“He’s got a point,” Royce said. “All good agents know there’s a time when you pull out of a cover. We have a team of ten men here. We’re going to find out where the women are being taken. You can be right here with us, making that happen.”

Blake’s cell phone rang and he pulled it from his belt. “Mendez,” he reported, and then answered the line. Kara would have tried to read the conversation but it lasted all of thirty seconds. Blake set the phone on the table. “Mendez wants me and Kara in his office in an hour.”

“Did he say why?” Kara asked.

“Just to be there,” Blake said.

Luke shook his head. “I don’t like it. We don’t have anything in place yet.”

“Kyle has surveillance set up on the main headquarters for Mendez’s cover-up operation, which is where we’re going,” Blake informed them.

“He does?” Kara asked. “How?”

“He’s a tech genius,” Luke said. “And so is Blake.”

This was news to her. It seemed there was a lot she didn’t know about Blake. She’d confessed her heartache to him, and he’d confessed absolutely nothing. He’d promised nothing, not even a desire to stay alive. He was the wrong man to count on, he’d told her. He was certainly the wrong man to fall in love with. And yet, she had.

***

Blake pulled the truck into a space near Mendez’s offices, and while he wasn’t happy about taking Kara with him to this meeting, he took comfort in it being a work day and mid-morning with plenty of people around. He texted Kyle and confirmed they had several men nearby and glanced at Kara. “We’re officially on the Walker clan’s radar.”

Her brows furrowed. “Walker clan?” She shook her head. “Never mind. I get it. Blake Wright is a cover. Blake Walker is the real you. I guess it’s time to go face the firing squad.”

“Mendez is going to question your ability to handle a gun.”

“My fisherman father would be proud of how well I defended myself. I’m sure Mendez will agree.”

Her father. Damn, just thinking about her being a young girl forced to hide while her parents were gunned down ripped a new hole in his heart. He shoved away the thought and focused on their cover stories. “You’re fucking me.”

She gaped and laughed. “Now?”

“I’m serious here, Kara. It’s part of you keeping your cover. You’re now my woman. I want him to know that. There’s a certain level of respect for a man’s woman with these people. It makes you less of a target for the trafficking operation.”

Her eyes met his. “If you want me to act like your woman, Blake, I’ll act like your woman.”