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“Let’s check the buildings,” one of the armed guards, an expat from Texas, said to three other men. “Make sure they’re all safe before we let anyone else go back into them. Everyone, stay here, okay? There might be some strong aftershocks, so keep away from anything that can fall on you.”

Of course, everyone who understood English looked up, searching for anything taller than them that could come down and squash them.

Over the next fifteen or twenty minutes, two smaller aftershocks shook the ground, causing several people to yelp, but they only lasted a few seconds.

Once the structures were deemed safe, Dr. Sanchez began issuing assignments.

Every building was a mess, from the kitchen and dining hall to the clinic, chapel, classroom, bunkhouses, and individual cabins.

Almost everything that wasn’t a large piece of furniture or bolted down had been knocked to the floor.

It would take all day to get it back to normal.

Outside, several trees and large limbs had fallen, but thankfully, they hadn’t caused any damage or injuries.

Jenn, Tony, and Margie were assigned to begin cleaning up the clinic and redoing the inventory, starting from the beginning again, since some supplies might now be damaged and unusable.

However, they stopped in their tracks when a familiar Jeep, followed by a large utility truck, pulled into the commune.

Jenn was shocked to recognize the man in the passenger seat of the Jeep.

Val Mancini, otherwise known as Romeo, was the last person she expected to see.

Um. Scratch that. Doug was the last person she expected, but sure enough, he and Lindsey Abbott climbed out of the truck.

What the fuck?

Relief at the familiar faces quickly changed to anxiety and anger.

Uncle Ian said the shipment would get an escort, but he failed to mention who would provide it.

She assumed it would be someone who lived in Colombia whom he could trust, like the expats working at the commune.

She hadn’t expected two members of the TS Omega Team and Doug !

Okay, she didn’t mind Lindsey and Romeo being there, but Doug ?

She was going to kill Uncle Ian when she got home in nine weeks—not that he would have a clue why.

She would’ve preferred any of her uncles to show up.

She still would’ve been pissed, thinking they were checking on her, but one of the main reasons she was in Colombia was to get away from the man who’d rejected her.

And now, there he was, racing toward her.

Wide-eyed, his gaze raked her from head to toe and back up again.

“Jenn! Are you okay?” He grasped her shoulders and looked her five-foot-eight frame over once more. “Are you hurt?”

Her heart thumped hard against her rib cage when she realized his husky voice was filled with concern.

“Jenn?” he repeated.

Finally, she nodded. “Y-yeah. I’m good. No one was hurt.” She gestured haphazardly toward the buildings. “Everything is a mess inside, but we all got out in time.”

“Thank goodness,” Lindsey said as she and Romeo joined them. Elena moved closer, attached herself to Jenn’s hip, and eyed the newcomers warily.

“What are you doing here?” While Jenn addressed the three of them, her gaze remained on Doug’s worried expression.

He still hadn’t released her shoulders, and the heat she felt under his touch was not only comforting but distracting.

Her nipples tightened, and her pussy clenched.

She wished they were alone so she could beg him to touch her all over.

Unfortunately, that only happened in her dreams.

She gave herself a mental slap and forced her attention to focus on Romeo, who gave her elbow a quick, reassuring squeeze before letting go.

The man crossed his arms and stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, a stance that every TS operative tended to adopt, thanks to their military or law enforcement training.

“Ian wanted to make sure your supplies got here this time, so Clinton flew us down yesterday, and we met the plane this morning. Other than the earthquake, we had no trouble getting here.” He hitched a thumb toward the road leading to the commune.

“Just missed getting flattened by a boulder that rolled down a hill and across the road. That’s something new for my ‘You won’t believe what happened’ list. I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie. ” He smiled and winked at her.

The man was so handsome, people often wondered if he was a model or an actor.

However, Jenn preferred Doug’s rugged good looks to Romeo’s pretty-boy face.

She did like him, though, as a friend. The same went for Lindsey and the rest of the Omega Team.

They treated her more like a friend than the boss’s goddaughter or the Alpha Team’s niece, which she appreciated.

None of them called her Baby-girl, either.

As if he had suddenly realized he was still cupping her shoulders, Doug pulled away and stepped back. Jenn immediately felt the loss but tried not to let it show.

A trill filled the air, and Romeo pulled out a satellite phone from a side pocket of his cargo pants and looked at the screen.

“Speak of the devil.” He answered the call, but barely got out “Hey, Ia—” before he was apparently cut off.

He rolled his eyes at whatever her uncle said.

“She’s standing right next to me, and she’s fine.

Not a scratch on her.” After a short pause, he handed her the phone.

“He wants to talk to you. He heard about the quake on the news and doesn’t believe me that you’re okay. ”

It was her turn to roll her eyes as she brought the phone to her ear. “Uncle Ian, I’m fine. Like Romeo said, I don’t have a scratch on me.”

“You’re telling me the truth?”

“Of course. You know I would tell you if I were hurt, but I really am fine. Just a little shaken up. Excuse the pun.”

“Thank God.” The relief in his voice was palpable. “Is anyone else hurt?”

She glanced around. “Not here at the compound. We don’t know about any of the villagers in the area, though. The guards and some of the workers here are checking on them by radio or will drive out to see if they need help.”

“Pack up your things. I want you on the jet with Romeo and the others and back home as soon as possible.”

Her blood began to boil, and she saw red. Stepping away from the group, she emphasized her one-word response. “ No .”

“What do you mean, no ?” he shouted.

“Exactly what you think I mean.” Somehow, she kept her tone calm and firm as she paced back and forth.

She had never defied her uncle before—he never gave her a reason to—but right then, she was putting her foot down.

And to do that, she needed to speak like the intelligent adult she was, not a whiny preteen who wasn’t getting her way.

Her godfather deserved respect, but she would demand the same from him in return.

“I came here for a reason, Uncle Ian. To prove to myself and everyone else that I’m strong enough to stand on my own two feet and do something like this.

My being here has helped a lot of people, and I’m not going to abandon them because of an earthquake that caused a little damage.

If I were Nick, Jake, Brody, Marco, Devon, or anyone who works for you, this conversation would never happen.

They would all stay and help, and you wouldn’t have a problem with it. ”

She stopped treading and stared up at the sky, hoping she could convince him not to argue with her.

“I can do this, Uncle Ian. Over the past six years, everyone has helped to train me how to protect myself in case something bad happens. Whether that’s being kidnapped again, God forbid, or getting accosted in a parking lot, getting lost in the woods, or ending up in a natural disaster.

What I’m doing here makes a difference. Please don’t make me choose between obeying your order and doing what I know is right. You won’t like my answer.”

The prolonged silence on the other end of the call made her think she lost him, but then there was an exasperated sigh. “When did you grow up to be such an amazing young woman?”

“When you blinked?” The tension in her back and shoulders eased a bit, but he hadn’t given in yet.

He let out a wry chuckle. “I guess so.” Another sigh erupted from him. “Okay. I’m not going to be the ogre you think I am at the moment. I won’t demand you come home. On one condition.”

Relief coursed through her. “Anything.”

“There will probably be aftershocks, and some can be as strong as the six-point-four that already hit the area.” It didn’t surprise her that he already knew the strength of the quake before she did.

The man could obtain any information he wanted within seconds from Brody and Nathan in their computer war-room.

“I want Romeo, Lindsey, and Doug to stay there for a few more days to make sure everything is okay. They can help with whatever needs to be done.”

What? Oh, no. Anything but that!

Of course, that’s not what she said to him.

He was letting her stay, trusting that she was making the right decision.

If having the two Omega Team members and Doug with her for a few days made her uncle feel better, she would suck it up and accept it.

“Okay. Thank you for not forcing me to go home.”

“I’m just worried about you, Baby-girl. It’s been my job to worry about you since the day your dad asked me to be your godfather.

But it’s also my job to trust you and know when I need to let you go and be who you want to be.

Just stay safe. Peyton will need her godmother to guide her when she gets older. ”

She smiled. “I will. I promise.”

“Good. Let me talk to Romeo again.”

Rejoining the group, she handed off the phone but didn’t say anything. She wouldn’t be the one to break the news to Doug that he was stuck there with her for the next few days—especially when he probably wished he were anywhere else.