Page 58 of Raven's Mark
"You think she's connected to the cartel?"
Knox considers this. "No. It's a different angle entirely. But she's hunting for something, and she picked my group to start digging. I thought you should know."
"Keep an eye on it," I say. "If she comes back, find out what she wants. But it's secondary. Everything is secondary until Raven is out and the gun-running operation is dismantled."
"Understood."
Knox returns to the group, and I file the information away. A woman asking questions at Devil's Acre is worth noting, but it's not an immediate threat. Focus stays on the operation.
Cipher's laptop chimes, and he goes still. His fingers fly across the keyboard, pulling up a communications intercept, and the expression on his face shifts into something sharp and dangerous.
"We've got a problem."
Everyone turns. Raven sets down her coffee mug. I cross to stand behind Cipher's shoulder, reading the screen.
"What is it?" Knox asks.
"Intercepted cartel communications. Two-way radio, encrypted, but I cracked it." Cipher taps the screen. "They're talking about a cabin in the hills west of Fredericksburg. No specific address, but the description matches this location. Someone tipped them off."
The kitchen goes silent. Outside, a hawk calls from somewhere in the cedar break, the sound sharp and clear in the sudden stillness.
"How long ago?" My voice stays flat, operational.
"The transmission was recent. Response came back with instructions to send a recon team to confirm."
The watch on my wrist shows the time. "Which means we have limited time before they're on top of us. Possibly less if they're already mobilized."
My jaw tightens. Harlan. He's been tracking team movements and feeding intel to the cartel. He must have identified the cabin and reported the location.
"It doesn't matter how they got it." I'm already moving, pulling my go-bag from the closet and checking the loadout. "What matters is they're coming, and we need to be gone before they arrive. Let’s get down to the armory and clear it out. Everything comes with us. Everyone else pack up. We move in ten minutes."
Raven stands in the middle of the kitchen, watching the controlled chaos with an expression I can't quite read. Then she turns and walks to the bedroom to pack.
I follow her. She's already pulling clothes from the closet and stuffing them into a duffel when I close the door behind me.
"This doesn't change the plan," I say.
She looks up at me. "I know."
"The cartel thinks they're about to find you here. When they arrive, they'll assume you ran. That makes you even more visible when you surface in Fredericksburg. They'll be hunting harder, which means they'll move faster when they spot you."
"Good." Raven zips the duffel and slings it over her shoulder. "Then let's not keep them waiting."
I cross the room and cup her face in my hands, tilting her head back so she has to look at me. Her pulse is visible in the hollow of her throat, beating fast despite the calm in her expression.
"Once you walk into Maria's, there's no pulling you back. You understand that."
"Yes."
"If something goes wrong, if they move you somewhere the transmitters can't reach, if Cipher loses the signal?—"
"You'll find me." She says it with absolute certainty, no doubt, no fear. "I know you will."
I hold her gaze for another moment, then kiss her. Hard and possessive and meant to leave a mark. When I pull back, her breathing is unsteady and her eyes are dark.
"Let's go."
We rejoin the team in the kitchen. The armory is cleared, and the evidence of it lines the hallway in hard cases and ammunition crates stacked for loading. Carmichael is already coordinating the evacuation logistics, directing vehicles and establishing a new rally point in Fredericksburg. Cipher has his equipment packed and is running a final diagnostic on the transmitters. Torque passes Raven a small black case along with a burner phone.
