Royce gave Blake a pointed look. “It won’t matter if Alvarez is already dead and my brother is either dead or behind bars from killing him.”
“If he’s dead,” Blake said tightly, “then we won’t need to waste taxpayer money on a trial, now will we? And give me a little credit for protecting my own ass.”
“I haven’t seen you act like it’s worth protecting in two years,” Royce bit out.
“Stop pushing me, Royce,” Blake said softly. “You and I both know it won’t take us to good places.”
They glared at each other and Kara cast Luke a pleading stare. He sighed and scrubbed his clean-shaven jaw. “We have a team of men and two scared women upstairs waiting for us to tell them what happens next,” Luke stated. “What do we know about the kidnapped women?”
“How they profile and who’s working this end of the operation,” Kara said, eager to get everyone talking again. “We don’t know who the buyer—or buyers—are, or where the girls are being taken.”
“Human trafficking is second only to drugs as far as profit goes,” Royce said. “It doesn’t surprise me the cartel is into this.”
“Yeah, well,” Blake inserted, “funny thing about that. Mendez hired me to find out who is stealing drugs from him, but he left this part out. Something about that smells fishy to me.” He glanced at Kara. “And you’re too exposed to work this from the front line, Kara.”
“Don’t start, Blake,” Kara warned. “You know I’m staying in this.”
“Hear me out,” he argued. “I’m not suggesting you get out. I’m suggesting you work with our team and let me handle the up-close-and-personal with Mendez and his crew.”
“I have access to documents that Mendez might not give you.”
“He is suspicious of you being more than a secretary. Add to that we came face to face with someone from accounting tonight, who is also working with Eduardo in the trafficking operation. They’re going to worry that you’ll put the pieces together and know who has been doctoring the reports Mendez gets. You’re not only a target, you’re female, and a perfect candidate to get sold off like the other women. It’s too risky.”
“He’s got a point,” Royce said. “All good agents know there’s a time when you pull out of a cover. We have a team of ten men here. We’re going to find out where the women are being taken. You can be right here with us, making that happen.”
Blake’s cell phone rang and he pulled it from his belt. “Mendez,” he reported, and then answered the line. Kara would have tried to read the conversation but it lasted all of thirty seconds. Blake set the phone on the table. “Mendez wants me and Kara in his office in an hour.”
“Did he say why?” Kara asked.
“Just to be there,” Blake said.
Luke shook his head. “I don’t like it. We don’t have anything in place yet.”
“Kyle has surveillance set up on the main headquarters for Mendez’s cover-up operation, which is where we’re going,” Blake informed them.
“He does?” Kara asked. “How?”
“He’s a tech genius,” Luke said. “And so is Blake.”
This was news to her. It seemed there was a lot she didn’t know about Blake. She’d confessed her heartache to him, and he’d confessed absolutely nothing. He’d promised nothing, not even a desire to stay alive. He was the wrong man to count on, he’d told her. He was certainly the wrong man to fall in love with. And yet, she had.
***
Blake pulled the truck into a space near Mendez’s offices, and while he wasn’t happy about taking Kara with him to this meeting, he took comfort in it being a work day and mid-morning with plenty of people around. He texted Kyle and confirmed they had several men nearby and glanced at Kara. “We’re officially on the Walker clan’s radar.”
Her brows furrowed. “Walker clan?” She shook her head. “Never mind. I get it. Blake Wright is a cover. Blake Walker is the real you. I guess it’s time to go face the firing squad.”
“Mendez is going to question your ability to handle a gun.”
“My fisherman father would be proud of how well I defended myself. I’m sure Mendez will agree.”
Her father. Damn, just thinking about her being a young girl forced to hide while her parents were gunned down ripped a new hole in his heart. He shoved away the thought and focused on their cover stories. “You’re f**king me.”
She gaped and laughed. “Now?”
“I’m serious here, Kara. It’s part of you keeping your cover. You’re now my woman. I want him to know that. There’s a certain level of respect for a man’s woman with these people. It makes you less of a target for the trafficking operation.”
Her eyes met his. “If you want me to act like your woman, Blake, I’ll act like your woman.”
A hot, possessive fire lit in him and it took all that he was not to drag her against him, declare she was his woman, and kiss her. He’d known standing in that shower with her this morning that he wanted her to be his. They stared at each other and he sensed she wanted him to say something, to put meaning to their relationship. He just wasn’t ready. It wasn’t fair to her. He didn’t deserve her yet. He had to get the past behind him and see this mission through. For Whitney. For closure. To be a better man for Kara.