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Isabella glanced at me before answering. “You don’t.” She didn’t hedge. “You don’t know me. You have every reason to be suspicious. But I could’ve left Lachlan chained in that dungeon and saved myself. I went back because I’d gotten to know the man he really was—the one who protected me even while he was the one in chains. I couldn’t leave him there for Marcela to torture again.”

“That’s enough,” I said.

“Lach—”

“No, Nik. You wanted what you needed for the background check. You’ve got it. She saved my life, and her father died helping us get out. She’s under my protection. If Isabella doesn’t get on that plane, neither do I.”

Lucian spoke before Nik could answer.

“Well, that seems fairly clear.”

Nik exhaled. “I didn’t say she isn’t coming. I said I don’t trust her yet.”

“You don’t trust anyone.”

Nik let that pass and shifted back to the extraction. “I still want to send a small team to you.”

“And I still don’t want them here. We’ll find a way to get to wherever you need us without advertising where we spent the night. Just tell me where we need to be.”

“We’re set up at El Salvador International. I’ve already secured an FBO and have men in place. I’ll send you the information.”

The message came through a few seconds later.

“Got it.”

“I also need a travel identity for Isabella.”

I tipped my chin in her direction.

“What name do you want on the passport, Mouse?”

She took a moment before answering.

“Isabella Eliana Duarte.”

Rafael’s name.

The man had spent twenty-five years unable to call her his daughter where anyone could hear. Now she was taking his name with her when she finally left the country.

I repeated it for Nik.

He confirmed the spelling, then said, “I need a photograph. A plain wall is fine. Upload it to the secure link I’m sending to this phone now.”

The link appeared almost immediately.

I held up the phone. “Stand against the wall, Mouse.”

Isabella moved to the blank white section beside the wardrobe. I took the picture, made sure her face was clear, and sent it.

“Got it,” Nik said. “I can work with this.”

That left one problem Nik couldn’t solve from the airport: getting us there without leading Marcela’s men back to the people who had helped us.

José’s house sat directly across the road, and he’d offered to help with whatever we needed. He and Miguel knew the roads, the people who traveled them, and what would look ordinary enough not to attract attention.

“I’m going back over to José’s to see what he thinks is the safest way to get us to the airport,” I said. “Stay on the line. We can work out the rest together.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Nik replied.