“What does that mean?”
“Bobby’s working to make sure El Sombro and his organization never learn the truth about you. Don’t think for one second that if El Sombro realized you were a mole in his cartel that he wouldn’t send his enforcers to take you out,” Everett said. “Anything else would be seen as a sign of weakness. No drug lord can afford that.”
“That’s the least of my worries right now. Nothing matters to me except finding Jemma and …” Rocco stopped himself. He knew what he would do to Nomar. But if Everett heard his plans, his friend would try to stop him.
“Telling her you love her,” Everett said.
Rocco liked that line of thinking better. “That’s the first thing I plan to do.”
“You think she loves you back?” Everett asked, giving him a sideways glance.
Rocco paused, not sure how to answer that question. Had he broken down the walls Jemma had erected around her heart? He was confident he had. But he wasn’t sure she was ready to be in love with anyone. He was sure she wanted more time with him. For her, love might come later. He was definitely ready and willing to wait as long as it took.
He responded, “Doesn’t matter.”
“Good answer,” Everett said, resting a hand on Rocco’s shoulder.
“Look who’s back,” Lachlan called from behind them. “With a friend. Hey, Tati.”
Rocco turned around. Kane grinned as he stood next to a woman Rocco had only seen in pictures. Kane’s partner in crime and Adonis’s cousin, Tatiana Williams.
Bobby stood up from his laptop and stretched, his gaze trailing up and down Tatiana’s curvy figure. Everett’s hands clenched into fists but he didn’t say a word.
“What have the two of you been up to?” Sebastian asked.
“Doing what we do best,” Tati said.
With an expression that was half-sheepish and half-sly, Kane said, “Getting into places undetected is our specialty. Thought we needed a new approach.” Kane wiggled a cell phone toward Rocco.
Standing, Rocco walked around the oversized table dominating the room and grabbed the device. “This is Jemma’s. How did you get this?”
Tati rolled her eyes. “We liberated it from the Proteus safe house last night.”
“You did?” Rocco’s mouth gaped open.
“And on our way back, the tracking app activated for the first time since before Jemma went missing. Eddie is on the move.”
“Do you know where he is?” Everett asked, joining them.
Kane nodded. “He left one of the Outer Islands this morning. Based on the movements, we think he’s traveling by boat from the Palmchat Islands back to Puerto Rico.”
Rocco had limited information about the Palmchat Islands. The island nation was a juggernaut in the Caribbean with well-trained military, special forces and an investigative bureau. They had a history of shunning engagement with law enforcement agencies from other countries. Their primary foe was a cartel within their own borders: the PC-5.
Bobby tapped on the table and it illuminated into a topical map of the island chain. “Which island?”
Tati moved forward to stand next to Bobby, her hips brushing against his hand. She stretched forward and touched one island, swiping against it to zoom in. “This island was once owned by the Pourciau Family. They leased it and all the property on it a decade ago. It wasn’t until recently that they realized a coveted piece of artwork was left behind and they wanted it back.”
Kane said, “It was a self-portrait of Quark. He’s only down a handful of those.”
“Who is Quark?” Rocco asked.
"Only the most famous artist to hail from the Palmchat Islands and arguably the most famous in all of the Caribbean,” Lachlan said. “His work sells for millions around the world."
Everett added, "He’s reclusive and stingy on production, which drives the value of his work higher." He tapped another part of the table, bringing up a satellite image labeled “Rocket Island.”
Sebastian asked, “If they wanted it back, does that mean you stole it for them?”
“Liberated!” Kane and Tati said in unison.
