That ring tracker had traced Mia and Joaquín up the California coast. Mitch was closing in on them, but I was still speeding to try to catch up.

The phone rang, and I picked up. “Yeah, where are they?”

“In Carmel. Parked in some driveway near the beach.”

“Okay. I’m a couple hours away. Keep watch on them.”

“I am, but man, hey. They were just kissing in the truck. How far are we going to let this get before we take him out? He’ll probably rape her again.”

Dammit, why had I taken this call on Bluetooth? Ashley glared at me with a look that screamed, “She’s fooling you.” Fuck her.

“Mia has a gun. She won’t let that happen. I’ll be there soon. Just keep your eyes on them.”

“Okay, man. Let me know when you’re close. I’m texting you the address now.”

Ashley opened her mouth “Grant—”

“Stop. I don’t want to hear it.”

But she didn’t stop. “No. Listen to me. She’s playing you.”

Fuck this bitch. “No, I fucking told you. Joaquín is a psychopath, and Mia is doing what she has to do to make sure he doesn’t fucking kill her. Or our son. Joaquín is crazy and has nothing to lose. Nothing. What the fuck do you expect her to do? Tell him off? He kidnapped her.”

A few hours later, I pulled up to the address Mitch had given me. I quickly located Mitch and hopped into his truck, unfortunately with Ashley in tow.

I slammed the truck door, and Ashley climbed in the back.

Mitch did a full eye fuck on Ashley. “Why’s she here exactly?”

Apparently he didn’t know she was NCIS. “She bailed me out of jail.” That wasn’t actually a lie.

He turned to Ashley. “You clean up nice. Though I prefer your rhinestone thong and thigh highs.”

She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. “Maybe I’ll give you a private show later.”

Damn, Autumn was back.

Mitch licked his lips. “I’d like that, baby doll.”

I ignored them and pointed at the house. “Have they been here all this time?”

“No. They went downtown. Grabbed some food, stopped at a touristy store and then did some window shopping. Even shared an ice cream cone.” Mitch’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Ashley touched Mitch’s shoulder. “What flavor, big boy?”

Mitch’s brow cocked. “Mint chocolate chip. Want me to buy you some? I’d love to lick it off your pussy.”

Ashley laughed, and there wasn’t a hint of her previous disdain for him in it.

“Hey, if you two want to go fuck, that’s fine. I prefer to operate alone.”

“Whatever, dude. See for yourself.” Mitch handed me some binoculars. We were four houses down, but with Mitch’s optic equipment, I might as well have been sitting inside the house with Joaquín and Mia. Good thing I wasn’t because I would’ve strangled him.

Once the lens focused, I saw exactly what I didn’t want to see. Joaquín and Mia cuddled on the sofa, watching something on television. He had his arm around her shoulders and was stroking her hair, and she was snuggled into his chest.

My mouth filled with a bitter tang, and I closed my eyes, praying to erase the image of them together. Like a fucking rubbernecker, I couldn’t help myself from opening my eyes and taking another peek.

And there it was. Joaquín was kissing my wife, his sister. His hand touched the top of her breast, and it took every inch of my self-control not to reach into my holster and put a bullet through his head. I could’ve made the shot from a mile away.

I handed the binoculars back to Mitch, who willingly gave them to Ashley.

Ashley squinted. “She seems into it to me. She just touched his face.”

“Just fucking watch them and stop speculating. This isn’t some fucking reality show you’re viewing—this is my life.”

Was I wrong? Was Mia some sort of psycho in love with her brother?

She hadn’t been convinced of his guilt when I last saw her.

Could Ashley be right?

Mia was snuggling on the sofa and appeared very intimate with Joaquín.

No. No. I knew my wife. She was a warrior, strong, and capable. She was willing to do anything for her family. And I knew that she was risking her life to save our son.