Page 76 of Dark Reunion

Each mile through the night was another mile closer to goodbye. Dean didn’t know how long he could hide their escape before Carlos noticed, but when he did, all hell would break loose.

The meeting point was a remote canyon, shadowed by towering rock walls. He tapped the screen. Four vehicles ahead, ten men.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Yasmine asked, eyes locked on the windshield.

“Alvarez is ruthless but honorable. He hates my father more than most. That makes him trustworthy enough.”

“That’s a win,” she said with a shaky smile.

“That it is,” Dean murmured, fishing the USB from his pocket and handing it to her. “This has a message for Trev or Morry. If you can reach them, give it to them. If you need it for yourself, use it. It’s worth a lot of favors.”

She tucked it into her bra. “I’ll do what I can.”

As they slowed and parked, the moment grew heavy, thick with unspoken fear. Yasmine gripped his hand. Her smile steadied him.

“Wait here,” he said, giving her fingers a squeeze.

He stepped out, hands raised for the guards to see.

“This is definitely out of the way,” Dean said, scanning Alvarez’s men.

“You wanted privacy,” Alvarez replied. “You said you had news of my daughter.”

Dean nodded, lowering his hands. “She’s alive. My father found her and the soldier I had you send to protect her. They were outgunned. She’s unharmed, but I’ve lost contact with him.”

Alvarez exhaled slowly. “Then why didn’t you bring her with you?”

“She refused. She says she won’t feel safe until Carlos and his empire are destroyed. She won’t leave until she sees it through.”

Alvarez’s eyes narrowed. “And why should I believe you?”

Dean moved carefully, pulling his phone from his pocket. He showed Alvarez the photos he had taken of Maeve. The two of them together, her smile, her arm around Yasmine, the kids nearby.

“If you’d like, we can call her,” he offered. “But she doesn’t remember much before the kidnapping. That’s part of why she stayed behind. I know it’s hard to hear, but I swear she’s alive and well. With your help, we can keep it that way.”

Alvarez flipped through the images, emotion softening his face before he cleared his throat.

“Alright. I’ll help. What do you need from me?”

“The man commanding the soldiers attacking your convoys is flying in for a meeting. We need to take out my father and him at the same time. My father is funding the operation, but Keene is the one pulling the strings.”

Alvarez handed back the phone and gestured for Dean to continue.

“But before we talk strategy,” Dean said, “I have a personal favor to ask. Something to prove my trust in you, and it helps me.”

He signaled to Yasmine. She stepped out of the Hummer, cautious but composed, Isabella in her arms and Andrés asleep in the carrier.

“This is my wife, the woman in the photos with your daughter. I want her and my children hidden, far from the fight. Will you protect them?”

Alvarez’s gaze softened as he looked at Yasmine, then at the children. “Keep your guns down,” he ordered his men, though none had moved.

Yasmine smiled faintly. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Alvarez. Maeve—Isabella—is an amazing woman. Dean and I named our daughter after her.” She lifted the baby slightly in her arms.

“She’s beautiful,” Alvarez murmured, a flicker of loss in his voice.

Dean waved to Ricco. He got out of the Hummer and walked forward with Ava and the boys.

“This is Ava, our nanny. And these are my sons, Aiden and Tate.”