Boone slid a folded map across the table. “We pulled satellite imagery on Copper Ridge Mine. You were right—it’s active. Heat signatures in two separate shafts. Probably for cooking or storage. My guess is they’re using the tunnels for shipment routes. I don’t believe it just started either. Too much activity is going on for a new business.”
“Aaron Cole from Delta Five owes me a favor. He’s got connections in D.C.—if there’s a
political hand in this, he’ll find it.”
“I don’t want a huge gun fight going on in Copper Cove. But I want them off my Dad’s property. You guys can stay with us. His house is huge.”
Russ tapped his finger on a circled part of the map. “This line connects to the old railway tunnels. Perfect for running a product under the radar.”
I leaned back, running a hand through my hair. “Julia and I got ambushed there a few days ago. Two shooters. One wounded, one escaped.”
Boone raised a brow. “Julia? As in Julia Marlow?”
Logan’s grin widened. “Wait—theJulia Marlow? The one you used to talk about when we were deployed?”
I groaned. “Don’t start.”
Russ chuckled. “He’s blushing.”
“I’m not—”
Boone smirked. “You used to write her name in your field journal, didn’t you?”
Logan laughed so hard he nearly spilled his coffee. “Oh, you definitely did.”
I glared at all three of them. “You done?”
Logan grinned. “Not even close. Where is she?”
“She’s a homicide detective now,” I said, ignoring their looks. “And she’s neck-deep in this mess. Someone inside the Sheriff'sdepartment is leaking information to the cartel. Julia works in the city, but she’s working here until this is cleared up.”
That sobered them up fast. “You don’t clear the cartel up, you kill them or they kill you,” Logan said.
Boone nodded toward the window. “Then we go in quietly. Intel first, strike later. I’ll scout the mine perimeter tonight.”
“I’ll dig into property records,” Russ said. “Whoever reopened that mine did it under a fake name. I’ll find the real one. Do you know who owns it?”
“It’s been closed for decades. I thought the city owned it. That would mean whoever let them move in is either in there with them, taking dark money, or dead.”
Logan leaned forward. “I want to know who’s been making calls to Colombia. ”
“You’ll have to go through Julia for that,” I said. She’s the one running things from here.”
Logan smiled, the kind of smile that meant trouble. “Then I guess it’s time we finally meet her.”
Julia showedup ten minutes later, rain still dripping from her ponytail, looking like she’d just walked off a crime scene—which she had. Her badge glinted at her hip, and she scanned the diner like she expected a fight. Damn, she was beautiful.
When her eyes landed on us, she froze. “Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”
“Depends on what you think it is,” I said.
“You brought your team here.”
“Technically, they brought themselves.”
She looked from Logan to Boone to Russ.
“So you’re the infamous Delta Division Brave Team.”
