Enticed by the Operative (Doctors in Danger, Book 1) by Lara Lacombe Page B

she tamped it down. It was part of the act, she reminded herself. They had to maintain a consistent image now that they were in Colombia—there was no way to know who was spying for the cartel.
    She turned and smiled at him, scooting closer until their legs touched. He draped his arm around her shoulders, holding her in place as the Jeep bounced along the road.
    “How much longer?”
    She lifted one shoulder. “Maybe half an hour. It depends on the road quality.”
    He grimaced. “You call this a road? Looks more like an overgrown deer trail to me.”
    “You’re in the jungle,” she replied simply. “What did you expect?”
    “Fair enough.” He was quiet a moment. “It really is beautiful, though.”
    Her heart warmed at his words. She’d fallen in love with the lush growth of the rain forest on her first visit to Colombia as a child. Her grandmother’s home had backed up to a section of the forest, and she’d taken many walks among the trees with her parents, marveling at the exotic plants and animals, so different from anything she’d seen in Virginia. The fact that Logan seemed to appreciate it as well made her happy and also a tiny bit proud. Even though she’d grown up in the United States, her parents had been raised in Colombia and the country had always held a special place in her heart.
    The Jeep slowed to navigate a particularly tricky curve. Logan leaned over to peer out the window. “Are those monkeys in the trees?” He sounded incredulous and a little bit excited.
    Olivia leaned over, as well. “Yep,” she confirmed, seeing the familiar auburn shapes. “Howlers. You’ll hear them in the morning—that’s when they’re really chatty.”
    A look of wonder crossed his face. “That’s so cool.”
    She laughed. “You think that now. But trust me, they’re like an alarm clock you can’t turn off.”
    The driver, having evidently picked up on their conversation, chose that moment to let out a loud wail that was a halfway decent impersonation of the monkey’s famous cry. Logan and Olivia both jumped, and the man grinned at them in the rearview mirror.
    “Bulla, sí?” he asked with a wink.
    Olivia nodded. “Sí,” she replied, then turned to Logan. “He said they’re noisy.”
    “So I gathered,” he replied drily. “My Spanish isn’t that bad, you know.”
    “If I were you, I’d keep that to myself,” she advised quietly. “People tend to be freer with their words if they think you can’t understand them, and since you are a stereotypical gringo , you just might overhear something interesting.”
    “Good idea,” he said, leaning over to press a quick kiss against her temple. “We might make an agent out of you yet,” he whispered.
    His breath was hot in her ear and the intimacy of it made her shudder slightly. Logan felt the tremor of her body, but apparently mistook its meaning. “Don’t worry,” he teased. “I’ll still be your backup.”
    “That’s good,” she said, striving to keep her tone light. “I need all the help I can get.”
    They spent the rest of the drive making small talk and marveling at the plants and wildlife visible from the Jeep as they bumped along the road. As they got closer to the village, Olivia’s anticipation grew, fizzing in her stomach and making her feel a little giddy. She looked forward to this trip all year long, and she was determined not to let Carlos and the specter of the cartel steal her joy. Even though they were making her do an evil thing, she was here to changes lives for the better. It was a humbling task, but one she was proud and grateful to take on.
    The density of the jungle began to thin, and eventually they entered a clearing in the thick growth. Their driver slowed as they approached the village, and a group of children who had been playing nearby abandoned their game to run after them as they entered the village proper.
    “It’s bigger than I expected,” Logan remarked, leaning over to get a better look out