Page 98 of Honor ’N’ Duty

“Are you sure?”

“Looks like it.”

“What does he want?” Colon asked.

“Says he wants to talk to you and only you. He says he has the ledger, and he wants to make a trade.”

Kade brought the ledger? He’d made it crystal clear that giving the ledger to Colon wasn’t an option. Did his agency know he’d taken it? Had he stolen it? Was he lying?

Either way, he’s here.

Colon’s eyes narrowed to slits so thin they were barely open. He began tapping his finger on the side of the radio. “Search him, then bring him up here. Check him again for wires or guns. Comprendes?”

“Si.”

“Diego, watch them,” Colon said to the goon, then walked out.

Through the open door, she saw Colon talking to the man who’d gone through her ledger. She couldn’t see them leave the cabin, but they both disappeared from view followed by the sound of a door squeaking open, then closing.

The goon closed the bedroom door, then stuffed the gun back inside his waistband and sat on the only other piece of furniture in the room, a simple wood chair next to the door.

Laia sat on the edge of the bed, still holding Rosa who, thankfully, had begun drifting off again, leading her to believe that they had indeed drugged her, and whatever they’d used was still in her system.

Outside the cabin, she heard a vehicle drive up. Kade. He was outside, less than thirty feet away. She couldn’t begin to understand what his plan could be. All she knew was that just when she’d been about to lose all hope of her and Rosa getting out of this alive, he’d come for them.

Gently, she laid her now-sleeping daughter on the bed. If he’d really stolen the ledger…if he’d come here alone…how did he plan to take out Colon and his small army all by himself without getting them all killed?

She stole another glance at the armed man in the chair.

Kade might have come for them, but they might very well all die here. Together.

…

The moment Kade stepped out of the SUV, he was shoved roughly against the hood, then patted down yet again for weapons. Knowing he’d be thoroughly searched, he’d handed over his duty weapon to Jamie at the rest stop on I-80 just before they’d all exited the highway.

Handing over his weapon had been hard enough. Transferring Smoke to Jamie’s care had been worse. Smoke had resisted, straining at the leash and whining as Jamie had loaded him into the other vehicle, but he wouldn’t risk his dog getting hurt. Colon’s men would rightly assume Smoke was a K-9—a weapon—and deal with him accordingly, something Kade wouldn’t chance. Without a gun, most officers would feel powerless. Not Kade. But without his K-9 at his side, he did feel powerless.

During the pat down, he methodically and tactically assessed his surroundings and exactly what he was up against.

Two Escalades were parked in front of the cabin. Alvita’s green minivan was parked off to the side. Laia and Rosa were nowhere in sight, probably being held in the cabin.

If they weren’t dead already.

Focus. They have to be alive.

If they weren’t, he’d know it. He’d feel it in his gut.

The two men who’d escorted him up here were both armed, one with a handgun and the other with a rifle that was now aimed at Kade’s head. Three other men surrounded him, all sporting Glocks. That made five armed assholes plus the two on the front porch, one of whom he’d ID’d as Colon. He had to assume everyone was armed.

One of the men pulled a device from his pocket—a bug-detection wand.

“Does it really take six of you to babysit one fed?” he asked, knowing it would piss the men off but doing it anyway so that his friends would hear what they were up against.

“Shut the fuck up, cop.” The guy with the rifle raised the muzzle and held it two inches from Kade’s head. “Hold out your arms.”

“Copy that,” came Jamie’s voice in Kade’s ear. “At least six yahoos.”

Which was a good thing.