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“What’s wrong…” His voice trailed off, and his addled brain took in several things at once.
Tank stood in the center of the parking lot, a protective arm around Annabelle. A group of men surrounded them, one with a gun pointed at Tank’s head, the rest training their weapons on the small group who were emerging from the hotel. A small red dot appeared in the center of Maria’s chest.
“Shit,” she whispered.
From the shadows, a tall figure strode forward. Unarmed, the man still gave off a dangerous vibe.
“Esteban del Fuego, I assume,” Cam said, releasing his hold on Ivanovich and stepping a few feet forward to meet the cartel boss. Cam kept his hands raised in a position of surrender, but he looked unflinchingly at del Fuego. “What can I do for you?”
Del Fuego plucked at the cuff of his suit jacket and appeared to size Cam up. Coming to some sort of conclusion, he gave a subtle nod over his shoulder, and the red dot disappeared from Maria’s chest.
She exhaled, and Teag squeezed her hand, neither of them moving an inch.
“I’d like to take Ivanovich off your hands,” del Fuego said.
Cam glanced briefly at Maria, his expression unreadable. “We planned to turn him over to the FBI. He’ll pay for his crimes,” he said.
“He will pay for his crimes, have no doubt. This man killed my sister and cousin. But first, I need to learn, with certainty, who hired him.” Del Fuego took a step closer. “This is not a negotiation, Mr. Taylor. I provided valuable information to you, and I saved your operative and client. This is my price.”
The two men stood in tense silence for several seconds, but Cam didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Motioning to Marco, he said softly, “Hand him over.”
Marco shoved Ivanovich forward. One of del Fuego’s men grabbed the Russian by his arm and hustled him into a car. Del Fuego nodded to Cam, and then to Maria, before turning his back and leaving.
In seconds, the lot was clear, as if the cartel entourage had never been there at all. Teag expelled a breath and sagged against Maria.
“Well, that was interesting,” Marco mumbled.
“Let’s get these two to the hospital,” Cam said. “We’ll get our story straight on the way.”
