Page 65 of Colombian Chemistry

Piper pushed up the bottom of the bob wig. “You like? I just got a few new wigs I’m trying out.”

He gave her a thumbs up. “I’d do you.”

She winked. “You’re damn right you would.”

The three of us shared a laugh, and it felt good to be with them again. Strange, but good.

I took a sip of my drink. “We’ll wait until Knox gets here, then I’ll fill everyone in on the details.”

“Yeah,” Piper said. “I’m dying to know what’s up. From what I understand, we’ve got a recon mission to bust some scientist out of a cartel compound?”

“I’ll tell you everything soon,” I said.

“We’re getting the band back together!” Knox called from behind us.

“Holy shit!” Piper spun in her seat. “He’s only a minute late!”

“That’s a first,” Wesley said.

I stood up and turned around to greet him. He met me with his signature huge smile. I was six-foot-one, but Knox had me by at least a couple inches. Not just in height, but in muscle mass. I was muscular, but he was built like a brick shit house. It was why he was our tank when things went south. No one could take Knox down. He’d earned the nickname Knox because he was as hard to take out as Fort Knox. Harder, actually.

He stuck out his hand, and I gripped it in a handshake. We folded into a hug and slapped each other’s backs.

“Good to see you, friend,” he said.

“Good to see you too, Knox. And damn. You started growing that beard you always wanted.”

We broke apart, and he stuck his chin out. “Pretty badass, right? Kinda look like a Viking.”

“I like it,” Piper said. “Super badass.”

Knox turned his attention to Piper. She stood up, and he swept her into his inked arms, spinning her around until she struggled to get free.

“You’re squishing me, you big oaf!” she grunted out.

“It’s just so damn good to see you. All of you.” He turned his attention to the screen and waved at Wesley. “Hey, Pretty Boy.”

“What up, Knox. Missed you, man.”

“Irene? Is she safe?” I asked him.

“Yeah. She’s safe. I got her up to Costa Rica and dropped her at the embassy. They were going to get her a new passport right away and get her back to the States.”

“Thank God,” I breathed. “Thank you for doing that. You have no idea how much that helped us out.”

We’d gone dark after he’d dropped her off to make sure no one could track her. It had been tearing me apart inside worrying about her. I knew he wouldn’t let me down or let harm come to her, but hearing him say the words soothed some of the ache her absence left behind.

“Oh, Irene filled me in on all the details.” Knox let out a long, slow whistle. “Damn, boy. You sure did manage to get neck-deep in some serious cartel shit. I thought we were supposed to be retired.”

“Yeah. Me too,” I sighed.

Knox pulled up a chair and sat down, then flagged the waitress. She hurried over, and he ordered a round of Caipirinhas.

“So, you gonna fill us in on the deets or what?” Piper asked. “I’m itching for a little action.”

I exhaled a deep breath and started at the beginning. I’d already filled Wes in on the main details since I’d needed him to start hunting Dr. Saltzman’s location last week, and Knox got most of the story from Irene, but Piper was completely in the dark. When I got done, she stared at me, blinking.

“So, you fell for a girl.” She grinned that coy grin that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame.