Enticed By The Operative. Lara Lacombe

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СКАЧАТЬ held her breath until the door closed behind him, then she rocked forward until her palms landed flat against the solid weight of her desk. It’s okay, she told herself, repeating the words over and over again until she no longer felt like her heart was trying to beat out of her chest. He’s gone.

      But for how long?

      * * *

      The rest of her day passed in a blur. Olivia tried to focus on her job, but the memory of Carlos Martinez was front and center in her mind, an unwelcome and disturbing distraction. Fortunately, she had no scheduled surgeries so her impaired attention was no danger to her patients.

      She had to report him to the authorities. It was her only option. The thought of him targeting someone else, someone who might not be able to refuse his offer, weighed on her. Could she really live with herself, knowing he was free to continue hurting people?

      But who should she call? Would the police help her? Or did she need to try the FBI? And how could she convince them she was telling the truth? After all, she hadn’t recorded their conversation. It was her word against his.

      “It doesn’t matter,” she muttered to herself as she navigated the evening traffic. “I have to tell someone. What they do with the information is on them.” At least she’d be able to sleep at night, knowing she’d done all she could.

      She’d tucked his business card and his medical file in her bag before leaving the office. When she got home, she pulled them both out and started up her computer, determined to find the number to the local police. She’d start there, and if the police didn’t take her seriously, she’d move on to the FBI or some other organization.

      The doorbell rang just as she pulled up the web page for the Alexandria, Virginia, police department. Good—her dinner was here. She’d ordered takeout before leaving the office so she wouldn’t have to cobble together a sad meal of crackers and stale cheese. Grabbing her wallet, she headed for the door and glanced through the peephole. A young man stood on her stoop, holding a bag that contained her food.

      Olivia opened her door with a smile and extended a hand to take the bag, holding out a few bills in payment. “Thanks,” she said, the word dying in her throat as a shadowy figure moved up the walk and into the glow cast by her porch light. She took a reflexive step back, but the delivery boy pulled on the bag, halting her progress.

      Carlos Martinez stopped just behind the young man, a wry smile on his lips. “Dr. Sandoval, so good to see you again. We took the liberty of paying for your food so it wouldn’t grow cold. May we come in?”

      She glanced around wildly, hoping to see lights on in the house next door. Her neighbor, Logan Murray, was a large, fit man, and if she could somehow scream loudly enough to get his attention, perhaps he could help her... But his windows were dark. She was on her own.

      “No.” Her heart in her throat, Olivia dropped the bag and stepped inside. She grabbed the edge of the door and tried to slam it shut, but the young man stuck his foot in the jamb and forced his way into her house, Carlos close on his heels.

      Olivia stumbled backward, trying to keep her gaze on the intruders while she got as far away as possible. A weapon, she needed a weapon—something, anything, she could use to defend herself. Her hands ran across the back of her sofa, the end table, the wall. Her fingers swept along the candles standing on the hall table, and she grabbed her mother’s silver candlestick, brandishing it like a bat. Why, oh why, had she left her cell phone next to the computer?

      “Dr. Sandoval,” Carlos said, his tone disapproving. “Please. We are not here for violence. Can we not sit and have a civilized chat?”

      Her throat too tight for words, Olivia shook her head.

      He let out a deep sigh. “Well, then.” He made a sharp gesture with his hand, and the younger man reached behind his back and retrieved a gun that he pointed at Olivia with a confidence that made her stomach drop. Oh, God.

      Carlos settled into her recliner and gestured for her to take a seat on the couch, facing him. Olivia half walked, half stumbled over, her legs gone numb with fear and her attention focused on the lethal-looking gun pointed at her head. She sank onto the sofa, gripping the candlestick so hard she thought it might snap in her hands.

      “I thought we might revisit our conversation from this afternoon.”

      Olivia cut her gaze to Carlos, then back to the man with the gun. “I have nothing to say to you while I’m being held at gunpoint.” Her voice wavered a bit, but she was proud of herself for getting the words out. Her fear of getting shot weighed heavy on her chest, making it so hard to breathe she felt like she was drowning. If he would just put the gun away, she might be able to actually think!

      Carlos tilted his head, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He was enjoying her fear, damn him! Olivia straightened her spine and clamped her mouth shut, determined not to give him any more satisfaction. After a moment, he nodded at the younger man. She refused to turn her head to look at him, but she caught movement from the corner of her eye and breathed a silent sigh of relief as he returned his gun to its hiding place.

      “Now, then,” Carlos said. “As I was saying. Have you had time to reconsider my earlier offer?”

      “My answer hasn’t changed,” Olivia replied. The other man moved, and she fought the urge to flinch. But he simply walked around the couch and took the rocking chair in the corner of the room, his gaze watchful. At least he wasn’t threatening her again.

      Carlos merely nodded. “I thought you might say that. So I brought along some additional material for you to examine.” He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew an envelope, holding it out for her. She refused to take it from him, so he dropped it on the table between them and leaned back. “I think you will want to see what’s inside,” he said, with a nod at the envelope.

      Keeping her eyes on the men in front of her, Olivia leaned forward and brushed the table with her fingertips, catching the edge of the paper. She reluctantly set the candlestick on the seat next to her, but really, what good was it against a gun?

      The envelope wasn’t sealed, and she lifted the flap to find a stack of photographs. The bottom dropped out of her stomach when she saw Avery’s face, and she quickly flipped through several of the pictures. Avery at work. Avery at the gym. At the grocery store. At home. The last one had been taken through her bedroom window as her friend packed a suitcase on the bed.

      I’m leaving tomorrow for a small town in Kansas...

      Olivia moved to the next picture, her fingers so stiff she almost dropped the stack. Tears sprang to her eyes as she saw her other best friend, Mallory. She’d thought Mallory of all people would be safe, since she worked on a cruise ship and was always gone. But apparently Carlos had eyes and ears everywhere.

      When she reached the end of the stack, she glanced up to find him watching her. “So you see,” he said, as if they’d been talking all along, “you may feel that because your parents are dead, you are safe. But I hope you realize that is not the case.”

      Olivia swallowed hard. “You can’t be serious.” Would they really go after her best friends? That was the kind of thing that happened in movies, but not real life. Right?

      “Dr. Sandoval, I assure you I am deadly serious. If you do not agree to cooperate, we will target your friends. If that doesn’t work, we will move on to their families, as well. Would you really risk the safety СКАЧАТЬ