Forget Me Not (Hostage Negotiation #3.5) by Julie Coulter Bellon

Author:Julie Coulter Bellon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romantic suspense, detective, series, action and adventure, undercover, narcotics, second chance romance, clean and wholesome
Publisher: Julie Coulter Bellon

Chapter Five

Bart sat in the captain’s office and watched Lucy methodically make call after call to different cartel members that had escaped prosecution thus far. She slipped right back into that persona seamlessly, but this time it didn’t scare him as much as she cajoled and maneuvered the conversation until she got the information she needed. They weren’t even wise to her end game. Just seeing a small glimpse of how she operated, it was easy to see how she’d stayed undercover so long. She was a natural, but that was her job, not her. Just as he slipped into his hours of officer training and muscle memory whenever he was in a hostage situation, she did the same. Somehow the parallel between the two had escaped him before, but now offered him some reassurance.

“I got it,” she said, hanging up and turning toward him triumphantly. “Hector is in Laredo.”

Bart straightened at the unexpected news. “He’s in the U.S.? That’s pretty risky, especially if Manny is with them. Wouldn’t he be afraid Manny would try to escape or the authorities would catch up with him?”

“He wrangled a meeting with Gulf cartel leaders, and they insisted on being in the U.S., so he’s using a Castillo safehouse near the border.” She stood. “He’s only going to be there for twenty-four hours, though, so if we want to catch him, we have to act fast.”

That made it doubly risky in Bart’s mind. Security would be tight if two cartel leaders were meeting, but they didn’t have a lot of other options if they wanted to get Manny back. He locked his eyes on Lucy. “Are you okay with our cover?” She hadn’t said much when he’d suggested it. “It makes sense to use my position as Nico’s son and yours as his former PR person, now loyal to me.”

She nodded. “I know. It’s just a volatile situation. You’ll definitely be a target if the Gulf cartel leadership is there.”

“I’m not worried about myself. If this works, we’ll get Manny back and sever the last ties we have to the cartel.” Bart was confident in the plan, but Lucy was biting her lip and he could see concern in her eyes. He took her hand, wishing they didn’t have to do this at all. He’d rather be delivering flowers to another wedding with her and moving forward in their own relationship.

“Are you sure your team is up for this?” She squeezed his hand. “Not that they aren’t qualified, but they probably haven’t handled something like this before.”

“You’d be surprised. But no matter what, they’ll be there for me, and you won’t find a better team anywhere.” He stood and touched her arm. “Don’t worry. We’re going to be fine.”

“I’m going to worry, Bart. I don’t want to lose you. I’ve watched your father’s people up close for nearly five years. It was ugly. Just the thought of going back and bringing you into it . . .” She shuddered. “This could all go south very quickly and I don’t want anything to happen to you.

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