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Stopped on Ryder’s name.
His thumb hovered over the call button.
Old instinct kicked in—stay detached, be the steady one, never need anyone.
His childhood had wired him that way.
Military service and executive protection work had taught him the value of a team—had made him a damn good teammate, even.
But relying onothers—reallyrelying on them—had never come easy. Not unless it was part of the job.
He didn’t need anyone.
Except now he did.
For Gia. For Jennie.
Because Gia was right. The only way to draw Lopez out and get Jennie back safely was to offer her as bait.
His fingers clenched around the phone, knuckles white.
He’d wanted intel from Dìleas, but hadn’t wanted to draw the agency into his personal confrontation with a cartel.
Now he needed his teammates.
They had his six. They were his family. Always had been.
He just hadn’t let himself believe it.
His jaw flexed. One sharp inhale, then he placed the call.
The phone rang once before Ryder picked up. “Caleb.”
“I need help.”
“Name it, mate.” No hesitation. No questions. Just loyalty.
Caleb exhaled. “One of Gia’s friends is missing. Lopez took her to force Gia’s hand.”
He hesitated, then pushed through. “There’s more. That missing DEA agent Nathan mentioned? Lopez killed him. Dumped his body in the ocean. Gia witnessed it.”
“Bloody Hell,” Ryder muttered. “Lucas Caldwell needs to know.”
Fuck no.
“Lopez is cartel royalty. He’s got too many connections for me to believe this will end well if law enforcement gets involved.”
Caleb had no time for the red tape of the FBI, even if Lucas Caldwell—godfather to Ryder’s fiancée, Nathalie—had proven to be a valuable friend to Dìleas.
As far as he was concerned, his mission was simple: Vincente Lopez was a high value target. Eliminate the threat and disrupt Espina Negra—a terrorist organization in practice, if not in official designation.
“Lucas will be discrete,” Ryder said.
“I need to get Jennie Tsosie back and make sure this asshole never comes near Gia again.”
“Has Lopez given her a deadline?”
“End of week. But I don’t trust it. Going after Jennie was an escalation we didn’t anticipate.”