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“Where are my sons?” the colonel barked at Tessa.
“In the conference room. I can take you back—”
But Caleb was already striding in that direction with ground-eating steps, Deke, his big, bad son-in-law, on his heels.
Frowning, Trees followed, tension fisting his gut as the two men crashed hell-bent into the conference room.
“Colonel, sir?” Zy asked since he’d been holed up with the bosses for reasons Trees could only guess at.
“Dad?” Hunter queried Caleb as the two men paced into the corner room, frantic tension rolling off them.
Trees lingered in the hall, listening as the colonel got right to the point.
“Your sister…” He lost his battle with composure and dragged in a shuddering breath to gather himself.
The anxiety in the room notched up.
“What’s wrong with Kimber?” Logan demanded.
“I received a threat recently. It wasn’t specific, just a lipstick, a photo of the crew who originally smuggled Valeria Montilla from her husband’s compound in Mexico, and a warning to hand her over before they took whoever the tube belonged to. I didn’t know who—” Emotion stopped the colonel’s words again. He paused, seemingly gathering the fortitude to continue.
Trees didn’t blame the man for being distressed. Something bad had obviously happened to his only daughter.
Hunter turned expectantly to Deke.
Kimber’s husband picked up where his father-in-law left off. “She’s gone. She dropped the kids off at daycare, then made a trip to the grocery store…and didn’t come home. A courier delivered this thirty minutes ago.”
Everyone crowded around as he whipped out a picture of Kimber, her auburn hair tangled, her big eyes red rimmed, with a gag over her mouth, her hands tied behind her back, and a gun to her head.
Trees’s heart stopped. Oh, fuck. A man like Caleb had probably made a lot of dangerous enemies over the decades. But falling into the crosshairs of a cartel… It was the worst development.
“We’ll get her back.” Hunter sounded determined—and pissed off. “We’ll do whatever it takes—”
“You’re fucking right we will,” Deke spat. “I want my kitten home. Most of the Oracle team is at our office, strategizing. Any help you can spare…”
“You’ll have it. We need to lock down the rest of the wives and kids.”
“Fast,” the colonel managed to choke out. “Before it’s too late.”
Then, barely holding it together, he ducked out.
The colonel was the most stoic man Trees knew. The worry and guilt that his line of work might cost his daughter her life had to be eating him alive.
Deke didn’t look any less desperate. “Thanks for whatever you can do.”
“Fuck that, she’s our sister. We’ll devote day and night to saving her.”
Kimber’s husband nodded his thanks, then he was gone, too.
After a terrible silence, Hunter dragged in a centering breath, forcing himself to find control. His younger brother, on the other hand, grabbed an empty coffee mug off the table and hurled it at the wall. It shattered on impact.
Joaquin Muñoz, the team’s co-owner and their stepbrother, clutched Logan’s shoulder. “We don’t have time for this.”
“I know. I fucking know,” he shouted. “Goddamn son of a bitch!”
Hunter and Joaquin zipped out of the conference room, dashing past Trees and already strategizing ways to keep the rest of their family safe, he’d bet. Despite his harsh breaths, Logan seemingly dialed down his temper. Trees hurt for them.
“I’ll come with you,” Zy offered. “I’ll devote all my energy—”
“No,” Logan whirled on him. “This shit is centered around Valeria Montilla.”
That was true. And nothing good had happened to the team since Caleb, the Edgington brothers, and another former operative had smuggled out the drug lord’s pregnant wife under his nose almost two years ago. Apparently, it didn’t matter that Emilo was now dead. Retribution was incoming.
“Since her safe house was breached last night, Trees and Kane are going to relocate her and her family pronto—and we’ll be monitoring every step.”
Then suddenly, Logan shut the door in his face and lowered his voice to a growl that only Zy could hear.
Less than two minutes later, it opened again. Logan tore out of the conference room, slamming the door behind him with Zy still inside. “Take Kane and get your ass to Orlando today. I’m texting you Valeria Montilla’s number. We gave her your digits, too. If she doesn’t answer at first, keep trying. She won’t take calls from unfamiliar numbers since she’s been getting them all night. You and Kane will bring her to a location we’ll disclose later. Her sister and the little boy, too…once you find them.”
“Hunter already told me.” More or less.
“Good. Don’t fuck up.”
After that warning and more door slamming at the front of the office, the place fell deadly silent.
Zy hauled ass out of the conference room. The rest of the team gravitated to the reception area, clearly shocked by the colonel’s bombshell. Trees hung back. The truth was, none of them had seen this sudden, horrible development coming. But he should have. It would be a problem until they smoked out their goddamn mole.
