Her stomach was growling when she heard a knock on the connecting door, walked over, and pulled it open.

“Good morning.” She managed to smile, then paused at the odd look on Edge’s face, a cross between amusement and relief. “What’s up?”

“We’ve got company.” He stepped back to invite her into his room, and she recognized the handsome, brown-haired man with the smiling blue eyes.

“I figured you could use a little help,” Trace said.

Warmth slid through her, along with the same hint of relief Edge was feeling. The three of them worked well together. The odds of success had just crept higher in their favor.

“How did you know where to find us?” Skye asked.

Trace grinned. “I asked Zoe to ping Edge’s cell phone.”

Skye’s eyebrows went up. “Wow, that must have taken an extra dose of charm. Tracking down a coworker wouldn’t be high on her list.”

“I told her you two were heading into trouble and I wanted to help. That was enough to convince her.”

Edge closed the door between their two rooms—sleeping arrangements Trace clearly hadn’t missed.

“We’re damned glad you’re here,” Edge said, speaking Skye’s thoughts aloud. “The three of us make a good team, and tonight could be rough. We’ve got a meeting at ten a.m. with the guy I was telling you about.”

“Colonel Sam Harding,” Trace said.

Edge nodded. “We’re meeting Harding and his men to go over some fresh intel—a place called the Lady Bug, a local café. We’ll have time for breakfast before they get there.”

“Sounds good to me,” Trace said.

“Me, too, I’m starving.” Skye returned to her room to grab her leather bag; then they all climbed into Edge’s rented white Tahoe.

It was an hour later that Colonel Harding walked into the little café, followed by three other men, all of them moving with the confident, square-shouldered bearing of soldiers.

“There’s a room in the back Sadie lets us use for our meetings,” the colonel said.

Skye rose from the booth where they had just finished eating and followed Harding and his men into a private dining room with two long tables in the middle that ran the length of the room. Edge and Trace walked in behind her.

“They use it for Rotary groups, Chamber of Commerce meetings, stuff like that,” Harding explained. “The Desert Eagles meet here once a month, but we do training exercises at least every two weeks.”

“Sounds like your men will be ready,” Edge said.

“More than ready. They’ll do their jobs out there tonight. You can count on it.” He turned to them. “Pete, Clint, and Randy, meet Edge, Skye, and . . . ?”

“I’m Trace. Good to meet you all.”