Page 25 of Shadow Undercover

“Was your judgment compromised when Rowan and Alexa were kidnapped?” he threw back at his boss.

A grunt. “Of course. I was in love with Rowan. Are you telling me you’re in love with Bridget?”

“We’re…friends.”

A bark of laughter. “Funny thing, Trace. She said the same thing in exactly the same manner. I want to know the minute this thing between you and Bridget becomes more personal.”

Brent stated that as though the relationship thing was a done deal. “If it does,” he muttered. “Don’t hold your breath.”

His boss inclined his head. “If.”

“What did Zane say?” Nico asked.

“Enough to convince me to contact the president for permission to take Hugo Torino out of the picture permanently.”

Eyebrows rose.

Nico dragged a hand down his face, fatigue evident. Shadow was running low on sleep and high on fatigue. “Details.”

“According to online chatter, Hugo will take over for his father. Where Pedro was interested in peddling drugs and weapons in South and Central America, his son is more ambitious. Hugo isn’t interested in drugs. He’s into weapons of all types, including chemical and nuclear.”

Joe groaned. “Why can’t he be a run-of-the-mill thug, not a wannabe dictator of the world? I’m tired of men like him. They all want world domination and are too stupid to realize if they destroy the world, there’s nothing to rule over.”

“We’re playing Whack-A-Mole,” Ben muttered. “We take one out but there are more who pop up from another hole.”

“This is a two-for-one deal?” Trace eyed Brent. “We find Hugo, we’ll find Ruth?”

“I’m sorry, Trace. Hugo just moved up to the top of the hit parade. If Ruth isn’t with him, she’ll have to wait.”

He clenched his jaw, holding back words wanting to fly from his mouth. Trace understood the choice. Bridget wouldn’t. One task at a time. This might be a moot argument. If Veronica was right and Hugo took Ruth as a grand prize to brag about, he’d want to keep her close.

Trace didn’t want to look Bridget in the eye and tell her he’d killed her only remaining link to her sister. As dubious as Hugo’s morals were, at least he had a vested interest in keeping Ruth safe. His cronies would kill her and dump her body.

“Until we know otherwise, we move forward as planned,” Nico said. “As far as we know, Hugo and Ruth are still together. Let’s find out what hole this clown’s hiding in and flush him out. Ben, see if there are special weapons requests circulating on the Net. If Hugo is thinking of chemical and nuclear weapons, he’ll need something to launch those weapons with.”

“Can’t exactly drop into a big box store and buy a missile.”

“I’ll dig into the Torino financial accounts. Joe, focus on the gunrunning aspect of the Torino business. Sam can help you with the research.” Nico turned to Brent. “Other information we need to know?”

“If you need help with Torino’s organization, let me know.”

Nico nodded and turned to Trace. “Find out about Ruth along with anything she mentioned to Bridget about Hugo. Tear Hugo’s life apart. I want to know everything, including the color of his pajamas and what he likes eating for breakfast. I have some ideas I want to run by Brent before Shadow discusses options and plans. We’ll only have one shot at this. If Hugo realizes rescuing Ruth is one of our objectives, he’ll kill her for spite.”

Yeah, he’d pretty much figured it would shake out like that. Question was, had Bridget realized it? “Yes, sir.”

“We can’t plan the op until we know where Hugo is hiding. Let’s find this creep, free the fair maiden, and go home.” A smile curved Nico’s lips. “I miss my wife. Let’s take care of business so I can remind her what I look like.”

Joe grinned. “You better bring flowers so she’ll know it’s you, buddy. You’ve been gone a long time.”

“I’ve been sending flowers every week. I sent her a huge stuffed teddy bear yesterday and a chocolate orange earlier this week.” Satisfaction filled his gaze. “Mercy is handling my absence just fine. I’ll make my extended absence up to her when we’re together.”

Envy hit Trace hard as his friend talked about the woman he adored. Not for him, he reminded himself. What woman wanted to be tangled up with a sniper?

Bridget’s face popped into the forefront of his mind. Yeah, she seemed to handle his job all right. Didn’t mean she wanted to date a man who killed for a living.

Irritated with himself for considering a relationship with her, Trace followed Joe and Ben from the room while Nico and Brent stayed behind.

Joe and Sam went to the small kitchen with their laptops. Trace didn’t know how long they would work. Sam had napped between checks on Bridget but she looked exhausted. Joe would insist she sleep before long.

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