Maverick rolls his eyes and stalks off to retrieve it.
By the time he returns, everyone inside the compound, minus the guards and prospects, is packed into the war room.
“Did anyone feel that earthquake earlier?” Sunny asks, settling beside Bones.
“Probably one of the strongest in weeks,” she adds. “With us being right on the San Andreas fault, I’m shocked the ground’s been so quiet.”
She’s not wrong. Palm Springs rattles more than a toddler with a toy drum, but most quakes are so small we don’t even notice.
“I bet Coachella Valley got hit harder,” Eli murmurs quietly.
“Palm Desert too,” Maverick says, staring down at his phone.
“Well, this must be serious if we’re all in here,” Riley says, changing the subject.
“There’s been a threat,” Spike starts. “One that could very well destroy this compound.”
The shift in the room is immediate. Men straightening, expressions sharpening.
“The Italians have an inside source with Los Fantasmas,” Spike continues.
“Do we have proof?” asks Knuckles.
“They gave us a lot of information,” Spike says, nodding at Foster. “I trust it’s legit, but I doubt it’s everything.”
“Would be stupid to hand over the whole deck,” Tank grunts. “Bet they’re holding a few cards.”
He’s not wrong.
“But not about the threat,” Foster says. “I’ve gone through every byte of that intel. And it’s a LOT. Enough to end Cortéz.”
“Then why haven’t they?” Crusher asks. “If they could kill the bastard, why sit on it?”
“Because killing the captain isn’t enough,” I say. “Someone else will take his place. You gotta take out the ship.”
“Seems impossible,” Spike mutters, pulling Riley onto his lap.
Shit.
He only does that when he’s ready to break something in half. She’s his anchor, and when he pulls her to him, it means he’s about to lose his shit.
“Uh… Prez?” a prospect says from the doorway. He swallows like he’s approaching a guillotine. “There’s some men out here asking for entry.”
“Gonna need more information than that, Prospect.”
“They say they’re friends. Say they’re Moretti.”
“The Italians?” Tank asks. “What the fuck are they doing here? We just left their mansion.”
“Let them in,” Spike says. “Tell them to leave weapons behind.”
The prospect nods and hurries off.
“You know they’ll be armed anyway,” Bones mutters. “I’m alerting security.”
“Should we leave?” Riley asks.
“No,” Spike says. “My gut says they’re not here to attack. But I want you where I can see you, anyway.”
