grin gave him away. “I’m just being friendly.”
“You’re about to be stuffed into a crate and shipped back home.”
With a snicker, his younger brother tilted his head toward Hope. “That’s his way of saying I’m embarrassing him, which means I’m fulfilling my sacred duty as a younger brother. It’s a responsibility I take serious—ouch!” Nate rubbed his upper arm where Wade had punched it. “Christ, that hurt.”
“Good, then I’m fulfilling my sacred duty as an older brother. Keep it up, and I’ll fulfill it some more.” He wanted to be pissed at his brothers for coming, for putting themselves in danger—in Nate’s case, for being a complete and utter pain in the ass—but he couldn’t help but appreciate the fact they’d done just that for him. It meant more to him than he could put into words, so he simply said, “You shouldn’t be here, but it’s good to see you.”
Jaw dropped, Nate pressed one hand over his heart as if shocked by the admission. “Hey, Ryan, he said something nice again. Kinda makes you all warm and squishy inside, doesn’t it?”
“Better mark that on your calendar as well,” Ryan said. “God knows when it’ll happen again.”
With a laugh, Nate pulled Wade in for one of those bro hugs he loved so much.
Wade put up with it because it was his younger brother, because he came all this way to help, and because he probably hadn’t thought twice about the danger he’d put himself in.
“It’s good to see you, man. Don’t ever take off like that again.”
As Wade eased back, he was hit with the full weight of just how fortunate he was. Not only did he have the love and support of every member of his family, he also had friends willing to risk their lives to help him take down Aranza.
And then there was Hope—just having her close sucked the air right out of his lungs. It was sappy—he’d never been that kind of guy before—but he’d never expected to find somebody like her. She warmed the cold, dark embers of his soul, eased the ache inside his chest. Most of all, she made him want to be a better man, and that made him love her even more.
It hit him then, with a bit of a shock, that in spite of everything that happened to him, he felt like the luckiest son of a bitch to ever walk the planet.
To his right, Ryan clapped his hands together, a fierce glint in his eyes. “All right, let’s get this show on the road. What’s the plan and how do we get a piece of it?”
Chapter 26
It was the calm before the storm.
The plans had been finalized down to the last detail, with a slew of contingencies to cover all foreseeable outcomes. Tomorrow morning, two hours before the sun’s first light, Wade and his team would descend upon Roberto Aranza’s home. In less than five minutes, they’d breach the house, put a few bullets into the drug lord, and slip away like thieves in the night.
There had been a brief debate about turning Aranza over to Mexican authorities, but the idea was ultimately rejected. For starters, though Aranza was a wanted man, there was no way of knowing which members of law enforcement were on his payroll. If they found one who wasn’t, there was always the chance he could taint a jury or buy a crooked judge. And if he was actually convicted and sentenced to prison, he might escape like El Chapo did. As long as the fucker was alive, he was a danger to Wade, his family, Hope, and countless others.
Simply put, he needed to die.
None of their plans included Hope, but she wasn’t aware of that yet. Wade had meant to break the news to her last night after everyone went to bed and they had some quiet time together. But then she’d given him that look as she’d headed off toward their bedroom, and all thoughts of talk flew out the window.
Which was why he’d taken her out for breakfast, where there would be no distractions to give him an excuse to delay any longer.
The courtyard restaurant was small but brightly lit, with cheerful yellow paint and local art adorning the walls. Wade ordered chilaquiles con pollo, while Hope got an omelet with a side order of conchas to satisfy her sweet tooth.
While he watched her eat, he was struck once again by how perfect she was. And not just on the outside. She