Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SANTIAGO, CHILE
“That was fast. I’m grateful we have Natasha in our corner.” Sydney swiped her finger across the iPad screen she and Beckett were sharing and scrolled through the files Natasha had sent shortly after they’d arrived at the safe house.
“You recognize any of the men who traveled with Miguel three weeks ago?” Gray asked Beckett, maintaining his distance by standing as far as possible from Beckett in the room. Like practically out the door and in the foyer.
Sydney handed Beckett the iPad for a closer look. “I know one of them.” He pointed to the screen.
Carter stepped away from the rest of the team gathered in the living room and faced him. “Who?”
“Hector Lopez,” Beckett shared. “He ran drugs between Mexico and California for the Sinaloas back when I worked in LA. He was one of the men arrested shortly after Cora left town.”
“Looks like he got out a few years ago and moved to Mexico after his parole ended,” Carter commented while studying his own iPad. “He’s one of Miguel Diego’s cousins. This has to be the connection we’ve been looking for.”
“Well, Hector has reason to hold a grudge against Cora. I’m sure he assumed she betrayed him since not long after she left town, he was arrested for drug trafficking. It’s been thirteen years, but I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten her.” Beckett handed Sydney the iPad and folded his arms. “Was Hector on the flight with Miguel today?”
Sydney heard the concern in Beckett’s tone. If Hector was there, it’d change everything for him. He’d have to hang back at the safe house and remain out of sight.
“The cartel used their private jet again, and flying private doesn’t require a manifest, just an itinerary. Natasha’s working on accessing the CCTV footage from earlier today,” Gray shared. “The photos Camila took at the airport may be a quicker option.” He turned to Carter, planting his hands on his hips. “Where are we on that?”
“Camila’s on her way here, but let me see if she can text me the images now.” Carter swapped the iPad for his phone and left the room.
“If Hector’s—” Gray’s ringing phone left his sentence hanging. “It’s Natasha.” He placed her on speaker. “Hey, we’re all here. You have news?”
“Hey,” Natasha answered. “I don’t have the passenger information yet, but I can confirm Hector Lopez is not in Chile.”
Sydney spied Beckett’s shoulders collapse from relief at her words.
“He took a flight to Cancun this morning. My guess is he was sent there to track whoever was responsible for taking out so many of his cartel thug friends,” Natasha explained.
“We should give Martín a heads-up that Hector’s most likely poking around Tulum,” Oliver spoke up and Gray motioned for him to go make the call.
“So, if you all hadn’t been in Tulum causing some trouble for the cartel,” Natasha went on, “then my guess is Hector would be in Chile now.”
All the pieces seemed to be fitting together to their advantage, but how long would that last? In her experience, nothing ever worked out “just right.” No, there was always darkness around the corner.
“I have a call coming in from the director. I need to go,” Natasha abruptly said. “I’ll be in touch when I know more.”
“Thanks, sis.” After the call, Gray pocketed his phone just as Carter returned. “Hector’s in Cancun. Well, probably Tulum by now. Oliver’s warning Martín.”
“Martín’s men can handle Hector. I’m not worried.” Carter quickly handed Beckett his phone. “Camila sent me the photos of who was on the plane with Miguel, Jesse, and Ivy today. Know any of them?”
Sydney stood closer to Beckett to check the iPhone as Beckett zoomed in on the screen.
“I don’t know any of these guys. That means I can head to the hotel tomorrow, right?” Beckett asked as Carter accepted his phone back.
“As long as Hector doesn’t show up, yeah, you’re good to roll out to the hotel tomorrow.” Carter looked back and forth between her and Beckett. “You two can stay together. Pose as a couple. That’ll be your cover story.”
Jack coughed a few times, drawing everyone’s attention. What was that about?
And then Gray up and left the room, starting for the foyer.
Shit.
“I, um.” Sydney shot Beckett an apologetic look, then followed Gray from the house.
Gray was pacing alongside the two SUVs that Camila had waiting for them at the airport when they’d arrived. “Go back inside,” he barked out.
“No, we need to talk,” she said while shutting the door behind her. She rushed down the three porch steps to get to him in the driveway. “I don’t need to stay with Beckett.”
Gray raked his hands through his hair, and his gaze moved to the home’s only neighbor. The Andes Mountains. The safe house sat on a few acres of property with no other homes in view.
“It makes the most sense for you to stay together. Beckett wants to be there because of Cora.”
“Then why are you pacing? Why’d you fly out of the house?” she called his bluff. When he didn’t stop pacing or respond, she proposed, “What about Camila? Why doesn’t she stay with Beckett? If she’s Carter’s friend and had a safe house like this on standby, she must have operational experience. She can do it.”
But why the hell did that thought send chills racing across her skin?
“So, who would you stay with? Me ?” A humorless laugh fell from his lips, but he finally stopped crunching his black boots over the gravel. “You think he can handle me staying in the same room with you without breaking down the door?” he asked in a low, deep voice. “Because I see the way he looks at you.”
Sydney bit down on her back teeth as she tried to navigate this conversation without breaking his heart. “And would you break down the door? Because you didn’t this morning when you were outside his bungalow.” She had no idea why she’d said that, but too late now.
“I have self-control.” He pointed at his chest as if wanting to throw down. But his target? Beckett, not her. “Mission comes first.”
“The mission does need to come first, I agree.” Which is probably why I shouldn’t be alone with Beckett.
“Beckett came to Mexico risking a hell of a lot to find his ex.” Gray’s shoulders slumped, the transition from anger to defeat taking her by surprise. “And he found you instead.”
Her heart skipped a few beats as she considered her next words.
“You feel something for him. I can see it in your eyes.” She opened her mouth, prepared to remind him she and Beckett barely knew each other, but he held up a hand. “Time is insignificant, remember? It took me five minutes to fall in love with you the day we met at West Point. And it’s been nearly a lifetime of me trying to stop.”
Sydney’s knees went weak at his confession. He must’ve noticed because he stepped forward, catching her arms.
“I’m not trying to hurt you. I know I need to find a way to move on. To put my feelings for you behind me once and for all.” Still holding her, his eyes fell closed. “It’s possible I spent twenty years loving the idea of us because that’d be easier than opening myself up to anyone new. Maybe it was all in my head. Fiction.”
Like a romance novel. But was whatever she felt for Beckett a thing of fiction too? Unrealistic. Their passion and connection happened so fast, would it die just as quickly if she allowed herself a chance to explore “more” with him? Well, after the mission, at least.
“You deserve someone who would’ve fought for you after you said no to their proposal.”
“You knew if I said no, it was a no. There’d be no changing my mind.” She didn’t need him kicking himself for his decision not to fight for her.
“Well, you should also be with a man who’d say fuck the mission and break down your door. And if you share a hotel room with any man other than him, I reckon he’d do that.” It was rare for Gray’s Texas roots to slip through, and he was wearing his heart on his sleeve tonight, which had to be why. He parted his lids and released a heavy breath from his lungs. “And maybe I’ll never find someone who . . .”
“You will find her,” she whispered, worried her voice would break. “I promise.”
His lips drew into a tight line, but he kept quiet, then angled his head toward the house and let her go.
“But I still don’t need to play the role of Beckett’s girlfriend. We can all check into different rooms at the hotel tomorrow,” she told him in a steady tone. “Let’s talk to the rest of the team. See what we can come up with, okay?”
He looked past her, and at the sound of tires crunching the gravel, she turned to see an SUV on approach. It must have been Camila, and she was relieved for a distraction. Mission-focused was easier than feelings-focused. For her, at least. And knowing Gray, same for him too.
“So, um, what do you know about her?” she softly asked.
“Mid-thirties. Former spy for some agency. Not the CIA. And now she’s more of a freelance do-gooder like Carter,” Gray filled her in as they faced the incoming SUV. “Carter also mentioned her mom is Brazilian and her dad’s American. Her father met her mom while serving in South America while in the Navy.”
Camila’s vehicle stopped a few feet away from them, and she killed the bright headlights.
“If I’m remembering correctly,” Gray continued, “Carter’s dad was born in Brazil, so maybe his father knew Camila’s mom, and that’s the connection between them?”
“Well, you know more about our boss than I do.” She winced. “Sorry, you’re our boss too.”
Gray laughed, which somehow helped ease some of the tension. “We both know who’s really in charge, but don’t tell him I admitted that.”
She smiled, hoping the two of them could go back to being colleagues again after all of this. Well, friends would be better. “And Camila happens to be here working a case, huh?”
Gray shrugged. “Lucky for us, I guess.”
“Carter has a lot of ‘lucky for us’ contacts around the world.”
“Looks like you found my place okay,” Camila said after exiting the SUV. She was gorgeous, that was for sure. And Sydney’s stomach somersaulted at the idea of Camila sharing a room with Beckett.
Maybe Sydney would be the one breaking down a door.
Sydney stole a look at Gray, who sure as hell took notice of the newcomer. She hid her smile at that fact, erasing the bit of space between her and the striking woman in dark jeans and a black V-neck tee on approach.
Camila’s jet-black locks went to her breasts, and even with the sun having set, it was the glossiest hair Sydney had ever seen.
“Camila.” Sydney offered her hand. “I’m Sydney Archer. A pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your help.”
Camila took her hand and smiled. When her attention skirted to Gray, he accepted her palm and held on to it a bit longer than necessary.
Stunned into silence, huh? Sydney stole a look behind her to see Carter exiting the house.
“Camila,” Carter said while heading for them. He pulled her in for a hug, which was something Sydney rarely ever saw the man do.
“Camila’s like a kid sister to me, so when I say you can trust her, you can,” Carter said once he’d freed himself from the hug.
“And he’s like an overprotective brother who usually finds himself needing more help than he can provide me,” Camila teased, and Sydney loved this woman already.
“Everyone’s inside.” Carter motioned to the house. He began speaking fluently in Portuguese, one of the languages Sydney didn’t speak, so she walked in silence alongside Gray.
“Thank you again for helping us out on such short notice,” Carter said once they were inside the two-story brick house.
“You’re lucky I was already here working my own case,” Camila commented.
“Yeah, lucky us,” Sydney said, trailing behind them.
Chills covered her arms as she thought about the last thirty-six hours and how they all managed to be together there in Chile.
“This is my friend, Camila Hart,” Carter introduced her to everyone once they were all in the living room. The large space just off the foyer only had a few couches, but it did have a fully stocked bar.
Camila individually greeted the others, learning their names, and then she went over to the bar and poured herself a top-shelf scotch.
Yeah, a friend of Carter’s for sure.
“My mother and his dad dated in college in Brazil forever ago. They remained friends after that, even when marrying other people,” Camila revealed, her accent still noticeable but not quite as heavy as Valentina’s when speaking English. It was just as sexy in Sydney’s mind. “Anyhow . . .” She faced the room. “I didn’t realize our cases were connected until the men you asked me to follow checked into the same hotel as the man I’m following.”
Her announcement had Sydney nearly faltering in surprise. “Wait,” Sydney whispered in shock. “ What ?”