Excerpt of As Lost as I Get by Lisa Nicholas

As soon as the guards left the room, the man rose to his
knees and leaned over, shaking the hood off. He was
definitely a tourist. His dark hair was cropped close and
gleaming; she couldn’t tell if it was dark brown or
black. He had the same expensive look as his jeans. His
fair skin was clear and clean shaven with just a hint of
shadow, and he had the sort of profile she’d only ever
seen on a movie or television screen. He wouldn’t be here
long. Either he had a family with money or he worked for
a company that would want him back.

She realized he was giving her the same level of
scrutiny, and felt a small rush of fear. They were both
bound, so surely he couldn’t hurt her, but there was
something dangerous in his eyes.

Which is why she didn’t expect them to soften the way
they did. “Zoe Rodriguez?”

She was too startled to answer, but just nodded.

He glanced toward the locked door and pushed himself to a
crouch, the movement oddly graceful. She fought not to
flinch when he came over to her. “My name’s Lee Wheeler.
I’m with the CIA. I’m going to get you out of here.”

The sudden lump in her throat caught her by surprise. She
tried to keep her face schooled as she studied him. There
was no trace of anything but sincerity in his blue eyes.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“You don’t.” He flashed a quick, humorless grin. “I’m not
precisely carrying my credentials at the moment.” Another
careful look over his shoulder. “Trust me until we’re out
of here, and I promise I’ll show you all the proof you
need.”

Zoe’s throat ached and her eyes were stinging. She would
not cry in front of a stranger, but the relief was
threatening to overwhelm her.

“Why?” she said. “I mean, I’m nobody.”

“Médecins International doctor, working as an emergency
surgeon in a refugee camp in Oaxaca—that doesn’t sound
like nobody to me.” He started to say something else but
froze, then threw himself over to where the guards had
initially pushed him.

The hood.

Talks With Fists came in with the filthy bucket that
served as a toilet, then dropped it, cursing and yelling
at Lee to close his eyes. Lee did, but the guard cuffed
him across the cheek before pulling the hood over his
head again.