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His eyes went suspiciously bright. “Elena, that’s because you were being loved. Are being loved. I love you. So much.”

The tears came without warning, hot and fast. But they weren’t sad tears. They were relief and joy and the release of holding herself together for too long.

“I love you too,” she whispered. “I’m terrified by how much I love you.”

“Don’t be terrified.” His hands stroked through her hair, down her back, soothing and steady. “Love isn’t something to fear. Not this kind. Not when it’s real and freely given.”

She buried her face against his neck, breathing him in, letting herself be held without fear.

“I never thought I’d have this,” she admitted. “Never thought I could. I was so sure the cartel had broken something in me that couldn’t be fixed.”

“They didn’t break you. They hurt you, but you healed. And Elena—” He pulled back just enough to see her face. “What we just shared? That was you being whole. Being strong. Choosing what you wanted instead of having it taken.”

“It felt like taking my life back.”

“That’s exactly what it was.” He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose. “And I’m honored you chose to share it with me.”

They lay there for a long time, wrapped around each other, the weight of their declarations settling between them. Eventually, Brock glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

“We need to get dressed. Dinner’s in twenty minutes.”

Elena groaned. “Do we have to go?”

“Yes. Nate will hunt us down if we stand them up. And we need to go over tomorrow’s timeline before Atticus arrives.” He kissed her forehead. “But after dinner, we come back here. And we have all night.”

The promise in his voice made her stomach flip.

They dressed slowly, neither one quite ready to leave the intimacy of what they’d shared. Elena chose a flowing sundress in deep blue, her damp hair loose around her shoulders. When she emerged from the bathroom, Brock stopped mid-motion, his eyes darkening.

“You’re making it very hard to leave this room,” he said.

“Good.” She crossed to him, rising on her toes to kiss him. “Remember that at dinner.”

His laugh was rough. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

They met Nate and Eden at a more secluded restaurant tucked away from the main pool areas. Eden took one look at them and smiled knowingly.

“Well,” she said. “You two look…relaxed.”

Elena felt heat climb her neck, but Brock just grinned and pulled out her chair.

“We had a good afternoon,” he said mildly.

Nate snorted. “I’ll bet you did.”

“Can we focus?” Brock asked, though there was humor in his voice.

“Fine, fine.” Nate pulled out his phone and brought up a schedule. “Atticus and Nick land at fourteen hundred hours tomorrow. They’re coming straight from Somalia. The rest of the team—Jade, Max, Reza, Cal, and Griffin—are flying in from different locations but should all arrive around the same time.”

“Where are they staging?” Elena asked.

“Xpujil. About three hours from here by car. Close enough to respond quickly, far enough to stay off the cartel’s radar.” Nate zoomed in on a map. “Atticus wants to do the full briefing tomorrow as soon as they touch down.”

“And then?” Elena’s stomach tightened.

“Then we finalize the infiltration plan for that night.” Eden’s expression was serious. “Twenty-two hundred hours. That’s just before shift change at the temple. Guards get sloppy, distracted. It’s our best window.”

“The infiltration team goes in through the drainage tunnel,” Nate continued. “Extract Marguerite, exit via the western ventilation shaft. Fast and quiet.”