Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Alfonso Ramos' Estate

Present Day

NOTHING WAS CLEARER to Finn the next morning. They'd let Zo keep the disk, and the two of them had been escorted to a suite of rooms more appropriate for guests than prisoners.

Although maybe it was a jail cell with all the fucking electronics in it. While he'd left the bedroom and sitting room alone, it had taken him half an hour to clear the bathroom of cameras and microphones last night. He'd tossed the shit on a chair near the door and had waited for Ramos to send someone to reinstall it. That hadn't happened, and it raised more questions.

Yanking the spy gear had been a risk, but he was damned if he'd let Ramos' men ogle Zo while she showered or used the bathroom. And when he'd given her the okay, she'd washed off the mud and had gone to bed.

More like crashed as soon as she hit the sheets .

She hadn't eaten, but Finn had decided she needed sleep more than food. But that was another puzzle. Dinner had been served in their room on an elegant cart. It was one what-the-fuck moment after the next. His brain spun through possibilities as he showered, but nothing made sense. If he were on his own, he'd roll with it and see what happened, but Zo was involved.

Closing his eyes, he turned his face up to the water and let it sluice over him. The quest for peace lasted about twenty seconds before the door to the bathroom opened. It was Zo.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes. I wanted to talk." With a frown, she sat on the marble surrounding the bathtub facing the clear glass of the shower, the disk clutched in both hands. She'd slept with the damn thing under her pillow last night.

Finn reached for the shampoo. She'd taken a second shower this morning and was dressed in faded jeans and a purple polo shirt, her damp hair braided, so he was pretty sure she hadn't come in to join him. Not like he would allow her to do that if it had been her purpose. Things were too shaky to be distracted. "Why are you here?" he asked as he rubbed his scalp.

"You warned me the bedroom was bugged."

She'd deliberately misunderstood the question. "Come on, loquita, stop hedging."

Her sigh was audible over the running water. "I know I was out of it last night, but running through what I remember…" she hesitated. "I don't get it. Why aren't we dead? Why am I holding the Disk of the Gods, and not Al? Do you understand what's going on?"

He took a moment to rinse the shampoo from his hair before he said, "I don't understand a damn thing. You sure you have no idea? You know Ramos better than I do."

Zo dropped her gaze to the disk and ran her thumb over the surface in a gentle caress. "I'm not sure anyone knows him, not anymore. The unpredictability is part of what makes him scary." She frowned. "Wanting the disk makes sense. His grandfather spent his life looking for it, and Al and I spent three summers searching ourselves."

Finn let the silence linger as he continued his shower. What they'd talked about wasn't enough reason for Zo to wander in here, but he didn't press her. The quiet didn't last long.

"Did you notice Al got the size right on the clothes he gave us?"

The comment stopped him mid-suds. Ramos had put more planning into this than Finn had accounted for. "And he went with stuff we'd actually wear," he said slowly. Like jeans. He'd even picked a shirt color that Zo would have chosen herself if she'd been shopping. The more he thought about it, the less he liked it.

Finn finished washing up, turned off the water, and stepped from the shower. He'd left a towel on the tub, and Zo took a hand off the disk to pass it to him. "Al even provided the same brand of bra and panties I wear."

He muttered a curse under his breath. Finn didn't like hearing that, and how the fuck did Ramos know what Zo liked for undergarments anyway?

Tying the towel around his waist, he went to the vanity, opening each drawer. It took a force of will not to shut them hard when he didn't find what he wanted, but damn it, some drug lord knew Zo's panty size and preference.

"What are you looking for?" She'd trailed after him, hovering off to his side.

"A razor." He closed the final drawer, not surprised he didn't find one.

"You know Tom doesn't shave," Zo said. In the mirror, he saw her lips curve.

"True," he agreed. Finn grimaced, and as he turned to her, he forced his agitation aside. It was an emotion he couldn't afford if he wanted to keep his woman safe. He focused on what was important. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ready to do whatever you need me to do."

"That's not what I asked."

Closing the distance between them, Zo rested her hands on his shoulders. The disk was propped on his left side, and it seemed to gently vibrate against his skin. "I'm okay. Really. I'm worried about Tia Izel, and I wish she was safe. I'm worried about you, and I wish we were back in LA, but physically, I'm fine." She leaned in closer, and voice soft, said, "I missed you, Finn."

The confession hit him hard, right in the solar plexus. No one had ever said those words to him before. Finn wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I missed you, too, loquita."

He took a minute to savor the warmth of her body pressed against his, the scent of the same shampoo and soap that he'd used, and the crisp mint of the toothpaste they'd shared. Stroking her back lightly, he realized he'd needed this. Needed to hold her, to feel her breathing. And as he gazed into her light blue eyes, Finn was pretty sure she'd needed this as much as he did.

Zo raised her face to his and Finn met her halfway. The kiss was slow, languid, and yet managed to be intense. They'd been apart for days, but it had felt like years. How the hell would he survive months without her while he worked with his team?

Finn's hold on Zo tightened, and he deepened the kiss, although he knew better. His hands tugged her shirt from the waistband of her jeans, and he touched silky, bare skin. He had his world in his arms right now, and he could have lost her. If she wasn't as resourceful and as strong as she was, he would have lost her before he'd ever gotten out of LAX.

The need to reaffirm Zo was alive—that she was safe at least for the moment—obliterated the last of his common sense. He reached for the snap of her jeans, lowered the zipper, and slid his hand inside her panties. Her gasp was followed by her arching into his touch. An instant later, she untied his towel. It fell to the floor.

Hell, yeah. Finn raised his head, verified that Zo needed this as much as he did, and started to pull her polo shirt over her head.

A knock on the bathroom door interrupted them. "Se?or Ramos wishes to see you now," a man called. "Bring the disk."

He had to clear his throat before he could talk, and his voice was thick. "Be right there." Reluctantly, Finn stepped back and reached for his jeans. It hurt to release her, but he wasn't ready to push Ramos. Not yet.

Zo clutched the disk tightly in both hands and tried not to edge closer to Finn. He'd eased away from her once because she'd impeded his ability to move. Not that he could do much with the guards surrounding them, but he'd frequently told her that he liked options. Besides, a strong woman wouldn't glue herself to her lover's side, right?

To distract herself from her nerves, Zo looked around. Al's office was every bit as ostentatious as she recalled from yesterday, but the man himself had yet to make an appearance. Maybe he kept them waiting because it would increase the tension.

Or, she corrected herself as he walked in, he'd gotten consumed by his workout.

Al's T-shirt was drenched with sweat, and he held a glass with what appeared to be a fruit smoothie in one hand. Settling behind his desk, he took a sip. "Ah, Zofia, you are looking much better today," he said in Spanish.

Finn tensed, but Zo kept her attention on Al. "Thank you for the clothes. "

" De nada ." He waved away her words.

Her stomach chose that moment to growl. Zo brought her hands—and the disk—tight to her belly as if it would take back the noise.

One side of Al's mouth kicked up, but he didn't smile. "Perhaps later, you and Se?or Rowland will have breakfast in the dining room."

"That would be lovely." Or perhaps he wouldn't feed them, using hunger as some kind of tool.

Al's eyes zeroed in on the disk. "Tell me, Zofia, do you believe the legends my grandfather shared with you?"

"About the Disk of the Gods opening a gate in the Huarona's mountain village? I don't know. Anything's possible."

Finishing his glass, Al returned it to the desktop and stared at her intently. "I'll take that as a no," he said at last, but Zo couldn't read his tone. "And here I thought you were more openminded than your parents. It seems I was wrong."

It took massive amounts of control not to respond. Ramos knew her well enough to understand which buttons to push, and comparing her to her mom and dad was definitely one of them. She shrugged with what she hoped appeared to be nonchalance. "Do you believe the legends?" she asked, turning the question back on him.

"My grandfather—were he here—would take the disk to the rock wall with the doorway carved into it, perform the necessary prayers, and insert it in the slot."

It wasn't an answer to her question, but yes, it was exactly what the elder Se?or Ramos would have done if he were alive. Damn, she missed the man and the stories he would tell. Her gaze locked with Al's, and she couldn't help but smile at the shared memory. "And no one would have been more shocked than him, should a gate to the world of the gods actually open. "

With a grin, Al inclined his head, seconding her statement. His amusement didn't last long. "Hand me the disk, Zofia."

It was instinct that had her clutching it tighter. "Zofia," Finn warned under his breath.

That shook her out of her idiocy. Finn only used her full name when he was irritated or angry with her. Either would fit the situation.

After running her thumb over the disk a final time, Zo stepped forward quickly. Too quickly. Al's guards went on high alert, and multiple weapons pointed at her. It slowed her down, and she carefully held the artifact in front of her so they could see her hands. When she was an arm's length away, she froze and offered it to Ramos.

As soon as he had it, the guard nearest to him used his rifle to gesture for Zo to back up. She obeyed immediately.

She didn't know what she expected from Al once he had the disk, but giving it a brief glance and tossing it in the top left drawer of his desk wasn't it. She gaped at him. And then she got angry. His men had chased her from Rio Blanco to San Isidro. They'd searched Tio Luis and Tia Izel's inn looking for her. She'd had to run from them in the rainforest. And now that he had the relic, he didn't even care enough to examine it?

Behind her, she heard a shuffling sound. The reminder that they were in Al's office, under his power, with his men ready to shoot at any provocation, had her taking a deep breath. Maybe he didn't want to show his men how much it meant to him. Ruthless drug lords had an image to protect.

It was Finn who got to the bottom line. "You have what you wanted. When will you release Izel Alvarez?"

"Not quite yet," Al said.

Her muscles went rigid. She glanced at Finn, but he appeared as relaxed as if the conversation was about something bland, like the weather. His control helped her find her own center. Unless he wanted her help, she had to let Finn handle this. He was the expert, and she'd make things worse, but damn, it was hard. Her first inclination was to protect the people she loved.

"Do you have a timeline for her to return home?" Finn asked, and Zo admired how easily he could pull off casual.

"It depends on you, Se?or Rowland." Al leaned back in his desk chair, arms crossed over his chest.

"How?"

There was a hard note in Finn's voice that Zo hadn't heard in a long time. She held her breath, scared of Al's reaction, but he only rocked his chair back a fraction farther.

"I have a job that requires your skill. Once you complete it to my satisfaction, I'll have my men escort Se?ora Alvarez to the inn in San Isidro."

"When is Zo freed?"

"She leaves when you leave."

Finn's lips quirked up. "And I get to leave when your job is done?"

"Correct."

"And I should believe you because…?"

Al sat up straight, his relaxed pose gone. "Because you have no other choice. I have your wife, and I have Se?ora Alvarez. I hold the cards. You either do as I ask, or I hurt the women."

Finn paused, sending the message he wasn't frightened. At least that's what Zo thought the quiet meant. She had to bite her lip to keep from jumping into the silence, to try and appease Al before he could become furious. Finn has this. Finn has this.

"Which of my talents did you need, Se?or Ramos?" he asked, vague interest in his voice.

Leaning back slightly, Al said, "I need someone who's previously dealt with Se?or Silva to broker a deal."

"You have an arms broker. "

Mock sadness settled on Al's features. "Unfortunately, Ernesto has passed away."

Something in his voice sent a shiver down Zo's spine.

"What was the cause of death?"

"Theft." Al's voice was harder and colder than Zo had ever heard it. Even his men shifted uneasily at the tone. "He wire transferred money to his accounts for weapons deals that never happened."

Finn didn't react. "There are plenty of gunrunners in Puerto Jardin."

"That is truth, but they don't fit my needs. I want someone I trust not to steal from me, and Se?or Silva refuses to deal with anyone he hasn't worked with in the past. That left me with you."

"You trust me?" Finn's tone was provoking. She remembered the indolent, almost-fuck-you voice from two years ago. It was pure Tom Finley.

Al didn't like the attitude, and since it had put her back up two years ago when he'd used it with her, Zo didn't blame him. "I trust you because you have no option except to be honorable. Unless, of course, you've tired of Zofia and want me to rid you of her presence. Permanently."

"No," Finn drawled, "I'd like to keep her around a while longer."

With a shrug, Al said, "As I suspected, although she is far more trouble than she's worth."

"That depends on what her value is to you."

Finn had increased Al's leverage against him with the statement, but she had a pretty good guess why he'd done it. To protect her. If Ramos had the slightest doubt about her importance to Finn, her life would be at greater risk.

"What are you looking for? M4s? AK-74s? ARADs?" Finn asked.

Ramos tapped his fingers on the desktop as if he were thinking it over. It was bullshit. He knew exactly what he wanted. "I wouldn't turn down some ARADs, but I'm more interested in the M4 replacement rifle. It's precision-guided—I'm sure you've heard of it."

"Sí, I've heard of it, but it'll be almost impossible to get a hold of—even the US military isn't using that weapon yet."

"Not impossible," Al corrected. "I have a half dozen of them already, and they've proven their worth in battle. I need more if I'm to overcome Bianchi. Se?or Silva will be able to procure them, and you're the man to make the deal."

The pieces suddenly fell into place, and Zo was unable to suppress her gasp. It stopped the conversation short, and Al gazed at her, his face impassive.

"Do you have something to contribute, Zofia?"

"You never wanted the disk! You wanted Finn. The disk and I were the means to an end, nothing more."

Getting to his feet, Al rounded the desk and leaned his hips against the front. "You are wrong. I didn't learn what relic you had in your possession when I put my plans into motion, but once I discovered it was the Disk of the Gods, it became important. It's my grandfather's legacy. But now that I have the artifact, I must focus on the arms. I'm at war, and I always win no matter the cost."