by Lara Lacombe
The teenage boy in front of her squirmed uncomfortably, and Olivia realized she’d wrapped the bandage too tight. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, unwrapping the gauze and starting over.
Daniela excused herself and Olivia waved absently in her direction. Focus! she chided herself. Her patients deserved her full and undivided attention, but try as she might, Olivia couldn’t stop worrying. Where were the drugs? Who had taken them? More important, how could she get them back?
Her mind conjured up Avery and Mallory as she’d last seen them, relaxed and laughing as they enjoyed their girls’ weekend. If she didn’t bring home the drugs... A sudden, intense wave of nausea hit her and she swallowed hard to keep her earlier cup of coffee down. She didn’t dare think about what the cartel would do to her friends. If she let her brain go down that path, she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it, and no good could come of imagining the terrible price they would pay for her failure.
“All done,” she said, attempting to smile at her patient. The young man’s eyes widened a bit, and Olivia realized her smile was not as reassuring as she’d intended. He hopped off the bed with a muttered “Thanks” and made for the door, no doubt eager to get away from her. Not that she blamed him. In her present mood, she wasn’t good company for anyone.
She began to clean up the wrappers and other detritus left behind. This room was running low on gauze and tape, two things that were in constant demand. There was a lull in patients right now, so she might as well take this opportunity to restock. No telling when she’d get another chance. Besides, it gave her something productive to do and would hopefully help keep her mind occupied.
It took only a few moments to make a list of all the supplies she needed to bring back. Olivia stepped into the hall, shutting the door quietly behind her. She didn’t want to leave the remaining supplies unattended for long—staff from other floors of the hospital tended to raid these rooms when she was in town, wanting to use the materials she brought for their own benefit. She didn’t blame them. This was a resource-poor area, so the people were quick to take advantage of any influx of new items.
The supply closet—it wasn’t big enough to really call it a room—was located down the hall. Olivia fished the keys out of her pocket and stepped inside, grateful for the cool darkness of the windowless space. She took a deep breath and pressed her forehead against one of the metal shelves, closing her eyes. It was tempting, so tempting, to just shut the door and forget about the rest of the world. But Logan would be done with his calls soon and would wonder where she was. Hopefully he and the DEA had come up with a solution, or at least an idea of what they should do now. As long as they could keep Avery and Mallory safe... Her stomach cramped and she took another deep breath, trying to relax. Throwing up in here would not improve the space.
The surge of nausea passed quickly and she began to search the shelves for the items she needed. While she worked, her thoughts kept turning over in her mind as she sought answers to a seemingly endless number of questions.
Who had taken the drugs? It had to be someone who knew she had them, but who could that be? The only person Olivia had spoken to about them, aside from Logan, was Maria. She hadn’t seen Maria since she’d delivered her baby, and it was highly unlikely the woman had found out where Olivia was staying, sneaked into the apartment and stolen the drugs herself. But she could have told someone else about the pickup...
What was the point, though? Logan had told her that the price of cocaine in Colombia was a fraction of what it was worth in the United States. Still, money was tight for a lot of people. Had someone stolen the drugs so they could sell them and keep the cash? It was possible. But she didn’t know enough about the drug trade in town to have any guesses as to who might be guilty, and that wasn’t exactly the kind of conversation she could have without raising a lot of suspicions.
One thing was clear—whoever had taken the drugs clearly hadn’t meant her any harm. She and Logan had been sitting ducks in the shower. The thought made her face flush as she recalled exactly what they’d been doing there. Needless to say, they’d been totally oblivious to the outside world. Someone could have burst into the bathroom, guns blazing, and neither one of them would have been able to do anything about it. But that hadn’t happened. Whoever had stolen the drugs had been careful to leave no signs of their presence. If she hadn’t made the comment about not being able to feel the bundles, it was unlikely they would have realized the theft until much later. That meant whoever did this wanted it to be a secret. So should she pretend like nothing had happened, or should they search for the culprit?
Both options had merit, she mused, scanning the shelves for large gauze squares. Whoever took the drugs was bound to still be watching. If she acted like nothing was wrong, it might cause the thief to relax and make a mistake. If she and Logan were to respond, it would certainly blow his cover. That could mean all sorts of problems, and since they still had nine days to go before the end of the trip, it might make things difficult, to say the least.
But if they could somehow search quietly... Maybe it was possible for them to find out who had done this without being too obvious. Logan would have a better idea of just how to do that. Where was he? Why was it taking so long for him to talk to his fellow agents?
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, a steady, confident stride coming closer. That had to be him. Relief washed over her, and she poked her head into the hall to flag him down.
But it wasn’t Logan headed her way. It was Juan Pablo, and his face broke out into a wide smile when he saw her. “Olivia!” He quickened his pace and took her hands in his own, then leaned forward to kiss her cheeks. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, dodging to the side to avoid his lips. She fought to keep the disappointment out of her voice and off her face. It wasn’t Juan Pablo’s fault that she wasn’t in the mood to see him. On previous trips, they’d spent a lot of time together treating patients and hanging out with the other nurses after hours. But after her last visit, she’d gotten the impression Juan Pablo wanted more from her than just friendship. That feeling had intensified when she’d noticed the tension between him and Logan, and in an effort to defuse the situation, she’d kept her distance from Juan Pablo. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she also didn’t want him to think there was a chance of anything romantic happening between them.
“I haven’t seen you much,” he chided. “Have you been avoiding me?”
Yes. She pasted on a smile. “Just very busy. I’ve been seeing lots of patients.”
“I know—they all want to be treated by the best.”
Please don’t say nice things to me. She already felt bad enough at having to let him down—his heartfelt praise only made her feel worse. “That’s very kind of you to say.”
“Olivia.” He waited for her to look at him, and when she did she felt a little shock. There was a gravity to his dark brown eyes that she’d never seen before. Juan Pablo was normally an easygoing guy. But his expression had shifted now into something quite serious.
“I am worried about you,” he said, genuine concern in his voice. “You don’t seem like yourself. You are quiet, more withdrawn. Is something wrong?”
She began to shake her head reflexively, the denial an automatic response. But he lifted his hand, forestalling her reply.
“Please. You know I consider you to be a friend. I hope you feel the same way about me. You can tell me if something is bothering you.”
He was being so considerate, something she didn’t deserve in light of the way she’d avoided him over the past few days. His worry for her brought tears to her eyes, and she blinked away the sting. He was truly her friend, but she couldn’t tell him everything. A few hurt feelings were a small price to pay for keeping him off the cartel’s radar.
“I’m fine,” she said. His brown eyes filled with skepticism. “Truly, I am. I’m just worried.”
He cocked his head to the side, inviting her confidence
. The truth was on the tip of her tongue, but she settled for a little misdirection instead. “It’s hard to come here and know that I can only help a few people, when there are so many in need.”
Juan Pablo nodded in understanding. “I know. That is a frustration we all share.” He took a step closer, and she felt the warmth radiating off his body. “But I think there is something more?”
She shifted uncomfortably, mentally cursing her inability to conceal her emotions. “It’s nothing.”
Juan Pablo studied her intently for a moment and she had to force herself to stand still under his scrutiny. Finally, he let out a disappointed sigh. “I will take your word for it. For now. But please, if you should change your mind...” He took another step forward, invading her personal space. Olivia leaned back, hitting one of the shelves. “I hope you know I am here for you. I care about you. Very much.”
His eyelids lowered and he tilted his head. Olivia felt a brief surge of panic as she realized his intention, but she was trapped against the shelves, unable to move in the small space. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but his lips crashed down on hers and her protest came out as a muffled squeak.
CHAPTER 14
Logan stepped into the hospital and took the stairs on autopilot, his mind a million miles away. It had been good to talk to the guys back home—it always helped to bounce ideas off them and to find out if they’d heard anything through the usual channels. Unfortunately, they had no new information for him and were just as mystified as he was regarding the disappearance of the drugs. It didn’t make sense for Fantasmas to steal them back, since they were counting on Olivia to bring them into the States. The most logical explanation was a rival organization making a play, but their intelligence had no news of any groups operating in this area.
There was also a third possibility, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Someone may have deliberately targeted Olivia in an effort to sabotage her mission here. If she didn’t make it back with the drugs, the cartel would kill her almost immediately. Whoever had stolen them had to know that, and perhaps that was their end goal. But who would want Olivia dead? And why?
From what he’d seen, the staff here loved her. They were friendly and respectful and seemed to genuinely like her and enjoy her company. But appearances could be deceiving, as he’d learned once the hard way. Maybe it was time he took a closer look at some of the hospital employees...
The door to Olivia’s exam room was closed, meaning she was either with a patient or had stepped away. He pressed his ear to the door but heard nothing inside. Where is she? She wouldn’t go far—they had agreed to meet here after his call, and he knew she was anxious to hear about it.
The soft susurrus of voices drifted down the hall, so he set off to see if anyone had seen Olivia. Maybe she was in the bathroom or had been called away to consult on a patient. The door to the supply room was open—hopefully he’d get lucky and would find her there.
A moment later, he had his answer. She was there, all right, along with Juan Pablo. Logan’s hands bunched into fists at his side as he watched the man kiss her, anger flowing over him like hot lava.
Idiot! How could he have been fooled again? He’d thought Olivia was different, that what they had shared actually meant something to her. But it seemed she was no better than Emma. His stomach dropped as pain chased away his anger. At least he’d found out now, before truly losing his heart to her.
He turned to leave, not wanting to interrupt their moment. It wasn’t his place—clearly, Olivia had made her choice and he was too proud to beg. But just as he moved, she made a faint sound of protest.
Logan turned back immediately and saw the situation with new eyes. Olivia had her hand on Juan Pablo’s shoulder, her grip tight. But not with passion, he realized. She was trying to push him away.
Before he could think twice, Logan grabbed Juan Pablo by the nape of the neck and squeezed hard, tearing him away from Olivia. The man let out a startled cry and flung his arm out, trying to defend himself. Logan dragged him out of the supply room and pressed him against the wall of the hallway, the urge to do violence rising in him with a fierce intensity that nearly took his breath away.
“Logan!” Olivia stepped out and laid her hand on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked, keeping his gaze on Juan Pablo. The other man’s anger was palpable, and Logan hoped he would lash out and give him an excuse to pound him into the ground.
“I’m fine. It was nothing. Just a misunderstanding.”
“Did you ask him to kiss you?”
“No, of course not!”
“Then it seems to me like he was forcing himself on you.” He punctuated this observation with a little shove that made Juan Pablo narrow his eyes.
“It’s not like that—” Olivia began, but Juan Pablo cut her off.
“Who are you to interrupt us like this? We were having a private conversation.”
Logan tilted his head to the side. “That didn’t look like talking.”
“What would you know about it?” Juan Pablo sneered.
Logan’s fingers tightened on the man’s shirt, but he willed himself to remain calm. “I think it’s time for you to leave.” He dropped his hand, and Juan Pablo made a show of straightening his shoulders and smoothing his shirt, removing the wrinkled evidence of Logan’s grip. Then he looked up, defiance glittering brightly in his eyes.
“No.”
Before Logan could respond, Olivia stepped in front of him. “Yes.” Her voice was quiet but determined.
Juan Pablo’s bluster slipped for a second, and Logan could tell Olivia’s response had surprised him.
“But, Olivia—”
“You presume too much, Juan Pablo,” she said, her voice cold. “We are friends, nothing more. You know this, and yet you tried to force affection from me.”
He drew himself up, rebuilding his confident facade in the space between breaths. “I merely wanted to show you what you’re missing.” He flicked a dismissive glance at Logan, who didn’t give him the satisfaction of a response. This was Olivia’s show now, and he was content to let her run it.
Faster than a thought, Olivia slapped him. The loud smack seemed to echo through the empty hall, and all three of them sucked in a stunned breath. Juan Pablo paled considerably, making the red imprint of Olivia’s hand stand out like a brand on his cheek.
Olivia was shaking with emotion, and Logan reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. He wanted to steady her, to let her know she wasn’t alone. Her reaction was shocking in its intensity, and he began to wonder what else had happened before he’d come upon them...
She ignored his touch and leaned forward, unleashing a torrent of words in rapid-fire Spanish. Logan couldn’t hear everything, nor could he keep up, but Juan Pablo visibly crumpled at the onslaught. Whatever she was saying definitely hit its mark.
“Go,” she finished, the word low and lethal-sounding. “We are done here.”
Juan Pablo straightened, hesitating a moment. It was clear his pride called for him to respond in some way, but evidently his common sense kicked in. He cast a final, hateful look at Logan and then started off down the hall, his steps measured and his pace regular.
Logan waited until Juan Pablo was out of sight before gently turning Olivia to face him. She seemed calmer—he no longer felt the fine tremblings of her muscles under his hand, and her features had relaxed somewhat. But her eyes turned to the empty hall and it was clear she was still upset.
“Want to tell me what that was about?” he asked quietly.
She didn’t answer right away. Her chest rose as she took a deep breath, then she let it out, deflating before his eyes. She glanced up, looking so small and defeated that he was struck with the urge to gather her in his arms and wrap his body around her. His hands twitched, moving of their own volition to do just that. But he stopped himself in the nick of time. She’d just been pawed by one man. She didn’t need another offering of unwanted phys
ical contact, even if his intentions were good.
“I snapped,” she said simply. Her voice was flat, as if she was too exhausted to express any emotion. “It was wrong of me, I know. But in that moment, I couldn’t stop myself.” She shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I am just so tired of feeling out of control. With everything going on—” She stopped and glanced around, then took a step closer and lowered her voice. “With all that’s happening, I feel like I no longer have any say in my own life. And when he forced himself on me like that...” She shuddered, and Logan felt a renewed surge of anger. “I took all my frustrations out on him.”
“Understandable,” he said. His throat was still tight with emotion and he tried to relax his jaw before speaking again. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
“I’m just glad you got here when you did.” She was quiet for a moment, then shook her head. “Why did he do it?”
Logan opened his mouth to respond, but it was clear she wasn’t looking for an answer. She lifted her hand to cut him off. “We’ve always been friends. Why did he have to go and ruin that now?”
“I don’t know,” Logan said. It was poor comfort, but it was all he could offer her at this point. “Maybe he didn’t think your friendship was enough.”
“Maybe not,” she said, her voice low. “But that’s all I can give him.”
And what about me? The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t say it. Olivia had been through enough already—she didn’t need him trying to define what was between them, especially not now. Better to focus on getting home. The rest could wait.