But it was best to ignore her comment since he couldn’t allow her to start liking him again. “Did you hear what I said? If you want free then you’re going to have to let me follow you to the market. Afterward, once we regroup, you tell me what Juan says and I’ll give you information on Yolanda.”
Her teasing tone was gone. “Just tell me—is Yolanda in any immediate trouble?”
He suddenly felt guilty that he didn’t have that much information to share with her. “If there were a way to save her right now, I swear to you that I would try to save her. But the information I have isn’t enough for us to go looking for her. At least, not yet.”
She looked at him for a few seconds and then sighed. “I’m probably an idiot for agreeing to this, but okay. Cut me free, and as long as you keep up your end of the bargain, I’ll keep my promises.”
He was probably no less an idiot, but the longer they kept butting heads and being stubborn, the greater the chance he would fail this mission. They needed to start working as a team, and this was as good a first step as any. “Fine,” he said and then he took her wrist in his hand.
Her skin was much softer than his, and he couldn’t help but brush his thumb against the warm underside of her wrist. Part of him wanted to keep her tied up so he could continue to look at her toned thighs, small but firm breasts, and the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder. He’d always been attracted to her, and it seemed that despite what needed to be done, and the fact she probably hated him more than ever before, he still was.
He gently slid his finger under the restraint and cut her free. Rather than give up her wrist, he massaged it with his fingers. He heard Sabrina’s breath catch before she yanked her hand away. “We don’t have time for you to play nice and care about my well-being. Just cut me free, let me use the restroom, and we can be on our way.”
Her words snapped him back to reality. It was time to face facts—Sabrina would never want him, and fantasizing about her would only distract him from his mission.
Careful to touch her skin as little as possible this time, he cut her other wrist free and went down to her feet, making sure to face the bed and Sabrina. Good thing, too, since she sat up and started rotating her shoulders. With both of her legs free, he moved back and put away his knife. He motioned to the small en suite bathroom. “I’ll give you ten minutes to clean up.”
Since they both knew that there was no escaping through the tiny, barred window in the room, Sabrina nodded and he left to go check his phone one last time before they went to the market.
He didn’t know whether it was a good or bad thing to not have any messages from his contacts, but he did notice the time. He only had twenty minutes before he could shift again. It was a good back-up plan to have if things went wrong during Sabrina’s meeting with this Juan guy, but he hoped he didn’t have to use it. He’d much rather use it later today to finish this damn mission so he could run as far away as possible from Sabrina and her warm, smooth skin.
Sabrina knew it was ridiculous, but she swore she could feel Jorge’s eyes on her as she wandered the outdoor section of the market.
Ever since he’d caressed the underside of her wrist and massaged it, she’d become hyperaware of his presence. They had walked in near silence to this location, only speaking to lay out the basics of what would happen and their plans for any unexpected complications. But he’d bumped into her twice—once against her shoulder, and the other time against her hand—and both times she’d barely prevented herself from drawing in a breath. This part of Mexico was warm year-round, but her temperature had definitely knocked up a few degrees when his hand had brushed hers.
Her body had a hell of a way of noticing who was attractive. Considering he’d tied her up twice and drugged her, Jorge Salazar should be the last man she wanted. Wel
l, except for maybe Watkins or any of his Fed League lackeys.
She swept the area with her eyes, determined to focus. She needed to find the clothing stand run by an elderly woman with her hair in a bun and dressed in a white Mayan-style loose top with blue and yellow embroidered flowers.
She and Juan rarely met in person, but each time it was at a different market and a different stall. The main thing was to pass on her information without looking suspicious. Someone else working for the Feiru Liaison office had previously confirmed that the elderly woman spoke no English—the language she and Juan usually used to communicate—so that wasn’t the issue. No, the concern was always that someone might be watching either Juan or herself. Juan was retired from the field, but like any agent who’d spent years undercover on different assignments, he’d gained a few enemies over the years who’d like nothing more than to kill him.
It was a risk anyone from the office took when they agreed to go undercover.
She spotted the elderly woman she was looking for a few stands down, so Sabrina stopped at a spice stall in front of her and pretended to browse. She couldn’t move to the clothing stall until she spotted Juan.
She made a token purchase of a small package of chili and moved to the next stall. That’s when she noticed Juan, dressed in jeans and a blue polo shirt, walking down the main walkway toward her location. They briefly made eye contact, and then she moved to the clothing stall first.
After holding up one of the Mayan-style embroidered blouses and asking about the price, Juan sidled up beside her. As he pretended to browse, she put down the shirt and picked up another. She held it high above her head to pretend to study the embroidery as she whispered, “There’s been a change in plans. I have an additional helper for the final play, but I want some officials there to arrest our target.”
“Who is this new helper?”
She shook her head. “No names. But he wants our target as much as we do.”
Juan gave her a sideways glance. “You want me to risk my people on your word?”
She put down the shirt and picked up another one. “Yes. I may have to move up the date for my plan, but since my contact at the restaurant is missing, I’ll need a new person to pass on the details.”
Juan picked up one of the small purses embroidered with flowers and paid for it. He turned and managed to whisper, “We’re looking for her. In the meantime, use the emergency phone number to contact me. If it’s too dangerous to call me to get details, even in code, I’ll find a way to give you the new contact’s location. I’ll start setting things up within the hour.”
She nodded and Juan left. Sabrina put the shirt down, picked up the first one she had admired, and then paid the woman with a smile before she headed to one of the nearby stalls that sold shoes. She wanted to run straight to her meet-up location with Jorge, but she wasn’t a rookie; she needed to keep shopping for at least another five or ten minutes to keep up appearances.
Still, things were looking good. While Yolanda might still be missing, Sabrina really had a shot at finishing this undercover stint in a day or two. She should feel happy at finally giving up this double-life of doing horrible things in order to help the greater good, but finishing the assignment meant that Jorge would leave and she’d never see him again.
She tried to convince herself that she didn’t want him to leave until she could persuade him that she’d known nothing about him being passed on to the Collector. But deep down, she wanted more. She wanted the familiarity and ease they’d once had.
In short, she wanted to have a friend again.