Page 87 of Maddox

“You’re going to need to trust me.”

That was a clue. Swallowing, I leaned into his gentle touch as he brushed his thumb back and forth across my face. “Fine. Then what? We give the Feds the drive?”

“Do you have a printer, Damon?”

“I have seven. You want me to print off the spreadsheets?”

“Yeah,” Maddox stated. “I do. And pretend you never saw us.”

“Happy to print whatever you need, buddy; from what I’ve seen, you both need to be careful. This isn’t just a ticking timebomb. This is a recipe for mass exterminations that could allow Alfaro to infiltrate dozens of countries.”

Maddox grinned. “Exactly.”

Damon snorted. “You’re still a danger junkie, dude. Let me print them for you. Just one copy?”

“Just one copy.” Maddox was insistent and while every part of me wanted to grill my protector on what the hell he was getting at, I knew when to keep my mouth shut.

“Do you guys want to stay here?” Damon asked and almost immediately, I heard the hum of at least one printer.

Maddox took a deep breath. “I don’t want you involved any further. We all know the bastards will be searching for us.”

“What about the hotel?” I asked in a mere whisper. It was beginning to settle in that I had accidentally on purpose stumbled into something that I couldn’t handle alone.

“We can’t go there.” Maddox narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze from one screen to another. “Damon. Do you have an older vehicle we can borrow?”

The man laughed. “Hell, I have six of them. You need one, you got it. Where are you going?”

“Somewhere safe. If anyone asks, you never saw us. I’ll send you a check for the repairs on the Humvee and let you know where I drop off the other vehicle so you can retrieve it.”

“No need for money, buddy. Just remember I might need a favor at some point. By the way. If I know you well enough and I doubt you’ve changed, you’ll want additional fire power.”

“Couldn’t hurt.”

“Just remember that you might need help.”

“You offering?” Maddox asked.

“You don’t want help from me, my friend. I’m a liability. You only came here because you had no other choice. What you need is someone you can count on. Think about Kage or Stone. The three of you were close.”

“Yeah? Well, we’re not any longer.”

Damon shook his head. “Stubborn as always. Keep him out of trouble, Charmaine. He’s always been a ballbuster. Funny thing is. That’s why I’m still alive and living such a lavish lifestyle. He refused to take any of my shit. Turned me into the man I am today.”

“I don’t know if I can do that. Maddox has a mind of his own,” I told them both. I’d never seen Maddox look so worried, including when we’d been stuck in a cave in the middle of a jungle.

Maddox kept his gaze locked on mine. And when Damon turned his head, concentrating on gathering the information, he mouthed the words he’d said before.

Trust me.

Additional firepower.

Damon had handed over several weapons and extra ammunition, tossing them in a duffle bag. I’d seen the man’s arsenal, a hidden closet in his house where he stored hundreds of weapons from guns and explosives to knives. While I hadn’t asked what the man was involved in, I doubted whatever it was maintained legal status.

Right now? I was just grateful it seemed someone was in our corner.

Maddox had strapped another gun to his calf, sliding two knives into his jacket along with at least two magazines of ammunition.

It felt like we were going to war.

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