“No,” he said. “But Arel does and I’ll hand him the journal if that’s what it takes to make sure Dragonfly doesn’t come at us in our sleep.”

“And Arel? He runs a cartel, Luke.”

Luke replayed the note in his head. It had clearly come directly from Arel, not the judge. I can get to you, or your playmate, or your brothers, or anyone I damn well please, any time, any place.

***

Late Friday, Julie sat at Luke’s kitchen table, working on some files while he was downstairs in his office planning out the night’s visit to the cartel’s party. She’d skipped her meeting, or rather missed it, as the police asked a million questions to which Luke had her give generic replies. Any mention of a journal, the judge, or the cartel had been avoided. She was rattled but the scary disaster that was her apartment paled in comparison to her worries over the danger Luke would be in tonight. Her staying behind didn’t make her feel better. In fact, it made her feel like everything was spinning out of control.

She settled her elbows on the table and pressed her fingers to her temples. There was a reality here she had to face. Yes, Luke could deal with the judge and Dragonfly by simply handing them to Arel. But they were in deep with a cartel, and getting out, and taking down Arel, meant Luke had to do something an entire task force had been trying to do and failed.

She Googled cartels, and started reading stories about undercover agents, about the murders and the ruined lives, and was halfway through one that gave her some hope, when her computer died. She jiggled her cord and still nothing, and that was when she realized it had an exposed wire.

Pushing to her feet, she knew she needed a new cord, but for now, she’d borrow Luke’s. She was pretty sure she’d seen his computer case in the hallway. Julie headed that way and found it on the entry table. She unzipped it and found the cord, and pulled out a note card with it. It fluttered to the ground and she squatted down to grab it, and then went utterly still as she read the text.

If you want to work with me, you need to know the price of crossing me. I can get to you, or your playmate, or your brothers, or anyone I damn well please, any time, any place. Be at the Staten Island Ferry waiting for pick up at eight sharp and bring Ms. Harrison.

Her lashes lowered and emotions overwhelmed her. He was planning to go alone, knowing the increased danger to himself. She couldn’t let that happen. And wasn’t she just facing the facts? If Arel didn’t go down she was either going into hiding, or dying. Julie pushed to her feet. She wasn’t doing either while Luke put his life on the line. She’d brought him into this. She was going to do everything, even risk her life, to get him out of this. He’d lied but she knew it was to protect her, and she’d go along with his story. She knew where to be and at what time.

Chapter Twenty

“The task force is already on Staten Island?” Julie asked. She sat on Luke’s bed and he was beside her, inserting some sort of tracking device into the heel of his boot. He wore all black again, and she knew it was to blend into the shadows if he had to escape the cartel. Would it be too obvious if she did as well?”

“And our team,” he said. “Blake left earlier this afternoon. Jesse will be here in a few minutes to stay with you. Do what he says. He’ll protect you.”

So she’d have to get past Jesse. She should have assumed such a problem would exist. “Can you take a weapon?”

He flipped the boot he held around and showed her the switchblade latched inside. “It’s small but it’ll get the job done if I need it.”

“There will be many of them and one of you, Luke,” she worried.

“And I hope it makes them underestimate me.” He flipped the heel to his boot into place and put it on. “And with the tracking device, if I leave the house, my team will know.”

“Just like Arel will know you were a SEAL. He’ll know to be cautious.”

He turned to her and covered her hand with his. “I might not be in the SEALs any longer, sweetheart, but I’m still a SEAL. I’m going to go in there and do what I have to in order to protect the innocent people the cartel is hurting.”

She read between the lines and knew he meant he’d die if he had to. Though she knew she’d see him soon, part of her feared he’d slip away and she’d never see him again. Julie pressed her mouth to his, her fingers curling at his jaw, repeating a version of what she had said to him once years before. “Stay alive. The world needs more good men like you.”

And just like in the past, he tightened his arm around her waist, and asked, “And what do you need?”

“You,” she whispered. “I need you.”

He kissed her, a kiss that ravished her with passion and intensity. When he pulled away, his eyes dark and turbulent, he vowed, “I’ll see you by morning.” Then he was gone.

Julie heard Luke speaking to Jesse in the other room and she knew she had no time to waste if she was going to make it on that ferry. The instant she heard the door and the television come on, she grabbed a robe and pulled it over her sweats before headed to the living room.

“Hey, Jesse,” Julie said, walking into the living room. “I’m just going down to Lauren’s place to get some bubbles for a bath and try on some clothes. I have nothing left and I want to bring a few things back over here.”

He stood up. “I’ll go with you.”

“No, no, please don’t. This place is, as Luke says, like Fort Knox, and...well. A few minutes alone, doing girl stuff would help me right now. I’m frankly trying not to have a meltdown over Luke going to the party.”