Nowhere to Hide(17)

Lia sat back, stunned. She hadn’t thought her plan was actually going to be accepted, but she knew Dilara moved mountains when she wanted to. After all, her family had the clout, the power and the money to do whatever she wished.

She happened to look across the table for a moment and saw a faint smile on Cav’s face. She’d tried to pretend he wasn’t there, because every time she caught his gaze, she felt something warm and clean move through her, it was probably nothing more than a pipe dream.

“Let’s get through the rest of this,” Robert told them. He looked over at Cav and then at his watch. “We’re going to be wrapping up here in thirty minutes. Cav, and from now on, I want you to be Lia’s driver. You will take her in the company van back to La Fortuna.”

Lia began to protest, giving Cav an apologetic look. “There’s no need for that. I can drive myself.”

“No,” Cav told her quietly, “If this drug lord wants to attack you while you’re in the van, do you know what evasion tactics to take?”

Nonplussed, she muttered, “Of course not” Just because she’d been in the Army, she was a mechanic, not a black ops person who would have such skills.

Shrugging, Cav said, “I’m happy to drive the van, Ms. Cassidy. Maybe you can get a little sleep on the way home.”

Lia had a lot of retorts on her lips, but she swallowed all of them. And honestly, she had no quarrel with him. His eyes told her she had nothing to worry about. In fact, he actually seemed concerned about her, though he’d said nothing to betray it. She just felt it.

However, she knew enough about professional operators to know that Cav had his game face on. He was on the job, and when they were in that mode, no one could know what they were thinking or feeling.

But his eyes…his eyes spoke directly to her. Why did her silly heart start galloping when their glances met? Why did hope slowly wind its way through her? Just that faint smile playing on his mouth made her yearn, once again, for a relationship…a real one…with the right man.





CHAPTER 4





Cav saw the wariness in Lia’s eyes as he opened the door to the white van on the passenger side. He was looking around the busy entrance of the hotel, watching all the parties on their way out. The Delos logo of a rising sun on the side of the white van was bright red and yellow, easy to spot—especially by the bad guys.

“Thanks,” Lia murmured gratefully. But when he cupped his hand beneath her elbow to help her into the high van, she froze momentarily.

“Hey, I don’t bite,” he assured her. Cav supposed in Lia’s present state of mind, she might be startled by his unexpected touch. But dammit, he needed to protect this woman. She looked fragile, as if she might break. Now that he knew she’d been in the military, he’d assumed she had a strong backbone. But after having survived that murderous attack, anyone in their right mind would be shaken and shocked, so her skittish behavior was pretty understandable.

He felt Lia relax as he kept his hand on her elbow, seeming to accept his courtly gesture. They stood there looking at one another, and this time, this close, he clearly saw that deep welt of a scar on her left cheek. It made his gut clench. Lia had such a flawless complexion, but not around the scar….

Her cheeks instantly became red. She was blushing. He felt her waver, but smiled to reassure her.

“Thanks,” she murmured, quickly getting into the van.

Cav got the impression that she didn’t want any man close to her, and right now, she wasn’t up for him touching her, even if it was well meant.

He had a lot of questions for this enigmatic woman. In the boardroom, he’d been visibly touched by her impassioned plea to stay and help the children. There weren’t many women he knew who would stay after surviving a brutal attack, one she’d miraculously survived. It made him want to know a lot more about her.

As Cav shut the door, he remained alert as he walked around the front of the van. Despite the scar, he found her very attractive. Sure, the scar on her face was unfortunate, but it didn’t take anything away from her beauty. Hell, he had so many scars on his body he’d lost count.

Climbing in, he saw the lead black SUV move ahead. That one had three other security men inside. Robert Culver had come down here with a small armada of ex-military contractors because he hadn’t known what to expect at La Fortuna. He wasn’t going to put his wife, himself or the rest of his team at risk.

Glancing to his left, Cav said, “Ready?”

Lia nodded, quickly putting on her seat belt.

Cav drove the van as the second vehicle in the group. Behind them would be Dilara and Robert, with two contractors on board. Behind them was the staff in two other SUV’s, with an operator in each one. The last vehicle was a huge truck loaded down with supplies for Lia’s village.