Enticed By The Operative. Lara Lacombe

grip on the steering wheel as he thought about her, alone and helpless, sent to deliver a pile of money in exchange for a suitcase full of drugs. She would be like a lamb to slaughter. The suppliers would likely give her the drugs—fear of Fantasmas del Mal ran deep in Colombia. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt Olivia in the process. Everyone knew these exchanges were dangerous. And as long as Olivia didn’t die... No harm, no foul, at least as far as the cartel was concerned.

      Besides, unless he missed his guess, Carlos Martinez or another mystery man would probably kill her once she got back and delivered their product. She was clearly reluctant to participate, and they didn’t need anyone with a conscience knowing too much about their business. Once Olivia had completed the job, she’d be considered a loose end, someone to dispose of quickly before she could do any damage.

      He shook his head. No matter what she did, she was damned. He clenched his jaw, hating the thought of her being treated like a loose end. She was so much more than that...

      Did she realize the magnitude of the danger she was in? He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but her posture hadn’t changed. From what he could tell, she was a smart woman. They didn’t exactly hand out medical school diplomas, and he imagined plastic surgery was a demanding specialty. But book smarts didn’t always translate into street smarts, and it was possible Olivia hadn’t thought that far ahead.

      “There’s no happy ending here, is there?”

      Or maybe she had.

      He winced, but really, it was better this way. He’d much prefer her to be informed than to be ignorant of the risks and realities of her situation. And a big part of him was relieved that he didn’t have to be the one to crush her hopes. Call him old-fashioned, but he really hated to be the guy who made a woman cry.

      “We don’t know all the facts yet,” he cautioned. “There’s a lot of information we still need before we act.”

      Olivia turned to face him then, her wide mouth pressed into a thin line. “You and I both know that the only way I’ll ever see my friends again is if I do what they want. That’s assuming the cartel doesn’t kill them just to make a point.”

      Logan didn’t reply. He couldn’t deny the truth of her words, but he didn’t want to confirm them, either.

      “So the only way to get out of this is for me to work with the devil. Which will probably get me killed.”

      “Not necessarily,” he interjected. For some reason, it was important to him that she not give up hope. The odds were not in their favor, but there was always a chance.

      And he was going to do his best to make that chance a reality.

      She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m not stupid,” she said softly. “And while I don’t know much about this organization, I doubt they’re the type to let me walk away. I refused them once, and they made it clear that to do so again would be a bad idea.” She ran her fingertips along her cheek as she spoke, and for the first time he noticed a faint darkening there, like the beginnings of a bruise. Had they hit her? He nearly snorted in disgust. He wouldn’t put it past Carlos or his men. From what he knew of them, they weren’t above bullying a woman to get what they wanted.

      Logan was quiet as he pulled into the parking lot. He found a spot close to the door and cut the engine, then turned to face Olivia. “Can I ask you a question?”

      She shrugged. “Sure.”

      “What’s the worst case you’ve ever had?”

      Her brows drew together. “Worst in what way? Most difficult, or most frustrating?”

      “I mean worst, as in you thought there was nothing you could do.”

      Olivia’s eyes dropped to her lap, and he knew she was thinking. “There was a child in Colombia,” she said. “He was about six and had a cleft palate. The surgery itself wasn’t terribly complicated, as these things go, but once we got him onto the table everything went wrong. We lost power, his pulse dropped dangerously low, and the anesthesiologist had no way to truly measure his state of consciousness. I thought for sure we were going to lose him.”

      “Did you?”

      “No.” She shook her head, then lifted her eyes to meet his. “We didn’t. We pulled out all the stops, and by some miracle we were able to save him and complete the operation.”

      “It wasn’t a miracle,” he replied. “It was your talent and the skills of those on your team.”

      Olivia tilted her head. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”

      “I know this is a lot to ask. I know you don’t know me, and you don’t know the members of my team. But please try to trust me. Things look bleak now, but I will find a way to get you and your friends through this.”

      “How can you be sure?” The words were barely more than a whisper, but he heard them loud and clear in the quiet car. “I want to believe you—I do. But I’m so afraid.”

      “I know,” he said, just as softly. “But it’s my job to make sure the bad guys don’t win.” Especially where you’re concerned. For some reason, Olivia’s dilemma was more than just another case to him—protecting her was something he felt compelled to do. “Is this the part where you tell me you’re the best there is?” She gave him a shaky smile, trying to pass the question off as a joke. But he saw the curiosity in her eyes, the burning need to know if he really could deliver on his promises.

      “Would you feel better if I did?” He could rattle off a list of his accomplishments in his sleep, but that’s not what she needed to hear. Besides, he knew better than anyone that words were meaningless. He had to show her by his actions that he was capable of keeping her safe.

      “I honestly can’t say.”

      Without thinking, Logan reached over and brushed a thick tendril of glossy brown hair behind her ear. “Tell you what. Let’s go inside and have a conversation with some of my friends. You can listen to what we come up with, and I’ll let you decide if I’m good at my job.”

      She nodded, and they climbed out of the car. He walked around the hood and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her into the building. It fit perfectly, as if that spot on her body had been made for his touch.

      Don’t even go there, he told himself. Olivia was a woman in trouble, and while his inner hero was thrilled to be the one to ride to her rescue, he had no business entertaining those kinds of thoughts. His personal feelings had no place in this situation, a fact he couldn’t afford to forget. Things were bad enough—one slipup on his part could cost several lives.

      It was a sobering realization, and one that got his brain back on track.

      Time to go to work.

      * * *

      Olivia was beginning to regret her decision to stay in Logan’s office.

      It was a nice enough place, but being alone with her thoughts only gave her the opportunity to obsess about Avery and Mallory—where they were, if the cartel had kidnapped them yet. If they were all going to make it out alive.

      Logan hadn’t been gone long. “You’re welcome to sit with us as we hash this out,” he’d said.

      “No, thanks.” She didn’t need to be in the room while he and his friends talked candidly about her situation. She wanted them to feel free to come up with a plan, and if they were trying to be sensitive to her feelings, they might not discuss all their options.

      “Want some coffee?”

      She’d declined his offer. She was jittery enough already—if she added caffeine to the mix, she just might vibrate right out of her skin.

      He’d given her a sympathetic look. “I’ll come back for you soon.”

      She’d merely nodded, and he’d turned and left the room.

      To