Nothing.
Again.
“How did they find us?” he asked, still listening to the unanswered ring.
“The fucking gas-station stop,” Law said. “They had people who knew people.” He shot Viper a quick, hard look.
Viper didn’t answer. The line kept ringing.
“What do you mean, they knew people?” he muttered, frowning at the phone. He double-checked the call history—Titus’s number glared back at him.
Law exhaled hard. “It’s odd, but the Cartel reach runs deep out here. The attendant at the station probably caught their chatter—word went out to watch for a military transport. Someone made a call—it took them a few days, but they eventually tracked us down.”
Viper’s jaw flexed. “So, we were already burned.”
“Yeah,” Law said. “Before we even hit Nevada.”
Law shifted in his seat, adjusting the controls. “Evan Barstow’s rattled, by the way. Kid’s been shaking since they pulled him off the bird.”
Viper kept his phone to his ear, listening to the line ring, but Law’s words cut through anyway.
“How so?” Viper said.
Law shot him a quick look. “Pretty fucking scared. Kept saying he never should’ve seen those transfers.”
Viper absorbed that—filed for later. Right now, Titus mattered more.
After several more unanswered rings, Viper hung up. Titus could’ve lost his phone, had it taken, or was too pissed to answer.
“Comms,” Viper said, holding a hand back over his shoulder.
Black scooted forward and pressed a small device into his palm. Viper tucked it into his ear.
“Real, you copy?”
“Hey, Viper.” Relief edged Real’s voice, but he got straight to business. “I heard what happened. We should be at your location in about twenty.”
“We’re not where we were,” Viper said, glancing at Law. “How close are we to the lake bed where you picked me up?”
“About five minutes.”
“You hear that?” Viper asked Real. “Meet us at the lake bed.”
“Will do. Over and out.”
“So, Barstow’s scared, but is he talking?” Viper asked, turning to Law.
“He’s singing like a damn choirboy,” Law said. “Ranch took custody—hooded. We’ve got him locked in the interrogation building until we know who else is gunning for him.”
Law adjusted a dial, jaw tight. “Still feels off, though. Cartel shouldn’t have been able to swarm that fast.”
Viper didn’t argue. He felt it too—Barstow’s panic, Law’s read on the breach. Something bigger was moving the pieces.
And Savage had dragged them all into it.
“I’m going to punch Savage in the head when I see him,” Viper growled.
Winter snickered. “I’d pay to see that.”
