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“I worked with him and his family on a story that made it to the press,” I yelled so he could hear me, and he nodded.

“I gained their trust, you know, played their game, until Agustin wanted more from me. I had to set boundaries, which all these Cartel men hate.” I rolled my eyes.

“He did cause some trouble between Bruno and me. Male egos at play, and all that.” I sidestepped how bad things had been back then.

I wanted to prove to Paul that I was good at my job and tried never to cross any lines along the way.

“Did you and Agustin ever…?”

“Sleep together?” I laughed and leaned close to his ear. “No, and while we are on the topic, I haven’t slept with Bruno or any of the Cartel families.” He seemed to like that answer because his shoulders relaxed under his damp t-shirt. Interesting .

“Seems to me Agustin would like another try.”

“He’s persistent.” It was true. Agustin was dangerous and had no moral compass, but the same was true of Bruno. It was how all the men were in the Cartel world.

He stared down at me. “Guess I better keep you close.”

I’d like that.

As we approached the island, a stillness came over the team as they slipped into their Blackstone roles. Cole glanced at Mark, who gave a nod, then he gave that same look to Keith, who nodded, then it went like that until each of them had done their silent check-in.

Mike jumped off the boat first, and as he tied it up, John did a quick scan to cover his back. The others followed silently. I quickly stripped off Paul’s hoodie and handed it to him. He offered me a hand and tugged me up on the dock in one fluid motion. He put the hoodie in a small duffle bag.

“Stay close,” he warned and put a hand on my hip to move me behind him. I shivered. The loss of the hoodie had left me with bare arms, but the warm Mexican sun would soon warm me up.

To anyone else, we looked like a group of friends out for a good time.

Mark, of course, played his part like a champ, buying a fruity drink with an umbrella and a pineapple wedge on the side.

He popped on a fedora and waved a map around like he was our tour guide.

The best part was how he continued to give Keith a hard time for not wanting to give the hat a try.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been a theater kid.

I chuckled to Cole when he came up behind me. “He always like that?”

“He’s worse,” he huffed, along with John and Paul. I laughed even harder.

“And no one minds?”

“We don’t have a choice,” Mike muttered from up ahead.

“Someday,” Cole went on, “I’ll fill you in on his backstory. He had a rough upbringing. He uses humor as a way to cope, and we all get that.”

“We all give him shit,” John said over his shoulder, “but he’s probably our favorite.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Paul piped in and sounded ticked.

“You’re still in the doghouse.” John smirked. “I still need time.” I got a kick out of the fact that they all played along.

Paul looked down at me when I laughed, and I saw a lightness poke through his otherwise stressed expression. I realized I’d give my left kidney to know his and John’s backstory as friends.

“Would you look at that?” Mark held up his hat and pointed it up ahead. “I see our hotel.” Which was code for he spotted the boat. As fast as the guys had begun to play around, they slipped right back into military mode.

They made their way toward it slowly. I found it hard to take the time and pretend to look at things as we went. I knew we couldn’t seem like we were checking out the area around the boat.

“Mark and Mike, you’re with me,” Cole said quietly. “Keith, John, fan out on either side, and Paul and Nicole, you stay by the ramp.”

Paul positioned me by the entrance of the ramp and put an arm around me as if we were a couple. His eyes constantly scanned the area around us.

“Do you ever get scared?” I grinned up at him to look like I was flirting.

He gave me a one-word answer. “No.”

I wiggled my nose to show I didn’t like his answer.

I needed something to focus on, but as I went to open my mouth again, I spotted Agustin as he hopped off some billionaire-looking yacht.

The drug business sure paid well. I stepped into Paul’s chest and used him to shield me.

Without hesitation, he rested a hand on my waist and pressed me behind a large dock post to partially shield us from view.

“What do you see?”

I peeked around and saw Agustin with a few men race toward some locals.

“Agustin just arrived with some men. Oh, my God.” Panic rippled through me.

“I see Jerry Canos and about ten of his soldiers.” I took a deep breath.

I really didn’t like the idea of seeing any of them. This was becoming very real, very fast.

Paul quickly spoke into his tiny radio and let the team know. “What are they doing now?”

“I can’t see.”

He stepped into me, his knee between my legs, one hand swung around my waist, and he dipped low enough for his lips to graze the side of my neck, and where his lips were on my sensitive skin brought a rush of a hundred different endorphins to the surface.

His firm hold and confidence took me by surprise.

“Put your arms around me, Nic,” he whispered, and I melted at the use of his nickname for me.

“Is this how you and John work as a team?” I made a poor attempt at a joke to try to rid myself of the anxiety that was building. I pulled him in closer.

“John likes to be manhandled more.” He spread his hands along my back just as Agustin came into view. “Now what are they doing?”

“Jerry is about twenty feet from us, scanning the area, but Agustin is talking to some men. They’re looking this way. Paul, I’m nervous he might spot me or—” He looked over my shoulder then threaded his free hand into my hair, so I’d look at him.

“Keith has him in his view,” he said in a calm tone. “The boat is currently unoccupied, and Mark just gave me the signal they’ve planted the cameras. In just a moment, we’ll move on.”

“I don’t think my legs will work,” I admitted.

“Hey,” he pulled me back to look straight in my eyes, “I know these guys. I know how they think and how they operate. Trust me when I say I won’t let anyone touch you.

” I gave him a nod and took a much-needed deep breath.

I believed him. “We just have to wait until he leaves.” He took my hand and used the post to shield me until Agustin got into a car.

His head tilted slightly, and I knew someone was on the radio. “Time to move,” he said. He hesitated, and I got the vibe he didn’t really want to let go, but then the moment passed. He just needed to make sure to keep up the romance for show.

The hotel looked over the marina. Mark took the first shift to watch the boat, Keith kept an eye out from the balcony, while Paul was in another room on a call.

Cole talked to Mike about something I couldn’t follow, so I let myself zone out for a bit and finished my salad.

Once I was done, I tossed the container in the trash and joined John on the couch.

He was reading something on his phone, but when I sat down, he tucked his phone away.

“How ya doing?” he asked with a smile.

“A little uneasy, but all things considered, I’m fine.”

“You’re good at your job, Nicole. I’m impressed with how well you’ve hung in there.”

“I appreciate that.” I unscrewed the cap on my water and took a sip as I thought.

“I got myself into some situations when I first started this job that I honestly wish I could forget.” I grimaced.

“It left scars that remind me in moments like today that I’m not as untouchable as I imagined.

I constantly do research on all the Cartel families in Mexico, even the smaller ones, because what’s small today can be huge tomorrow.

Things here can change with one gunfight. ”

“Very true.” He leaned back and propped his feet on the table. “I know you have history with Bruno.” My stomach twisted. “Which means you probably know the Perez family’s history.”

“I do.”

“Do you know much about Bruno’s uncle, Martin Castillo?”

“I do, yes.”

Paul stepped into the room and pocketed his phone. He gave John a quizzical look then sat down across from me.

I turned back to John. “Actually, I was asked to cover the story after you guys took down Castillo’s operation.”

John’s gaze moved to the roof like he remembered something. “I didn’t see any story, and at the time, we were watching the press closely.”

“Yeah, that’s because my assignment got pulled at the last minute. My story changed from one on Castillo to his right-hand man, Eric Noah.”

Paul coughed, and I thought I saw something dark go across his face. It made me wonder if Blackstone had had a few run-ins with Eric Noah before they made their move on Castillo.

“And what is your take on the infamous Eric Noah?” John pulled me back to him, and I thought about all I knew.

“He was an American who moved to Mexico when he was in his late twenties or early thirties. No family that I could find. He ran a very successful human trafficking business out of Rosarito. Business was so good, his operation among the locals was referred to as The Tunnel to Hell.” I threw a look of disgust at John, but he didn’t react, so I continued.

“At some point, he joined forces with Martin Castillo. I’m sure once Castillo saw what he had to offer, he was only too happy to get in on the action.

“He had an on again, off again relationship with Talya Canos, who was also rumored to be dating the head of a mafia syndicate in Vegas at the time. A guy named Grim Gates. Although I never really believed that.”

Paul bit into an apple. “Why?”

“Call it a hunch, and now I know that the child is hers and Eric Noah’s, I don’t believe Grim Gates was ever romantically involved with Talya. Plus, when he left for Vegas, she didn’t go, and later he got married to someone else. I don’t know. I just don’t see it.”

John nodded like he could follow my line of logic. “Did you ever meet the guy?”

“Eric Noah?” At his nod, I continued. “Yes, once, just in passing, but I’ll never forget it.”

“What was that about?” Paul interrupted and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I had a run-in with Bruno and was trying to find a way back to my team before he could catch up with me. I took the side streets, and when I came around a corner, I saw him. I recognized him right away. It was Eric Noah, and he was dealing with some guy. Before I could move, he shot the guy right in the head. He looked directly at me then turned and walked off in the other direction. Bruno appeared and started yelling. I took the opportunity to get the hell out of there. I saw enough to know I never wanted to see that man again.”

Paul looked at John then back at me. “Well, it’s a good thing he’s dead.” He shrugged.

“See, that’s the thing. It was said he died in the explosion, but his remains were never found. Isn’t that odd? Surely, there’d be at least a tooth?”

Paul stood and snapped his back. “I can promise you, Nicole, Eric Noah is dead.”

“You know that for sure?”

“Yes,” both said at the same time.

I raised my hands as if to say if you say so .

“Well, good. Now, if only you could remove Bruno, Agustin, and Rafael, the world might sleep a little better.”

John agreed.

I watched as Paul slipped out onto the patio to join Keith and wondered if I should follow.