“Only because Patch is a god damn miracle worker.” She sighed, rested her forehead on his. “I just don’t want to be the reason you get hurt. Again.”
“This wasn’t just your fight. Besides, it all worked out for the best.”
She snorted like she didn’t quite believe him as the door creaked, Patch ambling in carrying a couple brown bags.
He eyed their position, grunted. “You know if you try to seduce her, you’ll pull out your stitches, right?”
McGuire flipped him off. “We were talking.”
“Right. Just like you were talking in the cabin.” Patch shivered. “I’m still having nightmares about that, by the way.”
“You’ll get over it.” He waved his fingers at his best friend. “Youdidget fries, didn’t you?”
“With extra ketchup, which is the real travesty. You need help, brother.”
McGuire ignored the comment, chewed on a fry as the room fell into an easy silence. The clock on the wall ticked in thebackground, everything waiting until he pushed away the bag, blew out a long rasp. “Okay, something’s going on. So, spill.”
Patch glanced at Riven, then over to him. “We’ll talk once?—”
“Already strong enough to kick your ass. Now, what’s going on with Langley? Keane? Did they find the body? Lock Keane in a cell and throw away the key? What the hell are the feds doing about the cartel?”
Riven laughed, shook her head. “It’s like you’re one of those eight balls and we shook you too hard. Started spewing out questions instead of answers.”
She rested her hip on the bed. “First, Savvy’s team recovered Langley’s body late last night. They’re spinning it as a marine training mission gone horribly wrong. He won’t get the scarlet letter we’d hoped he’d be branded with, but he’s permanently out of the picture.”
McGuire nodded. “And Keane?”
“Black site. Apparently, the CIA has a lot of questions they want answered. Not sure how it will eventually play out, but Savvy promised she’d keep an eye on it. Use some leverage if they even think of letting Keane off.”
“And the cartel?”
Riven’s face paled, all the light leaving her eyes. She broke eye contact, took a few shaky breaths, then sighed. “CapturingMartillo, dismantling his supply chains and exposing Herrera’s shipping routes has definitely put a giant hole in his operation. It’s uncertain if he’ll be able to recover or if another cartel will eventually take his place. But for now, it’s a win.”
McGuire reached for her, the jumpy feeling in his gut easing when she slipped her palm over his. “Then, why do you look like we just lost the war?” He urged her closer. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Riven stared into McGuire’s eyes, thought her damn heart would pound right out of her chest. He wasn’t holding anything back — had all his intensity centered on her.
McGuire held out his hand. “I need my cell.”
Riven glanced at Patch. “This isn’t about Savvy?—”
“It’s always about Savvy. Or, at least, it always involves her.” McGuire arched a brow. “I can just use the regular phone if I need to, but…”
Riven huffed, dug into the bag she’d kept on her chair, then handed him the phone. He hit the number, staring at her as it rang twice before the line connected.
“McGuire? Is everything okay? Are there more men?—”
McGuire coughed, the rough sound effectively cutting off his sister. “What aren’t you and Riven telling me?”
Savvy grunted. “I see the meds have worn off.”
“Start talking about why she looks like that night back in the bar, and don’t stop until we’re all on the same page.”
Silence stretched over the line for a few moments before she sighed. “Unlike your team, I wasn’t able to ghost Riven. There were too many agencies involved, and we’d always hoped that eventually, she’d track down the proof she needed to take down Langley and topple the Herrera cartel.”
McGuire eyed Riven, and she knew he was puzzling it all out. “So, she’s been what? MIA for the past six months?”
“In a nutshell, yes. Though, now that her boss knows she’s alive, that she was instrumental in crippling the cartel…”
