Manipulate (Deliver 6)

“Tula.” Martin shook his head, his voice cracking. “We should’ve never left.”

“Don’t say that.” She stroked his rigid jaw. “This is love. It slays and conquers and never looks back.” The hot burn of tears blurred her eyes. “It’s the reason you’re here.”

As she absorbed the sculpted details of their fierce expressions, the walls inside her ruptured one by one. It started as a tingle in her fingers and toes, crashed through her limbs, and rolled over her in a warm powerful tide, washing away her doubts and fears.

Life had returned to her. They were here, breathing with her, touching her skin, and watching her with the same intense longing that curled her fingers into their clothes.

The universe had given her another chance at happiness, and she wouldn’t squander a second of it.

“I love you.” She met each pair of eyes as great rushing waves of felicity soaked into her heart, mending it as quickly as it had been broken.

“I love you, too.” Ricky tightened his arms around her and Martin, wrapping them in a protective bubble. “So damn much.”

Martin tangled a hand in her hair, angling her face toward his. “Fucking hell, I need to kiss you right now, but—”

“Idiots!” a man shouted from inside the SUV. “Get your asses in the car!”

“We need to go.” Ricky swept her up into his arms and took off toward their ride.

The urgency in his gait sent a chill across her scalp. “Are we in danger?”

“Yes.”

She held tight to his broad shoulders. “Those other cars—”

“They’re with us.” He slid across the backseat of the SUV with her body tucked against his chest.

Martin followed him in, and the vehicle lurched into motion as the door swung closed. Two men sat in the front seat, but she didn’t get a look at them before Martin and Ricky pulled her back into their orbit.

She sat sideways on Ricky’s lap as Martin positioned her legs across his thighs and drifted close, surrounding her with the potency of his full attention.

“I’m so sorry.” Ricky ghosted his lips along her temple, his hand resting on her neck. “We couldn’t wait for you at the door. We had snipers lined up—”

She inhaled sharply. “In the other cars?”

“Yes.”

“Because of Hector’s sons? They’re coming for me?”

“They have to get through us first.” Martin stared into her eyes and slid his fingers across her cheek, touching her with a stunned sort of reverence, like he couldn’t believe she was here.

“How did you find me? How do you even know Hector’s sons are looking for me?”

His gaze drifted to the driver, sitting directly in front of him.

The man’s brown eyes greeted her in the rearview mirror. His profile revealed a straight nose and trimmed beard that failed to hide the dimple in his cheek. He was handsome, like jaw-droppingly stupid handsome, but a dangerous air circulated around him, raising the hairs on her arms.

“That’s Cole Hartman,” Martin said.

“You’re the military guy.” She held his gaze in the mirror, recalling everything Martin and Ricky had told her about his specialized skills and connections in the criminal world. “You’re the one who found me?”

“Yes, but before last week, we thought you were still in Jaulaso.” He glanced at the road, the side mirrors, and returned to her. “The prison’s on lockdown, including all information on its inmates. We didn’t know if you were alive or dead.”

Ricky’s body went stiff beneath her, drawing her attention to the pain he couldn’t conceal in his eyes. Martin wore a similar expression, his features bearing the exhaustion from months of stress.

Guilt cleaved through her. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you my plan. The night before you left… I slipped out to take a shower and saw something really…heartbreaking.” Her chest squeezed, trapping her next breath. “I’ll tell you everything, but not here. Not right now. It’s going to hurt to relive it, and I…”

Ricky touched his lips to hers. He didn’t try to silence her with a kiss. He just held his mouth there and let their breaths coalesce and shudder together.

“Whenever you’re ready. We’re not going anywhere.” He ran his nose along hers. “Never again.”

“I won’t let you go. Never again.” She closed her eyes, exalting in the connection.

When he leaned back, her attention fell on the other man in the front seat. With model-worthy features, red hair, and a tall, muscled frame, he fit the description of the mechanic roommate Martin and Ricky had always talked about.

“You must be Luke,” she said to him.

“Good guess.” He twisted around to give her a wink. “They must’ve told you I was the best looking.

“The best-looking redhead.” She grinned.

“The only redhead.” Cole veered onto the interstate, heading toward the city. Then he found her gaze in the mirror. “I have eyes and ears in the cartel underworld. One of the inmates in Jaulaso contacted Hector’s sons and told them you transferred to the States. When they put a contract out on your life, my informants notified me. That’s how I found you.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “If you have any information on them or La Rocha business—”