“I’ll be a minute. Stay there.”
Jace steered Rafe over to the side of a warehouse, out of hearing range for Kara. Stomach tight, he jammed his hands into his pockets.
“What’s up?”
Rafe kept scanning the area. “They want those jewels Dylan took. Or more likely, Dylan himself. The heat is on, Jace. You’re sure to have a tail on you because Lance’s crew knows you’re out to find him.”
Jace nodded. “I promised Lance I’d find Dylan. Soon as they get hold of him, adios, I’m sure. Lance wants that jewelry back.”
“Which is why you can’t take her—” Rafe jammed a thumb toward Kara “—with you. Too dangerous. What the hell are you thinking?”
Something didn’t make sense. “You’re holding back on me. What is it?”
Rafe’s face tightened. “I’m almost ready to call you in, Jace. You’re in deep, but too deep. It’s getting dangerous.”
“I’m in deep, which is why I’m the best man for the job. Dammit, Rafe!” He blew out a breath. “Talk to me. What happened? And why the hell couldn’t I reach you yesterday?”
The other man’s shoulders slumped and his gaze turned empty. “We lost John Myers yesterday.”
Holy crap. “Johnny? He was working on Devil’s Patrol angle from the outside.”
“He got intel from Parker, a DP who promised to hook him up with a member who reported to the top man, Marcus. He offered to take him to a meeting. Johnny went, against my express orders. It was an ambush. They set him up.” Rafe swore a string of curses in Spanish. “Local LEOs found his body in ditch off US Twenty-seven this morning.”
Damn. Jace’s chest felt hollow. Lost another one, a good agent, a nice kid who only tried to make life safer for civilians. Johnny was young, eager to prove himself. Now, he understood Rafe’s concern.
“I’m sorry, Rafe. Johnny was a damn fine agent.”
Rafe’s dark gaze glittered. “We got a break with Parker. Tracked him down and arrested him for peddling drugs at a local club. He told me a few things.”
Jace blew out a breath. “Good.”
If anyone could make a suspect blather, it was his boss.
“I want you to come in, Jace. This assignment’s gone south. I won’t lose another member of my team.” Rafe sounded broken. “Not you. They knew, somehow, that John was an agent. It won’t take much for them to realize you’re one as well.”
“I’m not John. My cover’s good. Lance knows I’m after Dylan to get those jewels back.”
“I doubt that numbnut even knows he’s being outmaneuvered and Marcus is using him. The jewelry is a drop in the bucket, Jace. Why do smash-and-grabs for jewels when Marcus is bringing in more than ten million dollars a year using the Devil’s Patrol for drug dealing, extortion and gunrunning? I think the jewel thefts are a cover for something else. Something Marcus wants more than money.”
His knees felt weak. “What? Any idea?”
“We don’t know. But it’s personal. More than power, Marcus wants something and is planning to blow up a target because of it. He killed those kids, not because they stole the jewelry, but because they knew too much. Maybe they overheard something they shouldn’t have. Dylan as well. Marcus didn’t want to leave witnesses behind.”
Jace’s stomach roiled.
Rafe caught his shoulder. “Jace, we can’t be sure that Johnny didn’t talk before they killed him. If he did...”
His stomach tightened as he looked at Kara, pacing back and forth by the railroad tracks. “Marcus would know I’m a federal agent. And come after me.”
“Right now you’re the best means of finding Dylan. They’re certain to follow you, not to get the jewelry back, but to finish what Marcus started.”
“Unfortunately, Kara’s the only one who has a clue where the kid went. She has to go with me. Dylan trusts her.”
Rafe’s mouth compressed. “Maybe it’s better she does. Then you’ll take extra precautions with her around. I’m damn sick and tired of losing my team. Too many damn funerals.”
Jace felt grief at the loss, and more than a little concerned for Rafe. He’d grown a lock of gray hair since getting shot more than a year ago and each loss he took personally, as if losing a member of his family. He squeezed the other man’s shoulder.
“You need to go to a wedding. Remember the good things about life.”
A short laugh. “Right. I have a wedding the same day as John’s funeral, can you believe it? My cousin Christina on my mom’s side. Had to cancel and my family is furious. Weddings are mandatory on my mom’s Cuban side of the family. The only good excuse is you’re either in the hospital or below ground. Good thing my abuela considers me her favorite, or I’d be toast.”
“Your grandmother has good judgment. Nice lady.”
Rafe laughed. “Oh, she’d smack me down if she thought I was getting out of line. And then probably make me a huge meal and force me to eat because she thought I was too skinny.”
Such family devotion was foreign to Jace. His family didn’t care if he went to funerals, weddings or any gathering. He was almost invisible. Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he saw his maternal grandmother. As for his father’s side of the family...those grandparents were long dead and his uncles and aunt were lowlifes somewhere out west. He had met them only once, and once was enough.
Jace felt a tinge of envy for such close connections, which also came with their own set of problems, from what Rafe had told him.
“Some days I think I should give up. Turn in my shield. Retire early.”
Now, real concern shot through him. “No way, man. Not you. Your career.”
Rafe snorted. “What good is a career when you keep losing members of your team?”
“You can’t quit, Rafe. You’re too good. We need you.” Jace glanced backward at Kara. “People like her count on you. The world’s a dangerous place that keeps shattering and you’re one of the good guys who glues the broken pieces together.”
Rafe gave a brusque nod. He looked as if he wanted to say something else, then cocked his head. Alert, tense.
