Tiago didn’t look up, didn’t say a word. His attention was engrossed in the weeping woman he held. Lucia wasn’t a crier, so to see her sniveling softly against the madman’s chest, to witness him gently shushing her, stroking a hand over her hair, and hugging her tight, it was fucking weird.
And heartening.
It was a good sign if Tate wasn’t interfering. He didn’t look pleased, but he wasn’t tearing off Tiago’s arms, either.
Everyone knew Tiago harbored a deep affection for Lucia. Nothing like what he felt with Kate. But he and Lucia shared a history. An ugly, brutal history of lies and deception. He’d poisoned her for years. She’d smashed his head in with a lead weight, and through it all, he’d kept her alive, protecting her from enemies and allies in his dark underworld.
Lucia leaned back and wiped her cheeks. Tiago released her, clasped his hands behind him, and stared down at her, speaking softly.
Their relationship was a twisty, complicated knot to unravel, but they appeared to be making progress.
Tomas veered toward the kitchen, grabbed a sandwich from the fridge, and spotted the others outside. Leaving Tate to supervise Tiago and Lucia, Tomas stepped out onto the terrace.
The evening autumn air chilled his skin. Not cold, but so very different than the desert.
Liv, Van, and Luke sat around a table, deep in conversation about the mission that Matias and Camila just finished in Mexico. Another sex trafficking ring annihilated.
The thought brought a smile to his face. Fuck, he loved his job.
Lowering into the chair beside Van, he wolfed down the turkey sandwich and admired the exterior view of the massive one-story manor. Veneered in stone, it wrapped around several outdoor living spaces with walkways that led into the woods.
From the largest terrace, a bridge arched over a ravine, providing access to the covered dock on the lake below. A vista of forest and high bluffs surrounded the calm inlet of water. It was majestic and comforting and felt almost as secure as Matias’ fortress in the Amazon rainforest.
“Where’s Rylee?” Luke asked.
“Talking to Cole. Did you know he has a full-blown dance room down the hall?”
“Not surprised.” Liv leaned back in the chair. “The tattoo is telling.”
“Are you surprised by his pushy bid to join our team?”
“He’s already with us.” Liv shrugged.
“He just wants us to recognize that.” Van tapped a toothpick on the table.
“Why? What does he get out of it?”
“Purpose. Belonging.” Luke stretched out an arm, indicating the sprawling mansion. “This was built as a safe house. He told me that he used to let people in his profession stay here to recharge and regroup. He gave up that job for a girl, lost the girl, and now all he has is the house. A nine-bedroom estate with gear and tech, designed for people like us. He supports our cause, trusts us enough to bring us here. We give him purpose. A place to belong.”
“Makes sense.” Tomas looked at Van. “You recruited him how long ago?”
“Six years.” Van met Liv’s eyes. “When I hunted down Traquero.”
Traquero, the slave buyer who brutally raped Liv in front of Josh.
When Van had learned about the assault, he lost his fucking mind and dismantled his sex slave operation. Then he hired Cole to find Traquero so Van could kill the monster, which he did. Gruesomely.
Cole didn’t show up again until a year ago, when Tate hired him to locate Lucia and retrieve her from Tiago’s clutches.
“What do you think we’re dealing with, Tommy?” Luke scraped a hand through his messy red hair, his gaze focused. “This can’t just be about a jealous ex-husband.”
“Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation is usually the right one, and the simplest explanation is Mason Sutton.” The tension at the base of his skull disagreed. “I feel like we’re overlooking something. Can’t put my finger on it.”
“If Rylee hasn’t told anyone about the bridge except you,” Luke said, “how did the hitman know about it? What does it have to do with anything?”
“We won’t know those answers until we have a motivation. We need the hitman’s identity and that of who hired him.”
“That’s Cole’s expertise.” Van reclined back, propping a socked foot on his knee. “Depending on who’s behind this, it could take weeks to uncover.”
“I talked to Matias an hour ago.” Luke traced a finger along the edge of the table. “If this gets drawn out, he and Camila will fly in with the rest of the team.”
His friends were restless, itching for action and the thrill of a fight. And missing their other halves.
“We need to put our heads together.” Tomas scratched his jaw, gathering his thoughts. “Paul Kissinger started watching Rylee six months ago. Three months before that, she filed a protective order again Mason. Paul found me through a tracking device on her truck. A standard device that is widely available. Far different than the tech that was planted in her house.”