Unexpected. Lori Foster

looking up, he said, “You’ve been to Central America before.”

      The words wanted to stick in her throat, but she forced them out. “I’ve been there.”

      “More than once?”

      “More than once.” She wouldn’t give him specifics about those other times. The papers told him she’d succeeded in her missions, and anything more was none of his damn business.

      But she could tell him what she’d already found out about this mission. “Your brother’s in Mataya.” That snared his attention. Hungry for info, he put the papers aside to listen. “It’s a small village that’s usually pretty peaceful. Now that they’ve got your brother, though, they see him as the pot of gold. You don’t have to worry. They’re treating him like a prince.”

      “How can you know that?”

      “I’ve had dealings with that village before. In the past, they’ve helped me with other rescues. In fact, that’s probably where they got the idea to try snatching your brother.”

      “From helping you rescue other men?”

      “Maybe. I have it on good authority that they won’t hurt him, but I doubt he’ll be comfortable with their standard of living. He won’t be dining on prime rib or soaking in the sauna, that’s for sure.”

      Eli leaned toward her. “I was told by some of his friends who’d been with him that he wasn’t hurt, but no one knew how to get him back. There’s been no ransom demand, no official notice.”

      She shrugged. “They probably don’t know what he’s worth.” She could just picture the bunch of them, pseudo guerillas, hashing over the dollar amount with hopeful greed. “The guys who took him are new at this.”

      “How do you know for sure who has him?”

      “I checked before agreeing to the job.”

      “Your connections in Central America are that good?”

      “Of course.” She didn’t tell him that she had befriended some of the people in years past. Locating a fair-skinned rich boy wasn’t all that hard. He stuck out like a broken thumb. “I know where he is, I know that he’s fine, and I know how to get him out with the least amount of hassle.”

      “We don’t yet know what they want for him.”

      She rolled her eyes again. “They want money—the only issue is how much you’ll have to actually pay, and that’ll be negotiable. It won’t be exorbitant. They’re so poor, ten thousand would seem like ten million to them.”

      He seemed relieved by her confidence. She could actually see some of his pent-up anger easing. “I was told you were good.”

      She accepted that tribute without modesty. “Yeah, I’ve been told that, too.”

      He made a face of hesitant acceptance. “Your grasp of the situation verifies it, and certainly everything in your papers looks credible.”

      She heard that “but” loud and clear. “So?”

      “It’s still a little hard to believe.”

      Here we go. “Because I’m female.”

      “Because you don’t look cutthroat enough, powerful enough, or hardened in any way.” His drew a slow breath, his gaze locked on hers. “Hell, if anything, you look soft. Very soft.”

      The way he said it kept her from actually hearing the words for a moment. When they did register, indignation exploded, causing her to slowly straighten. She felt her muscles—sleek, not obvious, but there all the same—quiver at the insult. Her body automatically went on alert, her senses rising to an acute level of awareness, ready to move with fluid speed.

      Ready to kick his ass.

      No man had ever dared to tell her she was soft. Most never gave it a thought one way or the other unless her talents were needed, and when she proved how hard she could be, they no longer cared. Her voice was silky and filled with menace when she purred, “You require a demonstration?”

      He didn’t grin, but he definitely looked amused again. “Offering to beat me up?”

      His humor rubbed her on the raw. “Don’t think I can’t.”

      This time he actually laughed, but with incredulity and astonishment. “I probably outweigh you by ninety pounds, none of it fat. You really think you’re that good?”

      Before the mission was finished, Ray vowed to show him just how good she could be. It’d be a well-deserved lesson, and one he wouldn’t forget. “I’m alive. That’s good enough for me.”

      “Alive, but still a woman.” He tilted his head, laughing quietly. “It’s tough to swallow.”

      Much more of his provocation and the lesson would come sooner rather than later. She wasn’t usually so prickly, but the majority of her jobs weren’t with a man like him. Most who hired her were obnoxious, arrogant, belligerent men who she could easily dismiss as unimportant and unworthy of her temper. They treated her as a lesser person. They did not dare to tease her, or smile at her with masculine pleasure.

      They did not size her up as a woman.

      Before she ruined everything by dislocating his shoulder, she got her temper under control. “Are we staying here? I want a drink if we are, and if not, well then, I suggest we get going. We’re drawing a lot of attention.”

      Instantly alert, Eli’s piercing gaze swept around the room with hasty caution. “Where?”

      Motioning with a tilt of her head, Ray said, “At the bar.”

      He looked, and scowled at whatever he saw. “The bar is behind you. How do you know anyone’s paying attention to us?”

      “Feminine intuition?”

      His mouth flattened. “It was a legitimate question, Ray.”

      With his mood soured, hers improved. “Yeah, all right. Don’t get your briefs in a bunch.” She watched with satisfaction as his expression tightened even more, then admitted, “I can feel it.”

      “It?”

      “Yeah. The growing tension, the static charge. Someone is plotting.” She gathered her papers and put them away, locking the briefcase and keeping it on the table in front of her. “I can feel the eyes, feel the hush in the air. The anticipation.”

      When he only stared at her, she sighed. “It’s what I do, Eli, what I’m good at. Without gut instinct, I wouldn’t be here now.”

      Eli considered that. She waited for his mockery, but after a thoughtful moment he nodded. “All right then. Let’s get out of here.” He pushed his chair back.

      Triumph surged, but Ray didn’t give in to it yet. She wanted a commitment. She needed this job, much as it galled her to admit. There’d be hell to pay when Matt found out, but she’d handle him. “Then you do want me?”

      Before Eli could answer, another voice, slurred with drink, sounded close behind her. “I want ya, honey.” A damp, meaty hand closed around her upper arm. Ray didn’t so much as flinch. She’d expected at least one battle before the night ended, and she wasn’t disappointed that she’d get it. Just the opposite.

      Eli scowled, but Ray said only, “Looks like you’ll get your demonstration after all.”

      He gave her an incredulous glance before surging forward. To her rescue? Ray grinned. What a joke. She stood and shoved her briefcase against his abdomen, halting him in his heroic attempt. “You wanna help? Watch my case for me.” The man still held on to her arm. “And you might want to get out of the way.”

      “Like hell.” Eli dropped the case on the table, took one step forward—and was forced to duck as Ray went into action.

      Smiling, she grasped the man’s arm just