Page 41 of Extraction
“You’ve shown up in three places where I’ve been, and then today, when your purse spilled out, I saw a copy of a birth certificate. I realize now we might be searching for the same child. I need to know what you know, because at the end of the day, he’s an innocent baby, and no baby deserves to be used as a pawn in a game of power.” I held back my personal connection.
Her piercing eyes drilled into mine as she took a moment to think. Her slim fingers rubbed across her collarbone and drew my eyes to the delicate skin at her neck. A thin gold chain disappeared under her black tank top, and I found myself curious as to what might be on the end of it.
“If I share what I know,” she said quietly, and I pulled my gaze back up to her eyes and gave myself a mental shake, “you have to promise me that you guys won’t cut me out of this operation. You’ll promise to share what you know, in real time, and let me continue to do my job along the way.”
“I can’t promise that.” She grabbed her laptop and went to stand, but I swung up my leg to block her way out. “I’ve mentioned before that Blackstone doesn’t work with the press, or anyone else, for that matter. Our training doesn’t lend itself to that. We all know what we need to do, where we need to be at any given moment. It’s how we get home to our families with a heartbeat. Babysitting someone as we go just isn’t going to fly here.”
“What’s the difference between someone you’ve rescued verses someone you work with?” She had me there. “You’re still doing your job while you protect them and get them out, right?” I hated that she had a point, but I didn’t want to admit it. She let out a frustrated sigh. “You sure know how to be a gentleman one moment and insulting the next.” She pushed my leg down and slid out of the booth.
Fuck. I dropped my head and wished I could shake the stress that sat heavily on my shoulders. I was a nice guy—at least I thought I was, once upon a time—but sometimes I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. Ivy said I would slip from time to time from being Paul to Eric. That I had to fight the urge to protect my real identity and remember I was me again. That was proving to be harder than ever since I discovered I had a son up for grabs with the Cartel.
My phone rang, and I dug it out of my pocket. “Hey.”
“You in your room?” Cole asked.
“No, I was talking to Nicole.”
“Good. I just got off the phone with Frank, and he wants us to let Nicole in.”
I glanced at the door and thought how odd that was. It wasn’t like Frank, unless he knew something we didn’t.
“He didn’t give me much.” His tone told me he thought the same thing. “He said she’s been cleared and that it would be wise to have her on our side. She’s got some connections we could use through Sully Sanchez.” I hated that asshole. “Should I send Mark down?”
“Everyone needs a little Mark in their lives,” Mark chimed in.
“He never misses anything, does he?” I grunted.
“Nope, never.” Cole chuckled. “So, do you want him?”
I looked up at the ceiling and knew I needed to make things right. “No, I got this.”
“All right, check in later.”
“Yeah.” I hung up, swung out of the booth, and headed out of the restaurant.
The lobby wasn’t too busy, but she wasn’t there. I moved out to the pool area, but she wasn’t there either. I headed to the front desk and brought up a photo of Nicole from the internet.
“Disculpe.” I started to speak Spanish but stopped myself and remembered I needed to seem like a typical tourist. “Did you see this woman walk by just now?”
“Si,” the man nodded, “she asked for directions to a clothing shop.”
“Thanks. Which one?”
He gave me quick directions, and I headed outside. She was brave; I’d give her that. After what we’d just been through with the Cartel, she still had enough balls to leave the hotel to shop. I found the place easily and immediately spotted her as she stood in front of a mirror in a black halter dress. I suppressed my whistle as I studied her. The dress fit her body like a glove. There was a long, narrow cutout that ran from the neck down to her pelvis. When she moved, I saw her bare thigh peek out of a slit. It was sexy but elegant. Why the hell would she need a dress like that? I shook off the strange feeling that had come over me.
Her face fell as she saw me, and she whispered something to the woman helping her before she came toward me. She granted me one hell of a death glare as she approached.
“What are you doing here?”
“We weren’t done talking.” I couldn’t help but think about how gorgeous she looked. “What are you doing in that?”
She looked down at the dress and shook her head. “Sully’s having a party, and I need be there.”
So, she really does have an in with Sully Sanchez.
“Wearing that?”
“Wow, thanks.” She mistook what I meant. “A friend of mine gave me a tip and the guest list for a party Sully’s having tomorrow night. Seems there’ll be a guest my friend thought I might want to talk to, and if I’m going to find—" She stopped herself. “Let’s just say I need to speak to him.”
