Enticed By The Operative. Lara LacombeЧитать онлайн книгу.
and awards. She stepped closer, peering at a photo that showed a group of men sitting on a large pile of plastic-covered bundles. Drugs, she realized. It took a second to find him, but Logan was sitting on the right-hand side, grinning widely underneath his sunglasses. There were several other similar photos on the wall, making her wonder just how many successful operations he’d conducted. Her heart lightened a bit at the proof that Logan really was as good as she’d hoped. Maybe she and her friends would get through this after all.
Her gaze flickered over to a formal picture, one of Logan in a suit, standing next to a dignitary who looked vaguely familiar. He was quite handsome when he dressed the part, but her eyes kept going back to the more casual shots of Logan with his team. There was something about those images that drew her to him. Maybe it was his tanned skin, his tangled hair or even his knockout grin. Perhaps it was the combination of all three. But the longer she studied the pictures, the more she realized she liked looking at him like this because he appeared to be happy. The photos had captured a man who truly enjoyed his work, one who was totally comfortable in his own skin. It was a rare quality these days, especially in her field. She was so used to being around people who hated some aspect of their appearance that some of their negativity had rubbed off on her, making her forget that not everyone was unhappy. No wonder she had found Logan attractive from the beginning—he was the natural antidote to the melancholy of her daily job.
Not that it was all bad. Her trips to Colombia made the daily grind worth it. There was nothing like using her skills to change someone’s life for the better. These were not people who felt a little too fat or a little too wrinkled to be pretty. These were patients who couldn’t eat properly because of cleft palates, people who had massive scars, people who truly needed help. Fixing them gave her the only peace she’d felt since her parents had died, and she lived off the sense of contentment for the rest of the year.
Olivia rubbed her hands up and down her arms, suddenly feeling cold. Logan had a light jacket hanging off the back of his chair, and she reached for it, vowing to return it to its rightful place before he caught her wearing his clothes. She shrugged it on, rolling up the sleeves so her hands were free. It hung off her shoulders and halfway down her thighs, but she felt immediately warmer. Breathing in, she caught a hint of laundry detergent, male body wash and a faint, clean note that could only be his skin. It was a pleasant scent and she closed her eyes, taking a deeper breath. Being wrapped up in his jacket made her feel secure, and as she stood there snuggling into the fabric, her heart rate slowed and her muscles began to relax. For the first time since Carlos’s appearance in her office, she felt normal.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her sanctuary. She turned to find Logan standing in the doorway, his eyes dark and unreadable.
“We’re ready for you now.”
She swallowed, her heart in her throat. “Okay.” She took a step toward him, then realized she still wore his jacket. With a small sound of embarrassment, she moved to take it off.
Logan held out his hand, stalling her. “Leave it,” he said. He eyed her up and down, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half smile that was too sexy for her liking. “It looks good on you.”
Goose bumps broke out along her arms, making her glad the long sleeves covered her completely. Logan was here as a favor to her, and the last thing she wanted was to make things awkward between them.
“Did you come up with something?”
Logan’s eyes sparkled as he looked down at her. “We did, indeed. Come on—I’ll introduce you to the team.”
* * *
She would make a terrible poker player, Logan thought to himself. Olivia sat and listened patiently while the other men spoke, but her furrowed brows and turned-down lips made it very clear what she thought of their plan.
He was fairly proud of his team and the strategy they’d come up with, especially given the short time in which they’d had to work. It was a decent approach, but Olivia’s terrified expression made him start to second-guess their work.
Did we miss something? Should we try another angle? Possibly, but he and the rest of the team had hashed out several options before settling on this one. It was by no means perfect, but it was a damn good strategy to build upon.
Keith finished talking, and the men fell silent. All eyes were on Olivia as she considered their explanations. He could practically feel the tension ratchet up in the room as the guys waited for her to speak. Her face betrayed her thoughts, but they all wanted to hear if she would agree, despite her obvious reservations. Since she was an integral part of the operation, it was crucial she felt comfortable participating in the plan. If not, they would need to go back to the drawing board.
After a pregnant pause, Olivia exhaled in a gust of breath. Logan found himself holding his own breath in response, not wanting to miss her reply. He forced himself to breathe with a little mental kick. Why was he so nervous? This certainly wasn’t his first operation, and he usually didn’t get so wound up when proposing a plan of action. Why should this be any different?
Because it’s personal, he realized. He didn’t know Olivia well, that was true, but she was his neighbor. She belonged in the “home” category in his mind, and it bothered him that something from his career had bled over to stain that compartment of his world.
“I want to make sure I understand what you’re proposing,” Olivia said, jerking him out of his thoughts and back into the room. “You want me to do exactly what the bad guys have asked. The first step has me carrying a large amount of cash into Colombia. How exactly am I going to get that into the country without raising suspicions?”
“That’s our problem,” Keith assured her. “Don’t worry about it—we’ll make sure you don’t have any trouble on that end.”
“Okay.” She sounded anything but convinced, but she didn’t protest. “What about the exchange? Won’t they kill me and just take the money?”
Alan shook his head. “That’s highly unlikely. They know if they cross Fantasmas del Mal the cartel will pull no punches when it comes to retribution.”
“Oh, of course,” she replied, sarcasm leaking into her voice. “So I’ll just exchange the money for drugs, and then waltz back into the US, clearing Customs without a second glance?”
“Well...” Keith, Alan and Joseph shared a glance. “Basically, yeah,” Joseph finished. “I know it’s hard to believe, but we’ll smooth the way for you. We need you to come back here and give the goods to Carlos, so we can apprehend him.”
“Why can’t you grab him when he gives me the money? Why do I have to go through all of it if you’re just going to arrest him in the end?”
“Because,” Logan interjected, sensing she was at the end of her patience. “If we arrest him before you complete the job, they’ll kill your friends. Plus, waiting gives us even more time to gather information on him, and our partners in Colombia will continue to investigate his associates. By working together, we’ll be able to build a much stronger case, so when we do arrest him, we’ll have even more charges to bring against him and his collaborators.”
Olivia shot him a look that told him as clear as any words that she couldn’t care less about the legal ramifications of waiting to arrest Carlos. He expected her to fire back a retort, but she simply bit her bottom lip and remained silent.
The men glanced at each other again, their uncertainty plain. Olivia didn’t sound too happy at this point—did they need to come up with something else?
“Gentlemen, can you give us a moment please?” Olivia clearly wanted to say something, but Logan had the sense she didn’t want to talk in front of his team. Maybe if it was just the two of them, she’d open up a little more.
The guys rose as one from the table and filed out of the room, each one looking slightly relieved at being out of the line of fire. Logan had the distinct urge to laugh as these experienced men rushed to get away from one upset woman, leaving him behind to handle the situation. So much for loyalty!
After