“We’ve got two problems,” he said. “One: the cartel’s regrouping as we speak. I’ve got intel that a private plane landed thirty minutes ago. Two: they’re getting bold. Hitting the ranch wasn’t random. I think they intended for that firefight. They sent their men to die knowing we would pull back from protecting the ranch to help out.”
“But why not just burn down the ranch with our guys there? Why lure them away?” I asked.
“It was a message,” Moose added. “They’re telling us they’ll burn everything she loves to the ground.”
My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. “Then we hit back harder.”
JD gave me a look. “We will. But smart. Not reckless.”
I didn’t argue, but the fire in my chest didn’t cool.
“They want us onside,” JD said, his forehead creased as he puzzled over everything. “They’re making sure they have us to heel for when their runs start back up.”
Gods looked up sharply, his eyes narrowing. “Ain’t happening.”
“Easy, brother, of course that’s not happening. The Kings ain’t ever working for no one, and definitely not the damned cartel,” JD replied with a scowl.
Moose pointed to the map. “We’ve got scouts watching the roads. They’ll radio if they see movement. But we need to assume the cartel’s already planning their next strike.”
The room fell quiet for a moment.
“They’re organized, I’ll give them that,” Gods said.
“Hey, didn’t the son just take over the cartel?” I asked, and Moose nodded. “His dad died of a sudden heart attack, right?”
“Yeah, so?” JD replied.
“What if it was only sudden because it was brought on by someone?” A thought was building—not one that I liked very much, though.
“You think his son might have had something to do with it?” JD asked.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But it would make more sense that he was trying to power play and throw his weight around after taking over. If he can bring the Kings to heel then he can bring anyone down.”
We fell momentarily silent at that thought. We had always had a good relationship with them previously. We’d worked a couple of jobs together over the years, but generally, they had their thing and we had ours.
If his son was taking over and trying to make it clear he was the new man in town, then maybe this made more sense. More and more pieces began to fall into place the longer I thought about it.
“I’m not sure,” Confessor said. “Why would they care about a little town in Colorado? They have routes all over the country. Why go to this much trouble for one woman? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Moose crossed his arms. “Well, whatever it is, we need to move her again. This place won’t hold for long if they find it.”
I hated the idea of uprooting her again, dragging her from one hiding spot to another like a hunted animal. But he was right.
“Where?” I asked.
JD tapped a spot on the map. “Old mill on the edge of county lines. Reinforced, isolated, and we’ve used it before. It’ll buy us some time.”
Time. That’s all we ever seemed to be buying.
I nodded. “We move at dusk.”
Moose grunted approval. JD started assigning positions, routes, and rotations. The men listened, but I could feel their nerves humming under the surface. They were tired, but mostly they were angry.
When the meeting broke, I didn’t go far. I turned back toward the small room where Rowan waited.
She was sitting on the edge of an old cot, hands clasped in her lap, staring at the floor like she was trying to hold herself together by sheer willpower alone. Her hair fell around her face, hiding her expression.
I stepped inside quietly.
