Page 42 of Ravaged Hearts

Icouldn’t recall ever being this nervous about an op.

The last couple of days had gone by in a flash. I’d tried my best to cling to each hour—hell, each minute—with Hope, but there’d been so many jobs to do as soon as we’d landed in-country that we’d hardly had a private moment since leaving Montana.

And now, it was happening.

We’d split the team in two. Brandon, Kane, and I managed a bunch of guys in Acapulco, while Sage, Owen, and Shep coordinated a crew in Manzanillo, four hundred miles northwest of here.

If Espinoza’s compound was indeed in western Colima, as el Capitán had implied during our meeting, then that was where they would fly Hope after picking her up from the church here in Acapulco. We wanted our people there for her arrival so they could monitor her well-being and follow her to the compound.

Sending half our team ahead was a calculated risk when the reality was that Carlos Espinoza could be anywhere. Butwith Hope wearing the GPS trackers, we’d know her location every minute of the op.

Last night, Brandon’s tech guys had installed cameras and listening devices inside the church Hope would soon walk to.

A couple of blocks away, Brandon and I stood with her at the rear parking lot of a disused building. The tracker hair clip already secured her long dark waves, and the buckle had been fitted to the leather belt around the waist of her denim skirt. Hope carried a burner phone in her back pocket on the remote chance she was permitted to keep it, but we didn’t expect Espinoza’s private security team to allow an unauthorized cell phone inside the compound, especially since Hope’s surprising arrival would most likely be met with both shock and suspicion.

“You’re good to go,” Brandon said. “Remember, we’ll be monitoring you the whole time. Once the cartel picks you up, we expect them to take you straight to the airport for transport to Manzanillo. If they fly you someplace else, don’t worry. Tracking aircraft is a piece of cake. We’ll catch up with you and continue the mission as planned.”

Hope wiped her palms on her skirt. “Don’t freak out. Got it.”

Brandon rested his hands on his hips. “Now, tell me your signals again.”

The ones Hope could use in the church if she needed us to extract her in a hurry.

“Scratch my left elbow or use the wordconfesiónin a sentence.”

“Good.” Brandon nodded. “When you reach the compound, be ready for a siege come nightfall. At the first sound of shots fired, find somewhere to take cover. The trackers will lead us right to you once it’s safe.”

“Okay.” Hope shifted on her feet.

“Good luck. We’ll see you soon.” My teammate retreated to the van to give me a private moment with my girl.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

Hope pressed a hand to her chest. “My heart is pounding.”

“As it should be. It’s okay to feel nervous, but don’t let it take hold.”

She gave me a watery smile. “I’ll be fine.”

I wrapped my arms around her small frame, and she pressed her cheek against my chest.

She held me tightly as though she never wanted to let go. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that the time I’ve spent with you has been the best of my life.”

I pulled back to look Hope in the eye. “Don’t talk like that. This isn’t goodbye.”

“I know.” She clung to my shirt. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you how I feel before I go.”

I gripped her shoulders firmly. “You canshowme how you feel the moment I get you back, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered, although I didn’t appreciate her lack of conviction.

What the fuck was up? Hope had been so confident about her plan since she’d suggested it, but now, I started to wonder if she’d been holding back her fears because she didn’t want me to worry.

“It’s not too late to change your mind. Say the word, and I’ll take you away from here right now. We can go anywhere you want and start a new life together. Just you, me, and Titan. You’ll never have to see your father or step foot on Mexican soil ever again.”

A shaky breath passed her lips. “You’re not making this easy on me.”

I took her face in my hands, cradling her cheeks gently as if she were made of spun glass. “That’s not true. All I want to do is make your life easy and give you everything you deserve. You’ve been through enough. You don’t have to do this.”

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