Chapter 35 #2
“Yes, ma’am.” Cal sat, and Io moved in front of him, crouching the way he’d crouched for her. She dabbed each scrape with antiseptic, murmuring soft sounds of dismay at the deeper ones, but her touch stayed gentle.
His lips curved as she fussed over him. Her order hadn’t been about control. It was concern. Care. The need to make sure he was okay. It meant something. Something big. She still cared. She hadn’t given up on him or their marriage. Not completely. Not yet.
Warmth spread through his chest, bright and steady. Hope followed, sharp enough to steal his breath. Another tick on the positive side of his mental ledger. Another reason to believe he might still have a chance.
He opened his mouth, heart in his throat, ready to try—really try—to convince her to give them another shot. “Io—”
The door opened.
The captain stepped inside, eyes sweeping the room as he shut it behind him. “Good. You’re both here.” He waved a hand. “Stay seated. This won’t take long.”
Cal gave up on protocol. Not that BD cared much for it when they were undercover anyway. The captain preferred they act like mercenaries at all times, not just when someone was watching.
BD moved to the front table and leaned his hips against it, arms crossing over his chest. He didn’t waste time.
“The two of you are quite a team. I haven’t had to deal with a mess this big in a couple of years.
Congratulations, Baggs. It’s always a pleasure calling in favors from Puerto Jardinese Special Forces officers. ”
The sarcasm was unmistakable. “Sorry, sir.”
“I’m sure you are.” BD turned to Io. “You and your sister are safe to return to Los Angeles. I have Pru working as your travel agent. It looks like the two of you will be flying out tomorrow morning.”
Cal felt Io go still before she moved. She pushed to her feet, tossing the antiseptic pad onto the table, and squared off with the captain. That protective fire in her—God, he loved that about her. Loved that she didn’t back down, not even from BD.
“And you know my sister will be safe because?”
“Because the two Russian mobsters we questioned told the same story. Ivanov doesn’t care about the treasure, it was all Petrova.
He wanted to use it to curry favor with his boss.
Apparently there are rumors he’s preparing to name a successor to his criminal empire, and Petrova wanted to be anointed. ”
Cal watched Io absorb that, her shoulders tight, jaw set. She was scared for her sister and trying not to show it. He knew her tells. He knew her heart. And the instinct to step in, to shield her, to take that fear from her, hit him hard.
“You’re sure?”
BD’s tone stayed flat, matter-of-fact. “Yes. Petrova overreached. His orders were to come to Trujillo to negotiate purchases of drugs and weapons. The treasure hunt was all his own idea.”
“And Ivanov isn’t interested?” Io sounded skeptical. “The treasure is worth an estimated billion dollars.”
“Which is a fraction of what Ivanov already has. His empire runs on drugs, prostitution, human trafficking, fraud, kidnapping, extortion, and a host of other crimes. He doesn’t need to waste his time and resources searching for some treasure no one has located in two hundred years. That was Petrova’s scheme.”
Io studied the captain, lips pressed tight as she weighed his words.
Cal watched her, watched the way she squared her shoulders, the way she held herself together for her sister’s sake.
His Wild Thing might be the tough twin, but she had a soft heart.
A fierce one. And seeing her protect the people she loved hit him in a place he’d been trying not to touch.
“You have my word on it,” Captain Nguyen said. “You and your sister are safe and will continue to be safe from Ivanov and his men.”
Cal felt the words land like a stone in his gut. Safe. Safe meant Io could leave. Safe meant she had no reason to stay here. Safe meant he was running out of time to tell her he wanted her back. Not just alive, not just okay, but with him.
He kept his expression neutral, but inside, something tightened. He wasn’t losing her again. Not without a fight.
“And my help in reaching Torres?”
“Ms. Desmond, the only reason I allowed you to assist was because you were already at risk. Now that you are no longer in danger, my team will handle this op. You and your sister will return to the States tomorrow.”
The captain’s tone left no room for debate, and Cal wasn’t surprised to see Io nod. She accepted the order without argument. She’d done her part. She’d protected her sister. She’d survived.
But Cal’s gut twisted.
She might be fine with leaving, but he wasn’t.
He wanted Io safe and back in LA, wanted her out of this country and out of danger.
But he was stuck in Trujillo until the op ended.
It could take months. Months when his Wild Thing could walk into a divorce attorney’s office and end their marriage with a signature.
Months when he wouldn’t be there to fight for them.
If she left before he could convince her to give him another chance, he might lose her forever.
He kept his expression neutral, but inside, panic clawed at him, sharp, familiar, the same cold terror he hadn’t felt since his sister died. His thoughts spun, frantic and useless.
BD pushed away from the table. “Pru should have your return set up by the time dinner is ready. I’ll fill you and your sister in then.”
The captain left, but his words didn’t. They hung in the air, heavy and echoing, settling over Cal like a weight he couldn’t shake.
Tomorrow. She was leaving tomorrow.
He hardly heard the click of the door over the pounding of his heart. The room felt too small, the air too thin, everything inside him tightening with a fear he hadn’t let himself feel until now.
“Well,” Io said, pushing to her feet, “I guess I better round up Ayla and make sure she starts packing.”
She turned as if it were nothing. As if tomorrow wasn’t a countdown clock. As if she wasn’t about to walk out of his life again.
“Wait!”
The word tore out of him, raw and too loud. He sounded as panicked as he felt. No, worse. “Thing—Io, we need to talk. Now.”