Enticed by the Operative (Doctors in Danger, Book 1) (5 page)

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 the door shut behind them, Logan studied Olivia, trying to gain insight into her frame of mind. “Want to tell me what’s bothering you?” he asked softly.

She huffed out a laugh. “Where should I begin?”

He ducked his head in acknowledgment. “Fair enough. What do you think of the plan?”

One slim shoulder jerked up, then disappeared into the folds of his jacket. Seeing her wear his clothing did something funny to his stomach, like he’d just chugged a two-liter bottle of soda before spinning in circles.
Focus
, he chided himself.
Find out what’s bothering her.

“It seems fairly straightforward,” she replied, sounding a little hesitant.

“That’s usually the best way to do things. Less chance of mistakes.”

“For you, maybe. You do this all the time. But me?” She shook her head. “I’m not built for this.”

And wasn’t that the understatement of the year? Logan couldn’t stop his gaze from roaming over her, starting at her wide brown eyes and wandering down to her graceful hands, stopping to linger on everything in between. Olivia was a woman built for civilized pursuits, not the machinations of a ruthless drug cartel.

“No, you aren’t,” he agreed. Seeing her here in his office, drowning in his jacket and looking lost, tugged at something deep inside his chest. Could he really ask her to do this on her own? Sure, the DEA would be watching from afar—they couldn’t get too close because they didn’t want to betray their involvement and spook the bad guys. But was that enough?

No
, he decided. It wasn’t. Olivia deserved more.

“Would you feel better if I went with you?”

Her head jerked up at that, her eyes brightening with hope. “Can you do that?”

He nodded, mentally preparing himself for the battle that was sure to come when he announced this change of plan to the rest of the guys. “If it would make you feel better.”

She grabbed his hand, squeezing hard. “You’d do that for me?”

“We take care of our own,” he replied, squeezing back. “And if you do this, you’re definitely on the team.”

She smiled at that, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I never thought I’d be part of a posse before.”

“Please,” he scoffed. “We’re a little more organized than that.”

“That’s true,” she said. She studied him a moment, her expression growing serious. “Are you sure you can do this? It won’t mess up the surveillance the other guys were talking about?”

“It’ll be fine,” he assured her. “If anything, it will be good to have eyes and ears on you, so I can make sure nothing bad happens.” Besides, the surveillance team wouldn’t be able to respond quickly if necessary, whereas he’d be right there, ready to act if things got too hairy.

“I would feel better if you were with me,” she murmured, almost to herself. Her words made him want to throw his shoulders back and grin, but he controlled the urge.

“So you’ll do it?” he asked, trying not to sound too eager.

She nodded, meeting his gaze. “If you can really come with me, then yes, I’ll do it.”

“Excellent.” Logan couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. Finally, they had a solid chance to bring these guys down! It was the operation of a lifetime, and he would make sure they succeeded.

Or die trying.

CHAPTER 4

O
livia ran her hands down the front of her pants, wiping away the sweat that was making her skin feel clammy.
This will be over in just a few minutes
, she told herself. It didn’t help. She had been dreading this moment since Logan had asked her to call Carlos and set up another meeting at her office, and even the knowledge that Keith and Alan, two of Logan’s fellow DEA agents, were sitting in the waiting room did nothing to help calm her anxiety.

“Why can’t you be there, too?” she’d asked him. She’d heard the fear in her own voice, but if Logan had noticed, he hadn’t commented.

“I don’t want Carlos or any of his men to see me before I accompany you on the trip. We can’t risk raising their suspicions,” he’d explained patiently. “Besides, Keith and Alan are two of the finest men on my team. I trust them, and I know they’ll keep you safe. But it won’t come to that.”

He’d been so confident that Carlos wouldn’t try to hurt her at this meeting, a fact she’d appreciated at the time. But now that she was moments away from seeing the man again, her nerves were starting to get the better of her.

Would he be able to tell she’d gone to the authorities? He had said her thoughts showed on her face. What if Carlos took one look at her and knew the DEA was involved? Would he simply kill her now, or go after Avery and Mallory first? Olivia’s stomach dropped to the floor and her knees began to wobble. She sank onto her desk chair and sucked in a breath, trying to push back against a sudden surge of nausea.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered, her heart beating wildly against her breastbone. Her head felt curiously light, as if it was a balloon that could float away at any moment. It was an unsettling sensation, and Olivia gripped her desk hard, afraid that if she let go she would rise off the ground and be lost.

A shrill ring pierced the fog of her panic and made her jump. It took her a moment to place the sound, then she realized it was coming from the phone Logan had given her last night. A burner, he’d called it. Almost impossible to trace, and since the cartel didn’t know she had it, it was safe to use.

“Hello?” She could barely get the word out.

“Olivia.” Logan’s warm, deep voice flowed across the line. “How are you?”

She wanted to laugh at the ordinary question, but couldn’t manage it. That was probably for the best, the small, rational part of her brain realized. She was on the cusp of hysteria and if she started to laugh now, she might never stop.

Fortunately, Logan seemed to understand. “Listen to me,” he said, his tone soothing. “You’re going to be all right. I know you’re scared, but you can do this.”

“What if he figures it out?” she whispered loudly. It was silly, she knew, but she was afraid that if she gave voice to her suspicions, Carlos would indeed realize she had talked to someone. “What if he reads it on my face?”

Logan didn’t respond right away, and Olivia felt the blood drain from her head.
He agrees
, she thought numbly.
He knows I’m going to give it away without saying a word
.

“You do tend to let your thoughts show on your face,” he said finally. “But that’s not necessarily a bad thing here.”

“What?” she squeaked. “How do you figure that? He’ll kill my friends!”

“Let me finish,” Logan said patiently. “You’re scared, right? That’s normal. Let the fear show. It would be strange if you weren’t afraid. Besides, Carlos thinks he’s beaten you, that he controls you. If you act too confident, it will clue him in that something is off.”

“There is no chance of me acting too confident,” she assured him.

“What happened to your anger?” Logan challenged. “The woman I saw last night was afraid, yes, but underneath the fear she was spitting mad that she’d been manipulated. Where did that fighting spirit go?”

“I can’t risk my friends,” she said, but Logan cut her off.

“If you don’t find your anger, they’re as good as dead,” he said bluntly.

Olivia bit back a cry, but he didn’t stop to offer an apology. “If you let your fear control your actions, you will lose. If you spend this time worried, Carlos will know about our plan, and your face and demeanor will communicate that to him louder than any words. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Dig deep and find the strength I know you possess,” he replied. “You can do this, Olivia. You are a smart, savvy woman. And you are not alone. Don’t let this gangster get the better of you. You’re smarter than he is.”

Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked hard to keep them from falling. Did Logan really see her that way? Or was he just giving her a pep talk so she didn’t blow the operation before they’d even gotten started? Either way, his confidence was seeping into her, shoring up the cracks in her defenses and making her feel like maybe she could get through this after all.

“I wish you were here with me,” she said, realizing too late how that sounded. She winced, hoping Logan wouldn’t think she was hitting on him.

“I do, too,” he said. “But this is the last time you’ll have to face Carlos. I’ll be by your side every moment we’re in Colombia. You’ll be sick of me by the time we’re done,” he said, laughing softly.

Not likely
, she thought reflexively. Then she shook her head. That was just her insecurities talking, she decided. Logan was a strong and confident presence, and he made her feel safe. It was only natural she wanted him around while she dealt with the unknown quantity that was the cartel.

“We’ll see about that,” she replied, trying to sound natural.

Logan was quiet, as if digesting her words. “I’m going to hang up now,” he said, sounding a little rueful. “Remember, you can do this. And your backup is just down the hall. It’s going to be okay.”

Olivia closed her eyes and let his voice wash over her, diluting the worst of her fears. “Thank you,” she said simply.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you after.” It was a statement, but she grabbed on to it like a promise.

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I hope you do.”

Then he was gone, and she felt a wave of loneliness at the loss of his presence. Even though he hadn’t physically been near, just hearing his voice had been enough to quell her rioting emotions. She’d never been affected like that by anyone before, and the fact that Logan, a relative stranger, held such sway over her should have bothered her.

Instead, it was a comfort. And given all the uncertainty in her life right now, Olivia wasn’t inclined to question this gift.

She slipped the cell phone into her desk drawer just as her office line rang. She took one last deep breath to steady herself and answered.

“Dr. Sandoval? Your next patient is here.”

Logan’s face flashed in her mind, along with his encouraging words.
You can do this.
She was going to have to, because in addition to keeping her friends safe, Olivia didn’t want to let him down. This was his chance to take out a major player in the drug trade, and she wouldn’t let herself be the one to mess things up.

Feeling a little like her old self again, Olivia straightened her spine. “Send him in, please.”

* * *

“Look alive, guys. I’ve got eyes on him.”

Joseph’s voice buzzed in Logan’s ear, triggering a jolt of adrenaline that made Logan’s heart pick up speed.

“Pictures?” Logan asked. Even though Olivia’s description of Carlos was spot-on, it would be good to have photographic confirmation of his involvement.

“Got ’em,” Joseph replied. He was parked down the street with the best telephoto lens money could buy, snapping shots of anyone entering and leaving the building that housed Olivia’s office. “It’s our guy.

“He’s in the building,” Joseph continued. “Headed your way, Keith.”

There was a rumble of acknowledgment as Keith cleared his throat. He and Alan were sitting in the waiting room, posing as patients. Technically, their presence wasn’t required, but Logan felt better knowing two of his team members were only a few feet away from Olivia. Carlos was an unpredictable man, and Logan didn’t want Olivia to have to deal with him alone if there was any trouble.

Logan leaned forward and adjusted the blinds, carefully checking to make sure the sun didn’t reflect off his own set of lenses. He had a direct line of sight into Olivia’s office from his perch across the street. Normally he’d be the one inside, right in the thick of things while Keith took care of this end of the operation. But since Logan was going to pose as a potential investor on the trip, he didn’t want to show his face beforehand and risk Carlos recognizing him later. So today it was his job to collect more photographs and to record the conversation, using the department’s powerful audio surveillance equipment.

It would have been easier to fit Olivia with a wire. More enjoyable, too, his libido pointed out, as it was the perfect excuse to get his hands on her body. But it just wasn’t worth the risk. If Carlos discovered it, he’d kill her without a second thought.

And so Logan sat in his nest of wires and cables, trying to keep his frustration under control. This kind of watching and waiting was a crucial part of the job, but it had never been his favorite. He much preferred the fieldwork—the thrill of the chase and the adrenaline rush that flooded his system every time he confronted danger.

His team teased him about his need to constantly keep moving, but Logan had learned that if he didn’t stop, he didn’t have time or energy to think about
her
.

His ex-fiancée’s betrayal with his best friend had cut deep, and even though five years had passed, the pain was still with him. After kicking Emma out, Logan had thrown himself into the job, using the never-ending demands of his career as an excuse to neglect his personal life. Olivia was the first woman who’d caught his eye in what seemed like forever, and even now, he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly drew him to her.

A movement across the street caught his eye, interrupting his musings. He focused the camera on Olivia as she stood and smoothed the front of her blouse. He hadn’t told her he was watching from across the way—he didn’t want to make her feel self-conscious. She was nervous enough already.

“You can do this,” he muttered, knowing she couldn’t hear him but wanting to say the words nonetheless. She was holding up remarkably well under the circumstances, but he held his breath as her office door opened and Carlos stepped inside. If she could just get through these next few minutes...

“Dr. Sandoval, so good to see you again.”

Logan adjusted the volume of the microphone, tuning it slightly to improve the signal as he did so. Then he double-checked that it was recording. So far, so good.

He could tell by Olivia’s body language that she wasn’t happy. Still, she nodded in reply, the gesture only a little stiff. “Good afternoon.”

She sat behind her desk and Carlos unbuttoned his suit jacket before taking one of the chairs across from her. “I am so glad we could meet to discuss the details of our business together,” he said smoothly. “But first, if you will permit me?”

He reached into his jacket, and Logan’s gut twisted in warning. Was Carlos going for a weapon? Had he somehow guessed the DEA was watching?

Apparently, Olivia had the same fear. She leaned back in her chair and lifted her hands as if to defend herself. But she was a sitting duck behind her desk, totally at the mercy of the man in her office.

Logan’s heart shot into his throat and he opened his mouth to give Keith the signal to go. But just as the words formed on his tongue, Carlos withdrew his hand to reveal not a gun, but a small black object that he placed on the desk.

Olivia swallowed hard, regaining her composure quickly. “What is that?”

“A simple jamming device to ensure our conversation remains private. One can never be too careful,” Carlos said. Then he pressed a button on the device, and Logan’s audio feed went dead.

Damn!