Nate shoots me a sideways glance, lips twitching. “No offense, Cap, but if Parker drools on me, you’re swapping.”
Parker rasps, “Not…my…best look.”
“Sweetheart, it’s top five,” Hardison says, squeezing her shoulder gently.
Grace leans into me, murmuring broken syllables I have to piece together. “Safe. Home?”
“Yeah, darlin’. Home,” I say and press a kiss to her hair. It smells faintly of oleanders, and, fuck. Will the scent ever truly leave her now?
We rattle through the gate. Connor’s voice carries, sharp and commanding, calling out in Spanish. It’s a phrase Sandoval told him to use if we encountered one another. For a breathless second, I think they’re gonna shoot us anyway. Until the men stand down.
Miguel steps forward. Tall, broad, the kind of man who’s spent his life under sun and war. Black hair streaked with gray, bronze skin lined from years of carrying other men’s burdens. His eyes are sharp, flinty, the sort of stare that could cut a weaker man in half. If I didn’t know a little of his history, I’d be worried we were trading one devil for another.
Reyes steps out from behind him with a bag slung over his shoulder.
Thank fuck.
“Which one of you is Stone?” Miguel asks.
“I am.” I shift Grace a little closer to me. “The compound’s clear. Prophet’s dead. Most of his strongest fighters too. Women and children should be safe in their homes. Along with the Prophet’s father. He saved Grace’s life. Parker’s too. Leave him be. You’ll have some stragglers, but nothing you and your men can’t handle. The FBI will send for the survivors. Get them deprogrammed, contact any families missing them. But not until tomorrow. Clear out by noon, and you’ll be good.”
Miguel frowns, like he doesn’t quite trust me.
“Zephyr,” I say, “give him eyes.”
A second later, the feed from the drones pings onto Miguel’s tablet. He watches as Zephyr toggles through aerial sweeps—the burning altar, the dead all around it, the cartel trucks abandoned.
Miguel gives a single, curt nod, then gestures to Reyes. “See to them.”
The doctor doesn’t waste time. He goes to Parker first, who’s leaning against Hardison like he’s the only thing keeping her upright.
He checks her pulse, and his eyes narrow at the shredded skin on her hands. The burns on her lower legs. “Fluids, oxygen, pain management,” he mutters.
Then, his gaze turns to Grace. For a moment, he just looks at her, almost in awe. “It is good to see you again, my dear.”
Grace’s lips tremble. She manages a broken, “Ray…yez.”
Reyes squeezes her shoulder gently, careful. “Sí. It’s me. You’re safe now.”
“She had another craniotomy just two days ago,” I explain. “A bone fragment broke off inside…” I swallow hard, the realization of how close I came to losing her hitting hard.
“Aphasia,” Parker adds, then coughs weakly.
Reyes nods, understanding flashing across his face. “To be expected. May I examine you, Grace?”
She nods, but keeps one hand fisted tightly around my shirt.
The doctor pulls out a small flashlight, aiming it at her pupils. She flinches, then steadies when I start rubbing her back. He listens to her lungs, frowning at the faint wheeze. Then he carefully peels back the edge of the bandage at her temple.
One stitch has popped, and a bit of blood has soaked into the gauze. Reyes’s mouth hardens. “This needs attention tonight to avoid infection. Parker’s hands too. They both need fluids. I can clean, re-stitch, start antibiotics. What they need most is rest.”
He straightens, turning back to Miguel. “They cannot stay here. Nor would I advise the long trip back to Austin tonight. I can take them across the border to Ojinaga. The clinic there will not ask questions when I demand rooms and supplies.”
Miguel studies him, then me. Finally, he gives a short nod. “Captain Stone, you are a formidable man. You have my respect. And guaranteed safety until you return home. But after that, I never want to see you in my territory again. Understood?”
“Got it.” I press a kiss to Grace’s forehead. “Give me a minute, darlin’? Just one, I promise.”
“O…kay.” The look in her eyes almost stops me. But when Reyes steps forward to brace her, she relaxes and lets him help her into the back of a large SUV.
