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Guns.

“That’s not all,” she continues, swiping to another photo. This one shows a familiar black SUV. “Spotted leaving the warehouse at 4:00 AM.”

My heart stutters. “Alessandro?”

“His driver, at least. Eve…” Rissa hesitates, which is never a good sign. “I think this is it. The big move we’ve been waiting for. Whatever the Costas are planning, the Barone’s are involved too. And it’s happening soon.”

The coffee turns to acid in my stomach as possibilities click into place. Zeke’s disappearance. The weapons shipments. Leo.

“We have to move,” I say, already reaching for my jacket. “Now, before—”

“Wait.” Rissa’s hand shoots out, catching my wrist. “Think about this. If we’re right, if this is their base of operations, they’ll be heavily armed. We need backup.”

“We can’t.” The words come out sharper than intended. “You know we can’t.”

Because how would I explain my personal connection to all this? The fact that my nephew was kidnapped by the same family I’ve been investigating and I didn’t report it? The convenient timing of my marriage to a nightclub owner with his own mysterious past?

Rissa’s grip on my wrist tightens. “Eve, I know you’re worried about Leo. I am too. But going in half-cocked is only going to get us both killed.”

She’s right. Of course she’s right. But the thought of Leo alone and scared, waiting for someone to save him makes me sick to my stomach.

“What if…” I wet my lips, choosing my words carefully. “What if we just do recon? Get eyes on the place, confirm our intel before we decide how to proceed?”

Rissa’s expression says she knows exactly what I’m doing, but after a long moment she sighs. “Fine. Recon only. We see anything hinky, we pull back and call it in. Deal?”

“Deal.” The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, but I manage a smile. I pull out my phone, thumbs hovering over the keys.

Should I text Zeke? Let him know what we’re planning? But what if he tries to stop us? What if he’s already—

No. I can’t think about that now.

I shove the phone back in my pocket without sending anything. Whatever Zeke’s doing, wherever he is, this can’t wait. Leo needs me.

“Let’s go,” I say, standing.

On the way out I head to Rissa’s car instead of Eli’s. I give him a wave and a curt smile. He stares at me like he doesn’t like this move, but he doesn’t stop me. I get in the car with Rissa and we take off. I don’t even bother to see if he follows. Let him tell Zeke where we’re going.

The drive to the warehouse district is tense with unspoken questions. I can feel Rissa watching me, probably cataloging all the ways this could go wrong. She’s always been the more cautious one of us, more by-the-book. Under normal circumstances, I’d appreciate that.

But these aren’t normal circumstances.

The warehouse district is a maze of identical buildings and empty lots, most showing signs of long neglect. Perfect place for criminal enterprises. Perfect place to hide a kidnapped child.

We park two blocks away from our target, tucking the car between a dumpster and a stack of old shipping containers. Close enough to run to if we need a quick exit, far enough that it won’t immediately draw attention.

“Remember,” Rissa whispers as we creep through the shadows of early morning, “recon only.”

I nod, but my attention is already fixed on the warehouse Leo might be in. It looms ahead of us with its corrugated metal walls, loading dock, small office attached to one side. Two armed guards are outside of it and God knows how many more inside.

We find cover behind a rusty shipping container, close enough to observe but out of sight. The smell of oil and rotting cardboard makes my nose twitch.

“Eve.” Rissa’s voice is barely a breath. “Look.”

A black SUV pulls up to the loading dock, followed by another. And another. Men pour out—at least twenty that I can count, all armed. They mill around for a moment before someone starts barking orders in Italian.

“Something’s wrong,” I murmur, straining to hear. “They’re agitated.”

Rissa shifts beside me. “Can you make out what they’re saying?”