“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “I need a drink.”
Drew stared at the door, her pulse pounding, her jaw clenched so tight her teeth ached.
“What did they say in Spanish?”
Dunlop stared at the blood spatter, and Drew had to hiss to get his attention.
“What?” he said. “Oh, they gave him forty-eight hours to get the drugs or the money.”
Forty-eight hours.
Rodriguez was running out of time, which meant so was she.
CHAPTER 18
Cross leanedback against the pillows on the bed, arms crossed over his chest, eyes still sharp despite the ache in his muscles and the bandage at his side. He hated being sidelined. Every second they sat here talking was another second Drew was in danger. Every breath she took without him nearby was a reminder of how close he’d come to losing her—for good.
Tessa was across the room with her phone pressed to her ear, pacing like a caged animal. Her voice was low, clipped. All business. Cross couldn’t hear what her boss was saying, but from the scowl pulling at her mouth, it was clear the man was unloading on her.
“I fucking know,” she snapped. “I should have told someone, but if I had, I’d probably be dead right now.”
Silence.
“No, sir. Not just paranoia. I had real intel. And guess what? You had the same suspicions and didn’t do shit either, so maybe get off your high horse for five seconds while I save both our asses.”
Another pause. Her fist drummed a furious rhythm on her thigh.
Cross traded a look with McGuire and Stone. Stone arched a brow. McGuire just shook his head, his jaw set tight. Patch sighed. They were all waiting. For a plan. For hope. For something.
Finally, Tessa sighed. “The plan’s solid. You can double-check every move. You want to vet it through Command, do it fast. Because we’re running out of time.” She listened, her lips twitching into something that might’ve been a smirk. “Thought so.” Then she hung up.
“Well?” Cross prompted, his voice low and edged with impatience.
Tessa turned toward them, arms folded. “He’s pissed. No surprise there. Called me every name in the book and a few he probably made up. But when I laid out the timeline of busts gone sideways and the missing intel, he couldn’t deny something’s off inside the agency. He has his suspicions already. I just confirmed it. They’re running an internal sweep. Quiet. Discreet.”
Stone leaned forward, his good arm wrapped around Frankie. “Freaking big of him to get on the same page. What’s the plan?”
“First, I reach out to the three most likely to be the mole and tell each one where I have the drugs stashed and ask them for help. Of course, the drugs aren’t going to be anywhere near there, but we’ll have to have people watch each location. We’ll know which one Rodriguez shows up at. Then we’ll know the mole.”
Cross frowned. “What makes you think Rodriguez will go himself?”
“Because by this point, the cartel will be on his ass. He can’t afford another fuck up.”
“Then what?” Cross demanded. “How are we getting Drew back? There’s no guarantee he will bring Drew with him.”
Tessa nodded. “Most likely he won’t.”
“He could deem her no longer necessary and kill her,” Savvy pointed out. Patch squeezes her arm.
“That’s not going to happen. He has to have the drugs in his possession before he does anything to her. She’s his bargaining chip,” Tessa argues.
“Then what’s your plan for Drew?” McGuire demands.
“I’m going to call Rodriguez and arrange an exchange. The drugs for Drew.” Tessa licks her lips. “We’ll be set up and waiting at the warehouse so we can rescue Drew. The ATF will be there as backup. We’ll get her out. Promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” McGuire growled.
Cross said nothing, but vowed silently that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to Drew. In case things went desperately wrong, he would rain hell down on whoever hurt her. He wouldn’t stop until one of them was dead. “Will your boss let us take the lead?”
