Page 58 of Ravaged Hearts
Kane smoothed a hand over his beard. “I can’t tell you what they’re thinking, but I can tell you that when Matisse kidnapped Freya, it was the people in that room that got me through it. They didn’t know Freya then, and if I recall correctly, you weren’t shy about accusing her of being a spoiled princess who’d jilted her sugar daddy and fallen into my bed.”
Fuck. He was right. And now I felt like an even bigger prick for the frosty greeting I’d initially given Freya. I’d met her a few times since, and she was a decent woman. Not my type. The blonde was all sunshiny and full of optimism, and she talked too much.Spiritedwas the nice word for it. But she made Kane happy, and that was important to me. He deserved it after everything he’d been through.
Kane continued, “And even though Freya was just some woman who meant nothing to you, you still did everything you could to bring her home. Everyone in that room risked their lives for her, and they’re doing the same for Hope now.”
I glanced at those he referred to. Sage, with her brow knitted in concentration as she monitored the drone; Brandon, snapping orders into a phone while typing so fast I thought the keyboard might catch fire; and Owen and our tech team at workstations, scouring intel for leads.
“We’ve got your back, Brother,” Kane said. “And we’ve got Hope’s, too. She’s your woman, which means she’s one of us now, no matter who her father is.”
My teammates had saved me time and time again. Whenthey’d rescued me from that tunnel. When Brandon and Sage had given me a home in Montana and the opportunity to be a part of their team despite all of my issues. And now, they were doing their best to save me by helping the woman I loved.
I didn’t deserve this family who’d claimed me as their own. Maybe once this was all over and I had Hope back—because I refused to believe that wouldn’t happen—I’d make things right with the people I cared about. They’d accept me any way I came, but I didn’t always need to be so…hostile.
I’d save that for our enemies.
25
VAUGHN
The next day
All of us gathered around the kitchen for a team meeting.
Brandon planted his palms on the breakfast bar. “Here’s the sitrep. We lost eyes on Hope at zero six thirty yesterday. Her last known location is the trucking depot, and since then, we’ve followed every vehicle that’s left the premises. We’ve gathered intel and conducted surveillance on each of their destinations, and none of them appear suspicious or to have links to the cartel.”
“What if Hope and Ortega haven’t left the depot?” asked Owen.
Shep adjusted the brim of his stained ball cap. “Or what if the depotisthe compound?”
“It doesn’t fit the description Hope gave us.” Sage rested her hip against the counter. “No mansion. No gardens. I can’t imagine anywhere there might be a large group of children playing nearby. Maybe the cartel has moved to the depot in the three years since Hope spoke to her father, but I doubt Espinoza would establish his compound in a location wherethere’s a lot of traffic and security is basic at best. I mean, a guy in a booth operating a boom gate? They’re far too exposed to attack or being surrounded by the authorities.”
Goddammit. Nothing added up. If Hope hadn’t been transported anywhere and the depot wasn’t the compound, where the fuck was she?
One of the tech guys reached for the coffeepot beside me, and I tensed at his nearness. My scars tingled, and an image of the dark concrete tunnel I’d been tortured in flashed in my mind.
Instead of sparking panic, the unbidden thought led me somewhere else entirely.
“Or maybe security at the depot is tighter than you think,” I said, and all eyes came to me. I’d said little since Kane had pulled me aside, choosing to bite my tongue instead of losing my shit over our unbearable lack of results. “Cartels love slithering into their tunnels. What if the depot is an entry point?”
“Seems like a long shot, but it’s possible,” Brandon said. “If you’re right, that’s a fatal funnel we don’t want to venture into.”
No shit. Attacking a well-defended tunnel was suicide. At a choke point with zero cover, we’d take on heavy casualties. Plus, it would hardly be the stealthy approach we sought.
I shoved my hands into my pockets. “So we look for the end point. What’s the longest known narco tunnel?”
Kane pointed to the map of Mexico on the wall. “A few years back, there was one from TJ that ran all the way to San Diego County. Almost one-and-a-half klicks.”
Brandon nodded. “Double it, and that’s our search radius. Start by looking for mansions fitting Hope’s original description, but flag anything that looks suspicious.”
26
HOPE
Aknock at my bedroom door startled me from theLove Is Blindmarathon I’d zoned out to.
Jorge hadn’t returned from whatever errand he’d left for yesterday morning. And Sergio, my buffoon of a guard, wouldn’t let me visit the library, walk the gardens, or leave my room for any reason at all.
I’d even threatened that I’d have his entire family murdered if he didn’t allow me to visit my father, figuring that level of viciousness was appropriate for Carlos Espinoza’s daughter. Except Sergio had gone and told me he didn’t have any relatives to be murdered, because he was one of the orphans all grown up, and that now the cartel was his family. Then I’d felt sorry for him and like a bit of a bitch. The whole intimidation attempt had backfired spectacularly.