CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“I’m meeting up with the rest of my team at twenty-one-hundred hours.” Eddie glanced over at the window and saw Lucia moving around in the kitchen. “We don’t know if Munoz will be at that trailer when we get there, but we’re going in assuming he will be.”
“The guy’s one of the FBI’s Most Wanted.” Josh sat forward, leaned his elbows on his knees, and loosely threaded his fingers together. “Why the hell would he risk coming into the States?”
“This is personal for him, so he’s highly motivated.” Eddie noticed his questioning look. “In a past life, I worked deep undercover in the Munoz cartel. For reasons I won’t go into, I had to blow my cover, which ultimately resulted in his brother being killed.”
“Oh, shit.” The deputy sat back with a low whistle. “That’d do it.”
“Funny thing is, from what you’ve told me, Rodrigo had nothing but contempt for his brother.” Mark waved away a gnat buzzing around his head.
“He’s just trying to save face in front of the other cartels,” Eddie said. “If we can take him out, that’ll leave the family business on life support.”
“Cut off the head of the snake.” The deputy nodded.
“Exactly.” He proceeded to detail the op plan for tonight.
It was important these two men knew what was going down and when so they would know what to do if things at that mobile home went sideways.
Mark was a smart guy and had been in law enforcement for a long time. Josh had only been with the department for a year and a half, but what he lacked in actual law enforcement experience, he made up for by having served two stints in Afghanistan.
“I know I’ve already said this, but I really do appreciate you guys being here.” Eddie turned to the cabin. “It makes it a lot easier for me to do what I need to do.”
His entire future was inside that cabin, and he was entrusting these two men with their safety.
“Happy to do it,” Mark said.
“I’m honored to be here,” Josh added.
They all leaned forward and knocked knuckles.
It was beginning to get dark, and the porch light clicked on automatically. Eddie checked the time on his phone.
“I’d better fire up the grill and cook those steaks y’all brought for us.” He clapped his hands on his knees and pushed up out of the chair. “Josh, do you mind if I chat with Mark alone for a minute?”
“No problem.” He stood and checked the area as he walked to the cabin and went inside.
“You can tell he’s seen some shit,” Eddie said.
A man didn’t become that alert without being forced to.
Mark stayed quiet until Josh entered the cabin.
“Yeah, he was infantry, and he lost a few buddies over there.” He turned back to Eddie. “I’m guessin’ you want to talk about that text you sent me at the ass crack of dawn this morning. Your sister was pissed you texted me so fuckin’ early, by the way.”
“I figured she’d be used to you being called out at all times of the night,” Eddie said.
“Until recently, San Salsillo wasn’t exactly a hotbed of criminal activity.”
“Sounds appealing.” Eddie wedged his hands in his front pockets.
He spent the next ten minutes or so sharing his thoughts with Mark, getting his input and advice. By the time they were finished, Eddie knew exactly what he wanted to do. What he needed to do.
“Thanks for listening, man.” He clapped Mark on the upper arm. “I’d better go inside and make sure Lucia isn’t still mad at me.”
She’d been upset about being excluded from their conversation about tonight’s operation.
“She’s not mad at you so much as worried about you. If I had to guess, she probably thinks if she knows more, she’ll feel better,” Mark said.
“Unfortunately, in this instance, the less she knows, the safer she’ll be.” Eddie and his teammates were most comfortable when working in the gray area where justice was served in a more expeditious manner.
If they kept her somewhat in the dark and someone were to press her for answers about what happened tonight, she would honestly be able to say she didn’t know anything.
They stepped inside, and Mark joined Isabella and Josh in a game of Uno.
“Everything okay?” Lucia set a platter with six seasoned steaks on the counter and washed her hands.
“Help me light the grill?” He held his hand out to her.
“Um, sure.” She dried her hands, hung the towel on the hook, and walked outside with him.
The last scant rays of brilliant orange sunlight spilled over the cliff face, making way for the moon to make its grand entrance.
“Is everything okay?” She rubbed her hand up and down his arm.
He opened the lid to the grill, turned the knob, and pressed the ignite button three times. With a whoosh, the flames came alive, and he shut the lid to allow the grill to heat up.
He held each of her hands in his own.
“I just wanted to make sure you understood why I couldn’t let you be a part of that conversation with Mark and Josh.”
“I thought about what you said, you know, about total deniability, and I get it.” She nodded. “It’s just that … well, this is all new to me, Eddie. Watching you take off to do something incredibly dangerous is going to take some getting used to.”
“What if you didn’t have to get used to it?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Her brows crinkled together.
“What if I were to leave Dark Ops?” He hadn’t spoken to Cole about it yet, but he was confident his friend would understand.
The Cole Lambert he’d met when he was a new NSA agent had been a loner—dark, isolated—and his reputation inspired fear in everyone.
Work was his life. Then he met and fell in love with Dulce, then their little guy, Carter, came along, and his old friend was now a different man.
He understood and appreciated that work was fleeting—family was forever.
“Eddie, no, you can’t leave your team.” She placed her hand on the side of his face. “I know how much you love them and how much you love doing what you do.”
“I love you more,” he said. “I haven’t made any final decisions yet, but I wanted you to know.”
“What would you do?” she asked. “Because honestly, I can’t envision you selling cars or doing construction or … pretty much anything other than what you’re doing now. You are so good at this stuff.”
“I’ve always known I couldn’t do this kind of work forever.
So I talked to Mark about an idea I’ve had floating around in my head for a long time, and he seems to think it could work.
” The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that it was the right decision.
“I need to work out more of the details before I make a decision, but it would make it possible for me to be here for you and Isabella and my family.”
“I would hate to be the reason you give up something you love.” Lucia chewed her lip.
“I love you and Isabella more.” He turned her hand and kissed her palm. “Lucia, I’ve been doing this kind of work for a long time, and since finding you again, my priorities have changed.”
He leaned in for a kiss, and she met him halfway. He poured every ounce of love he had into that kiss, wanting her to know that she was what mattered most to him now and forever.
“Oh, shit.”
They broke their kiss and turned to see Mark standing in the doorway, holding the platter of steaks and a long-handled spatula.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said.
“No worries.” Eddie chuckled and turned back to Lucia. “You and I will talk before I make any final decisions.” He crouched to look her in the eyes. “Deal?”
“Deal.” She nodded and gave him a quick kiss. “I’m going to have Isabella help me with the salad.”
Lucia patted him on the chest and went inside.
Eddie relieved Mark of the platter and set it on the table next to the grill.
They hung out by the grill, reminiscing and laughing about their shared childhood. About the fact Mark and Reina were trying to have another kid.
“That’s great, man.” Eddie wanted desperately to have a child with Lucia, maybe more than one, but they hadn’t really had an opportunity to talk about it.
Detailed talks about their future together and what they both envisioned it would be would have to wait.
Right now, his focus was on ending Rodrigo Munoz and his crew and destroying the entire blood-soaked world they inhabited.