Page 16 of Kade

The cartel. Kade went cold inside. He killed Tomás’s brother. Maybe Tomás took the one person he loved more than anyone from him because he’d done the same to Tomás. Tomás raised his little brother, would have thought of Miguel as more of a son than a sibling. Tomás would have taken Matthew.

“Why would they take my son, give him all the medical attention he needed, and then not use him against me? Why?”

“Patience has always been their strong suit. If it is your son, then he’s their ace in the hole. The best weapon they can ever have against you.”

“But how can we know if he’s mine?” Fuck, fuck, fuck. What was he supposed to do? “You said they were going back to Miami. Have they left yet? Can we stop them?”

“Yes, they’ve left already, but even if they hadn’t, there’s nothing we could have done. It’s not like we could have snuck into the airport and snatched the kid. TSA would have detained us for hours while they escaped to Miami and then to God knows where.”

“Fuck.”

“We’re not completely screwed.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out several small plastic baggies, their contents ranging from hair to straws. “Chucky is a good friend. He let me into their room, and I collected some samples out of the sink. I even got a kid’s toothbrush they must have left behind in their rush to leave. DNA, my friend, DNA.”

DNA. The one thing that could prove if all this was coincidence or they’d stolen his son from him, letting him and Angel believe the boy was dead all these years. “What do you need from me?”

“A strand of hair and a mouth swab. I already put a call in to a lab where a friend owes me a favor. He can get you results within twenty-four hours once I get this to him.” Dylan handed over another small baggie, and Kade obligingly plucked out a strand of hair. Then he swabbed his cheek and put it into the container Dylan handed him.

“What the fuck do I tell Angel?”

Dylan scowled. “Tell her nothing until we know for sure if this is your son.”

“Matthew,” Kade muttered. “His name was Matthew.”

“My daughter’s name was Molly.” Dylan stood and repocketed all the baggies. “I’m a little worried about Angel. If Ramirez recognized her, that could be the reason he went back to Miami so fast.”

“And the cartel will know where we are,” Kade finished for him. Dammit.

“I’ve already called everyone in for a meeting in the morning. We’ll figure this out.”

“Do you know how they teach their enemies to fear them?” Kade gripped the edge of the desk, the need to overturn it strong, just to vent some of his rage. “Not knowing where we were could have kept Matthew safe all this time. If they suspect anything, they will butcher him and mail pieces to us. He’s only six years old.”

“We’ll need all the military we have on staff for this operation. We can’t pull Viktor from his assignment. Woman’s ex likes to beat his wife and kid. From what he told me last night, the man is dangerous.”

“I’ll call Conner.” Conner was Viktor’s twin and had spent more time in the military than Viktor. He was part of a special forces unit in the Marines.

“Conner’s a cold bastard. He’ll do.”

As much as Kade wanted to deny it, it was true. His brother, once the most fun-loving of them all, now had a darkness none of them could pierce. Something happened to him during his time in Afghanistan, something he couldn’t or wouldn’t talk about. It worried them, but right now, Kade needed that cold motherfucker.

If that boywasMatthew, God help anyone who got in his way.

Angel yawned and rolled over, automatically reaching for Kade, but he wasn’t there. He’d come to bed well after three in the morning. When she’d checked on him around midnight, he was on the phone, talking in hushed tones, and she’d assumed there was something going on with one of the Kincaid Security & Investigations clients.

Memories of yesterday tried to overwhelm her, and she resolutely pushed them down. Yesterday had been one of the worst days she’d experienced since Matthew died, and she refused to let that happen today. No. Today she was closing on the building where her new bar would be located. She’d seriously considered making it a strip club just to piss Kade off.

She’d been a stripper when they first met, a fact Angel was proud of. She’d made good money and even better friends. Kade, on the other hand, despised men leering at her as she danced. It was one of the few things they’d ever really fought about.

Maybe one day she would open a few strip clubs, providing day or night care for the kids those moms worked hard to feed and keep roofs over their heads. It was something she’d always thought about. The place she worked, the owner had been an ass, firing any dancer who couldn’t come in because of not finding a sitter.

She’d planned on quitting. Men did not pay to see pregnant strippers, but then the baby died. Peter…Angel shook her head and got up. Not dwelling on the past today. There was too much to do.

Taking a shower and brushing her teeth, she got dressed and went to find her missing husband. Their priest had called yesterday to ask if they planned on renewing their vows now that they’d been forgiven for their sins of adultery and finished counseling. Not that she was the one in trouble. She had no idea her marriage with Kade was real and lived her life thinking she’d been duped. There had been a few relationships. Nothing like the string of one-night-stands Kade racked up. Forgetting you were married would do that.

The idea of renewing their vows had excited Angel. She’d put Kade through his paces, dragging him to counseling being one of those. He’d never said a word, but then Angel got the impression he would do anything to make her happy. A smile appeared at the thought.

“Good morning, Mrs. Kincaid.”

Jasper sat at the island eating a bowl of cereal. Security. Dammit, she’d forgotten she had a babysitter. Not that she minded Jasper. He was funny and pretty to look at. She kept that little observation to herself.

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