Delta: Rescue: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family) (12 page)

The screen read Cade. Of course it did. “Yo.”

“Been off the grid long enough to work?”

Nowhere near long enough. “Got something for me, or you just bustin’ my balls?”

“That woman you can’t get enough of? She has a shipment outgoing noon tomorrow.”

“Bullshit.” The automatic reaction should have stayed silent. No need to give away how much he’d screwed up the investigation, nor did he believe the lithe beauty lying in his flophouse apartment had a major deal going down in less than twelve hours.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, maybe we’re looking at this wrong.”

“Shit, are you kidding me?”

“What?”

“You’ve fallen for her? Believing BS lies and pillow talk?”

Hell yes, he’d fallen for her. Claiming that could be a career ender. Ignoring their connection would be ludicrous. And where was she in any of this? She couldn’t deny their chemistry. “What I’m telling you is there is more than what we see.”

Her soft footsteps padded down the hall, and Luke turned to see her wrapped in a sheet. Her dark brown hair was tousled and framed her dangerous face. Her dark eyes danced, pleading with him not to bring reality into the shitty apartment while her lips readied an excuse to leave.

“How deep are you into this mess?” Cade asked.

“Deep, brother. I gotta go.” Then he hung up the phone, tossing it onto the cheap, scarred counter. “You have a deal at noon?”

She didn’t blink, but her business face morphed into place, taking away the sexy angel he’d just bedded, just loved. “We’re not here to talk about that.”

“You’re here because I gave you what you couldn’t get anywhere else. Ever.”

Her lips pursed, and her hold on the sheet tightened.

Luke stalked closer. “You can’t do it.”

“What are you going to do? Arrest me?”

“You don’t want that.”

Her lips pressed together in a tight line. “Obviously.”

He stepped closer, pulling her into his embrace. “There’s something important here. With us.”

“Don’t—”

He hugged her. Held her. Pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Yes. There is.”

Maddy’s body melted to his. “We’re enemies. You said it yourself.”

“Only because you want it to be like that.” Time ticked by until he pulled her from his chest. “Why do you do it? You’ve said your lines, and I get that there’s an underlying want to help them. But I’ve seen your soul and the walls you’ve put up.”

“No.” She shook her head too emphatically, her eyes shining with tears she was too proud or maybe scared to shed.

“Yes, beautiful.”

Maddy pushed away, though he caught her in his arms. “Let go.”

“Look at me.” He swept her into his arms and carried her, the sheet trailing behind, back to the bedroom. “Why?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Why?” he whispered.

“Luke!” She slapped her hands against his chest, pushing him away. “Stop.”

“Why, Maddy? Tell me why you’re hanging on to something so evil.”

“Because I am evil!” She snatched the sheets against her chest. “And I don’t want to be.” Tears streamed down her face. “I was born into it, and I can bring it down.
I can!
But not now, not yet. He’ll get away with too much, and he needs to pay.”

“He, who?”

Her chin dropped. “My father.”

“Maddy…”

She inched back. “I don’t even know what you are, who you work for. I just know it’s a detriment to what I live for.”

“Those girls?”

Her head shot up, defiance in her eyes. “No. To kill him. One day, it will happen. It’s what I need to justify my existence.”

* * * *

“I can’t let you murder your father.” However, that almost didn’t make sense, as much as Luke wanted to eradicate the world of filth. “Blood shouldn’t do that to blood.”

“Why not? He’s done so much worse to me!”

“Maddy—”

“No. You don’t know. You have no idea. I’ve been trained as a soldier my whole life. You saw me. I scaled a hotel wall of balconies. I stood by while he sold women.”

“You said so yourself—you saved them as often as you could.”

“Why are you making excuses for me?”

He pushed away. “I have no damn idea!” Pacing the room, he turned back. “But I am.”

“That’s crazy.”

“This”—he pointed between them—“is crazy. Crazy and intense, and we’d be stupid to let it go just because you’re scared.”

“You are crazy. I’m a criminal. You’re law enforcement.” She threw her arms out. “I want to destroy my father’s empire, not create some American press release where one person is taken off the streets!”

He pressed his hands to his temples. “Here’s a story for you.” Luke planted himself in front of her and watched her take him in. “Here’s a press release for you.”

Maddy’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“I was seventeen years old and in love with the sweetest, greatest girl. My mom and her mom were best friends. We grew up together. We were
supposed
to live together forever. But one awful beach vacation, they took her. They, I now know, were the Rivera cartel. But by the time that intel came around, she was gone. I’ve dedicated my
entire
life to wiping out those who hurt her, and
nothing
has stopped me. Until I met you.”

Bile churned in Luke’s gut. Raw hatred flowed in his veins. Many years had passed. The pain was still eating him alive, but Maddy had somehow helped heal a wound that he thought would be forever torn open.

He took a step forward. “You’ve changed things.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I can’t say how or why, but I can’t let you go. I feel different because of you, and I won’t let our pasts screw up what the future could be. I don’t know what it holds. But I do know I sure as fuck can’t walk away from you.”

“I’m so confused by what I feel.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “I never
feel
.”

“Beautiful, I made love to you, and you felt it.” He moved to her, pulling her against him. “And I’ll do it again and again until you know you’re worth it.”

“I’ve fought for so long. To hurt Papa, to ruin his world. I wanted this for my whole life.”

He kissed her forehead. “Work with me, let me help you with what you want, and be with me. There’s something here to explore. We’ve gotta figure it out.”

“It won’t work. They’ll arrest me. He’ll just leave the country. I’ll have a mark on my head unless he’s gone and the whole cartel disabled.”

“He’d kill his daughter?”

“I’m sure he killed my brother.”

Luke’s forehead pinched in thought until he took her chin in his hand and swiped her tears away. “If I can take care of those problems, if I can make sure you’re protected, you’ll try and stay by my side? I want what we don’t have. Time.”

Her eyes landed on his, and the emotional toll of sharing almost overwhelmed him. Maddy had a face for poker—he couldn’t read which way she would go. One way, he knew she’d be his forever, as soon as they traversed the confused landscape of her tumultuous life. The other, he might never see her again unless it was to chase her down a cartel rabbit hole.

He
should
never see her again. Luke was addicted to pain, and not having the woman he wanted would be the ultimate pain. However, he hadn’t felt that craving since their lives had intermingled. He didn’t want to
hurt
. He wanted
her
. “Please, beautiful.”

A soft sigh of acceptance escaped her lips, and he swung her into his arms as her mouth agreed, whispering against his ear.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“This is unorthodox.” Cade ran a hand over his stubble-covered face but went back to whatever he was working on.

Luke had talked with both the task force team leader and Brock at Titan HQ, and they’d given him an earful of feedback. After running a summary of the discussion by Maddy, she’d agreed to meet Cade face to face and see if his idea would be a go. It’d either break open Mercier or ruin Luke’s career, landing the woman he cared about behind bars.

He held Maddy’s hand in the makeshift war room. Almost all the men had uncertain eyes on them, and he couldn’t blame them. “This is Maddy Mercier.”

A few unsteady nods came their way. Grayson seemed the most receptive, Javier the most on guard. Colin and Ryder simply stared.

“She’s here to play ball,” he continued.

Maddy moved closer to his side. “As best I can.”

Cade’s brows pinched, his gaze bouncing between her and Luke. “We do this, we do it my way.”

Luke stepped forward, his boot in front of her high heel. “A few conditions, then we’re a go.”

The task force leader stood to his full height. They were matched for size and brawn. “I don’t think so.”

“She needs immunity. Protection. She gets that, we get everything she knows about her father and the Mercier cartel and their business partners. The task force has high-quality, actionable intel. It’s win-win for everyone.”

“Win-win,” Cade repeated. “Bullshit. This does nothing for you.”

“I’ve put my shit to rest.” And he had. Somewhat. That was the direction he was going, and having talked to Brock about his anger and hurt, his need to chase an impossible answer, Luke had only one thought. “This is what I need.”

He’d never discover what had happened so many years before. Long ago, he learned there would never be a body, and tonight he’d come to grips that he’d be without additional intel from the Riveras. But he could keep that heartache of losing a loved one to a cartel from wrecking others.

“That’s it?” Cade scrutinized Maddy. “One woman will change everything you’ve been harboring and hunting?”

Luke squeezed her hand. “When it’s the right woman, yeah.”

She leaned into him. “I know, in your world, I’m not trustworthy. But in mine? My word is the law. I won’t feed you lies, and yes, I have personal reasons for agreeing to help you—both in and out of this room.” Maddy let go of his hand. “Take a chance on me. You’ve got”—she checked her watch—“two hours, and it’s not just intel on Mercier. It’s actionable on Suarez, Rivera, and Eastern European business partners. Instead of guessing your next move, listen to what I have to say then
know
what you need to do. Win-win.”

Luke’s heart was frozen in place. “Rivera?”

Cade crossed his arms, ignoring him. “And you’re, what, just going to be some model-agency owner? No moonlighting Mercier act?”

“That’s what I’m offering.”

Cade’s eyes fastened onto hers for what felt like eternity. “You’re taking a hell of a chance on our boy, you know that, Ms. Mercier?”

Interesting wording from Cade. The hardass had a heart. Maddy didn’t notice and nodded. Cade nodded back. No one followed up on her Rivera mention.

She squared her shoulders. “Turns out, a chance isn’t what I needed—rather another perspective.”

He couldn’t wait another minute. Luke turned to her, knowing he had to ask and terrified that her answer would change everything. “What do you know about the Rivera cartel?” She blinked, studying him. He could feel his blood boiling, his headache coming. “Maddy.
What
do you know?”

She sank in on herself as though she knew the answer might be a game changer. “Where they buy, sell.”

“I need to track someone down.” His voice shook. His entire body needed to tremble, but he wouldn’t allow that to happen. “Can you do it?”

“Bring my father down, you’ll get a lot of information that might help. Product, placement, those things.”

Products and placement?
The words were his hell but also his salvation. He’d come to terms with wanting Madeleine Mercier more than intel on the Rivera cartel, but somehow she’d just offered him the world.
Fuck.
His heart pounded, and his mind raced. He’d been ready to put his hurt to rest, but now he was solidly excited about the future.

“Thank you.” Luke folded his arms around her, not caring about a single guy in the room. “You have no idea.”

“I’d say the same, but maybe you do.”

He nodded and let her go. For the next twenty minutes, he listened as she schooled every federal agent in the room about an operation they thought they knew but really had no clue about. After she was done and they had scrapped and rehashed the new plan, she shakily moved to the back wall, watching Luke gear up with his team.

If all went according to plan, this operation would be over within a few hours. She’d be free, her father would be in custody in a way he could not wriggle his way out of, and she and Luke would no longer have barriers. They could explore away, both working on themselves. All she had to do was pull off her role in the setup.

* * * *

Maddy’s clammy palms pressed against her designer dress. Nerves she would never admit to were eating her alive, which was ridiculous. All she had to do was walk into the warehouse, set Papa up, and be on her way. The room was stocked with well-hidden beefy men in gear, and as she watched her father’s car roll into the main warehouse, she knew she never would have been able to enact a plan of this magnitude on her own.

Luke’s team had subdued Papa’s advance team. They always came in for a security sweep, but she was able to tell them how and what to say in order for Papa to believe everything was on course. They performed flawlessly, utilizing the two private security teams and law enforcement agencies that she’d learned had formed the task force.

The time had come for the door of the black Mercedes to open. She stepped forward from her vehicle, her father catching her eye.

“Madeleine.” His smart suit said expensive, and he had his business face on.

“Papa.” She walked forward, as confident as he had trained her, wondering if he could see through the traitorous bliss on her face.

As expected, the South American buyer’s vehicle rolled into the lowly lit warehouse as well. Two men exited their car, briefcases filled with cash. Her father pulled her forward to the meet. She was a show pony of a daughter as much as his groomed next-in-line.

They spoke in Spanish, their already executed agreement solidified with a shake of the hand and—