The two shared a look that said they wouldn’t stop until they did.
“This had to be Sanchez.” Lucas Mercer shared his opinion next. Echo’s medic then added, “Given the timing of everything, it’s the only thing that makes any sense.”
“I don’t know.” Jagger raised the picture still clutched in his hand. “This feels pretty damn personal.”
“Maybe it’s both.” Emmett’s tall, imposing form moved forward a step. The man’s dark eyes studied the picture, and then the body on the floor, again.
Jagger’s head tilted the side as he shot the man a questioning glance and asked, “What do you mean?”
“A man like Sanchez would take an attack on his weapons and men very personally,” the man in charge of Echo Team explained. “He might even decide to go after the woman who led the attack. As a means of revenge to get back at her for taking what he saw as his.”
“But how would Sanchez even know who to go after?” Brody’s dark features appeared even deadlier when the man was pissed, like he was now.
“Maybe Sanchez has someone on the inside,” Blake Savage guessed.
“Someone like Sinclair, perhaps?” Gwen looked to her new teammate with a shrug. “That would explain why he was murdered.”
To the demolitions expert, Liam asked, “You thinking this was about tying up loose ends? Because I mean…” He motioned to the mutilated corpse. “That many stab wounds will obviously do it.”
The woman’s long ponytail bobbed with a quick nod of her head. “But even if we suspect Sanchez is the one behind this, how can we know for sure?”
“We can’t.” Jagger looked to Ryker. “But there’s someone else who might be able to.”
“You’re talking about Lopez,” the intelligent man guessed correctly.
Jagger nodded. “Talia told me some of what the guy gave Homeland in exchange for a safe life behind bars. Lopez must’ve gotten pretty damn close to Sanchez to know enough namesand details to be capable of bringing down the man’s entire operation.”
To some, acting as though a dead body was as commonplace as a pile of junk mail would probably come off as crass or inhumane. But after seeing the types of things Jagger and his teammates had witnessed over the years, a scene like this wasn’t all that surprising.
“Brooks is right.” Ryker crossed his arms at his chest. “Lopez should be able to confirm Sinclair’s story. If it turns out our initial investigation into Sinclair was wrong, and he was in bed with Sanchez, then I’d say the revenge theory is probably our best bet to follow.
Rocky’s gray-blue eyes grew coldwaswith a matching need for retribution. “I just hope this Lopez character has an idea about where Sanchez might have taken her.”
“I need to talk to him.” Jagger faced Ryker. “I know you can set it up.”
The experienced Homeland agent met his stare, his expression unreadable despite the slight dip of his chin. “I agree,” he said. “We clearly need to talk to Lopez again. But…I think I should be the one to do it. Aside from the fact that he’s in Homeland’s custody and you’re not an agent, you’re too close to this one to be objective.”
Hell yes, he was close. This was the most important op of his life.
“You got something to ask me, Jason, just go ahead and ask it.”
As expected, Ryker didn’t back down. With his spine straight and his shoulders back, he asked Jagger point freaking blank, “How serious is this thing between you and Agent Foster?”
It’s serious, all right.
“I’m in love with her,” Jagger blurted without fear or a lick of embarrassment or shame. “And though the stubborn womanhasn’t come out and said it quite yet, I’m pretty sure she feels the same about me.”
If it wasn’t for the dead guy on the floor feet away from where he stood—or the fact that his entire being was wrought with fear from not knowing where Talia was—he would have laughed at the looks on all their faces.
Especially Ryker’s, who’d just closed his eyes and hung his head with a sigh.
“Ah, hell,” the man groaned. “I was afraid that was the case.”
At the same time, Cade’s widened eyes blinked with surprise. “Love? You and Foster?” Another few blinks and then, “I mean we all kinda figured out you two had hooked up, but to be in love is…” The man smiled. “You’re really that serious about her?”
Jagger looked his teammate square in the eyes and said, “As serious as I’ve ever been.”
Christian met his worried gaze. “We’ll do what’s needed to bring her back home.”
