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Nate checked the time and frowned. That should have already happened.

Before he could ask, Larissa’s voice came over his earpiece. “I’m almost there. Their security system has more switchbacks than I anticipated. One of them is encrypted.”

“I thought you said it would be a piece of cake.” Even now, he couldn’t resist giving her grief. If he didn’t, she’d probably assume something was wrong with him.

“If it wasn’t encrypted, I’d already be finished.” The sound of rapid-fire typing carried over the earpiece. “Just...yeah...come on, you bitch. There! Okay, I’m in.”

“Are we clear to move?” That was Wade, who was in position with Austin, Jackson, and Navarre along the western side of the auto auction property, where a small wooded area helped to camouflage their presence.

“Not yet. Give me a few secs.” More typing, and then she muttered something too low for Nate to make out. “Okay, I’m good. Let me know when you’re ready. You’ll have fifteen seconds to clear the fence before everything comes back online.”

“All right, take the system down,” Austin said. “We’ll be in position in five.”

“Copy that.” As Nate put the car into gear, he heard Larissa give the team the signal to move. He looked to his right and noticed that Dorcas’s knee had started bouncing again. “Ready?”

“Not really, but I doubt I ever will be.” She gave a smile that didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”

Needing to assure her, he leaned across the console and brushed his lips over hers. “Te amo. You know that, right?” he whispered.

Her eyes widened, and then she smiled. “Yeah. I love you too.”

Grinning like an idiot, he straightened in his seat, and then shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror. “How about you, Rita? You ready for this?”

“I’m good.” But she looked anything but good. In fact, she looked as though she was about to throw up. Not that he blamed her. It was rare for an ordinary person to deal with this type of situation. Hell, it wasn’t part of his daily routine either, though he trained for it on a regular basis. Contrary to what most people believed, working in security involved more watching and waiting than engaging in battle. Not glamorous, but it was part of the job.

Nate made the drive with a few minutes to spare. The main showroom was closed for the night, with only a handful of spotlights shining on the vehicles on display. He backed into a spot in the visitor lot, cut the engine, and tapped twice on his earpiece. “We’re here. What’s your twenty?”

“Guards have been neutralized.” Austin’s low voice came over the earpiece. “We’re inside the warehouse and have a visual. Three men, one woman. At least two of the men are armed.”

“Navarre and I have a line on the targets,” Wade muttered. “Say the word, we end this now.”

“Negative.” Nate bit out the word, because the last thing they needed was to explain a bunch of dead bodies to local law enforcement. “Remain within mission parameters.”

“Is everything okay?” Dorcas asked.

“Yeah, fine.” He unfastened his seat belt and clipped a wireless micro camera to the collar of his shirt. “The guys are in position. Remember, we do this exactly as planned. No improvising.”

Rita sighed. “I’d feel better if I had my gun.”

“No. Guns.” Nate strained for patience. They’d already gone over this at least a dozen times. “If they search us and find a weapon, it might get your mother—and us—killed. Is that what you want?”

“No.”

“Then knock it off. We don’t have time for this shit.”

In truth, he hated the idea of going into that building unarmed. It left them vulnerable and totally dependent on the rest of the team for their safety. And although he trusted the guys with his life, he’d still feel better with some firepower of his own.

Nate tucked the keys into one of the pockets of his black cargo pants. Together they crossed to the cavernous building and went inside. The place was deserted, or at least it appeared that way. Only a few of the overhead lights were on, limiting visibility and making him glad that the guys had thought to pack thermal imaging goggles.

“That’s close enough.” The masculine voice echoed in the darkness. “I didn’t say you could bring anyone with you.”

Nate stepped in front of the women, slapped on his best poker face, and turned his head toward the voice. If he looked closely, he could make out a figure in the shadows. It was probably Brett Salazar, but he couldn’t say for certain. “Your people shot at me. The way I see it, that earns me an invite to the party.”

Footsteps drew closer, and then Salazar emerged from the darkness, dressed in a well-tailored suit, polished shoes, and the air of confidence that came with a man who assumed he held all of the cards. He’d lost weight since his driver’s license picture had been taken, most likely the result of whatever drugs he was on. His skin appeared sallow, and his light-brown hair was slicked back from his face with so much gel that the tracks from his comb were still visible.

Two men in tactical clothing followed a few steps behind. If Nate were a betting man, he’d wager the guns in their shoulder holsters were standard police-issue Glocks.

A middle-aged Hispanic woman stood between the men, her hands bound with zip ties and duct tape over her mouth. It was easy to spot the resemblance between Esperanza Otero-Lopez and her daughters. Same eyes, same nose. Same wavy black hair. She wore a blue blouse over tan slacks and sandals. Her eyes held a look of terror. The bruise on her cheek appeared fresh.