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“I understand Leila had been shot when they carried her up the mountain.” Joe made it a statement. “Let’s start with that. She went down. What did you do?”

Diego felt the presence of his brother. Rubin always knew when there might be trouble. He’d had all those years of their mother abusing Diego. He’d developed an instinct for knowing when Diego was in trouble, just as Diego had that same instinct when Rubin needed him.

Joe scowled and turned slightly so he was able to spot Rubin’s approach. Ezekiel moved onto the porch and stood at the farthest end from them. Joe sent him a long look before turning a thoughtful gaze on Diego. He remained silent, but Diego had the feeling just having Rubin and Ezekiel move close tipped Joe off that there was quite a bit he didn’t know. That wasn’t a good thing.

“I saw Luther had taken a hit. There appeared to be two different factions there. There were the ones that took Bridget and the ones that went after Leila. I had no idea who they were or what they wanted. They were already shooting at the women and Luther when I arrived. I needed to know and understand as much as I could, and it was necessary to ensure Luther wasn’t in a bad way. I noted the direction of the teams taking the women. I had placed a tracking device into each of them, so I was certain we would be able to find them if the teams managed to get them away before I could go after them.”

Joe nodded and continued looking directly at him. “I take it you caught up to Luther.”

“Rubin and I had been with Luther over the years and knew some of his bolt-holes. I tracked him to one of them, and he told me that Leila and Bridget were his nieces. Well, great-nieces. When his nephew died, the girls were supposed to go to him, but they were taken by General Pillar. Bridget was given to Whitney, and Chariot retained custody of Leila.”

At that point, Joe turned his attention to Leila. “Were you enhanced and trained as a soldier?”

“I was enhanced and trained as an assassin. I was never part of the teams. I lived in a separate building.”

“You never volunteered at any point or signed papers?” Joe prompted.

She shook her head.

Joe turned his attention back to Diego. “Luther had been shot.” He made it a statement. “You were able to patch him up enough that you sent him after Bridget?”

“He is a doctor,” Rubin said. “You don’t need to sound so skeptical. He went through med school the same as we all did.”

“If you can’t keep quiet, Rubin, you should leave,” Joe said. “It isn’t like I don’t know you two have been covering for each other all the years I’ve known you.”

Diego felt the instant reaction, that well of molten heat that could consume him if he ever allowed it. “Best not to talk to him that way, Joe.”

Joe’s gaze never once moved from his, a penetrating piercing laser. “Right now, I’m acting as your commanding officer, not your friend. Shocks me a little that I have to point that out when I’m getting the facts.” The tone was mild enough, but Joe was at his most lethal when he sounded mild.

Leila unexpectedly reached out to thread her fingers through Diego’s hand and pressed the back of her hand against his thigh. That touch, featherlight but all-consuming, instantly sent a wave of peace through him. She had that low energy, exuding calm.

So what if he knows you can heal in a pinch. Is it really that big of a deal?

The moment she sent the images into his mind, Joe’s piercing gaze locked on her. “You have something to say, Leila, I would prefer you speak it aloud.”

Her chin went up. “If I wanted everyone to hear it, I would have spoken aloud.”

Joe burst out laughing. That was one of his gifts, Diego decided. He could defuse a situation easily. It was impossible to tell if his laughter was genuine. It felt and looked as if it was, but Diego was well aware Joe had many gifts.

“I suppose you have me there. Let’s get on with this, Diego. You were telling me about Luther’s injuries. Were they severe?”

That was a direct question requiring a direct answer. Leila’s finger slid over his knuckles in a caress. Support. Encouragement. He’d never had that. Well, he had—he’d had Rubin, Ezekiel, Mordichai and Malichai, and he supposed he could count Luther, but it wasn’t the same. It didn’t feel the same. Leila was a woman he was falling in love with. He didn’t expect her to reciprocate, at least not to the extent that he knew he was capable of loving her.

“Diego?” Joe prompted. “Is there a reason you’re reluctant to tell me about Luther’s injuries? I have a very high clearance.”

Diego sighed. “It isn’t that, sir.” He decided if Joe was going to pull rank on him, he would be formal. “I have some small healing ability, and I had no choice but to use it. I didn’t have the time or equipment to operate on him. I’d never used the ability on a human being and was very reluctant, but given his injuries and the fact that I couldn’t be in two places at one time, I did my best with what I had.”

Silence met his revelation. Joe slowly turned his head, first to look at Rubin and then Ezekiel.

“News to me,” Ezekiel said. “I had no idea.”

“I didn’t either until yesterday,” Rubin admitted.

Joe turned back to Diego. “Why wouldn’t you let us know you were capable? Healing is a rare gift and can be used in the field when there’s an emergency.”

Diego sighed again. “I’ve seen you heal. And Rubin. It’s incredible work. I’ve used it on animals but never had the confidence to use it on a human. I felt it didn’t come from a good place and the ability wasn’t…” He trailed off, searching for the correct word. He didn’t want to say “pure.”

Rubin had always been his example. When Rubin healed a patient, he gave everything he had selflessly. There was no motive other than to make that patient better. That would never be so with Diego. He might heal those he loved or respected, but he would never be like Rubin. He didn’t have the ability to feel empathy for a great deal of the population.

“You have always used your gift of healing exclusively for animals?” Joe clarified.

Diego nodded. “I have many other enhancements that I work at either controlling or strengthening. We have two healers in our unit. And now Jonquille. So, three. I contribute in other ways.”

“Did it occur to you to ask to be mentored?”

Diego shook his head. “Again, I felt as if I had a very mild talent.”

“You healed Luther and then what?” Joe persisted.

“We thought it best to separate. I know that part of the mountain like the back of my hand. I grew up there. I knew I could outrun the ones who had taken Leila. There is only one place to safely land a helicopter, so I knew their destination.”

“Luther went after Bridget, and you went up the mountain after Leila,” Joe confirmed.

“Yes. I was a little less than a mile from them when I went up a tree to check how many and what they were doing. Leila was in very bad shape, and the men had decided to finish her off and just tell Chariot she didn’t make it.”

“They were going to rape me,” Leila interrupted. She wasn’t about to allow Diego to get in any trouble for killing Chariot’s soldiers. “He saved me.”

Joe’s shoulders straightened, his mask falling into place. Ezekiel stood, moving restlessly in the corner of the porch. Diego could feel that pent-up dark energy from where he was.

“I made the decision to take them out. They had weapons drawn, and it was only a matter of time before one of them shot her.” There was no apology in his voice. At the time, Diego believed he had no other choice if he had any chance at all to save her life.

Joe nodded his approval. “I expect that took all of thirty seconds.”

Leila’s little laugh warmed him. Diego settled his palm around the nape of her neck.

“You really do know him,” Leila said. There was respect, admiration even, in her voice. “I had managed to keep a knife. The idiots hadn’t really searched me. But I’d lost so much blood and was very weak. They’d dropped me coming up the mountain, and I felt something tear away inside.”

That was far too much information to hand to Joe. It was all Diego could do to keep from groaning aloud. He had been certain, after confessing to a small ability to heal, he could glide right over aiding Leila, given that she had defended herself against several soldiers.

Joe’s penetrating stare was once more a laser seeing right into Diego. Inwardly, he cursed. He didn’t mind giving up the fact that he had a small healing talent. It wasn’t unreasonable that he hadn’t developed it. Each of the GhostWalkers had multiple gifts. Some were far more advanced than others.

“Luther told me you’d been shot. He didn’t know how bad the injury was. By the sound of it, you were in bad shape.”

Oh no, Diego. Leila realized immediately she’d put him in a terrible position.

Diego didn’t like the waves of distress coming from her. She had hunched in on herself, turning her head to face him. Looking at him through eyes far too big, almost as if she were going into shock. Her lashes were wet. Her lips trembled. But it was the sudden panic in her mind that was the worst.

Uncertainty. Guilt. Fear even, that she’d betrayed him when she was only trying to get his commanding officer to realize the situation for her had been dire, and Diego had saved her life. She didn’t want Joe to hold Diego responsible for the deaths of those soldiers when there had been a good reason for him to take their lives.

She’d been defending him. Championing him. Now, she was terrified that she’d put him in a very bad position with Joe. And she feared she’d lost him through her perceived betrayal.

Protecting his secret didn’t seem as important as making her understand she mattered more. He was a grown man and should have let Joe and Ezekiel know the moment he had used his ability to perform surgery. He wasn’t as good at it as Rubin and never would be, but neither was anyone else. He had his reasons for not giving up his secrets, and if Joe thought those reasons weren’t good, that was on Diego, not Leila.

He leaned into Leila, resting his forehead against hers. “Leila, you’re tired. Cut yourself some slack. You need to rest, not get upset because you told Joe the truth. You were slipping away, baby. That’s the truth. I would have done anything to save you. Given anything. I’m a grown man, not some child hiding things from the insanity that was my mother.”

“But I shouldn’t have…” She trailed off. Her long lashes were wet, making his heart stutter. “I don’t blurt things out without thinking. I wanted him to know you saved my life. Not just my life. If those men had been able to do what they intended, and that was the last thing I knew, along with the excruciating pain, before I died…” Again, she trailed off.

“I like that you’re proud of me, Leila. And I like that you stand up for me.” He brushed kisses along her forehead and trailed them down her wet cheek to the side of her mouth. “Do you want to lie down for a little while?”

“I’d rather stay with you.”

He felt her uncertainty. A part of her thought he would reject her. She wasn’t entirely convinced he no longer cared if his unit knew. They would be protective to the point he might shoot one of them, but silence wasn’t worth Leila believing he would be angry with her over telling the truth.

“What is the truth, Diego?” Joe asked, his tone very soft, almost soothing.

Diego knew that particular voice. It didn’t sound to outsiders who didn’t know Joe as if it was a warning, but Diego had known Joe a long time. He didn’t like to see Leila’s distress any more than Diego did. Joe was a man who stood for women and children. He stood for those not strong enough to stand up for themselves. He might look charming and easygoing, but that was deceptive.

“I had no choice. Leila was bleeding internally, and she’d lost far too much blood. I didn’t have a team, or any real way of saving her life in a conventional manner. Along with healing animals, I had performed surgery on them if it was warranted. Again, I had never done so on a human, so I was very reluctant to try, but she was already slipping away.”

There was total silence meeting his revelation. He didn’t look at Joe or Ezekiel, or even Rubin. He brought Leila’s hand to his mouth and pressed kisses into her palm.

Joe cleared his throat. “I want to be very clear on this, Diego.”

That was a command to look at him. Diego did so, keeping his expression blank. The many predators in him reacted to any challenge. Learning to control the roaring voices, the adrenaline and testosterone, hadn’t been easy, but he had done so.

“Are you saying you were able to perform psychic surgery on Leila?”

“I had no choice. As it was, I had to remove her spleen. She had massive damage, but the trajectory of the bullet was what really saved her.”

Again, there was a brief silence. Joe continued to stare him down, triggering the predators in Diego. He breathed evenly. In and out. Counting his breaths.

“Did you know he could do that, Rubin? Ezekiel?” Again, Joe’s voice was very quiet.

“I didn’t have a clue,” Rubin admitted. “Not in all these years.”

“I didn’t either,” Ezekiel said. “But now that I know, I’m not surprised. Rubin and Diego are very much like twins. I should have realized what talent one has, so does the other.”

“Diego,” Joe said, a note in his voice that Diego didn’t recognize. It was almost a hesitation, something Diego had never known Joe to do. “You do realize there are most likely under ten people on this earth who can perform psychic surgery.”

Diego hadn’t thought in terms of numbers. He didn’t want to think of the repercussions. He had guarded his brother on the pretense of ensuring his brother’s gift survived, but in reality, for Diego, it wasn’t about his brother’s ability to execute psychic surgery. He did know, for his team and every other GhostWalker team, that was the reason the surgeon was guarded so carefully. He didn’t want the restrictions he knew his brother lived with.

“You know I’m capable of healing, but I can’t perform surgery. I wouldn’t even attempt such a thing, knowing the outcome would be disastrous,” Joe continued. “You can tell us you felt you had no choice, but the fact that you could do actual surgery under the conditions you had, when you were alone and most likely giving blood as well, attests to the fact that you have a very strong talent.”

Diego didn’t want to hear that and was already shaking his head in denial before he could think how to react.

Joe leaned closer. “You can’t deny it, Diego. You know if you were able to do those things, it’s a miracle. Nothing less. You removed her spleen and fixed the damage…”

“Rubin had to reinforce my work. It didn’t hold up,” Diego said.

Joe turned his gaze on Rubin. “I thought you didn’t know about Diego’s ability.”

Diego had to restrain himself from defending Rubin. Rubin wouldn’t have welcomed his interference, and he had the feeling he was already skating on thin ice with Joe.

“I didn’t know about Diego’s ability until I arrived at the cabin and found him in a total crash situation. It was only when I went to examine Leila that I realized what he’d done. Diego, I’d like to agree with you that you don’t have a strong talent because I know where that’s coming from, but if I’m to be truthful, your talent is every bit as powerful as mine. I may have more experience, but you’re every bit as capable.”

Diego shook his head again.

Joe studied his face, making Diego more uncomfortable than ever. “What is it, Diego? Why do you feel you aren’t capable?”

Inadvertently, his grip tightened on the nape of Leila’s neck. She relaxed against him, moving into him despite the arms on the chairs creating a space.

“I don’t feel the compulsion to heal in the way you do or Rubin does. It was a little shocking to feel it with Leila.”

“And Luther?”

Diego shrugged. “It was a matter of necessity to heal him. That’s what I did, but I wouldn’t call it a compulsion.”

“Is it possible that you trained yourself not to feel the need to heal because Rubin’s talent was strong?” Ezekiel asked.

Diego despised the conversation. He knew it had to take place and that none of the men present would give his secrets away unless Joe decided he had to be as guarded as Rubin. He needed to convince Joe that he couldn’t do surgery on just anyone.

Diego, you know that’s more than possible , Rubin whispered into his mind. From the time you were a child, our mother would tell you anything you were capable of came from a dark, evil place.

I’m an adult, not that child. I should know what I feel. But he wasn’t certain if that was true. Sadly, it was very possible that he had trained himself not to feel the need to heal a human. The need was extremely strong around animals. Over the years, he had convinced himself that healing animals, not humans, was his calling.

Joe’s gaze moved from Rubin to Diego, but this time he didn’t ask either of them to voice their conversation aloud.

Diego, think about it. Our mother drilled it into you from the time you were a toddler that anything you did came from a dark place. She even got our sisters believing it, or maybe half believing. She was insane. I tried to shield you, but there was no convincing you when you were a kid because we didn’t talk about it. We never discussed it. We were trying to survive and keep everyone else alive.

Surprisingly, Rubin had included Leila in the communication. Her fingers pressed into his thigh. You can’t dismiss what he’s saying out of hand, Diego. You’re mortal, just like everyone else, and you have triggers. You have built-in beliefs that are so skewed you’re having an impossible time accepting who you really are.

Was he? He trusted Rubin more than any other person on the face of the earth. Rubin wouldn’t lie to him. He had always put Rubin first because he believed in him, and his brother had never let him down. He wanted to develop that same trust with Leila. When she used the more intimate path of telepathy, it was much easier to spot a lie. As far as he knew, she had never lied to him.

“I don’t know, Zeke,” Diego finally said. “We told you a little of our childhood. What we didn’t tell you was that our mother considered me to be a child of the devil.”

Silence followed his admission, both Joe and Ezekiel waiting for more of an explanation. It was Rubin who answered.

“She beat the shit out of Diego, even when he provided us with food in the winter. She was certain he had used magic to lure animals to him. She persuaded him that anything he did, no matter the good of the outcome, came from the devil. She was relentless, telling him day and night, refusing to allow him to sleep at times. It was the cruelest form of child abuse, but it was his normal. He accepted it in order to help me keep our sisters alive. It stands to reason that Diego might have trained himself not to feel the need to heal. I was always the saint, and he was always a sinner. Worse than a sinner. He was a child of demons.”

I don’t want their sympathy. Or their pity. That was all a long time ago.

Once again, he felt Leila move in his mind. This time she seemed to stroke a caress there. It was an intimate feeling, and soothing, as if they were already a solid couple and she had his back.

They have sympathy for a young boy, Diego. They’re just learning these things, and they care about you. You’re so lucky to have people who care.

His fingers tightened on the nape of her neck in a brief acknowledgment that she was right. He was extremely lucky. He had held parts of himself away from his brother, his sister-in-law and Ezekiel, the man who had kept him alive on the streets of Detroit. Malichai and Mordichai had always treated him like a brother. The way Joe ran his team of GhostWalkers, it had always felt like an extended family. And there was Nonny. And Luther.

I am extremely lucky. I appreciate your helping me see it.

Diego didn’t understand why he’d never realized just how lucky he truly was. He was a man who turned a spotlight on himself every day to check his behavior. He knew he was loaded with aggressive genetics. It was important to him that he didn’t turn into a bully—or worse, a killer.

“Let me say this, Diego. To operate in the conditions you did and save her life, your talent, without question, is powerful,” Joe said. “And there is no way it comes from a place of evil. You do an exchange, risk your life to save another. You knew that going in. We can discuss this at a later date. For the moment, I need you to continue with your report on what transpired after you did surgery on Leila.”

To move on was a relief. Diego didn’t want to think too much about how Joe and Ezekiel would treat him knowing he had some measure of psychic surgical ability. He would never be able to take the others hovering around him or the restrictions put on him. He needed solitude. It was the only way he found peace.

Leila’s fingertips dug into his thigh. You have me now. I can be a buffer when you need it. I won’t mind. In fact, it would make me happy.

The sincerity in her kept the knots in his gut from forming. She was willing, like Rubin, to stand for him. Or even in front of him if necessary. That revelation was earth-shattering to him. In answer, he stroked his hand down the back of her head and once more curled his palm around her nape. Physical connection with Leila was fast becoming a necessity.

“We both needed rest for a couple of days. I wanted to have time to heal her before I moved her. I’d put together a little den for us and erased all tracks leading to it. It was necessary to get rid of the scent of blood to keep any tracker with sniffing abilities from locating us. I knew that wasn’t going to last, but I just wanted to buy us a little time,” Diego explained. “I knew Rubin would be coming up that mountain after me, and I hoped Luther would be able to. I didn’t count on either one of them, but in the back of my mind, if something were to happen to me, I knew either one of them would be able to find Leila.”

He glanced at his brother. “Rubin knows me. He knows every sign of mine in the woods. I knew if I went down hard while I was working on her, he’d find us and protect her. As it was, she didn’t need protection.” He couldn’t help the pride in his voice or the growing love in his gaze as he looked at her. He leaned into her and brushed a kiss along her temple, noting color had swept into her face.

He continued his report, letting Joe know about how four out of five of the soldiers were like the first ones, unable to control the aggression and dominance they felt. “Those men seemed certain they were superior to anyone else and were entitled to have whatever they wanted. The fifth man, Terry, was very decent. It was clear he would have put his life in jeopardy to save Leila. He had every intention to interfere with their plans. I let him go and told him to report back to Chariot that Leila had nothing to do with the kills. I identified myself so Chariot knew who he was dealing with.”

“You thought this was a good idea?” Joe asked.

Diego nodded. “I did. I didn’t want him trying to hold dead soldiers over Leila’s head. She didn’t kill them; that was my decision.”

Leila cleared her throat. “Diego.”

Her voice was very low, but Diego knew Joe, Rubin and Ezekiel had excellent hearing.

“I hunted those other soldiers,” she admitted. “Every last one of them.” She looked up at Joe. “That’s how I tore myself up again.”

“We had a cleanup crew see to the bodies. They were soldiers. They started out with good intentions,” Ezekiel said. “They deserve to be buried decently. Their families have the right to know they died on an assignment.”

“You can go to your grave before you admit that you were involved, Leila,” Joe said. “Your injuries were enough to stop anyone from moving around, let alone hunt seasoned soldiers. I doubt the subject will come up, but if it does, when we go into a meeting, you stay quiet. If they ask you a direct question, you don’t answer unless Logan Maxwell with GhostWalker Team Two allows you to speak. He’s an excellent lawyer.”

“That’s very important, Leila,” Ezekiel reiterated. “No matter what is said, who says it, or if things look as if they’re going south, you stay very quiet and allow us to handle it. Logan is exceptional and will be your biggest protection.”

“You know they aren’t going to release me.”

She pressed her fingertips into Diego’s thigh, betraying her agitation. It didn’t show on her face, but Diego could feel the waves of distress pouring off her. He leaned into her again.

“You aren’t going back there, and we’re bringing Grace home.” He said it with complete conviction because, for him, there was no other outcome.

She gave him a sad smile. “I really don’t want all of your friends to risk their lives—or their careers—because of me. We talked about war between two factions of covert operatives, but what we didn’t discuss is the likelihood of General Pillar pulling rank on everyone.”

“Pillar isn’t the only general in the game,” Joe said. “This is about right and wrong. What was done to you was wrong. What they did to your sister was unconscionable. It was completely unethical. Immoral. Pillar is directly responsible for that decision. If he tries to double down, he’s going to hit a brick wall. He has to answer to those above him, and they won’t like publicity. Before they took you and your sister, the lab in Maryland was aboveboard in that they recruited men who wanted to join their program. They were told ahead of time what to expect, and Chariot never went beyond those parameters. Pillar forced him to take you into the program.”

“How do you know so much about Chariot’s work? It’s classified,” Leila asked.

Joe shrugged. “We’re all classified. We have several resident geniuses. They can get their hands on anything they want. I don’t condone it, and I try not to know about it if that’s possible. But being a complete hypocrite, I use the information if I need it to keep my men safe and to have a favorable outcome on an assignment.”

“In what way?” Leila asked.

“The GhostWalkers have enemies, factions who would like to see them wiped out. There have been times when our teams have been set up. We’ve been stranded, without a way home from a very bad situation. We’ve been ambushed. We’ve had men from other countries infiltrate teams we were training, just to assassinate us. It’s necessary for our backup plans to have backup plans. We rely on ourselves. On one another’s teams. We can only trust one another, and we know that. I use information to keep our families safe as well as ensuring our teams come home alive and well.”

Diego kept the pathway open between Leila and him. He needed to know if she would stand with them, even if things took a bad turn and the general refused to cooperate. There was a child involved, and a mother’s instincts were strong. Right now, she felt Grace was safe and secure with Marcy Chariot, but if the general decided to play hardball and hold Grace hostage to get Leila to return, she could so easily cave.

As if reading his mind, Joe brought up the possibility. “I know you have to be worried that they’ll hide Grace from you to force you to return. Trap and Wyatt calculated the odds, and both believe that’s exactly what they’ll do. They’ll try to scare you into complying. Before we go into this meeting with the general, we have to know you’ll stand with us no matter what they say or do.”

Diego felt Leila’s swift intake of breath. She held her air trapped in her lungs until Diego could feel her burning with the need to breathe.

He wrapped his arms around her to lend her his strength. “We would never leave without Grace, Leila. Never. Before we enter the meeting, we’ll know exactly where she is, and if we have to take her from them, we’ll do it. Someone will be on her at all times, ready to take her back.”

Leila shook her head, nearly choking with the inability to take a breath. Diego couldn’t blame her. The thought of losing her daughter was too much.

“Just breathe, sweetheart. Take a breath. In and out. You know how,” he encouraged. “First, know they won’t hurt her. Commander Chariot’s wife is looking after her, and you’ve indicated to me that you don’t worry when Grace is with her. She isn’t going to allow anyone else with your daughter. She’ll most likely be feeling as protective as you always do. You have to trust your instincts. They’ve always indicated the woman is on your side.”

Leila drew in a shuddering breath and clung to him, her fingers digging into his arm. “You might not be able to get to her. They’ll hide her from us, and she’ll be guarded if the general is going to use her to get me to come back.”

Joe leaned toward her, forcing her gaze his way. “I swear to you, Leila, before we go into the meeting, we’ll know exactly where she is and have a plan to get her out if, at the end of the meeting, there is no resolution, or at least one not to our satisfaction.”

“You’ve already set up a meeting?” Diego asked.

“We have,” Ezekiel said. “We have the satellite in place, not just watching to see if the general sends more men to acquire you but to keep an eye on Grace. At the moment she is in Marcy and Phil Chariot’s home. They do have soldiers watching the place, presumably in case we show up to take Grace from them, but we know their exact locations and how many. There is no doubt in our minds we can take her back without bloodshed.”

Leila pressed her lips together. Diego, I want to agree. But what if I panic?

You won’t panic. When push comes to shove, there isn’t any backup in you. Especially when it comes to Grace. If you know there’s a solid plan in place, you’re going to carry out the orders, believing, like me, that we’ll get her back.

You believe they can do it? Even if General Pillar insists they will keep her?

I know we can get her back. Diego poured absolute confidence into his voice and into her mind. You have to decide whether or not you have faith in me. In the two of us and in our GhostWalker teams.

I haven’t been around the teams, Diego. You’re asking me to put my daughter’s life in their hands when I haven’t seen them in action.

Diego chose to take their conversation out of the privacy of telepathy. She needed to know he had complete confidence in his team members. “You’ve seen me in action. My teammates are every bit as capable, and some of them more so.”

She either believed him or she didn’t. He knew it was asking a lot when she really didn’t know him that well, but they’d run out of time. If she couldn’t give her word, they wouldn’t be taking her with them.

Leila’s eyes searched his for a long time, and then she turned her attention, first on Joe, then Ezekiel and last on Rubin. Slowly she nodded her head. “I’m with you.”