Layton.
Because he could never, ever take a mission like this with Eliza again.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
—Psalm 40:14
They were back in San Antonio, and Eliza still hadn’t forgiven Jack for the way he’d treated her. Yes, he had been kind. He had listened to her and comforted her and shared his past with her.
But he had also rejected her. Not just as a woman but as an informant. Insisting he alone could decide when they should and shouldn’t kiss. She had tried kissing him again when they visited the underground Dig Aquarium and when they bodysurfed on the public beach. If ever there was a place where a newly married couple would kiss, it would be in the shallow breakers of a Caribbean shoreline.
The kiss in the waves had been the only time Jack didn’t fight her, the single incident where he didn’t step back or push her away. Instead he had drawn her into his arms and returned the kiss. And for the single sweetest moment in Eliza’s life she allowed herself to believe Jack Ryder really loved her.
And that he wanted her the way she wanted him.
But even then he had pulled away before she did. His eyes told her all she needed to know. That he was attracted to her, and that her advances were hitting their mark. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe he didn’t find her appealing—because of her past, no doubt. Her life at the Palace. Because the ocean kiss had only seemed to make Jack more removed. She could still remember how without saying a word or looking at her again, he had shaken the water from his hair and made his way back up the beach.
When they had returned to their suite, she called him out on it. “You kissed me back out there. I felt it. But now you’re acting like you barely know me.”
Jack’s expression was all business. “I wanted to keep us both alive. Everyone could see us.” He stared at her. “What choice did I have?”
After that, Eliza hadn’t tried again. His rejection made her angry. And so she had played the part, but she had played it with hurt and anger in her veins. And when he’d dropped her off at the group home last night, she hadn’t said goodbye.
Now they were having their debriefing with Oliver Layton along with several other agents and senior officials. Never mind how she felt about Jack. They had done great work in Nassau. They had rescued a child and they knew how many men were working the beach. They had photos of the teenage girls who were clearly in charge of luring girls into the operation. And they knew where the kingpin of the trafficking ring lived.
At the end of the meeting, Oliver went over their collective notes and nodded. “Amazing work. We’ll get a few operatives on the ground and set up the raid.” When the other agents had left the room, Oliver looked at Eliza and then Jack. “How would the two of you feel about taking another honeymoon, to San Pedro Sula? The Honduras police need our help with a ring.”
Eliza was about to tell the man no. She couldn’t possibly do another mission with Jack Ryder. But before she could speak, Jack cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He glanced at her and then back at their boss. “I recommend she get more counseling before she goes out in the field again.”
“Excuse me.” Eliza was on her feet. “I don’t need more counseling.” She glared at Jack. “And I was going to recommend that I work with another agent.” Her tone couldn’t have been more biting. “Mr. Ryder and I are not… compatible.” She felt the meanness in her smile. “I guess I’m not that good at pretending, after all.”
Oliver looked from Jack to Eliza and back again. The man could clearly see there was more to the story. But if Oliver was aware of the issues, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he picked up his files and formed them into a neat stack. Then he faced Eliza. “Where would you like to work?”
“Sports rings.” She lifted her chin. No undercover agent was going to make her feel like trash. “Put me in the roughest school you have. Where girls are most likely to be dragged into trafficking.”