Wicked Ever After (Wicked & Devoted #2) - Shayla Black Page 0,89
It’s not their usual way of doing business.”
It wasn’t. “Any idea who it belongs to?”
The older man shook his head. “It’s not Carlotta’s. That’s all I know. I hate to ask around and scare the shit out of everyone. Maybe it’s strictly symbolic?”
Of a woman in general? Drug cartels weren’t the figurative type. “I doubt that.”
“We need to figure this out so I can start locking people down. That’s why you’re here. We don’t know exactly which asshole in the cartel sent this message or why they want Valeria back so badly. That already puts us at a disadvantage. But it worries me a lot more that we can’t pinpoint which of our women they’re gunning for.”
“Kata, Tara, or Bailey, you mean?
Caleb winced. “One of them is my best guess, yeah. Which is why I haven’t told Hunter, Logan, or Joaquin yet.”
They would all lose their shit. “Understood.”
“Since it seems the cartel wants revenge on the team that originally extracted Valeria from Mexico and none of you were involved, Morgan and Brea seemingly aren’t in their crosshairs. That’s why I asked you here. And with EM having an unresolved mole problem…”
While One-Mile had already proved he wasn’t said mole… “What do you need me to do, sir?”
“You’re in?”
“Yeah. But it would be better if you didn’t send me back to Mexico right away—”
“No. The first thing we need to do is figure out which motherfucker we’re dealing with and who their target is. Give it some thought this afternoon. I’ll call you later tonight so we can discuss. Everyone is due at my house in an hour for a family get-together, so they’ll be safe that long. Just keep this between us until I’m ready to say something.”
“I understand. We’ll figure this out, neutralize the threat, and protect your family.” While keeping Valeria sheltered. After everything she’d been through with Montilla, she and her son deserved that.
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
One-Mile nodded at the colonel, then shook hands with Jack Cole. Admittedly the guy hadn’t said much…but he had a weird feeling the cagey Cajun was actually running the show. Then he sent Forsythe a head bob. “See you around.”
As he turned for the door, eager to get back to Brea, the other guy jogged to catch up. “Hey. I know exactly one person here. You. Got time for a beer? We could talk shop.”
He peered at the late-afternoon sun. Brea had said to come back tonight. How long did seniors’ Bible study last? Since he had no flipping clue, he shrugged. “Why the hell not?”
Forsythe flashed him a movie-star smile. “You turned out all right, Serial Killer.”
“Verdict is still out on you, Jock Strap,” he teased.
Trevor laughed. “So where do you get a decent beer in this swamp?”
“Follow me.”
One-Mile hopped in his Jeep and waited for the other guy to follow in what seemed like his rented sedan. All the while, questions kept niggling at him. Was Valeria safe in Florida? Who had taken over Emilo Montilla’s splinter faction of the Tierra Caliente cartel after his death? And why would the organization suddenly get desperate enough to threaten innocent women days after one of their bosses had bit a bullet?
Brea breathed into the blessed silence filling the house. Finally, the never-ending Bible study luncheon had concluded and people headed out. Jennifer and Daddy decided to go to a nearby Mexican food place for an early dinner. They’d invited her along, but they needed time alone, too. With all her father’s heart issues, which thankfully seemed to be stabilizing, they’d been through some tough times.
Besides, this gave her an opportunity to fix her face before Pierce returned to ask Daddy for her hand. She was nervous as all get-out.
What if he said no? His blessing wasn’t a given…
Then she’d have to chart her own path. It would be nice if Daddy accepted her choice of husband and gave his approval. If he refused, it would break her heart to defy her father, but for Pierce—for their love—she would.
As she finished up the dishes from this afternoon’s luncheon and started the dishwasher, her phone rang. When she scanned the screen, she smiled. It did her heart good to see Pierce’s name pop up. For months, she’d tried not to wonder if she would ever see it again.
“Hi.” She sounded as giddy as she felt.
“Hi yourself. I was having a beer with a guy I know from way back and I was about to grab a bite out when I realized I’ve