Finn’s adrenaline surged all over again. He pulled his gun, shoved Lauren into the foliage, far enough back to hide them both from view. Against his back where she huddled close, her pulse picked up speed to match his own.
He held his breath. Tried not to think about how many could be out there, what could happen next. He wasn’t about to lose her, not now. . . .
As the rumble of the vehicle drew close, he trained his gun on the road and reminded himself that all he needed was one well-placed shot.
“Tierney, you dickhead! If you’re out here you’d better fucking answer. I’m not in the mood for a rabbit hunt today!”
In front of her, Finn expelled a long breath. He clicked the safety on his gun, sh
oved it in the waistband at his lower back and turned Lauren’s way. “Thank God for the cavalry.”
He grasped her hand and pulled her out of the foliage. On the path he let go of her and looked toward the four-wheeler being swallowed up by the jungle as it headed away from them. “Archer!”
Finn waved his arms. Relief pulsed through Lauren when the four-wheeler skidded to a stop and the man at the controls turned to look their way.
They’d been found. They weren’t going to die out here. And yet . . . she glanced around the silent jungle . . . she couldn’t shake the strange feeling they were being watched. The same feeling she’d had as soon as they’d come out of that cave.
Finn pulled her toward the four-wheeler. Archer climbed off the machine, tugged off his Ranger ball cap and frowned. “You’re missing a few eyebrows there, Tierney. Better be careful or I’ll start to believe all that shit about your luck being worse than mine.”
The sunlight filtering through the canopy picked out the highlights in Zane Archer’s dark blond hair. He was roughly the same size as Finn, but his accent pinned him as a Southern boy. “Saw that ball of fire and just knew it was you. Shit, man. You don’t do anything easy, do ya?”
Finn shook Zane’s hand. “You know me. Always gotta end things with a ban. Though I’m still not sure how they found us so fast.”
“You’re in Mexico, Ireland.” Archer rested his hands on his hips. “Everybody knows everybody around here and a few pesos grease all the right wheels. The Cárdenas Cartel’s got eyes all over this region. Don’t you know that?”
“I do now.” Finn turned her way. “Archer, this is Lauren Kauffman.”
Archer didn’t reach out to greet her, but his gaze swept her body from head to toe. His deep blue eyes held a haunted look and told Lauren he’d seen things she couldn’t begin to imagine. “She’s prettier than the last one.”
Okay, she should be ticked the man was talking about her like she wasn’t even there, but a small part of her couldn’t help being pleased by his comment. She cut him some slack because—obviously—his people skills were lacking from his time away from civilization.
Her gaze shifted to Finn, and their eyes met. Then his softened a touch. Just enough to make her forget all about Archer and whatever the heck was wrong with the man. Finn’s lips curled in that soft, seductive smile, the one he’d flashed her in that cave, the one she now knew he kept only for her. And just that fast her insides went all liquid and her heart picked up speed until she was sure both men could hear it pounding in her chest.
“A helluva lot smarter, too,” Finn said.
The smile edged her mouth before she could stop it. She stepped forward, grasped Finn’s hand as he reached out for her. Didn’t even try to act like that wasn’t the best compliment he could have given her.
Archer swiped the sweat from his brow, tugged his cap back on and frowned. “Yeehaw. Y’all ready to get the hell out of here or what? Chopper’s juiced up and ready to go back at the ranch. Take us about five minutes to get there if ya hurry it up.”
“I’m more than ready,” Lauren said, ignoring his sarcasm.
Finn motioned her toward the four-wheeler, but a snapping sound off to her right caught her attention.
Before she even looked, the hair on her nape stood straight and the feeling they were being watched rushed over her again. The foliage on both sides of the path rustled. Finn tensed, tried to push her behind him but it was too late. The jungle expelled four native men, all dressed in camouflage with automatic weapons trained right on them.
“Sonofa-fucking-bitch,” Archer muttered, hands going up.
Lauren’s heart lurched into her throat and fear raced up and down her spine. Finn held up both his hands, and Lauren followed suit, but her gaze darted to the handle of Finn’s gun sticking out of the waistband of his jeans. Could she grab for it? Would it do any good?
“No one’s leaving,” the leader of the group said in a thick, Spanish accent. He looked from Finn to Archer. “Your weapons.”
Panic closed Lauren’s throat. She knew instinctively if Finn gave up his gun, there was no way they were walking out of this alive.
Archer swore under his breath, pulled the nine millimeter from his shoulder harness, held it out and dropped it on the ground. Finn did the same, and as she watched his gun land in the soft dirt at their bare feet, the last of Lauren’s hope evaporated.
The leader’s lips curled in a nasty smile, revealing gleaming white teeth. He said something in Spanish to the man at his right. The man picked up both guns, inspected them, then shoved them in his belt. The leader’s dark gaze swept over them and landed on Lauren. Hestiffened when she recognized him.
He’d been in the club. He’d been the one calling the shots. The one who had killed Javier. Her pulse picked up speed until it was a whir beneath her skin. This close, she saw the similarities in his features and realized he had to be Javier’s brother.