Chapter 18
Cross leaned back against the pillows on the bed, arms crossed over his chest, eyes still sharp despite the ache in his muscles and the bandage at his side.
He hated being sidelined. Every second they sat here talking was another second Drew was in danger.
Every breath she took without him nearby was a reminder of how close he’d come to losing her—for good.
Tessa was across the room with her phone pressed to her ear, pacing like a caged animal. Her voice was low, clipped. All business. Cross couldn’t hear what her boss was saying, but from the scowl pulling at her mouth, it was clear the man was unloading on her.
“I fucking know,” she snapped. “I should have told someone, but if I had, I’d probably be dead right now.”
Silence.
“No, sir. Not just paranoia. I had real intel. And guess what? You had the same suspicions and didn’t do shit either, so maybe get off your high horse for five seconds while I save both our asses.”
Another pause. Her fist drummed a furious rhythm on her thigh.
Cross traded a look with McGuire and Stone. Stone arched a brow. McGuire just shook his head, his jaw set tight. Patch sighed. They were all waiting. For a plan. For hope. For something.
Finally, Tessa sighed. “The plan’s solid. You can double-check every move. You want to vet it through Command, do it fast. Because we’re running out of time.” She listened, her lips twitching into something that might’ve been a smirk. “Thought so.” Then she hung up.
“Well?” Cross prompted, his voice low and edged with impatience.
Tessa turned toward them, arms folded. “He’s pissed.
No surprise there. Called me every name in the book and a few he probably made up.
But when I laid out the timeline of busts gone sideways and the missing intel, he couldn’t deny something’s off inside the agency.
He has his suspicions already. I just confirmed it.
They’re running an internal sweep. Quiet. Discreet.”
Stone leaned forward, his good arm wrapped around Frankie. “Freaking big of him to get on the same page. What’s the plan?”
“First, I reach out to the three most likely to be the mole and tell each one where I have the drugs stashed and ask them for help. Of course, the drugs aren’t going to be anywhere near there, but we’ll have to have people watch each location.
We’ll know which one Rodriguez shows up at. Then we’ll know the mole.”
Cross frowned. “What makes you think Rodriguez will go himself?”
“Because by this point, the cartel will be on his ass. He can’t afford another fuck up.”
“Then what?” Cross demanded. “How are we getting Drew back? There’s no guarantee he will bring Drew with him.”
Tessa nodded. “Most likely he won’t.”
“He could deem her no longer necessary and kill her,” Savvy pointed out. Patch squeezes her arm.
“That’s not going to happen. He has to have the drugs in his possession before he does anything to her. She’s his bargaining chip,” Tessa argues.
“Then what’s your plan for Drew?” McGuire demands.
“I’m going to call Rodriguez and arrange an exchange. The drugs for Drew.” Tessa licks her lips. “We’ll be set up and waiting at the warehouse so we can rescue Drew. The ATF will be there as backup. We’ll get her out. Promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” McGuire growled.
Cross said nothing, but vowed silently that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to Drew. In case things went desperately wrong, he would rain hell down on whoever hurt her. He wouldn’t stop until one of them was dead. “Will your boss let us take the lead?”
Tessa nodded. “He’s more concerned with the mole at this point. Whoever it is has already cost an agent their life before I ever got dropped undercover. It’s imperative to him to find the mole. He will have people on standby to help, but it’s our show.”
“Okay then,” McGuire said, “let’s look at options for locations.”
Savvy reached down and pulled a laptop out of her bag.
Cross smiled. She was always prepared. It had saved their asses more than once, and he was grateful to her.
But he knew it would tick Drew off to no end.
Drew played shit more by ear, and it irked her how Savvy always had to be organized.
The two hadn’t really spoken in a while, and he knew the tension between the sisters ate at Drew.
He only hoped they would have the opportunity to make up after all this.
“How are you feeling?” Patch asked quietly as the others went over locations on the screen.
Cross shrugged. “Fine. We need to get to Drew.”
“Yeah, we do, but you gotta get your head on straight first. You can’t go in guns blazing. That will put Drew’s life in danger.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Cross growled.
“Knowing it and being able to control it are two different things. I speak from experience.”
Cross sighed. Patch had a point. He’d gone ballistic when Savvy had been in trouble.
They’d all seen the toll it had taken on him.
Cross understood it a lot more now. It was one thing to worry about Drew getting into trouble when he was away; it had been abstract.
But to know she was in trouble now and he couldn’t get to her?
Yeah, that was killing him. He wanted to get off the bed and drive all night to get to her; the hell with planning.
Just go in and shoot the shit out of wherever she was.
Patch was right. He had to lock down his emotions and get his head into the zone.
Drew needed him at his best, and that’s what he would be.
He would never be able to forgive himself otherwise.
“So we’re agreed?” Tessa asked.
Everyone nodded.
Tessa studied her hands, then heaved a sigh.
“Look, I just want to apologize for dragging all of you into this. I never dreamed it would blow up this way. Dane was right, you guys are amazing, like family, only better because I didn’t have to grow up being picked on by you.
” She grinned. “Seriously, though, I am sorry, and I appreciate your help more than I can say. I owe all of you, but especially Drew. I will make it up to her.” Tessa glanced at Cross, “I promise.”
Cross just nodded. There was nothing to say. They would go down whatever rabbit hole for Tessa because she was Dane’s sister, and Dane would always be their brother in arms, no matter if he was alive or not.
Tessa picked up the sat phone. “Now we make the call.”
Cross’s gut tightened as she put the call on speaker.
The line rang once. Twice. The line opened, but no one said anything.
“Rodriguez,” Tessa said. “Do you miss me?”
The voice that answered was smooth, oily, and filled with menace. “Well, well. I was starting to think you’d forgotten about our little situation, carina.”
A sneer distorted Tessa’s lips, but she said dryly, “Still overcompensating with that voice, I see.”
He laughed, low and cruel. “You always had a mouth on you. I’ve missed it.”
“Good. You’ll get a chance to hear it again. I’m calling to make a deal.”
There was a pause. Then, “Go on.”
“You’ve got a friend of mine, and I have a little something of yours. What do you say we trade?”
“Did you think it would be easy to move that kind of weight without me knowing, puta? You don’t got no choice but to give it back.”
“It must suck to be wrong so often. I have options, but I’m willing to deal.” She cocked an eyebrow. “You in or you out?”
Rodriguez said something but it was muffled. Tessa frowned. “You want your drugs back, don’t you? Or do you want to explain to your bosses why their shipment disappeared on your watch? I bet they’re getting all hot and bothered about it right about now.”
Another beat of silence.
“I should put a bullet in you just for that,” he snarled.
“Save it for the reunion,” she snapped. “What’s it gonna be?”
More silence.
Then Rodriguez sighed. “Fine. Twenty-four hours. We meet—"
“We meet where I tell you we meet. I’ll text you the address an hour before the meet. Tomorrow night. Midnight.”
Cross nudged Tessa. She nodded. “How’s my girl?” she asked.
Rodriguez laughed. “Oh, she’s alive. A little rough around the edges, maybe, but still breathing. You’ll see her tomorrow.”
Tessa’s jaw clenched. “Don’t screw me, Rodriguez.”
“Oh, querida,” he purred. “That’s the plan.”
The line went dead.
The room was silent.
Then Cross exhaled hard and turned to Tessa. “You sure you’re ready to walk into that?”
She looked him dead in the eye. “I’m not letting that son of a bitch win.”
McGuire nodded slowly. “Then we have twenty-four hours to prepare for war.”