“Cross Morgan,” Rodriguez yelled. “You need to come out here so we can talk, amigo.”
Drew frowned. “How does he know he hasn’t killed you?”
Cross gave a small shrug. “They were shooting fairly high. My guess is they figured I hit the ground and stayed there. This was all just to scare me.” He was more worried about how Rodriguez found out who he was and where he lived. That fact was downright scary. Who the fuck gave him that information?
“Still, they could’ve hit you,” Drew pushed.
“He’s desperate to find Tessa, his girl. This is all about saving face. He needs to kill me and Tessa so he can look like he isn’t awalking dick. He’s willing to take risks to make it happen.” Cross didn’t say it out loud, but he also knew that if Rodriguez was willing to come in loud and hot, then he must know how Tessa really is. This isn’t just about some girlfriend.
Drew continued to frown as if it didn’t make sense to her.
“Morgan, you asshole, you need to come have a chat. You won’t like it if my men have to come in and get you,” Rodriguez snapped. “Where’s theputayou said was here?” Rodriguez demanded, obviously talking to someone else.
Another voice floated across the yard and through the holes in the side of the cabin. “Don’t know. I was sure she was in there. Maybe she’s dead. Maybe Morgan killed her.”
“Puta,” Rodriguez yelled, “I’ll pay you a hundred K if you bring Morgan out to me.”
“Isn’t he a charmer?” Drew snorted. “Because calling me a whore definitely makes me want to help him.”
“He’s counting on the hundred K to help you make up your mind. Does that other voice belong to Charlie?”
Drew nodded. “Another charmer.”
“Puta, a hundred K is a lot of money. You need to do the smart thing. Bring Morgan to me. If you don’t, I am gonna take it as you’re helping him, making you the enemy. You don’t want me as an enemy.”
“Maybe she’s dead,” Charlie said again.
“She better be, because if she’s helping that asshole, then she’s dead anyway.”
That statement made Drew freeze for a moment as the truth of the situation appeared to hit home. Her eyes narrowed. “Fuckin’ Charlie,” she mumbled.
Cross noted that Drew had gone slightly pale. He still wasn’t sure why she was here but whatever it was, she hadn’t counted on becoming the enemy of one of the meanest mob bosses inMiami. He ground his teeth. That was on him. Cross was now responsible for Drew’s safety, whether she liked it or not.
There was another particularly loud volley of shots, and then the silence was suddenly deafening.
“What the hell is going on?” Drew hissed.
“They’re reloading and moving in. I’m sure we’re surrounded.” Cross weighed his options. He could fight, but there were too many of them. Even with Drew’s help, they were way outnumbered. No, it was time to cut and run. Live so they could fight again another day.
“We’re going to have to make a break for it.”
“Have you fucking lost your mind?” Drew snarled. “We don’t have a hope. There are way too many of them.” She glared at him.
“Yeah, well, I’m not interested in talking to Rodriguez. He’s gonna want to know where Tessa is, and I’m not gonna tell him, so it will all turn to shit pretty quickly.”
Drew tilted her head, eyes narrowing. “Didn’t peg you for the type to fall for cartel girls. Was she just that hot, or do you have a thing for dangerous women?”
“It’s not like that,” he snapped. Now wasn’t the time to get into it. As part of an off-the-books team that worked for the Brotherhood Protectors, he wasn’t big on chatting about his missions to anyone, especially his ex-girlfriend.
“Oh, sure.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. “You’re willing to take on the largest mob boss in Miami for every pretty girl.”
Cross bit down hard on the urge to snap back. Drew had no idea. And he wasn’t about to tell her that the girl he’d rescued was the little sister of his old SEAL teammate as well as an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agent. He’d promised to look out for Tessa when his old teammate died. That was all it had ever been. He didn’t owe Drew an explanation.Even if the flash of jealousy in her eyes cut through him like a blade. Could she still have feelings for him? He didn’t even want to think about that.
“Come on,” Cross said, crawling toward the back of the room. He flipped back the rug and yanked up a wooden hatch. A small cloud of dust and a piney, earthy scent wafted up. “We’re going down.”
“Down?” Drew echoed, incredulous. “Into that?”
“Unless you want to play the target for their practice, yeah.”
