“Sit your ass down before you fall and bust your leg open.” Gabe grabbed the crutches and tossed them aside before guiding him down onto the mattress. He huffed a breath before asking, “You recognize that?”
He did. But the last time Adrian saw this particular ring, it had been covered in blood.
Blood I spilled in my blinding need for revenge.
“Hey!” Gabe gave his shoulder a hard smack. “Snap the fuck out of it and talk to me. Who does the fucking thing belong to?”
“Cesar Ortiz,” Adrian muttered woodenly.
Silence filled the space as Gabe processed the information.
“Ortiz…you mean thecartelleader?”
He nodded.
“How the hell do you know that?”
Lifting his eyes, Adrian met Gabe’s inquisitive stare and said, “Ortiz was wearing this ring the day I killed him.”
The man’s brown eyes grew wide. The move indicating that the bit of information Adrian had just shared had gotten his attention.
“Youtook out Cesar Ortiz?”
He nodded again. “It was my first assignment with the Agency.”
“The CIA?” Gabe’s spinning wheels were damn near visible. “Wait, you’re talking about your sister’s case, aren’t you?”
Adrian was impressed the guy remembered.
Back when Gabe and his team first discovered Adrian had been working deep cover for the CIA and Homeland, he’d shared with them the story of how they’d enticed him with the promise to take down the organization they believed was responsible for his sister’s disappearance.
“With intel the Agency and Homeland provided, along with Ben Campillo’s help, I was able to track down the organization responsible for her abduction and death.”
“And you went straight for the top.”
Old memories—painfulmemories—had his teeth grinding together. “I found out Cesar Ortiz bought my sister Bree for himself. I found him and tortured him until he confessed to everything. Including killing her and where he’d dumped her body. Then I killed him. Slowly.”
“Jesus.” Gabe ran a hand over his salt and pepper scruff. “When you first told us how you got roped into becoming a government assassin, you didn’t mention Ortiz had been your target.”
The bastard’s reputation preceded him. Even in death.
“I didn’t mention his name, because I couldn’t.” Adrian huffed out a breath. “Hell I just broke about a billion laws by telling you now, but…” He swallowed hard. “If this ring means what I think it does…”
The two men shared a look, both understanding what had been left unspoken. That ring meant Jenna was in serious trouble.
“Who was left?” Gabe asked after waiting a beat.
“What do you mean?”
“Once you took down Ortiz. Who managed to walk away?”
“No one.” Adrian shook his head. “Ortiz was the heart and soul of the organization. Once he was gone, the whole thing fell apart. People started turning on each other like crazy.”
“There has to be someone.” Gabe stood and began pacing the room.
“I’m telling you, there’s not!” Adrian’s voice boomed. “Everyone involved in the cartel is either dead or behind bars.”
“How can you be so sure?”