He stared down at his drink. “You’re right. That’s not the way the file looks.”
“Thank you. I was starting to feel crazy.”
“But here’s the thing,” Ian said. “The law is the law. Just because Costa Rica won’t enforce it doesn’t mean it’s not valid. It sucks that they took his kid away. I feel for him. If Jamison was taken from me and Savannah, I might do exactly what Hix has done. But that’s not our call. We’re here to get the kid back to the people the court has decided are the best parents. We’re not judge and jury, and it sounds like you might be rooting for this guy. That’s gonna mess you up when it counts.”
“I’m not exactly
rooting for him, but I’m not looking forward to pulling his happy kid from her fairy-tale life, either.” She heaved a sigh, focusing her mind back into the black-and-white mode she needed to make this happen. “Okay, what can I do to win over the girl?”
“If she and Hix are as tight as you think, I’d say the first step is to win over the father.” He shot her a sidelong grin. “Just don’t make the same mistake I did.”
Ian was currently engaged to a woman he’d worked with on a previous case.
“I can promise you that won’t happen,” Everly told him.
He lifted a shoulder. “Then use that pretty self of yours and give Hix something other than his suspicions to think about. Distraction is always a perfect diversion.”
Everly sighed, lowered her phone, and pretended to disconnect from a call with a murmured “Guess it’s always smart to be on their good side if shit goes down.”
Roman kept his hands in his pockets as he walked beside Gianna. The quiet, dark streets of Playas del Coco seemed to wrap them in intimacy. One that pulled him to Gianna more than usual, though he was fully aware that was his perception, not hers.
He was anxious to get her on that plane. He’d been with her only a couple of hours, and he already ached with the need to touch her.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked.
Gianna exhaled heavily. At her rented SUV, she paused and leaned her butt against the rear bumper. “I didn’t mean to come down so hard on Everly. It’s just, I really want to do something for the Seavers. Clyde was devastated when Steven was killed. Losing Mirabella on top of that has been so hard on them.”
Roman loved and admired her compassion. Most people at her level had hardened over the years. Working in office settings kept them from remembering that their decisions affected living, breathing people. Gianna always had one foot in the field, and it kept her connected and compassionate.
“Everly can handle it,” he told her. “Sounds like you might have a little survivor’s guilt.”
The moonlight illuminated her frown. Steven had been her colleague and lover. Roman had come to terms with her moving on, but that didn’t make him want her any less. And while they didn’t spend a lot of time together, it was enough to create a constant state of want in Roman.
“I hadn’t seen it that way,” she said, her voice soft, “but, I guess… Maybe…”
He wanted to reach out to her. Comfort her. But the last time he did that, they’d ended up in bed, and Roman’s world had been turned upside down. He knew if it happened again, he’d be turned inside out. He might be a glutton for some punishment, but not that kind.
“Everly made some good points,” he told her. “And she’s got a keen skill for reading people. We’ll dig deeper. But you need to remember you’ve given this to us because you trust us to get the job done. You need to let go now.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “You’re right.” She laughed softly and lifted a hand, patting his chest. “You really do know me.”
He wanted to close his hand around her wrist, drag her against him, and kiss her. Taste that sweet mouth of hers again. See if it was as irresistible as he remembered. Instead, he eased back to break contact. “Let’s get you to the airport.”
The sooner, the better.
4
Bullets pumped from the rifle, holding the enemy behind a rock outcropping. Austin cut off fire and ran through the jungle, Tevez on his right, Beau on his left, all of them reloading as they moved.
At the next barrier, a downed tree, they all hit the ground on their bellies, rested their barrels on the tree trunk, and emptied another magazine. Then they were up and running again. Jovan and Lorenzo returned fire from inside the trees, covered in ghillie suits so well constructed, even Austin couldn’t find them. A marking round hit his calf and marred his fatigues with neon-green paint.
“God dammit.” The wax bullet didn’t hurt, but he had to honor the shot. Austin dropped to one knee and returned fire, crawling over the lush earth toward Grayson. His prior teammate lay on his back, looking up at the jungle canopy, ankles crossed, hands clasped on his chest.
“There’s one of those scarlet-something-or-others up there,” Gray said conversationally. He pointed into the trees. “Right there.”
“Scarlet macaw, and dead men don’t talk.” Austin released his M4, letting it dangle from the strap over his shoulder while Tevez and Beau provided cover fire. He gripped Gray—who was doing a damn good job pretending to be dead weight—around the torso and hoisted him over his shoulder. “Jesus Christ. You need to lose at least ten pounds, buddy.”
Gray just laughed and dangled over Austin’s shoulder, limp. “Desk work’s makin’ someone soft.”