Chapter 19

After I finally loosened my grip on Ranger, I told him that he should probably call Tank back. Then we had to open the door to the hotel security that Tank had immediately called in when I'd dropped the phone. Once they'd surveyed the room and we assured them that it was a false alarm, I filled Ranger in on my Cordero theory.

He listened to the evidence, then told me about his meeting. Cordero was pushing to proceed with the Palmira mission. His only concession to the fact that it was an ambush was to call in another unit for support. All of that only stacked more evidence against Cordero. Ranger called Margeaux and handed over our theory, and informed me that the CIA would work on validating what we'd found. They'd take things from there.

"Now what?" I asked.

"My meeting with Cordero didn't end well," he told me. "He knows that I don't support his plan, and I told him that I didn't have any qualms about taking my concerns over his head."

"I can't imagine he was too happy about that."

"Which is why I want you out of the city as soon as possible, in case he decides that I'm going to be too much trouble to deal with."

My heart thudded and the ball of worry in my stomach got extra stabby. "So we go back to Newark? Or to the safe house with Gabriella?"

"Newark," he confirmed. "It's closer. The safe house belongs to Rangeman, which means it's more easily traced. The Newark house can't be tied to Rangeman or me. The title is under an alias. One of mine, not the military's."

"I'll be packed in two minutes," I promised, already turning toward the bathroom to gather up my belongings.

"You have about forty-five minutes." Ranger glanced at his watch. "Tank should be in the air by now. I'll drive you to Dulles to meet him. You're flying private, so you'll be able to turn around and head back right away."

I stopped and turned back to him. Something was sounding off. "You're coming with us, right?"

"No."

I must have misheard. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I need to stay here."

"Why? What for?"

"Work."

Great. So we were back to monosyllabic answers and hoarding words like they were bars of gold. "You just said that the CIA will be taking it from here."

"They've asked for me to make myself available."

"For what?" I demanded. If he was going to help, then I wanted to as well.

He just looked at me for a few beats and then turned away to sit down in front of his laptop. If he thought he was getting away that easily, he'd have to guess again.

"You just told me you think it's possible that Cordero is going to start thinking you're too big of a liability," I pointed out.

"Yes. But we also know that he is too big of a liability to leave him alone. I'm going to stay nearby in case we need to lure him out sooner rather than later."

"So you're bait?" I was hands on hips, and my voice was getting a little squeaky.

"This isn't a discussion."

I spun on my heel and stalked off to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me with more force than was probably necessary. The ball of worry was churning in my gut. It really didn't like this, and neither did I.

Ranger knew how to do his job. Now that he knew what he was dealing with, surely he could handle it. But the spiky ball of worry was also reminding me that Cordero must also be pretty freaking good, both at his job and at being a traitor, given how long it took for us to piece things together. Plus I was back to being useless - useless to help Ranger, to stop Cordero, or to find Valdez. I couldn't even go home, and I missed it. I missed Rex, and Grandma, and I even sort of missed tracking and bagging low-lifes and hanging out at the office with Connie and Lula.

All of that came to a head and made me restless and wired. While I threw all my cosmetics and toiletries back into the bag they'd come from, I tried to think of something, anything, that I could do to help.

By the time my bags were packed and waiting by the door, I'd come up with exactly one idea.

"I've been thinking about something."

Ranger paused at his laptop and closed his eyes for a few seconds, probably doing some deep breathing or meditation before he slowly turned to face me.

"Are Los Reyes still hunting Gabriella in Trenton?" I asked.

He considered his answer before he spoke. "Yes. So I'm told. I still have teams keeping an eye on them."

"You said earlier that you thought there were probably a couple of higher-level Reyes in the city, helping in the search for Gabriella and the missing cocaine."

His movements were still measured, guarded, but he nodded. "Yes."

"What if we can find someone who's high-level enough to lead us to Valdez?"

Ranger leaned back in his chair. "It's a good thought. Although there aren't many people who would know enough about him to be useful to us. It might be a dead end, but could be worth a try."

"I thought about that, too, but I figured he'd send someone who knew Gabriella. Don't you think? Someone who'd for sure be able to tell her apart from any other pretty face. He wouldn't send anyone who could be fooled."

Ranger nodded again. "It's a good idea. I'll ask Margeaux for some photos of the Reyes in upper management, and have my men look them over to see if any of them have been spotted in Trenton."

"How will they manage the capture once they find someone? I'd imagine that Valdez's closest men must be pretty adept at staying in the shadows."

He shrugged a shoulder, unconcerned. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

I squared my shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I'd like to go back to Trenton. Have Tank escort me. He can stick to me like white on rice, I don't care, but put me on the streets. They're there for Gabriella, and they think I'm their ticket. Let me draw them out and make them come to us."

Although he'd graciously let me finish my little speech, I'd seen in his eyes that Ranger had slammed the door on that idea the moment it left my lips. "No."

My arms crossed over my chest and I stared him down. "That's it? Just no? You get to be bait, but not me? Why do you get all the fun?"

"The number one rule still applies," he reminded me.

"I can do this and still stay safe," I argued. "You can have a whole team of men surrounding me. Put freaking snipers on the rooftops, I don't care. I want to help."

"No."

I rolled my eyes so hard I almost fell over. "You do realize that this is a huge double standard, right?"

"Yes. There is 100% a double standard. What's standard for me is not anywhere near standard for you, and I plan on keeping it that way."

"But I can help!"

He sighed. A sigh from Ranger was practically a once in a decade event, so when it happened, it made an impact. He stood from his chair and closed the distance between us, resting his hands on my shoulders. "You've done your part. And I appreciate it, because I couldn't have done it without you."

Well, shit. That just threw a wet blanket over my simmering indignation.

"But I wish that I had," he continued. "Because I can't stand that I dragged you into this."

And just like that, the indignation was gearing up for another round. "You keep trying to take credit for everything. I was technically in this whole mess with Gabriella before you even knew she was in town, remember? I'm the one who Los Reyes are after, not you."

"I'm not worried about Los Reyes right now. I should be, but I'm not," he admitted. "Because all I can think about is that Cordero is out there somewhere in this city, with my name and yours on his shit list. Because I fucking introduced you." Ranger's blank face slipped for a minute, and I saw the tension and worry in his eyes.

"Fine. I'll go back to Newark."

I felt his relief as he shifted his posture and kissed me on the forehead.

###

"Any news?" I asked.

Tank looked up from his laptop screen to meet my eyes across the kitchen island. He was perched on a barstool, glued to his computer, and I was pacing a hole in the tile while I gnawed on baby carrots. This was what my life had come to - stress eating vegetables.

He shook his head. "I doubt we'll know anything for awhile. The alphabet agencies aren't known for the speed of their decision-making. I expect it may take a couple of days for them to decide on a plan for Cordero."

"Days?" I lamented.

"Welcome to bureaucracy. That's one reason I got out of the military. Too much red tape for me."

"Then what about news from Rangeman? Any luck fleshing out the right Reyes?"

"Not yet."

I sighed and turned back to my pacing and gnawing. I would have killed for some Taskykakes right about then.

It was nearly 11 PM, which meant it had only been four hours since Tank and I had landed back in Newark. We'd come straight to the safe house from the airport - no passing Go, no collecting $200, and definitely no picking up a pizza. I'd made us peanut butter sandwiches for dinner, and I'd called Lula to check in and make sure she was doing okay. She was still staying at Tank's, and there was a Rangeman patrol on her. She seemed to be having a little too much fun with it all, although she was annoyed with me for pulling Tank away and ruining her plans for their night. Yeesh.

There was zero chance I'd be able to fall asleep anytime soon, so I continued to pace around the house. I'd texted Ranger five times since we landed and hadn't heard back. Tank assured me that he was fine, and that he was communicating with him and Rangeman. So apparently it was only me he was ignoring.

I was starting to feel like a caged tiger. I hated that I had to ask permission, but I broached the topic with Tank nonetheless. "Can I go in the backyard?"

He spared me a glance. "Keep the porch light on, and stay on the deck where I can see you."

Relieved, I stepped through the sliding door and closed it behind me, imagining that I was shutting out all my anxieties about Cordero, Valdez, Gabriella, and everything else. I took a deep breath. The wooden deck was a little cool under my bare feet, a reminder that fall was approaching.

According to Ranger two days ago, he and I would be having a rather important conversation in a few short months. But that Ranger had seemed markedly different from the one whom I'd left at Dulles airport a few hours ago. I wasn't sure that the earlier Ranger wasn't just a figment of my imagination.

There had been a very tangible shift in Ranger ever since I told him what I'd learned about Cordero. He was taking the blame for my involvement in the situation, and now he was now doing everything he could to limit any further entanglement. Given what he'd shared about his past, I supposed I couldn't be surprised. But it still stung, and made me question the feasibility of a future together if he was going to shut down and lock me up every time either of us was in any danger. It was unrealistic to think that it wouldn't happen again.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I froze, listening, but didn't hear anything. I turned to head back inside, and that's when a shadow detached itself from the side of the house. It slid the patio door open with one hand before it stepped into the doorway. I lunged, but I was too far away. Before I'd taken more than one step, I heard three quick pops.

The shadow moved toward Tank, who was slumped on the barstool but had his gun in his hand. His eyes met mine over the shadow's shoulder, and I realized that I was in his line of fire. But then it was too late to care, because the shadow pulled back and clocked Tank with what looked like a powerful right hook while he tore the gun from his hand. I made a grab for it, but I took an elbow in the gut and then I flew backwards with a shove. I stumbled, heard a loud crack and felt a flash of pain, and then nothing.

###

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Tank, lying unconscious on the floor of the kitchen. That nearly made two of us. I blinked the stars out of my eyes and tried to take stock of my surroundings. My head was throbbing and my vision was a little blurry, so I blinked again. I gingerly touched the back of my head, and my fingers came away wet.

But it wasn't me I was worried about. I managed to roll to my hands and knees and crawl over to Tank. Bloodstains were blooming across his chest and shoulder. I pressed my hands against the stain on his chest, and watched as blood slowly pooled up between my fingers.

"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod." I was hyperventilating.

"Leave him," a voice commanded. "He's dead."

"No," I sobbed. I argued on principle - of course, Tank couldn't be dead - but also on fact. His chest was rising and falling. He was breathing. Shallow breaths, yes, but breathing.

The shadow walked into the kitchen from the hallway and I saw that it had Cordero's face. He was dressed in black cargoes, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and he had on some sort of black ski mask type thing where only his face showed. He ripped off the mask and tossed it onto the island.

"Why?" I couldn't manage anything else. My head was pounding and my hands were slick with Tank's blood.

Cordero laughed. "You know why. I know that you burned me. When Ranger told me there was a traitor on the team, I knew it was only a matter of time before he figured it out. I'd hoped that I'd have a little more time, but when Margeaux went radio silent on me, I figured that I'd been made."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Where's Ranger?"

"H-he's not here. I don't know where he is." Not entirely a lie.

Cordero swore under his breath. "That cocky son-of-a-bitch. I didn't figure he would be willing to leave you alone."

"How did you find me?" I didn't particularly care, but my head was still foggy. I needed more time to pull myself together, and if I could keep him talking, I might get it.

He held up my messenger bag, which I hadn't noticed he was holding. First he pulled out the iPad that Ranger had given me and he set it on top of Tank's laptop on the counter. Then he pulled out a tube of lipstick that I'd never seen before. He tossed it to me and I let it land on the floor, not willing to take my hands off of Tank's chest.

"Planted that on you at the cafe," he said. "I knew Ranger would sniff out a tracker right away, but I didn't peg you as particularly vigilant, so I bugged you instead. I knew you would lead me to him."

"You were wrong," I pointed out. "So what now?"

Cordero was leaning against the kitchen island, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't appear particularly concerned. "You're going to bring me to Gabriella, and then you'll call Ranger to come rescue you."

"Why would I do that?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Because if you don't, I'll kill you."

I had to fight the urge to throw up, and I wasn't sure if it was because of Cordero's threat, or the blood, or my head injury. Probably all of the above. "Ranger won't come. He'll know it's a trap."

"He'll come anyway."

"You seem awfully sure of that."

"He'll come for you." Cordero looked eerily calm. Utterly certain. "It's who he is. He's a Ranger at heart, always will be. 'Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy'."

"What about you?" I asked. "Were you a Ranger?"

He pushed himself off the kitchen island. "Of course."

"So you just don't believe in that bit about never leaving comrades in he hands of the enemy? Isn't that your whole plan? You sold out your team, your comrades, to Valdez."

His eyes flashed. "You don't know anything about it."

"I know that I don't trust you. Why should I bring you to Gabriella, when I suspect I'm going to die either way?"

Cordero's mouth tightened. "I'll make things very uncomfortable for you if you don't."

"You don't have time for that. When Tank doesn't make a call for his next check-in, Ranger will find out something is wrong. He'll send a team to check on us, and then you'll never get a chance to see either Gabriella or Ranger."

I watched him process that, and I pressed on.

"You need my cooperation," I told him. "And if you just let me call an ambulance, then you'll have it. I'll take you to Gabriella. Just don't make me leave him like this."

He gave me a hard stare for another few beats, but then finally he spoke. "Where's your phone?"

I started to get to my feet to retrieve it, praying my knees would hold out. But Cordero stopped me.

"No. You stay. I don't trust you to talk to dispatch."

"You call them, then! I don't care. I just want an ambulance. My phone is on the couch."

Cordero retrieved it, and I stayed on my knees beside Tank. I suppose I could've potentially gotten a message to the 911 operator if I'd been able to make the call myself, but truthfully, that had been the last thing on my mind. Tank needed help, and I just wanted to make sure he got it. His breathing was rapid and shallow. I didn't know a lot about first aid, but I'd bet that wasn't good. I hoped that EMS would hurry.

Would Rangeman be monitoring emergency responses to this house? This wasn't an official Rangeman safe house. It was a secret safe house. So probably not. Would Ranger somehow be notified? I couldn't count on that.

My phone could be tracked, but no doubt Cordero wouldn't let me take it with me. My next best option would be for him to destroy it. If the GPS went offline, Ranger would know.

Thinking about GPS got me considering my other options. There was a pen in my messenger bag that Ranger was tracking. Probably I wouldn't get to take my bag with me, either. The bag was in the kitchen, past Cordero. What else did I have?

I was watching the rise and fall of Tank's chest. This was a really shitty time for him to not be wearing Kevlar. All Rangeman Kevlar vests had GPS trackers sewn into them, along with an audio transmitter that could be turned on or off remotely. I knew that Ranger's men also sometimes wore GPS trackers in their belts, but probably I'd raise suspicion if I tried to take Tank's belt with me. Then my eyes fell to his hands lying beside him. A watch!

In seconds, I had Tank's watch off of his wrist and shoved into my pocket. I looked down to make sure it wasn't bulgy or obvious. I'd gotten another little hit of adrenaline and my heart was beating faster again. This was exactly what I needed. Ranger had given me similar watches on occasion. The watch had three buttons on it. One of them was a panic button and one was a trigger to record audio. The third just set the time. I pressed all of them.

Cordero was off the phone already, and he came over to grab me by my upper arm and pull me to my feet. As I'd thought, my knees were a little too shaky. I stumbled against him, and he righted me. "The clock is ticking now. EMS is on their way. Let's go."

He still had my phone in his hand. I nodded to it. "Aren't you going to disable that?"

He smiled. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? You want Ranger and his disciples to ride in like the fucking cavalry when they get the notification that you're offline."

So much for that plan. "What are you going to do with it, then?"

"Nothing. You're having a nice, relaxing evening at home." He tossed the phone back onto the couch, then grabbed my elbow and yanked me to my feet.

Shit.