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“But what if he’s hired someone?” she asked. “Like a bodyguard?”
“He could hire a whole team, but they won’t match ours.”
Garrett pulled her flush against him, speaking directly into her ear. “Trust me on this. We’ll be fine. Because my world is finally right withyou in it. You and Stella. Nothing on God’s green earth will keep me from getting back to the two of you.”
Tears made his handsome face blur.
“Okay,” she agreed with a sniff. “But if the worst happens, I expect you to use Elias as a human shield.”
“I heard that,” Elias called out.
“You were meant to,” she shot back, humor replacing the worry in her eyes.
Elias stalked over, growled, and picked her up in a bear hug.
Emma squealed and slapped his arms. He put her down and they smiled at each other with the kind of affection usually reserved for siblings.
“Brat,” Elias scolded before kissing her on the forehead. “Don’t worry, we’ve got this. Your man won’t get a scratch on him.”
“He better not,” she called after them.
But she couldn’t help reaching for George when the woman joined her at the doorway. Together, they watched the men file out.
It didn’t occur to her to wonder why none of them were armed until much later.
Chapter Seventy-Two
GARRETT
They didn’t cross the border in the traditional way, by vehicle. There was no way they wouldn’t have been arrested with all the guns and gear they were going to need. But that didn’t matter. Ian and Elias had connections all over the world.
Their man in Tijuana arranged to borrow a boat registered to a fishing outfit working out of the coastal town of Ensenada. Elias, the former SEAL, took the helm. When they landed, his man, Juan Carlos, met them at the dock, directing them to two large vans full of gear.
They climbed into the first van with three other guys, all dressed in Mexican police uniforms.
Garrett didn’t ask if they were genuine. Knowing Elias and Ian, these guys would be the real deal, trusted men well-compensated for their time.
“The top floor of the building is all his suite,” Juan Carlos said when they got into the van, their destination a short ten minutes away. “The meter is still pulling electricity, and no one has come in or out since we’ve been watching.”
Ian took his bag, exchanging a look with Elias before turning to him. “He should have run farther.”
“Damn right, he should have,” he muttered, pulling the nearest bagto him to check his gear, which they had been warned not to put on until they were in the building.
Rainer followed suit, as did the rest of the team. They were going in eight strong, with their Mexican counterparts taking surveillance positions, some outside but most in the building, which they couldn’t clear without making a lot of noise and attracting more attention than they wanted.
The locals in uniform would ensure the other residents didn’t interfere or come to harm, while they went in quiet, climbing nine stories. They stopped in an empty apartment just below the penthouse to gear up.
“Still no movement,” Juan Carlos murmured as they lined up in the living room. “The front door is the only viable entrance. Scaling the balcony will attract too much attention.”
Garrett nudged Rainer, who slipped a military-grade thermal camera out of his bag. He pointed at the ceiling. “There’s a heat source but it’s not much above ambient.”
Ian examined the image. “We go in regardless—he could be in the tub or behind a glass wall. Either way, he’s probably alone. This other image is not warm enough to be a person.”
Nodding, Garrett slipped on his bulletproof vest, and because he promised, a helmet. The others donned their gear as well, checking their borrowed FX-05Xiuhcoatlguns before forming a single line, with Elias taking point.
However, their preparations weren’t needed.
Fletcherwasin the apartment.