choice at this point but to follow through with their arrangement.
With a soft click, the door closed behind Hector, and an awkward silence filled the room.
Hope went back to work, staying focused on her task, probably using too much tape on the cops but she figured it was better than having them escape before they were safely out of town. That probably meant she was an accessory to battery and false imprisonment, and for a moment she wondered if Mexican prison uniforms were orange, and how she’d look in one.
All the while, she could feel Wade’s gaze boring into her, and she resisted the urge to glance up until she was finished with the second cop. She tore the tape, checked the cops’ vitals one more time, and then brought the roll over to Wade.
With a grunt, he stuffed the tape into his pack and yanked the zipper closed. Then he tipped his head up, his gaze locked on her, and it was all she could do not to squirm. “Hector doesn’t trust you. He thinks this might be a setup. Is he right?”
A sliver of fear chilled her blood. “What? No, of course not.”
“That’s good. I’ve never harmed a woman before. But if I learn you’re working for Aranza…”
He didn’t finish the sentence. Didn’t need to. The cold, steely glint in his eyes told her more than she needed to know.
Chapter 4
The insect repellant seemed to act more like a marinade, and after a day in the sweltering jungle, Wade’s face, neck, and hands were dotted with bites.
He swatted at yet another insect and grimaced at the smear of blood left behind on his hand. As far as the bugs were concerned, he and Hector were an all-you-can-eat buffet. Fortunately, he’d had enough sense to wear pants and a long-sleeve shirt, though they made him sweat like a pig, or his legs and arms would be just as bitten up.
For some reason, the bugs didn’t seem to be nearly as interested in Hope. She only had a few noticeable marks on her exposed forearms and face. Maybe she’d won the mosquito lottery, or her body didn’t emit the chemical compounds that the insects found irresistible.
Or maybe, just maybe, it was because of the ice in her veins.
She’d barely spoken since they left town, only giving one- or two-word responses to anything he or Hector said. To be fair, he understood her resentment. If their positions were reversed, he’d feel the same way.
But that wasn’t his problem; he didn’t have room in his life for understanding. He was here for a purpose, and come hell or high water, he wasn’t going back to the States until Aranza was brought to justice. Or fitted for a casket. Either option was fine by him.
He tossed a glance over his shoulder to Hector, who brought up the rear. Sweat beaded the older man’s brow; his face was flushed from exertion, while his cargo pants and T-shirt were shellacked to his skin. He’d been on the quiet side as well, though that might have been because he wasn’t accustomed to this much physical exertion.
As Wade turned his head forward, he almost plowed into Hope, who’d stopped dead in her tracks, her brows drawn down in a frown.
In an instant, his senses went on full alert, while his right hand reached for the stock of his shotgun. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just trying to find something that looks familiar.”
Aw, shit. “You’re lost?”
He’d had a bad feeling that something like this would happen ever since the trail they’d been hiking on narrowed to a dirt line, and then disappeared entirely. There was nothing but green as far as the eye could see. Tall, thick trees stretched up toward the sky, their canopy blocking out most of the sun, while dense underbrush made travel a slow-going affair. Overhead, birds chattered away, unbothered by the humans below.
Hope shrugged as she fiddled with the strap of her bag. “No, not exactly.”
Just his luck—or maybe was it karma? No, he didn’t believe in that shit—to get lost in the middle of nowhere with the guide he’d blackmailed into leading them to the compound. If his brother, Nate, were here to see this, he’d laugh his fucking ass off. “Either you’re lost or you’re not. Which is it?”
Irritation flashed in Hope’s hazel eyes as she cocked one hand on her hip. “For the record, I’m a doctor, not a damn tour guide. Since I never intended to come