Rising Hope by Edie James
18
Sarah exited the helicopter,sweating beneath her overdone makeup. Even this late in October, heat radiated off the canyon walls, baking the vegetation, taking the sheen off the waxy leaves of the manzanita and turning the poison oak a dusky red. The air smelled of aviation fuel and hot rubber, ramping up her anxiety.
Panetta and Munson lounged next to their beat-up work van. Both wore their usual frowns. Most of the time, she found their demeanors mildly irritating. But now, after talking through her suspicions with Enzo, their penchant for control seemed more ominous than annoying.
One was FBI, the other NSA. Or so Halliburton had told her. Now, she found herself questioning everything, and everyone.
One more run, she told herself. At her next meeting with Halliburton, she’d convince him they were ready to set up the last, big buy. Everything was in place. So far, Ulrich bought her story about her vastly expanding network of dealers, and he’d already told her his boss, Dmitri Yeltzen, wanted to meet her.
Maybe, if her luck held just this once, she could get this mission done and get out of the undercover life before the ugly undercurrent sucked her so far down she couldn’t rise. If she were a person of faith, she’d pray things went her way.
She’d definitely pray that Enzo got out unscathed. He was a small cog in the machine, but so was Wenmark.
The helicopter door slammed. She looked back to see Enzo heading toward her, hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans. She’d never put much stock in looks, but the guy really was handsome. Breathtakingly so. But it wasn’t just his features. It was his whole demeanor. The confidence. The certainty of his place in the world.
She couldn’t let that light dim. Not on her watch.
Enzo caught up with her. “Boys,” he called out to the two agents, sketching them a casual salute.
The two men pushed away from the vehicle and headed toward the helicopter. She watched them retrieve the bags of drugs, feeling the weight of the mission pressing down on her.
“I got this,” he said, noticing her looking at him. “I’ll find Wenmark.”
His voice was low and steady, but Sarah could see the concern etched on his face. She took a step closer to him. Being near him made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“I hope he’s okay,” she said more to herself than anything. “I wanted my last mission to be clean. No drama.”
His mouth dropped open. “Why your last mission? Are you getting promoted or something?”
She screwed her eyes shut for a second, wishing she hadn’t spoken out loud. Sharing was so not her thing. She shifted from foot to foot. The stylish high-heeled sandals squeezed her toes like a vise. “I’m leaving the DEA,” she admitted. “But you can’t tell anyone.”
She shouldn’t have told him. Oh well. Too late to take it back now.
“Of course not,” he assured her.
“You look surprised.”
“I don’t know you very well, but you seem made for this.” He swung his arms out to encompass the landing site.
Exactly the problem. Not only made for it, but born into it. And she’d had enough. She smiled grimly, hoping to shut down the conversation. “It’s long past time. I’ve got other plans.”
Crickets chirped, filling the silence. A normal woman would chatter on, filling him in on her future plans. Not that she was in any way normal. Or that she had any actual plans.
“Sure. That’s awesome.”
She didn’t know him well enough to decide if his enthusiasm was real or not.
He toed the ground, tracing a circle in the dirt and checked his watch. “I should go.”
“Bible study?” she teased, though she sounded way too wistful for her own comfort.
He grinned and shook his head. “That’s tomorrow night. Monday is set aside for wild debauchery.”
Laughter burst out of her. She couldn’t have held it in if she wanted to. Wow, Enzo was a find. A real keeper for some lucky woman. A normal woman, with a normal family and a squeaky-clean life.
“Good to know,” she jousted back, still grinning hard.
His expression darkened. “I’ll text you as soon as I’ve got intel on Wenmark.”
“Be careful.”
Enzo nodded, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “Roger that.”
A lump rose in her throat. For the first time, she might really be able to trust someone in this dangerous game. And that feeling was both terrifying and exhilarating.