in Ecuador. Haven’t found her yet, but we will.”
Trepidation dampened his collar. Silas wouldn’t just forget about Gemma. He was on a hunt that only blood would satisfy.
“We still have business to do.” Silas’s words punched through his anxiety. “Are you close?”
Shit.
It didn’t look good that he’d run out of the country, but he couldn’t lie about being in Colombia. Not when Silas wanted to meet. The American businessman surely wanted to get back to the US quickly, just as he did. “I had a matter that took me to Ecuador. Any chance you can meet here?”
With any luck, the CIA had thought they’d succeeded in killing Silas and the man wasn’t being watched. The meeting would be quick, and he could take precautions just in case.
“I can arrange that. One moment.” He exchanged some words in Spanish with someone in the background. “I can be there in a few hours. I’ll call you when I land and we can set a meeting point.”
The call disconnected and Dallas let out a sigh. He squeezed his device in his fist and then dropped it into his pocket.
Didn’t Silas know he was with Gemma, the woman believed to have bombed him? It wasn’t like he could ask for fuck’s sake, but doubt gnawed at him. This could all be part of a plan to kill him. But Silas was a man on a money mission. There were few, if any, mercenaries who could help him move guns to Venezuela, especially on short notice.
He’d have to tread lightly.
He glanced over his shoulder. The blinds of their motel window were still closed. Maybe he hadn’t tried hard enough to convince Gemma to stay with him. He’d been short with her, but more because her decision made the strings around his heart twang, and not in a good way. It was similar to the sensation he’d felt when he knew—thought—Cole was going to drown.
Helpless.
Pulling out his phone again, he called Lorenzo. He needed to find out if Silas had any idea he was helping Gemma.
“Yo.” Lorenzo’s voice boomed through the speaker. “Holy Jesus. I thought you were dead.”
“Me too. Listen, I need your help. What does Silas know about me and why I left Cali the other night?”
“Um, shit. I dunno. I mean, he called looking for you. I told him you had to leave but didn’t mention where you were going.”
“Does he know I was with a woman?”
“Nope. I didn’t say shit. Played dumb. I don’t need his diabolical ass sniffing around my family. He killed my friend Don and man... let me tell you, ain’t no one want to die like that.”
The dampness around Dallas’s collar turned cold. He tugged at the material, but nothing took away the crushing sensation of suffocation.
“You there?”
He coughed. “Uh, yeah. He wants to meet me here in Ecuador and tie up loose ends for the shipment to Venezuela. I’ll need your help processing the deal, so stay near your phone.” He disconnected and moved across the pavement.
Gemma turned when he walked in. She was shoving items into her backpack, which was on the bed. Her sharp gaze took in his collar then dropped down to his torso and back up. “You look like you just walked ten miles in the heat.”
She wasn’t far off. He wanted to take another shower, but they didn’t have time for that. He kicked off his shoes and strode across the room to where she stood.
Snagging her wrist, he stopped her hand in midair before she could put the bra she was holding into her backpack. “Can we talk?”
Gemma’s lips parted half an inch, and it took everything in him not to kiss her.
He couldn’t.
Their relationship was on shaky ground. And even if he never saw her again, he had to make sure he did everything he could to save her life. She didn’t pull away but dropped the bra and turned to face him, placing her free hand on her hip.
“Shoot.”
“I spoke to Silas,” he said flatly.
Her eyes bugged out, and she covered her mouth with her fingers. “Can he trace your phone?”
He shook his head. “No, don’t worry. We’re safe for now. Turns out I don’t think he knows who you’re with... that you’re with me. He said he was after a female bomber and two men—I’m assuming that’s Eli and me, but he maybe hasn’t gotten word of Eli’s death yet, or my identity.” He smoothed his thumb over the back of her hand because he couldn’t not stroke her skin, dammit. “That means I don’t have a hit on my head. Silas wants to meet me. He’s coming to Ecuador to finish our transaction.”
Her brow puckered. “How do you know he’s not playing you?”
“I don’t. But you need to understand that he’s not going to stop searching for you. He made it clear that finding the bomber is his priority right now.” Dallas rocked his jaw. Part of him wanted to shake Gemma. To just grab her and throw her in the car and refuse to let her return to the CIA.
But what right did he have?
None whatsoever.
She pushed a shaky hand through her hair. “Well, that doesn’t surprise me. I mean, surely he’ll have to move on when he can’t find me. Once I’m with the CIA they’ll have me stationed somewhere else and Silas will be old news.”
“You still think they’re going to protect you?”
“Well, to some degree, yeah. They need me, otherwise Charlene wouldn’t have cut the deal.”
Words pushed forth from his throat. He wanted to stop them at his lips but didn’t. “You’re safer with me.”
Her gaze softened. Slowly, she pressed her body against his chest, her hands curled by her face. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked his head into her sweet-smelling hair.
Raspberries and lemon. He hadn’t been able to get the scent out of his head from day one. It haunted him whenever she was away and taunted him whenever he was with her. A constant reminder that she was here one moment and gone the next. Maybe he needed to accept that he wasn’t meant to have a female in his life permanently.
It was for the best.
But this—Gemma leaving—it sure as shit didn’t feel like anything good would come from it. His mind worked a mile a minute. If he was going to convince her, now was the time. Once they got in the car, once she got close to supposed safety, there’d be no turning back.
“Please, Gemma.” It was all he could muster. The plea made his throat ache. It was so foreign for him to beg. To put his heart on the fucking line. Yet here he was.
And the worst part was, it wouldn’t even matter.
She made a little noise against his shirt and turned her head to press her cheek to his sternum. “God, I want to, Dallas.”
“Then do it. Come with me.”
“Silas—”
“I’ll protect you. He won’t know you’re with me.”
She gave her head a little shake. “He’s not stupid. He has so many men with him at all times. If he finds out you’re hiding me, even after your meeting, he’ll kill us both. I can’t let that happen.”
He pulled her head away, holding the nape of her neck with both palms. “You think you’re protecting me by leaving.” It wasn’t a question.
Her hands wiggled out from between them and pressed against his sides. “I can get us both out. Forget Silas. This whole mission. Go home and I’ll meet you there soon.”
No, no, no. Fuck no. “I’m not bailing while you risk your neck to appease those fuckers just to keep me safe. Not happening, honey.” He couldn’t hide the revulsion in his tone. Just the idea of running home while she got shipped off somewhere else, to save his ass, was a pill he couldn’t swallow.
Despair clouded her eyes. “Then I guess we part here.”
Before he could move away, she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him as if she’d never let go.
He stayed stiff, his body unwilling to fold, even to comfort her. Anger vibrated every atom in his body, but it wasn’t Gemma’s fault. Not entirely.
It was his.
There was only one thing he could do to protect her now. Only problem was, it was a suicide mission.
He forced himself to kiss her head. “Bye, Gemma.”
She pulled her head back. Questions sparked her blues. “Why do you say it like that?”
His cell phone chirped from his pocket. As he dug it out, he sent a silent prayer skyward: Please let it be Cole.
Dare’s name flashed across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me. Just want you to know I’m working on another contact to get you on a plane outta there. Problem is I want you to have passports first, and Cole was supposed to start that.”
“Where is he? I’ve been waiting to hear back from him for a few hours now.”
“No idea. Spoke to him last night but haven’t heard a word since.”
Dallas breathed a curse. “That’s not like him.”
“No shit.”
“All right. So what if I take the flight without a passport?”
“Well, we could try it. I guarantee whoever’s picking you up won’t mind, but coming in could be an issue. Do you have any ID on you that’s not compromised?”
He turned away from Gemma and rubbed his temple. “Actually, the alias I have might work. Turns out Silas is just after Gemma and doesn’t know we’re together.”
“But she’ll need new ID. Especially since she’s tied to the bombing.”
A beat passed, and Dallas’s muscles tensed. “She’s not coming.”
“What?” The word rang with disbelief. “I thought—”
“Yeah, so did I. She’s got something else lined up. I’m going to finish my work here with Silas and then get out when I’m done. Later today for sure. If you hear from Cole, have him call me.”
Dallas disconnected and spun around. Gemma stood with her arms crossed over her middle, her eyes huge and sad.
Leaving without Gemma would be like severing his arm.