Hector was worried. And he should be, Egan thought. Hunt wasn’t someone you wanted to tangle with.
Even though they hadn’t talked in a few years, Hunt was the one person he trusted with his life. They were still brothers, forever linked by the blood they’d shed together fighting in the desert. What if he refused the contract? Would the Black Tosca turn on him? She would be foolish to. Because of him, she had remote access to Daniel McMaster’s two laptops, mobile phone, and desktop. He was her entry into the DEA’s database. Five months ago, he would have taken his chances and turned down the assignment. But that was before Katherine had gotten pregnant.
“This man is a trained operator,” Egan said. “He’s not an easy mark.”
“This is why my cousin doubled your fee,” Hector reminded him.
“How did he come up on your radar?”
It took a few seconds for Hector to reply. “By mistake, really. We kidnapped his daughter when—”
“You kidnapped his daughter?” How stupid were they? “Are you out of your fucking mind? Pierce is a warrior. When confronted, he attacks.”
“I said it was a mistake. I didn’t—”
“You think he gives a shit if it was a mistake or not?” Egan was doing his absolute best not to yell into the phone. Hector seemed to have no idea of the gravity of the situation.
“We were supposed to grab only Tony Garcia’s daughter,” Hector explained. “We didn’t know who Leila was.”
“He won’t rest before he kills everyone involved,” Egan warned him.
“He’s only one man.”
“Maybe, but you have no idea what he’s capable of, my friend. He’s relentless, and he has nothing to lose. Please tell me his daughter is still alive.”
“She is.”
You’re a lucky man, then, Hector. He’ll kill you quickly.
“My suggestion to you is this,” Egan said. “Put a bag over her head, then drop her at a busy street corner. Then leave and never come back.”
He wondered if Hector would be clever enough to follow his advice. He wasn’t.
“Enough talking. The instructions are in the draft folder. Do your job, Mr. Granger,” Hector said, putting an end to the conversation. “And you’d better do it well.”
The line went dead. Shit!
He could try to leave. Go to Thailand or something. He had just over $4 million stashed away in a safe deposit box in the Bahamas and another half mil stashed in his house. Not a huge amount, but enough to live comfortably in Asia with Katherine and the kid. If it was him alone, he was confident they wouldn’t be able to track him down. But with Katherine and the kid in tow? Not so sure.
Was he ready to pay the ultimate price to find out?
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Miami, Florida
Hunt followed Tasis into the main house. The faint smell of onions and cumin that came rolling out of the kitchen triggered a rush of emotions and memories. Some terrible ones, of course, but they weren’t all bad. He had shared some good laughs here with Tony and Anna.
Tasis’s voice reminded him things had changed since the last giggles.
“I’ll be here, watching. Please do something stupid,” Tasis whispered as Hunt walked past him and entered the living room, where Tony and Anna were seated.
Hunt didn’t bother to reply and instead scanned the living room to make sure there wasn’t anyone else waiting with a gun pointed at his head.
There was no one. Tasis closed the door behind him, and Hunt was left alone with Tony and Anna Garcia. Anna was seated next to her brother, and neither of them bothered to stand up. Anna’s arms were folded, and her face was an impassive mask that Hunt couldn’t read. But damned if she wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. The thought of her ripe curves beneath her summer dress still stirred his blood. Her brother, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to skin him alive.
It was Anna who broke the silence. She placed a reassuring hand on Tony’s arm and said, “Thanks for coming.”
Hunt nodded but didn’t say anything. It was kind of surreal to be in the same room as Anna and Tony. Twenty-four hours ago, that wouldn’t have been possible. But now they all had to face the incredible and delicate situation in which they found themselves.
“So you kept the note I gave you,” Hunt said.
“I wasn’t sure you’d call back.”
“I’m here, and I think that if we can help it at all, we shouldn’t let our emotions get in the way.”
Tony was looking at him with the most awful contempt.
“I’m sorry about your father, Anna,” Hunt added.
His words seemed to reverberate in the living room. Before Anna could stop her brother, Tony jumped out of his seat and came at him. Hunt ducked the first punch, blocked the second, and jabbed Tony in the chest before he could throw another one.