“Fifteen years,” I whispered.
Back at the station,we reported the shootout, but neither of us mentioned the kiss. That was ours.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the cartel knew we were coming. Someone had tipped them off again.
And tomorrow, I planned to find out who.
7
Hawk
The bell over the diner door jingled as I stepped inside, shaking rain from my jacket. It smelled like bacon grease, coffee, and nostalgia—exactly like it always had. Copper Cove’s only diner hadn’t changed since high school. Same cracked red booths. Possibly the same waitress with too much eyeliner.
What had changed was the group of men sitting in the back corner, nursing mugs of coffee and looking like they could take on an army.
Logan Carter was the first to spot me. He grinned and stood, pulling me into a quick hug. “Well, hell, look who finally called for backup.”
Boone Grant leaned back in his chair, one arm slung casually over the booth. “Backup? You said this was a vacation.”
Russ Duncan snorted. “It’s Hawk Jensen. The man doesn’t know how to take a vacation.”
I dropped into the seat beside them, shaking my head. “I didn’t call for backup. I just told Logan what was going on. The rest of you volunteered.”
“Semantics,” Logan said, grinning. “You saidcartel activityandfamily danger. That’s practically an invitation.”
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 theirlooks. “And she’s neck-deep in this mess. Someone inside the Sheriff's department 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.
