Chapter 21

Oziah West took meandering route around Trujillo. More than once. The last thing he could afford to do was lead any of Vargas's men to the safe house. He swung through the open-air market, bought a tamale, and ate as he meandered, looking at the items for sale.

The vendors didn't approach him. Some appeared relieved when he moved along without buying anything. He was used to it.

That brought to mind a certain prissy little blonde. She'd been uneasy around him, too. At first. She'd overcome it quickly enough, though.

Yeah, quickly enough to make his trip to Los Angeles for Stony's wedding memorable. Oz patted his pocket and returned to eating.

Reaching the front entrance to the market, he leaned against the fa?ade and finished his lunch. When he was done, he tossed his garbage in a nearby can and resumed his walking tour of the city. He needed to talk to the captain, but Oz wasn't looking forward to the conversation. The Big Dog was not going to be happy.

When he was sure his tail was clear, he angled his direction toward the house. He continued evasive maneuvers right up until he reached the place. The upper floor was painted yellow, the bottom floor pink, and the garden that passed for the front yard was a mess. It hid the front door, but he went around to the back and let himself into the kitchen.

It was reflex to glance over at the small bistro table in the corner, but the captain wasn't parked there with a cup of coffee. Oz went looking for him. He heard him before he saw him.

"I already told you getting her out of the compound wouldn't be quick or easy. Stop checking in. I'll let you know when there's anything to report."

A brief silence.

"I have two men working on it. They'll take care of it."

Oz pushed open the door to the room the team used as an office. Captain Nguyen looked over when he came in, and said, "Hang on, Archer." BD put the phone on hold without waiting for a response.

"Do you have news on the Paladin League employee Vargas is detaining?" the captain asked without preamble.

"Lurch got her out. He said they're going to lie low for a while."

"Any injury?"

"No, Lurch watched out for her. She's good."

"Take a seat," BD said, "and let me get off this call." Again, he didn't wait before tapping the screen. "Good news, Archer. Your employee is rescued. She's fine and with one of my men. He's going to keep her off the grid until the heat dies down. That's another one you owe me."

Oz took the remaining seat in the office and waited for BD to finish his conversation. After disconnecting, he slid the phone on the table that passed for a desk. The captain studied him for a moment, and then asked, "What's up? I know you didn't come here just to tell me about the rescue."

There was no point beating around the bush. "I got fired."

Captain Nguyen didn't react. "Do we need to worry about a hit?"

Shaking his head, Oz said, "I doubt it. I was fired for incompetence, not because they suspect me of anything."

One of BD's eyebrows went up. "Incompetence? Care to explain that one?"

"There was an attack on the compound last night. Ramirez's rebels came over the wall and made some headway before they were repelled. It turned out they had some inside help. Those men didn't live to see the dawn."

"But Vargas isn't going to have you killed?" The Big Dog sounded skeptical.

Oz looked down at the floor that had been painted an ugly redwood color. It was peeling in places, worn in others, and a general eyesore. When he had a chance to organize his thoughts, he raised his gaze. "Lurch used the attack as a diversion and escaped with the archaeologist. I was manning one of the gates away from the incursion. When he turned up, I gave him my pistol and all the ammo I had, and then he zip cuffed me and knocked me out."

BD nodded. "And Vargas's men found you out cold and trussed up."

"Yes, sir. I told them Lurch came up behind me, and by the time I saw him, it was too late." Oz's lips quirked. "I was accused of being stupid and useless before I was told to get my gear and leave."

The captain leaned back in his chair. "I'm calling this a win. Lurch and the civilian are out of Vargas's hands, and you're unlikely to be looking at a bullet in your head. Losing eyes on the drug lord is an inconvenience, but nothing more than that."

"Yes and no," Oz said. "BD, something is going on. I don't know what, but Ramirez didn't send his men onto the estate on a whim. We know they've been after Lurch for a while. You don't think?—?"

"That doesn't make sense." Nguyen frowned. "They could grab Lurch later after he was off the compound. Why risk a war with Vargas?"

"Maybe they had a deadline and couldn't wait for Lurch to leave? Or maybe something is going on between Ramirez and Vargas that we don't know about."

"Option two is more likely, and as long as it doesn't impact our op, it doesn't matter."

"Yes, sir. What do you want me to do now?"

"KW is scheduled to make a check-in. I was going to send Rusty, but you're the better option. Be at El Taller in an hour."

Oz nodded. He'd rather be undercover and doing something, not meeting up with other teammates for reports, but it might take a while before he received a more interesting assignment. He shrugged it off. Like the captain said, at least he didn't have to worry about taking a bullet in the back of his head.

Archer shook off the annoyance. Given their history, he couldn't blame Nguyen for his attitude. And Nyx was safe—Archer's primary concern. Although he would have liked to talk to her himself and be absolutely certain.

She'd check in as soon as she was able, and hiding for a time was probably in Nyx's best interest. He frowned. The chances of the drug lord forgetting about her were slim, and he needed to get her home. That would aggravate her, but he'd rather deal with an unhappy employee than a dead one.

Should he leave Francesca and Ellis in Puerto Jardin or extract them at the same time as Nyx? They seemed to have escaped the attention of Vargas. As long as Nyx stayed away from them, his other two operatives—employees—should be fine.

If there were any danger to Francesca, Nguyen would have already loaded her on a plane and returned her to Los Angeles. Archer's lips curved, but the amusement didn't last long. Of the three women, Nyx was by far the one he trusted the most to handle potentially dangerous situations. With her out of Trujillo, that left Francesca to watch over Ellis.

He was in his public office, the show place with the marble floor, white metal molded desk, and the small circular table with the crystal brandy decanter. Turning in his leather chair, Archer looked out the window at the city. Sending Ellis had been a risk. While she was his best art historian, she was also his youngest employee and the most na?ve. Would Francesca alone be enough to keep Ellis out of harm's way?

He needed to factor that into his plans.

Losing Nyx in Puerto Jardin was bad enough, but to bring all three women home? It would derail almost any chance the Paladin League had to locate the Treasure of Trujillo.

Standing, he walked to his chess board and glanced down at the carefully aligned pieces. The problem was that he wasn't playing a game with only one opponent. There were many. Some were identified, like Jorge Torres. Others were known, but shadows like the mysterious Fuentes. Yet more were completely hidden from his view.

Archer preferred to know his adversaries. He wanted the odds in his favor, in his employees' favor, and in the Paladin League's favor. He couldn't maneuver against what he couldn't see. Or in Fuentes's case, against a whisper.

At least his operative was on her way to Puerto Jardin to track down Fuentes for him. Her plane left in twenty minutes. Some instinct honed during his time at ARC told Archer that this man was a serious threat to reach the treasure first. The idea of all that history disappearing into private collections, or worse, being destroyed for the price of the gold or the jewels hardened his resolve.

Francesca and Ellis would stay in Trujillo. Only Nyx would come home.

He turned, walked to his private office, and closed the entrance behind him. Archer picked up the phone. He needed to fill Francesca in and let her know that she wouldn't have Nyx to work with much longer.

"Francesca," Archer said easily when she answered, "I have good news."

"Nyx is okay?"

"From all accounts, Nyx is fine. Unfortunately, given the situation, I'm going to need to bring her back to Los Angeles. Her safety is at risk if she remains in Puerto Jardin."

There was a pause, then, "I was afraid of that. When will she return to the hotel?"

"If everything goes according to plan, she won't. If she does, it puts you and Ellis in danger. I'd need to bring all three of you home, then."

The silence lasted longer this time, but Archer waited. Francesca was thinking, and he didn't want to rush her.

"Ellis and I can bring her things home with us when we're finished here," Francesca said at last.

"That wasn't what you wanted to say."

"Well," she said, drawing the word out, "I wanted to get some presents sent home. I know you said I shouldn't get you anything, but I saw something I know you'll love. If you're bringing Nyx back to LA, maybe she could give it to you."

"A present?"

"Uh-huh. I know how much you love puzzles, and you'd enjoy working on this. I've never seen anything like it before."

Archer frowned. Francesca knew her phone line wasn't secure, so she hadn't tried messaging or emailing. Suggesting she mail it back was out of the question. It would be far too easy for someone in Puerto Jardin to intercept it and then it would disappear.

"Let me see if there's some way for Nyx to meet you. You know how much I enjoy gifts and I'd hate to miss out on this one. Logistics can always be adjusted."

"Thanks, Archer."

"I'll keep in touch."

"Sounds good."

He took the time to end the call properly, understanding that some of his employees cared about such things. Like Francesca. Nyx would likely have hung up before Archer did and without a single nicety. His lips curved but without any real humor.

Francesca had given him a challenging puzzle to solve, but this was no gift. How did he arrange for her to rendezvous with Nyx and keep everyone safe?