Protect & Serve(194)

I stuck a finger into his chest.

“I thought you told me that this life wasn’t going to change you, Hunter. But it was nothing for you to give the order… and when the police catch wind of this… I’m going to be implicated–”

“Calm the fuck down,” he commanded.

Oddly, I felt myself obeying the order.

“Listen, Sarah, this is exactly what’s going to happen,” he growled. “The police aren’t going to care about some little skirmish near a break in the border fence. They’re going to put this down to cartel infighting, and leave it at that. Do you know how many headless assholes they find down here every single week? We’re just going to finish up here, head back, and wait to see what our new friend has to tell us. We might have lost the battle… but the war is just starting. Now it’s just a matter of time…”

“A matter of time until what?” I asked.

“Until we have a better grasp of what we’re up against… and figure out how to approach the problem properly.”

“But what about the goddamn girls?” I demanded. “What’s going to happen to them now that we’ve interfered?”

“Trust me, Sarah, I know these people,” Hunter reassured me calmly. “Víboras Verde isn’t going to take those girls far… we’ve disrupted their operations, and they’re going to sit on this a day or two… hole them up somewhere safe.”

“And you’re just going to, what? Ride into goddamned Mexico to get them back?”

Hunter turned to face me, his eyes filled with burning, solidified faith. I felt a slight shiver down my spine when he met my weakening gaze.

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“You… you don’t understand,” I pleaded. “I can’t be a part of this. What you’re proposing is… it’s insane.”

I waved towards the burning pile of bodies nearby, coughing at the smell. “This little fight tonight is one thing… but going into Mexico to fight this cartel? Just loading up men and guns, and bringing the fight to their turf? That might have worked nearly a decade ago, but you can’t get away with that now!”

Hunter pushed off of the support beam and walked over to my side. He brushed a few strands of hair from in front of my eyes, and smiled softly in the moonlight.

“Sarah… I don’t expect you to understand. All I ask for is your trust… Have faith in me. I know what I’m doing, and my men believe in me. Can you do the same?” He whispered, pressing his lips lightly to my forehead.

I shook my head. “This is crazy.”

“It’s not as crazy as you think…”

I pulled away from him. “Whatever you’re planning, you’re going to get a lot of men killed. Heads are going to roll for this.”

Hunter crossed his arms, looking as confident as ever. “I’m counting on it… but none of them are going to be from the men on my side. My Devil’s Dragons will shed blood over this, and I fully expect all of them to come back with me.”

I sighed in exasperation. “Do you even have a plan, Hunter? Do you really know what you’re doing here?”

“I’m working on it,” he chuckled. “And in the morning, I suspect that I’ll have enough to push forward. Just give me a little time.”

I thought of my Lieutenant, back in Phoenix. “Time is not a luxury I really have, Hunter…”

He leaned forward, lips planted against mine. “One day. Give me one more day to figure things out, and then make your decision. But if you want to find those girls, there’s your chance.”

I pulled away from him and shook my head. “That’s what you said about tonight… how many chances do I have to give you?”

Hunter turned away, his face unreadable.

When I started walking away from the burning pile of cartel corpses, he called after me. “Where are you going?”

“I’m getting out of here, and I’m praying that I can still salvage part of my career when I get back to Arizona…”

“So, that’s it?” He asked calmly. “You’re just going to give up and go without seeing this through? You go out of your way to convince me that you’ll stick it out this time, and now you’re just going to freeze up again and take the easy way out?”

I paused in my tracks.

What if that was exactly what I was doing?

When it became clear that I didn’t have an answer for that, I slumped against the side of the farmhouse. My inner strength gave out, and the tears started to stream down my face…