Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 80139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
If I were hiding someone…that’s exactly where I’d put them.
I get into my car and head straight for it.
The barn sits near the Mexican border, which makes it perfect for anyone wanting to move drugs. The wood is old and splintered, any semblance of paint long stripped away. Nothing grows within a five-foot radius, as if the building itself is poison to the land.
I circle once, checking the perimeter. No cameras, same as before.
I move to the door and ease it open just enough to slip inside.
I inhale the smell of hay and dust and something else. Food?
My eyes adjust quickly, and I nearly jump.
It’s him. Reyes. Sitting in an old chair bound up in rope, his head slumped down. A plate of half-eaten food sits on a crate beside him.
I move fast. Check his pulse.
It’s strong, thank God.
He stirs as I cut the ropes and snaps his eyes open.
“Easy,” I murmur.
“Jesus,” he breathes. “Took you long enough.”
I don’t answer that. I pull him to his feet, steadying him as his legs wobble. “Can you walk?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“Good.” I reach into my pocket, pull out a black marker, and grab his hand.
“What—”
“Hold still.” I press the tip against his ring finger and make a mark that Vega will recognize. It means “found.”
“Smart,” Reyes mutters.
I don’t respond. I pull out my phone instead. “Give me a thumbs up,” I say.
He complies, and I shoot the photo, making sure the mark on his ring finger is visible.
“Move,” I say.
We make it back to Reyes’s Austin property in a little over an hour.
“Stay here,” I tell him. “I need to make sure it’s safe.”
He nods and gives me the code for entry. I walk up the pathway and enter. It’s a gorgeous house, but I don’t dwell on that. This business pays extremely well. I walk through every room, check every corner. In one room, I find a safe in the closet.
And on the safe…
Fuck.
Blood.
I reach into my kit, pull out a small vial, and carefully scrape a sample of the blood into it.
Who would leave without cleaning? Only a sloppy amateur.
Or…
Someone who wanted me—or Reyes—to find it.
I finish casing the house and then go out to the car to get Reyes.
Once inside, Reyes sinks into a chair, rubbing his wrists. He’s not shaken. Not really. Men like him don’t break that easily.
I hand the vial of blood to Reyes. “Blood. On the safe in a bedroom closet.”
He takes it and a slow smile spreads across his face. “Now that,” he says softly, “is useful.”
I don’t ask.
He explains anyway.
“I can lure him back.” Reyes turns the vial in his fingers. “Make him think I have something he wants. Something he needs to keep buried.”
“Who?”
“Hawk Bellamy.”
“So it was him who abducted you.” Good to know Boss’s intel was on the money. Not that I ever doubted it.
“You’ll draw him out,” I say.
He nods. “And when I do, I can take back control.”
I resist an eye roll. Of course he talks about control. Men like Reyes always do.
I don’t argue. It’s not my job. Instead I pull out my phone again and send the image. Then I type a short message.
Recovered. Alive. Mark confirmed. Coordinates not useful. Found in barn where previous assignment occurred. Blood sample obtained at Reyes home. Reyes intends to lure Bellamy using leverage.
I hit send.
The reply comes through almost immediately.
Good work.
No further instructions.
But I don’t need more because I know what Boss means.
He’ll handle the rest.
He always does.
5
ROBIN
I shouldn’t go alone.
I know that before I even grab my keys.
I know it while I’m pacing my kitchen, my phone clutched in my hand, Raven’s voice still echoing in my ears.
Belinda is gone. Possibly kidnapped. And Daniela’s immigration status has been called into question.
I stop pacing and brace my hands on the counter, staring down at the cold marble.
Adriana de la Fuente.
Except that’s not even her real name. Or it is, and the other isn’t. Leona Patel. For the past few days, I’ve devoured every piece of information I can find about her.
Somehow she’s connected to all of this. I can feel it.
I should take someone with me. The thought hammers at me again.
But who? Eagle is in the hospital. Falcon is busy with Savannah, and he never took me seriously anyway. Raven is fragile with Belinda gone, Daniela threatened.
Hawk would understand.
Hawk always does.
But Hawk is buried in Daniela’s situation right now, trying to fix something that might already be broken beyond repair. I can’t pull him away from that.
Vinnie?
I shake my head.
He already dismissed me. That picture was good enough for him. Enough to convince him Vega is dead. I can’t waste time trying to convince someone who’s already decided I’m wrong.
My father—
I don’t even let myself finish that thought.
He’s still in that hospital bed, trapped in a body that won’t cooperate.
He can’t help me. And my mother? Right. She’d tell me I’m being ridiculous. Besides, she’s hardly left the hospital, moving between Dad and Eagle.