Page 66 of Tango

“I was real careful.” He grinned and flipped the pages again as if he couldn’t wait for the party to start. I had to laugh.

“Rail, get over here.” Trigger pulled Rail away from us.

“They’re an odd bunch,” Mike laughed, “but they’ve always had my back. Blackstone’s too.” I held up my hand as if to say I wasn’t one to judge.

My watch vibrated, my two-minute warning to start hauling ass out of there. I put my hand on Keith’s shoulder and looked straight at him. “For Lexi.”

“For Lexi,” he repeated.

I left the house and tested my coms again once I got outside.

“Raven One to Fox One, do you read?”

“Read you loud and clear, Fox One.” I smiled as I opened the door to the pickup truck. Man, I’d missed that. The tiny receiver sat low in my ear, and its flesh color hid it from sight. You’d be hard pressed to see it even if you looked for it. Frank had some pretty cool hookups with the Secret Service.

I turned the engine over and watched as the others dispersed in fancy cars, Land Rovers, and two badass looking motorcycles. Shit, if Frank could see us now.

As I made my way across the border, I left Paul in America and shifted my brain back into Eric mode when I was waved through. I took a deep breath and picked up speed as I made my way south toward Rosarito. Not long later, Cole checked in that he’d made it across with Blackstone and that Dark Water wasn’t far behind.

I glanced down at myself. I wore a wrinkled dress shirt and sunglasses, and with my inch-long wild hair, I hoped it made me look like I’d been off the grid for the last while and hadn’t had time to worry about what I looked like. I downed some water and tossed the bottle on the passenger floor. It rolled on top of some food wrappers I’d scattered there. I needed it to look like Lexi had traveled here with me. Even some female clothes were tossed in the back. Deception was everything, especially today.

The pickup truck sounded like thunder when I shifted it into third gear to make it up the hill. I hunched over the wheel as I made my way through the narrow streets then up toward Castillo’s over-the-top white mansion.

“Approaching the gate.” I kept my voice low. I had to remember not to use formalities as I kept them all in the loop.

I gave my name to the guy at the gate, as I didn’t recognize him. He gave the truck a once-over and muttered something incoherent into the radio, then the gates swung open.

I parked, got scanned for weapons, and was escorted inside. It wasn’t lost on me that Castillo didn’t greet me outside or even once I entered the house. He wasn’t a fan of me to begin with and clearly trusted me less now. Given the number of guards in the place, he wasn’t taking any chances. For once, Castillo played it smart. I wondered just how long that would last.

“Where’s the girl?” One of Castillo’s men, one I particularly detested, got up in my face.

“None of your fuckin’ business. Where’s Castillo?”

He just glared at me and didn’t move.

“I’ve been on the run, estupido,” I acted annoyed. “I need to know what I’m walkin’ into. I still don’t know who ambushed me before. Maybe you’d like to tell me?”

His jaw ticked, and he rolled his eyes like the punk he was. “Go upstairs.” He waved at me.

I made my way toward the stairs, then took two at time and scanned the area as I went.

“Eight guards in the front and two at the base of the stairs.” I spoke quickly into my com. “I’m on the second floor and—” I stopped hard as I came face to face with Alejandro.

Shit.

This was one of those moments you could never prepare for. A moment that could take down everything, ruin the entire operation.

“It would take one word and you’d be finished,” he growled. “Blackstone.”

“That works both ways, Ale,” I warned. “You’d go down with me.”

His face was a study of confused emotion. He licked his bottom lip as he considered his options. We stared each other down.

Suddenly, Grim Gates stepped out of a doorway and eased himself between the two of us. He shifted his gaze from me to Alejandro. The ice in his drink rattled as he moved close to Ale and placed a hand on his shoulder. Alejandro looked uneasy but didn’t react. Grim was a big player, and Ale knew to respect him.

“We all have choices to make tonight,” Grim purred darkly. “Choose wisely, boys.”

Ale waited a beat then shrugged him off, and, with a look at me, he disappeared down the stairs.

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