Enticed By The Operative. Lara Lacombe

a candle of hope in the darkness of her thoughts. “Do you think so?”

      Logan lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Following people takes time and ties up resources. I’m not saying your friends are in the clear, but Carlos probably feels pretty confident that he can find them. Why waste time having men shadow their every move when he can just pick up the phone and get them back on the radar at a moment’s notice?”

      A growing sense of excitement made Olivia’s skin tingle. Were Avery and Mallory safer than she thought right now? If that was the case, maybe she could somehow warn them, get them to run far away until the danger had passed.

      Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Logan held up a hand as if to slow her down. “I can’t be sure they aren’t being followed,” he began, but Olivia cut him off.

      “What if I somehow got a message to them, let them know what was going on? They could hide until we figure out what to do about Carlos.”

      Logan shook his head, his mouth flattening in sympathy. “Too risky. Carlos is going to be hyperaware of your actions until you’re in Colombia. I know you’re worried about your friends, but trust me, staying away is the best thing you can do for them right now.”

      Olivia sank back into her chair, her enthusiasm waning. “How can I be sure he hasn’t killed them already?”

      “Believe me, you’d know.” He sounded quite certain, but Olivia didn’t share his conviction.

      “How do you figure that?”

      Logan grimaced. “These are the kind of people who send graphic videos accompanied by body parts. If your friends were already dead, Carlos would make sure you were aware of that fact.”

      Olivia felt the blood drain from her face. “Oh, God.”

      “Try not to think about it.”

      Oh, sure. Like her imagination was something she could just switch off on command. Maybe that was how Logan dealt with such matters, but Olivia’s mind didn’t work that way.

      She glanced around the room, looking for something to distract her from thoughts of Avery and Mallory being tortured at the hands of vicious strangers. Logan seemed to sense her trouble, and he reached out to grab her hand with his own.

      “I know it seems hopeless now, but we will find a way to make sure everyone comes through this safely. Especially you.” He punctuated his words with a gentle squeeze, and warmth traveled from her hand up her arm and into her chest. Although she didn’t know him very well, Logan’s presence was a comfort. It might have been the fact that he was so calm when her emotions were all over the place. Or it might have been the confidence he projected, as if he could take on the problems of the world and put them to rights. Or perhaps it was just the peace that came from being touched by another person seeking to offer reassurance, something she hadn’t felt since Scott’s departure. Either way, Olivia closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment to savor the contact.

      When she opened her eyes, she saw that Logan was watching her. His expression was one of concern, and she had the fleeting sensation that he really and truly cared about her and her problems. But that was probably just wishful thinking on her part. After all, they barely knew each other, so why would he care about her on a personal level? He was likely interested in her story as it pertained to his job, but nothing more.

      Disappointment felt like a stone in her stomach, but she ignored it. It was her own fault she had to turn to a neighbor she barely knew for help.

      Pushing aside those thoughts, she refocused on Logan. “What happens now?” The words were unfamiliar in her mouth. As a doctor, she was used to having complete control over a situation. In her office, in the operating room—even in Colombia—she was in charge. People looked to her for guidance and direction, and she had no problem stepping up and taking the reins. But this was a situation she didn’t understand and didn’t know how to navigate. She felt like she’d been dropped in a foreign country, with no idea of the customs or how to speak the language.

      He frowned slightly. “Two things. First, I need to call this in and inform the team what we’re dealing with here.”

      “Wait a minute,” Olivia replied, disentangling her hand from his and holding it up. “I’m not willing to risk the safety of my friends like that.” Had she made a mistake after all?

      Logan’s expression was a mix of pity and kindness. “We’ll do everything in our power to keep them safe,” he said. “But I have a responsibility to report this, and the only way we can find out what’s really going on is if we launch an official investigation.”

      “Won’t that alert the bad guys that I talked to you?” Panic clawed up from her chest, threatening to strangle her. Things were moving too fast, spinning out of control. If Logan got more people involved, it increased the chances of Carlos finding out and killing her friends.

      “We won’t do anything to tip our hand.”

      “What’s the second thing?” At his puzzled look, she continued. “You said there were two things that need to happen next. What’s the second?”

      He nodded. “We’re going to find a way to keep you alive while you carry this out.”

      Olivia wanted to believe him, but she didn’t dare get her hopes up.

      “Do you really think that’s possible?”

      Logan apparently heard the resignation in her voice. He reached out and placed his hand under her chin, tipping her head up until she met his eyes.

      “You’re going to get through this, Olivia. I will make sure of it.”

       Chapter 3

      She was quiet on the drive in. Logan couldn’t tell if she was shutting down, or merely being considerate since he spent most of the time on the phone. He made a few calls to some key players, people who needed to know what was going on and would help decide what to do about it. He didn’t want to bring everyone in just yet—not until he knew exactly what they were dealing with. He didn’t want to have to tell Olivia this, but the threats from Carlos could be a false alarm, or it might be too late for her friends. Either way, he wasn’t going to pull the trigger on a massive operation without a little more confirmation.

      He glanced over, hoping to get a read on her mood. But she was turned away from him, staring out the window at the passing buildings. It was just as well. He didn’t exactly have a script of comforting words to draw from, and he certainly didn’t want to make things worse for her by saying the wrong thing.

      Part of him was glad she wasn’t looking at him. He’d had a hard enough time containing his reaction at the kitchen table. As soon as she’d told him her story, complete with mention of the mysterious Carlos Martinez, his skin had started to tingle as if he’d been dropped into a pool of champagne. Her description of the man had fit perfectly with the profile they had on one of the US operatives for Fantasmas del Mal. The administration had been working for ages trying to gather more intel on this guy and his associates. If they could stop the US cell of this organization, it would be a major blow to the Colombian crime lords. Furthermore, crippling the US arm of Fantasmas del Mal might just weaken them enough that their competition would finish off the cartel.

      But first things first. They had to figure out a way to keep her alive while she did the group’s dirty work.

      Once again, his protective instincts fired up at the thought of Olivia in danger. He wasn’t quite sure why she elicited such a strong reaction from him, but he wasn’t going to dismiss the feeling. It had been so long since he’d felt much of anything that he welcomed the emotion, even though he knew it would only make matters more complicated.

      Some things were worth the trouble.

      The way he saw it, the only way her friends stood a chance of getting out alive was if Olivia carried the cartel’s money and