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"Roger."
As we marched out of his office together, we ran into Lachlan and Saff on the way, also heading to the training facilities downstairs for the mission brief. Lachlan gave me a head nod. We let Saff and Gabe go down together, and I hung back with him. Grabbing his shoulder, I asked "Are you sure about this?"
"Don’t you trust Gabe?"
"I guess, but why is he coming with us on the op?"
Lachlan's eyes went wide. "What? He's on comms, right?"
"No, not comms. You saw how he's dressed. He has on tech gear. He’s going in on the ground."
Lachlan whistled. "What? It’s been like two years since he's been in the field. Three probably."
"Yes, but he's still better trained than any of us."
Lachlan kept pace with me. "Mate, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Are you fucking serious right now? If this was Saff, wouldn’t you go in and get her?"
"Of course. And just like you covered me in the Winston Isles, I'm covering you on this one. We're going to bring her home. She just has to hang tight a little bit longer. I promise, she's coming home."
"Of course, she's coming home, I’m not leaving without her."
As we waited for the elevator, Lock slid me a glance. "And after we bring her home, are you going to tell her that you love her?"
"Let me just focus on getting her home first. I’m pretty sure she’s going to be pissed off at seeing me again.” I winked at Lock. “But I find that my deep, growly voice usually works wonders to soothe the ladies."
"Good man. Now, let's go get your girl and give Antonio Igno a little pay back from the two of us."
CHAPTER 48
KAYA
The problemwith bad guys was that they never believed they were the bad guys.
Every cartel owner, mafia don, and head of a terrorist group believed that he was, in fact, the hero of his own story. Fighting the good fight by whatever means necessary.
Antonio Igno was the same as every other baddie.
As we walked around the compound, he regaled me with stories of his mother, my supposed grandmother, and how tough she'd been. His father was not a ruthless man, but quiet and with a steel core. To hear him tell it, his father, my grandfather, wasn't ambitious at all. He'd been a man trying to take care of his family, but it wasn't his goal to be any kind of don or master criminal. It just worked out that way, and his father reluctantly brought Antonio into the business when he was sixteen.
"That's where we were different. I wanted more than my father. I wanted to be important, to have my decisions matter. And look at me now.”
I hardly had the heart, or the nerve, to tell him that it was bullshit and not something to be proud of because I was certain he wouldn’t appreciate my commentary.
"Why don't you tell me about your mother?" he asked.
"There's not much to tell. You know most of it already. She kept us on the run. We moved constantly, running from the threat of you."
He had the decency to wince at that.
As we strolled along the gardens, my fingertips traced some of the hydrangeas, and I met his gaze. "You've been chasing her. She was afraid of you."
"She didn't need to be. All I wanted was her, but . Well, then I found out she'd stolen the box, I just wanted it back. I would have let her go if she had wanted to leave because deep down I loved her."
" I feel like I never knew my mother at all. Going through her papers now, it feels like I'm reading about a stranger. Tell me about her."
"Oh, your mother was beautiful. Flirty. Quick-witted and charming, but there was also something very serious about her. If you looked beyond the charm, the playfulness, she had solid strength at her core. She was intriguing. I wanted to know more about her."
