Someone in Sotillo’s organization wanted Kata dead. But why? To crush Hunter by killing his wife? If so, why not wait until he was out of the country, where he couldn’t protect Kata? Whatever the motivation, Hunter knew that if Barnes was on the take and the Sotillo organization planned to make a move on her now, this was going to get ugly.

Chapter Twenty

AS soon as Hunter asked Jack and Deke to come for backup, they ended the call; then he sent a text to Tyler not to let Kata out of his sight. Tyler didn’t answer, but he’d called earlier to say they were en route to Kata’s apartment. That probably meant they were still driving.

Briefly, he considered calling someone above Barnes’ head, but the chances of reaching anyone willing to set aside politics and make a quick decision was about nil. Besides, this was going to go down too fast. He’d ask for forgiveness later. Fuck permission.

Formulating a plan, Hunter took stock of his surroundings. Nothing suspicious, just kids playing in the park ahead, people starting their weekend errands, and joggers atoning for the week’s laziness. Rush to Kata’s place and secure it or wait here and see if he could head the assassin off at the pass?

Hunter no sooner thought the question when Tyler pulled up and parked his black truck at the curb across the street, in front of her apartment complex. Hunter watched through the tinted windshield of the Colonel’s Jeep as Tyler climbed out, his gaze crawling all over their surroundings, then came around to help Kata with her suitcase. She’d showered, dressed, and looked so lush. His heart twisted in his chest.

Hunter wanted to rush out of the vehicle and warn them, but in case the assassin had them in his sights, he stayed put. He didn’t want to give up the element of surprise unless forced. Instead, he watched.

Tyler set his hand at the small of her back and helped her into the atrium-style complex. Hunter wished the guy would get his paw off Kata, but if Tyler protected her, Hunter would let it go.

Soon, they disappeared down a shaded path between a cluster of buildings. Still, he didn’t see anyone following them.

It was now or never. From the seat beside him, Hunter grabbed his SIG and tucked it into his waistband, then shoved an extra round of cartridges in his pocket. He slammed out of the vehicle, dodging traffic as he crossed the busy public street, and followed the others at a discreet distance, ducking behind trees and bushes for cover.

Still, Hunter didn’t see anyone or anything that looked out of place, and that made the hair at the back of his neck prickle. He had a bad feeling that this was all going to go down—quickly.

Tyler followed Kata down the path paved in river rock as she fished the keys from her purse and headed for the stairs. They rounded a corner, then disappeared from sight. Hunter cursed and grabbed the gun from his waistband, ready for anything. He hated to potentially involve any civilian who might trek this path, but if they saw him and got out of the way or, even better—called the police—Hunter was all for it.

Watching for danger and innocent bystanders, he followed the signs affixed to the sides of the buildings that denoted the apartments in any given building. From reading Kata’s driver’s license last weekend, he remembered that she lived in unit 251D. He wished he could get ahead of her and secure the perimeter, but they’d reach the apartment way before him. Fuck.

Creeping behind a tree nearly choked by Spanish moss, he caught sight of the two again, this time climbing a set of stairs to her unit, Tyler carrying the suitcase in one meaty hand as Kata reached the door and unlocked it.

Hunter held his breath as he began creeping up the stairs until he could just see above the next rise. Kata opened the door, pushed her way in. Tyler followed.

Suddenly, gunfire erupted. Tyler shouted. Glass shattered. Then Kata let loose a bloodcurdling scream.

Adrenaline spiking, Hunter ran for the door as quietly as he could. He didn’t want to spook her or tip off the assassin to his presence. But he had to get up there and fight to keep her safe.

During a mission, he could block out his anxiety and simply focus on the tasks at hand. This wasn’t a mission, though. This was his wife. His heart drummed so loudly in his chest that he couldn’t hear whether his feet slapping the pavement were too loud . . . or whether Kata was begging for her life.

He’d likely have seconds to kill this motherfucker before he killed Kata—if he hadn’t already. Shoving the thought aside, Hunter forced himself to focus. If he started thinking she was already dead, he’d fall apart.

The door hung wide-open. As he reached the top, he saw blood. The sun streaming through the jagged shards of a broken picture window along the back wall blinded him for a moment. As he hit the door in a crouch, shielded his eyes, and stepped inside, Tyler was nowhere in sight. What Hunter could see made his heart stop.

Víctor Sotillo stood in the open doorway, his back to the enormous shattered window, using Kata as a shield. He held a gun to her temple. She shivered, her body shuddering with wide-eyed terror. Hunter wished like hell that he could comfort her. But he had to get her away from Sotillo, save her, first.

Hunter wondered how this was possible. Was he seeing a fucking ghost?

“Drop your gun,” the drug lord demanded.

If he did, everything would be over. The man had no mercy and wouldn’t hesitate to kill Kata—or incapacitate him and make him watch. Hunter had to come up with plan B.

Hunter could only imagine that Sotillo had shot Tyler and the blast had propelled him out the window, to his death. He shoved down the regret and dread.

“How are you still alive?” Hunter didn’t really give a shit, but if it bought him time until Jack and Deke showed up, maybe he and Kata would make it out alive. “I shot you in the chest.”

Sotillo’s mustache curved up, along with his thin lips. “Modern medicine, it is a miracle, yes? I . . . how do you say, flatlined on the way to the hospital. But the very talented doctors revived me, so here I am.” Then his face darkened. “They were unable to save my brother after your bullet lodged right in his chest.”

Damn, he’d shot the wrong brother. That mistake might cost him everything. “I’m sorry, Víctor. From what I hear, Adan was a much better human being.”

Rage gripped Sotillo, and he jammed the gun harder against Kata’s head. “Adan was a good man. It is your fault he’s gone. You and your team attacked us as we were leaving my abuelita’s house. You killed him.”

His grandmother’s house? Bullshit. If he’d gone to visit an old lady, why were there so many armed thugs and little baggies stuffed with white powder strewn all around the place?

And Andy had lied about Adan being alive and running the cartel, likely to hide the fact that Víctor was still alive.

Hunter caught her gaze and tried to send a calming vibe. He needed her to understand that she wasn’t alone. She still shivered, but anger had overtaken some of her fear. She was getting pissed.

Excellent. There was the Kata he knew and loved. She was going to have to fight to make it out of here alive. The chances of them both making it out . . . well, the odds of a cataclysmic asteroid hitting the earth were probably better.

“So what? You want to kill me, Víctor?”

Kata’s eyes went wide, silently asking if he’d gone crazy. He ignored her encroaching panic.

Sotillo shook his head. “Suffering the anguish of loss is much harder to bear than simply closing your eyes forever. I want you to feel that void like a bleeding wound. Originally, I asked Barnes to return you to duty today. I arranged to sneak into the country this morning. My transportation was scheduled to leave tomorrow, but I must return sooner. Big deal going down. Barnes told you about it, yes? I believe you called it a suicide mission, but you’ll be long dead before then.” Sotillo smiled.

The puzzle pieces fell into place for Hunter. Thank God Sotillo’s schedule had changed because of the big deal. Otherwise, Hunter would have been out of the country while Kata was being stalked . . . and killed. Hopefully, he could save her now.

“This plan works much better,” Sotillo murmured. “Now, I will see your anguish when I kill your wife before your eyes. This is much better than merely hearing of your pain.”

Hunter choked down his fear. He couldn’t lose Kata, especially to revenge for something he’d done in the line of duty. “And my commanding officer helped you determine just the right person in my life for you to off, didn’t he? For the right price, of course.”

Behind him, Hunter heard the cocking of a gun.

“That’s right, asshole.” Andy Barnes crept behind him, through the open door. “Put down your gun.”

Hunter didn’t comply. Dropping the gun meant giving up and dying. Instead, he tried to keep Barnes talking. “You had to know I was going to figure this out, Andy. “

“It took you longer than I thought. If you hadn’t been busy fucking this Latina whore, I’ll bet you would have guessed right away.”

Anger poured through him like scalding acid. Hunter forced himself not to do something rash. He restricted himself to grinding his teeth. “You’re a disgrace to your country and your team. How much did you sell me out for?”

“Enough to pay off a few bills, along with my house, and buy my wife that vacation she’s wanted for years. My fucking country doesn’t pay as well as Sotillo. I’ll leave the patriotism to idiots like you.”

“You hired Manuel Silva?”

“As soon as you called to say you were married. It was the lucky break I’d been looking for. It didn’t take me long to find Silva, who was only two hours away from your wife’s apartment. If she hadn’t gone to her office building, which took time to break into, giving your friends time to arrive, she would already be dead. I had to make a few more phone calls to find a cop willing to ice him in jail.

“I cut your leave short on Monday, thinking that would make her easy to pick off. But I couldn’t figure out where you’d stashed her quickly enough. By the time I tracked her down at the hospital with her poor, sick mother, too many of your personal security buddies were crawling around the place.”

Shit, Hunter had always known that Barnes had a clever streak. He’d underestimated how devious the bastard could be.

“I called you away early today for the same reason.” He shot Sotillo a rancorous stare. “Víctor changed the plan.”

“So did you do all this for the money, Andy?”

He laughed coldly. “The money was icing. I did it for all the times you thought you were better than me, were offered promotions before me, were given medals that should have been mine, and swaggered your way through gorgeous women I’d have given my right nut to fuck. It will be sweet to stand here and watch you die inside after we kill her.”

Then Barnes planned to off him. After all, now that Hunter had seen his face and heard his admission of guilt, his CO couldn’t let him live.

Sotillo sneered. “You will indeed suffer. The day I buried Adan, I held my sobbing mother, then began looking for a way to find the person you love most so I could rip them away from you. Barnes was very helpful in telling me about your life. Your father and brother are hard men to track down and ever-vigilant. Your very pregnant sister was a tempting target, but her husband made things too difficult. Then Barnes told me of your lovely new wife and your deep attachment to her.”

He trailed a finger down Kata’s cheek, into the hollow of her throat, over the curve of her breast, and Hunter buried the urge to kill the fucker on the spot. He had to convince Víctor that Kata wasn’t important, or she would be dead quickly. And just like the bastard wanted, he would know anguish beyond measure. Kata might not be his for much longer, but he would always protect her, always love her.

“I hate to tell you this, but you came after Kata for nothing. We’re getting divorced,” Hunter said. “The guy she was with—I assume you already iced him before he fell out the window? I saw them naked together last night.” Technically, that was true, and Hunter tried to be as accurate as possible. Andy was an ace with body language. “If you’ll let her into her purse, you’ll find the divorce petition. We’ve both signed already.”

“You’re lying,” Barnes snapped. “You love her.”

He did. No way he could lie about that. “Check her purse. You’ll see the papers.”

“Katalina?” Sotillo asked her.

Hunter tried to catch her gaze, hoping she’d understand the ploy.

“He’s right,” she told Barnes. “We married on a whim. I was drunk, and he was horny. It was Vegas. But Tyler dropped in last night . . .” She shrugged. “Then Hunter saw us. By this morning, he’d signed the papers and left. End of story.”

“Fuck!” Barnes shouted. “Let me see those papers. Get them—carefully. Nothing funny, or Víctor will put a bullet in your brain.”

Once more, Hunter willed Kata to look at him. She met his gaze for a second, then took a deep breath and dug into the depths of her purse. Hold on, honey.