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The glance she sent Caleb brimmed with questions.
Understandable. Danny’s tousled hair and surfer-dude vibe didn’t exactly scream executive protection. But that laid-back exterior masked lethal skills—and gave him the advantage of blending into a crowd. A valuable trait in close protection.
“Danny’s here to help,” Caleb said. “He’s former Naval Special Warfare.”
That earned him a more appraising look from Gia.
“Navy SEAL?”
With a flourishthat would’ve made a middle school drama teacher proud, Danny brought a hand to his chest and offered a dramatic bow. “At your service, ma’am.”
Caleb didn’t bother hiding his eye roll.
On duty, Danny was all business.
Off duty?
The guy flirted with anything female.
A smile teased the corners of Gia’s lips, some of the shadows in her eyes lifting.
“I’m going to take a shower while you two catch up.” She excused herself and disappeared into the bedroom.
“Very nice. I can see why you’ve stuck around.” The frank appreciation in Danny’s gaze made Caleb want to smash his fist into his friend’s face.
“Keep your charm to yourself,” he growled. “How’d you get here so fast?” He hadn’t even called Ryder yet to tell him about the timeline he’d set for the meetup with Lopez.
Danny barked out a laugh, not the least bit offended. “Just finished a job and had leave coming. Ryder asked if I was game, so I booked a flight last night.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry—Lachlan and Nathan sent goodies.”
Goodies. Weapons and gear.
“Show me.” Caleb followed him out to the SUV.
Danny popped the cargo hatch. Tactical vests, hard-shelled gun cases, and a black duffel filled the back.
“SCAR-Heavy rifle, a couple of Glocks, plenty of ammo.” He patted one of the cases. “None of it officially tied to Dìleas, by the way.”
He unzipped the duffel and handed Caleb a radio with an earpiece, then held up a small brown envelope. “Tracker tags. Same model Nathan used on Emily in Paris.”
Danny’s grinfaded. “Ryder filled me in. This feels familiar—bad guy wants your girl and he’s willing to kill you to get her. We good on support? I’m assuming we can source anything else we need?”
“My cousin Zach can.” Caleb peered inside at the flesh-colored trackers, then lifted the rifle from its case. “This isn’t official Dìleas business. It could get ugly.”
Not could. Would.
“Dude, you know me. I’m always up for a party.”
Caleb shook his head.SEALs. There was a reason Green Berets were called the quiet professionals and SEALs…were not.
“Gia’s ex is high-ranking in Espina Negra. He kidnapped one of her friends to force her return. I offered a trade—Gia for Jennie—but only if Lopez shows up in person to make the swap.”
He met Danny’s eyes. “I was going to call Ryder for backup. We’ll need more triggers on target. Lopez won’t come alone.”
Danny folded his arms, leaning against the SUV. “I’m going to assume you’re not actually trading one woman for the other.”
“Not a chance. I want Jennie back, and I want Gia free of this asshole for good. Once Zach confirms the location, I’ll text it to Lopez. The meet’s tomorrow—late afternoon. He’ll come armed, but he won’t know the terrain like we do.”