Bad Men - Piper Stone Page 0,67
way Diego continued to look at her, the hunger increasing every freaking hour. I rubbed my face, the late afternoon sun sweltering. While the building was air-conditioned, it certainly couldn’t keep up with the extreme weather conditions of this particular heatwave.
Both Diego and Lindsey had retreated to their rooms, the silence we’d shared for the majority of the day interminable.
At least we’d agreed to wait until early evening to leave the apartment. Hell, we certainly had no particular timetable, even if supplies would be needed. I’d been prepared to combat a sea of soldiers storming the streets, much like I’d experienced far too many times during my stint in Iraq. Detecting nothing certainly didn’t mean there wasn’t an army approaching.
I heard the snap of an ammunition clip and turned sharply, prepared to fire.
Diego half smiled before shaking his head. “Whoa, buddy. It’s just me. No one is going to get into this apartment, not with the two of us here.” He glanced at the open drapes, his gaze drifting toward the waning sun. “We should get going. The food rations I purchased are shit and I’m starving.”
Hissing, I gave him a harsh glare. “What the hell are we going to do for money?”
“Trade. Barter. We’ll think of something. We have enough for a couple of days. Maybe that’s all it’ll take,” he answered.
The tension between us was palpable. I’d slept all of an hour the night before and wasn’t in the mood for another sparring round.
“And you’re dreaming. We’re sitting ducks where we are. There isn’t a doubt in my mind,” I retorted.
“Then you need to figure out what you’re going to do with the communications unit so we can make contact with Dante.” His words were even snarkier. “I sure as shit don’t want to hang around here either. I do have a life to get back to.”
“The device is clean from what I can tell, but I do want to purchase a burner phone.”
“A burner phone?” he huffed. “Is this some additional expertise you have that I don’t know about? You are a man of many surprises.”
“My specialty was the coordination of deep reconnaissance in an effort to thwart the sabotage of American soldiers. In other words, I watched a hell of a lot of people die. As a side gig, I worked with surveillance, including the experimental but very powerful devices used by our enemies in order to keep track of our personal. Given the limited supplies of our unit, I was forced to compromise. A simple burner phone will come in handy.”
“You mean you might resort to calling Dante on the phone, breaching protocol.”
I shook my head, enjoying the limited breeze. “Let me guess. Last night pissed you off.”
“I don’t think we need to talk about that. We’re going to stick to business. Remember, you and me ain’t friends.”
Chuckling, I gave him a respectful nod. Hell, we couldn’t agree on almost anything.
Except for our attraction to Lindsey, a desire burning deep within.
Shit. The last thing I needed to do was think those kinds of thoughts.
“Agreed. How much do you know about the city?” I asked.
“Enough to guide us where to go for cheap food and booze. Might even be able to find that burner phone you’re looking for.”
I walked closer, the gun still in my hand. “Let me guess. That’s why Dante assigned you. You know this city like the back of your hand.”
Diego nodded. “I know enough including more Spanish as well as Portuguese than you do. Comes in handy.”
“Uh-huh. Anyone else here know who you are on any level in this country?”
“Not possible. My assignment wasn’t in this area,” he answered.
But he’d visited his buddy, Felipe. I could tell he was holding something back. “Fine. It’ll be dark soon. We’ll go out and get supplies, but this isn’t about sightseeing.”
“You really think we’re being tracked?”
“We’ve been through this. There’s no other explanation. If Lindsey isn’t awake, you need to get her out of bed.”
“We can’t leave her here,” Diego hissed.
“Oh, I have no intention of leaving her alone. She will not be allowed out of our sight.”
“You mean out of yours.”
Goddamn, the man was irritating as hell.
I rubbed the stubble on my face as I studied his stern expression. “She is our responsibility. Period.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I’m going to give you one piece of advice, Jack. Don’t fuck with her emotions. She doesn’t need that any more than you obviously do.”
“And you’re immune, Diego? I saw the look on your face last night.