“I won’t leave him.”
Brock nodded once. “Sydney won’t either. Can you keep an eye on her for me?”
Drew started to object. Brock noted his hesitation.
“If Suzy were out there in that chapel and you had to leave, don’t you think I’d look out for her?” Brock asked, referencing Drew’s wife.
“Of course I’ll keep an eye on her.” Drew squared his shoulders. “But I’ll watch her because we’re friends, and not because you asked, Donovan.”
“Thanks,” Brock muttered, returning his focus to Manny. After a few minutes, he added, “I’ll put a team of rookies on the club until you’re back home.”
“Don’t bother,” Drew said. “Suzy is already taken care of. While you were jet-setting across the country, the rest of us went to work and executed a plan to protect the ones we love.”
Chapter Seven
The storm that rolled across the Texas flatlands that night was symbolic of the internal battle Cade had faced every evening since his friends had passed. Sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, he damned the career path he’d chosen. He cursed the authority and everything Brock Donovan stood for because the life Cade led wasn’t at all the life he’d wanted for himself.
When Cade had signed on for the Underground Unit, he’d trained and fought under survivors and leaders, the best of the best. Now, here he was working for an arrogant asshole that sent his team into a battle without the appropriate knowledge or weaponry to defend themselves.
Donovan had stabbed his own men in the back by placing a woman in the shadows, a coveted Underground Unit position most men couldn’t handle, much less a female operative, a woman who apparently didn’t deserve the title “operative” in the first place.
After Brock explained why Maria had secured her placement—because of her background with gangs and the cartel—he’d had plenty of questions. Brock and Riley had been seemingly informative. In the end, Cade better understood Maria’s placement. She’d been positioned on the outside because the authority had made a hasty last minute decision, even though Brock didn’t admit as much.
The first rule in leadership was to be able to admit one’s mistakes, but Brock was a foolish man when it came to owning his errors. He wasn’t about to tell them that he had relied upon Maria’s sources when those sources were nothing more than thugs.
Lying on his bed, Cade watched the ceiling fan spin around and around. He turned his head and looked out the window. Spying a silhouette creeping across the lawn, he called out for Drake, jumped up and flung open the terrace doors, never pausing to wait for assistance. He didn’t stop to think about the consequences.
And thank God he didn’t.
* * * *
Maria nearly wet her pants when Cade rushed her. Diving head-first into the nearby greenery, she held her breath and said her prayers. The crunching of pebbles underneath heavy boots left her clenching her balled fists even tighter.
Cade was coming for her and he was close.
The leaves whispered on a nearby bush. The wind kicked up a notch as one operative and then another hurried by her.
“See anything?” Drake cried out.
“Damn it!” Cade screamed. “She got away.”
“Fuck.” Drake’s disappointment rang out in the air. “So help me, if I get my hands on her—”
“You had your hands on her,” Cade reminded him. “But apparently you were too busy staring at that full rack to do anything more than ooh and ah.” He stopped inches from where she’d crouched. “I can’t believe you didn’t pick up on that sultry voice.”
Sultry, huh? Maria smiled to herself.
“Let me just throw something out here, Cade. While you were being pampered at the hospital, and make no mistake, you were pampered, I was here alone.”
“Bullshit. Ace and Abby were here.”
“They weren’t at first. They showed up five days after I came home. Maria was the only company I had.”
The men stopped mere inches from where Maria was hunkered down. She could see the toes of their boots.
“Well I’m glad you were in good company,” Cade bit out.
“I guess under heavy medication, you would’ve known her voice anywhere?”
“You’re damn right I would!”
Maria lost her footing and rolled back on her ankles. The raking of branches gave away her position and before she could escape, four hands locked around her arms and jerked her from her hiding spot.
“Well what do you know,” Cade drawled, securing his grip.
Drake loosened his and stepped back. A tight smile was plastered on his lips. “I guess you must’ve missed me, huh, doll?”
“I’m not your doll.” Her gaze zipped back and forth between the men. “And the sooner the two of you realize you can’t toy with me, the better off we’ll all be.”
Chapter Eight
The interrogation began almost immediately. After they dragged her inside, Cade tossed her to a nearby chair and paced in front of her. He paused long enough to glower over her. “Who are you really?”
“Oh God! We’re back to that already?” She slumped in her chair.
She glared at Abby who only stared at her blankly. “Want them to think I know?” She clucked and struck some sort of ridiculous girly pose. “Honey, lesson number one for a new operative is this: We’re family here. What that means is if I knew who you were—really knew—you could bet your stubborn ass, they’d know, too.”
“Might be why you’ve been skipped over a few times for shadow positions. Ever thought of that?”
“If I wanted that job, baby girl. It’d be mine.”
“That’s bullshit and we both know it,” Maria said. She swung her attention to Cade and Drake. “If you want to know who I am, ask Brock.”
“And I’m sure he’d be more than happy to tell us the truth.” Drake grabbed the arms of the chair and hoisted her forward. Every nerve ending in her body came alive.
Ever since she’d taken care of Drake, there had been this undeniable chemistry between them. Her pussy heated just at the sight of him, but in spite of their physical attraction, she’d resisted the urge to make a move while she’d been caring for him. Still, she’d known temptation. Hell, she’d known enticement in the nth degree since she’d been shadowing the entire Longhorn division.
“Why were you put on this case?” Drake snarled and his body tensed.
She’d learned a lot by shadowing him. If his face went stone cold and his body went rigid, a gal could bet on trouble. He’d work that cocky swagger like he was swinging weapons and taking names.
“For the umpteenth time—my brother is a cartel pawn. I’m already inside.”
“There’s no question there.” Cade’s nostrils flared. He adjusted the patch on his eye and she was instantly sad, noting his pained expression as well.
A warmer Cade emerged then, if only for a split second. He frowned in an apparent effort to cover up his emotions, but something changed about him then. The operative’s hardened mask slipped away and for a fleeting moment, she saw the man.
“You care about me.” He made the accusation sound seductive and sexy, provocative to the core.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said, turning her head.
Drake grabbed her chin and forced her to look at them again. He searched her face before he said, “You know what, Cade? I think you’re right.”
“I’m your shadow. You’re my job. Nothing more.”
“I don’t believe you,” Cade said, standing to her immediate right. “I saw the truth. When I adjusted the patch over my eye, you looked at me like—”
She swallowed hard and noticed her trembling hands. What the fuck was happening to her? Why was she visibly shaken? She’d been nervous before but this…oh no, this moment was definitely different.
Drake took a step backward and Cade came forward. “How long have you been shadowing us?”
“A while.”
Vague,
her answer gave away too much. This time, Abby and Ace studied one another as if they were transmitting silent messages and drawing their own conclusions.
“How long is a while?” Cade asked, narrowing his eye.
“If you were privy to that information, I’d give it to you.”
His lips thinned and he grabbed hold of her chair. “You’ve been tailing me long enough to know everything about me, haven’t you?”
Her belly tightened. Her breathing changed. She was some operative! If she couldn’t weasel her way out of friendly fire, how would she stand the heat in a foreign land? Could she last under pressure or would she spit out intelligence quicker than the enemy could make their demands known?
“You’re aware of my daily routines. You know what missions I’ve taken, how I’ve prepared for them.” He pushed away from the furniture and paced. “You’ve watched this house for over two years.” He stopped, turned around, and pointed at her. “I’d bet this ranch on that fact.”
“It’s easy to throw down a wager when it’s not your money on the table,” she muttered in a barely audible voice.
“What’s that?” Cade leaned over her. “Did you say something, little one?”
She cleared her throat. “Why two years? Why not three, Cade? Hmm?”
Maria had shadowed them almost two years to the day.
“Because I’m an operative. Because I remember when I started feeling those dark eyes on my back. I know because I’m well trained, damn you!” He rushed her then and grabbed her by the hair of her head, jerking her back so she was forced to look him in the eye. “How fucking long?”
“Cade!” Ace shouted, grabbing hold of his forearm.
Cade shook him off. He locked his grip, securing his whole hand around the back of her head. “I want answers, Maria. And damn you, I want them now.”
Her gaze darted to Drake. He looked on as if he wanted to pull Cade away from her yet refused to make the first move.
Finally, she said, “I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“I’m listening.”
Ace propped his elbow on a nearby bookshelf. “We’re all tired, Maria.”
Abby set her jaw. She was obviously pissed because of what Maria had said earlier. “Donovans will love this.”
Maria laughed. “I have the authority’s permission and can reveal as much or as little as I want.” She reconnected with Cade, playing stare-down before she added, “You can’t go after my brother unless you know what you’re up against. Sooner or later, someone will tell you the truth and I’d rather you hear it from me.”
“Don’t waste our time on theatrics. Start talking.” Cade crossed those thick limbs over his muscular chest. “Unless, of course, you want me to fuck the truth out of ya.”
“You disgust me.” That was the lie of all lies considering her pussy clenched with the threat.
“I don’t think so, beautiful. If anything, I think that’s an option you’ve waited years to explore.”
“Keep dreaming, Cade. Fantasize all you like.”
“Oh, I will, sugar.” He tilted his head high in the air and inhaled. Bending down to her ear, he added quietly, “In fact, I smell a hint of your arousal from here.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Maria shrugged away from him and regained her confidence. She prepared to address them like the operative she was—full of self-assurance and knowledge, knowledge they now needed if they wanted to avenge their friends’ deaths.
All eyes followed her as she marched across the room to the wet bar. She grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge and started the conversation off by saying, “I wasn’t at the warehouse.”
“The hell you weren’t!” Cade bellowed, throwing a tight fist up in the air.
“You might want to back up and punt again, sweetie,” Abby said.
She ignored Abby’s outburst. “My twin Marianna was at the warehouse. And the authority has reason to believe she’s the one who killed David.”
“And what do you believe?” Drake asked.
Did her opinion now matter to these men? She focused on the others one at a time and decided Drake would probably be the only one interested in her views.
“I think when you heard, ‘What kind of monster are you?’ you likely heard Marianna making a notorious play as a helpless victim, one that would’ve given her an edge so she could kill David. That’s what I think.”
“And how do we know you aren’t Marianna?” Cade asked.
“You don’t. You’ll never know. We’re identical twins and Marianna has worked very hard to infiltrate my life so she can pass for me wherever she goes.”
Chapter Nine
Drake was taken aback at Maria’s revelation, but he was also relieved. Noting how Cade’s entire body language changed, he couldn’t help but wonder what Cade might have been thinking then.
“Go on.” Cade’s voice remained firm.
“We have family ties to the Hernandez Mexican cartel. My brothers and sister have chosen to take a path I loathe. I should’ve been at the warehouse but I wasn’t.” She dropped her head for a moment before she quietly added, “Donovan asked me to follow up on a lead in San Antonio. By the time I drove back to Dallas it was late and I got caught in construction traffic.”
“Convenient, wouldn’t you say?” Cade asked, stroking his chin. “Your brother and sister hold a killing party and you were detained by roadwork, traffic you should’ve anticipated given the fact you’re probably quite familiar with Dallas.”
“If it makes you feel better to blame me—”
Cade opened his mouth to speak, but Drake hurriedly said, “We’re not here to place blame, Maria.” He waved Cade away. “But make no mistake, we will bring down your family and when we mark a target, we take them out. We don’t pussyfoot around and try to gently apprehend our subjects.”
“What he’s trying to say, Maria, is that your family will die for the crimes they’ve committed against this Unit.”
A door slammed behind them and all eyes turned to the archway between the living room and foyer. Brock marched inside with Scott Zelmore trailing him.
“Fuck me,” Maria rasped, earning Cade’s and Drake’s attention.
The little lady didn’t look too happy to see Zelmore. Given the smirk on Scott’s face, he apparently didn’t care.
Ace and Abby went to greet them. Cade and Drake swapped knowing glances before exchanging handshakes and back slaps with the arriving operative. Drake could’ve sworn Maria cursed under her breath again.
As far as sudden change in demeanors went, she looked like she’d seen a ghost. “Scott.”
Zelmore held a sly smile, his gaze rushing over her like a man scorched by the heat in his eyes. “Maria.”
“As I was saying,” Drake said, watching Zelmore and Maria carefully. Those two definitely had a history. “We will hold your family accountable for the crimes against this division and the Underground Unit.”
“If I had any doubts about that whatsoever, my opinion would’ve changed as soon as Zelmore entered the room.”
Scott shot her a wink that didn’t go unnoticed. Everyone in the room studied Scott and Maria with outward curiosity.
Brock’s shoulders squared. “I take it they’ve been apprised of the situation with your brother and sister?”
“Yes.”
“Drake, Cade? Any questions?”
Cade sneered. “If I have them, I’m sure Maria will be forthcoming and answer them.”
“I see you’ve already worked your magic on these boys.” Scott grunted. “Why am I not surprised?”
Maria brushed her coal black hair over china-thin shoulders and approached him. Standing before Zelmore, she looked too fragile and weak to be an operative, much less a killer. “I’ll tell you why, Zelmore.” She patted his chest with this seductive expression stamped upon her face. Her hand propelled across his shirt and she seemed to follow its path back and forth. “Because you used to know what moves I’d make before
I made them.”
He grabbed her wrist and said, “Don’t touch me unless I give you permission. Got it?” He cleared his throat and added, “You lost that right a long time ago.”
Maria didn’t flinch. She didn’t jerk. Instead, she slowly withdrew her hand and said, “Don’t expect me to be on bended knees with my head bowed anytime soon, lover.”
Scott undoubtedly struggled to ward off an apparent smile. “Oh that’s exactly where you’ll be, doll. And you may be there before the night is through.”
“All right. That’s enough.” Brock took control of the room. Scott and Maria separated but the sexual tension between them was thick enough to leave a dark cloud hovering above them.
“Well I never saw that one coming,” Abby muttered.
“Me either,” Cade grumbled.
“If that’s not a match made in hell, I’ve never seen one.” If Drake had concerns before, they were nothing in comparison to the doubts he possessed after Zelmore’s arrival. The last thing he wanted to do was referee a lover’s quarrel.
Cade apparently felt the same. He hadn’t stopped watching them. His gaze never landed on Brock, but he sure worked Zelmore and Maria over.
Brock quickly took control and covered the intel on the cartel. He discussed how they funneled their guns, washed their money, and trafficked drugs through Maria’s family. He discussed data some of the other divisions had recently uncovered. Finally, he placed Maria’s brother and sister on the Underground Unit’s most wanted list, deeming them high priority targets, right behind the Esparza organization, now thought to be regrouping after their leader’s recent death.
After they were briefed, Brock turned to Zelmore and said, “Tell them about Manny.”
Drake’s heart pounded in his chest. “What about Manny?”
“He’s alive,” Scott said.
Cowboy Boots and Uncensored Behavior Page 7
