Page 22 of Shadow Undercover

“The rabbit hole where you wallow in guilt because you didn’t see the signs of Ruth’s distress. Look at it this way. If you went to Puebla sooner, Shadow wouldn’t have been there to help you escape Torino’s men.”

“His men were chasing you?”

“Someone must have spotted me and tipped off Torino’s crew. I stumbled upon you by chance.”

If she hadn’t regained consciousness when she had, Bridget shuddered to think what would have happened to her. Trace saved her life. “Who is Shadow?”

“We are,” Nico said from the doorway. “That’s our unit’s name.”

She remembered the conversation with Rafe Torres. “Like Durango and Bravo.”

“That’s right.” He moved to her bedside and looked at Trace. “I called a friend in the Corp. He’ll see what he can learn about Torino. Joe’s on the phone with an Army buddy. I know you’re concerned about Bridget’s wellbeing, but we need to talk about the mission.”

Trace scowled. “I don’t want Bridget unprotected.”

“Brent will take over the watch while we debrief.”

Bridget released his hand. “Go. You said the best thing I could do for myself was rest. I’ll take a nap while you talk to your team.”

He looked skeptical. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’ll be fine.” She doubted she’d fall asleep. At least Bridget wouldn’t prevent him from doing his job. The last thing she wanted was for Trace to be in trouble with his boss.

Brent walked into the room. His eyebrow rose. “Everything okay here?”

“Trace was going to a meeting with his team.”

“I’ll be in the next room,” Trace said. “Call out if you need me.” He looked at his boss who gave a nod, his lips curved. With one last lingering look at Bridget, Trace followed Nico from the room.

Brent set a chair by her bedside and sat. “What was that about?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. What was that look about?”

“Trace handed me responsibility for your safety until he returns. Your turn.”

“He’s worried about me. We talked to Rafe, Stella, and Veronica. They’re looking for information.”

“What disturbed you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you a mind reader?”

He gave a quick bark of laughter. “That would make my job easier. No, your body language and your eyes say you learned upsetting news. I suspect that’s why my operative was reluctant to leave you with me.”

“Veronica shared some information about Hugo that she warned me I might not want to know. I’m not telling her she was right.”

He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

Yeah, Brent Maddox was scary good at obtaining information through interrogation. “Hugo collects rare and beautiful objects, including people.”

Brent’s jaw hardened. “She thinks Hugo took Ruth as a prize?”

“That was her conclusion when we told her about Ruth’s alter ego as Roxanne and that she’d disappeared.”

“Veronica spent a lot of time in Mexico and Central and South America. Hugo hasn’t been a big player except as a playboy, but his father was. Veronica knows secrets about the big players and their families. It’s what made her so good at her job with the DEA.”

“Do you have a family, Brent?”

His face lost all trace of expression. “Why?”

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