Page 7 of Damián

“I’m so sorry. But it’s the first time in thirty years that we’ve had a chance to get him. And if Elijah finds out we know… Damián, I know what I’m asking, but we might never get this chance again.”

I close my eyes, taking a breath. The risks are beyond catastrophic.

Fuck… If my team takes this case, we will be walking into hell.

If anything, no matter how small, goes wrong, we die… or worse, we are tortured, killed, and then our families will be tortured and killed.

Dios mío… No, we can’t take this case.

We shouldn’t…

But then I think about the people in those photos. The victims…

One of those women could be Fernanda, or my mom… One of those kids could be Carlitos.

All those deaths, those families torn apart… they couldn’t do a damn thing about it, but we can. And if we have even a one percent chance to stop him, then we have to take it.

I have to take it.

I look back at Harry. “I’m in. But for Harknett to get involved, the entire team must agree. We operate on a unanimous vote for high-risk targets.”

“Okay.” Harry nods, reaching for his coffee. “When should I meet with them?”

I check my watch and grimace. “Not now. We fly in ninety minutes. We have a situation in Boston that needs handling.” I tap the thick manila folder on the table. “Send me an encrypted package with the last five tips from your informant, and what you expect from us. If the information checks out, I’ll brief the team on the case.”

“Thanks, Damián.” Harry takes the folder back, sliding it into his briefcase. “So, Boston? Are you guys going on a business trip?”

“Yeah.” I grin. “Something like that.”

CHAPTER 2

DAMIÁN

Boston | Hollows & Co. Factory

02:00 Hours

“On two!” I shout as I take cover behind a rusted car and press the trigger.

BOOM!

The floor shakes with the blast of the explosion. The steel-reinforced door bursts inward, twisting off its hinges, and before the smoke even clears, Knox moves past me like a blur. The former Delta Force Lieutenant is two hundred and twenty pounds of pure, dark muscle, yet the man moves with the stealth and grace I wish I had.

BANG! BANG!

“Perimeter secured,” he yells, and three of us follow him in, stepping over the debris.

“Hostage is six floors above you,” Alexios, our hacker, adds, his voice sounding clear through my earpiece. “Keep moving. You have three hostiles on the second floor.”

I hit the stairs, pistol drawn, scanning the upper landing.

BZZT. BZZT.

My pocket vibrates against my thigh.

“Dami, I’m getting an alert. An encrypted file is trying to land on your server,” Alexios says, his voice cutting through my private line.

“Please decode it now and tell me if it checks out.”