Hunt Them Down(74)

“Not at all, but I need to hurry up. Can we talk inside?”

Jasmine nodded, and Hunt helped her up.

Chris was jogging down the hallway. “You okay, Jasmine?”

Jasmine removed the towel she had on her head and used it to wipe her tears away. “Pierce thinks Leila’s alive.”

Hunt saw a look of genuine relief wash over Moon’s face. The quarterback actually closed his eyes and crossed himself.

“Where is she?” he asked.

“In Mexico.”

“Mexico? What’s she doing in Mexico? How did she get there? How—” Jasmine unleashed, but Hunt interrupted her.

“Valid questions, all of them. And I promise I’ll explain everything, but not now. Okay?”

“Is there anything I can do?” Moon asked. “I told you before, Pierce, I know I’m not her dad, but I love her very much.”

Hunt placed a hand on Moon’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “I know, and that’s why I’m here.”

“Shoot. What do you need?”

“I need you to charter a jet for me.”

Moon didn’t even blink at the request. “When do you want to fly, and where do you want to go?”

“I’m needed in San Miguel de Allende,” Hunt said. “It’s a small town—”

“I know exactly where it is. Jasmine and I spent a long weekend there last year.”

“You think Leila’s in San Miguel?” Jasmine asked.

“I do,” he replied. “And I need to go now.”

Moon was typing furiously on his smartphone. He said, “We can leave from Miami International in fifty minutes or from Fort Lauderdale in ninety. What do you prefer?”

“The sooner the better, Chris, but what did you mean by ‘we’?”

“I’m coming with you. And since I’m paying, my request isn’t negotiable.”

“Count me in too,” Jasmine said.

“No!” Hunt and Moon shouted at the same time. “Listen, Jasmine,” Hunt said, taking one of her hands in both of his. “If anything happens to me downrange, I want our daughter to have a mother. I know it sounds clichéd, but it’s too dangerous. Trust me on this.”

Jasmine sighed but nodded reluctantly. “Be careful. Both of you.”





CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Del Bajío Airport, Guanajuato, Mexico

Hunt caught up on his sleep while Egan and Moon talked football. Anna spent the whole flight studying the intelligence Carter and the two other DEA special agents had sent their way prior to takeoff. Due to favorable winds and their request that the pilot push the throttles a touch more than usual, the flight to Del Bajío airport took just over three hours.

The plane landed smoothly on the runway, and the engines roared in reverse to slow it down. They taxied to the private aviation hangar, where Dante stood next to his Land Cruiser, talking to an immigration officer. Through his window, Hunt saw the men shake hands. A moment later, the immigration officer disappeared inside his four-door sedan and drove away.

Hunt unbuckled his seat belt and sat in the empty seat next to Moon.

“I’ll call you every hour on the dot to let you know we’re okay,” Hunt told him. “If I miss a timing, I’ll call ten minutes past the hour. If I miss that too, I’ll call at the half hour. If you haven’t heard from me or Cole by then, I want you and Anna to return to Miami and call this man.”

Hunt gave him McMaster’s business card. Moon frowned as he read the name. “Isn’t he your father-in-law?” he asked, his eyes on Egan.

“Yep,” Egan confirmed with a smile.

Hunt wondered how much of his personal life Egan had shared with Moon. Not that it was any of his business. Anna was seated behind him, and Hunt felt her gaze burning into his back. He stood up to face her.

“I know this isn’t what you wanted, Anna, but I’d appreciate you staying in the plane.”

“If it’s what you need,” she replied without much enthusiasm. Then she added, her voice a shade warmer than usual, “Be careful, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I mean this.”

“Okay,” he repeated, unsure of her meaning. “I will.”

“Go get our girls, Pierce,” Anna said, touching him gently on the arm. “I’m counting on you.”

He took a deep breath and remained silent. He had so much on his mind, but he had a hard time staying indifferent and calm when Anna’s simple touch sent his heart into overdrive and his blood pounding in his ears. Hunt realized right there and then that he still wanted her. Would she want him, though? Would she take him back despite everything that had happened between them? Despite everything she’d endured because of him? Would she forget the emotional pain he’d caused her? The betrayal?

And don’t forget, Pierce, you’re a DEA agent, Hunt reminded himself. And wouldn’t he be betraying his brother’s memory by being with Anna? It was her kind of people who had killed Jake. But before he could dwell on that further, he needed to get his daughter and Sophia back. That was what he needed to focus on. Nothing else.

So shut this useless internal debate off, Hunt thought.

“I’ll bring them back,” he assured her. She gave him a quick hug and then took a step back.