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Gabriel snorted. “She did try to kill you.”

“More than once.”

“While you were sleeping,” I reminded him.

Lucian shrugged. “Still married her.”

“That isn’t the argument you think it is.”

He laughed, then his smile faded.

“I knew anyway.”

I understood exactly what he meant, and my thoughts immediately went to Isabella behind the closed bedroom door.

“Isabella gets to decide what she wants next. I meant that when I told her.”

“But?” Nik asked.

I gave him a flat look.

“But I’m a patient man.”

Rory coughed into his fist.

Gabriel laughed outright.

“Fuck all of you.”

Lucian grinned. “Patient?”

“Aye. She can take all the time she needs to figure out her life.” I picked up my glass again. “I’ll just make a damn good case for keeping me in the running.”

“That sounds more like you,” Nik said.

“And regardless of what she decides, anyone who sees Ciro’s death as an opportunity to get their hands on her is making a fatal mistake.”

No one argued with that.

“I need two things from you before we land,” I said, directing my attention to Nik.

Nik’s fingers moved toward the keyboard. “Go.”

“José, Rosa, and Miguel Herrera risked everything to help us. They could’ve handed us straight back to Delgado or Marcela’s people, taken the money, and walked away.”

“What do you want?”

“Enough that cartel money is never their only option.” I held his gaze. “Life-changing money for all three of them, but keep it quiet. I don’t want some massive deposit landing in a Salvadoran bank and painting targets on their backs.”

Nik nodded once. “I can structure it privately. Separate accounts, simple access, nothing publicly tied to you or The Syndicate.”

“Do it.”

“Consider it done.”

“What else?”

“Rafael—his body was left beside the service door at the south retaining wall near the loading dock.” My throat tightened despite my best effort to prevent it. “He loved Isabella’s mother. Find out where Eliana is buried and put him beside her.”