Page 71
Story: Abandoned Oaths
We had to move at his speed, no matter how frustrated it might be.
Marco and I moved through his labyrinth of a house, adding cameras and backup mics. Marco handled the bedrooms.
Only three doors were locked. One with an arsenal of weapons, Dias’ office, and a suspiciously empty bedroom. None of the other guestrooms were locked, so that might be something we’d need to look into later.
“Someone’s coming,” Derek warned us through our comms. “Main entrance.”
I hurried into the main area of the house and waited for Marco. As soon as he came through the hall, we turned and ran together out the back door and down the endless steps to the dock, where Cruz was waiting with a speedboat.
“Did you cover everything?” I asked as soon as we pulled away.
Marco confirmed. “I added an extra mic to the primary bedroom’s en suite and a few more in the kitchen.”
“It’s a woman,” Derek said, narrating what his view from the surveillance room back at the apartment. “Dark hair, tanned, early twenties.”
Cruz and Marco shook their heads. Neither of them knew who it would be.
“She’s letting herself in through the front door.”
“She has a key.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was me putting together the pieces. “Are we sure he doesn’t have a long-distance girlfriend?”
“Positive,” Marco stated with his usual confidence.
“She’s making herself right at home. Went to the fridge, poured a glass of wine, and is eating from a takeout container.”
“That’s too familiar for a casual acquaintance.” Did we miss someone important to Dias?
“I just got a clear look at her face.” Derek paused. “She looks like him.”
I glared at Marco. “A sister?”
He threw up his hands. “If she is, they’ve worked hard to keep her buried.”
Why would they hide her? We knew of his dead dad and mom in Cuba. We had a list of aunts, uncles, and cousins. We wouldn’t have missed something as obvious as his sister, not without them keeping her a secret.
“She’s about Emilia’s age. This is a new angle she could use.”
“Not if Dias doesn’t introduce them,” Cruz pointed out.
“Unless we stage a run-in.” I didn’t know how, but this was something we’d have to force to happen. We needed to rattle Dias, throw him off, and ruin his plans.
“I could take her there now. Have her show up hoping to surprise Dias only to find her there.”
“It’s three a.m. There’s no reasonable explanation for her showing up.”
“A booty call?” Derek offered.
“No.” I immediately shot that down. “We want the sister to like her, not think she’s some hussy.”
Plus, she’d only gave him a quick peck. There’s no way that would escalate into her showing up late at night for a hookup. It didn’t make sense in general, let alone for her character.
“We’ll keep this in our back pocket. Let it happen more naturally. Just keep an eye on her and record any conversations she has.”
“Got it.” Derek went quiet, and we rode in silence for the next few minutes to the island dock.
As we passed through the lobby to the elevator, I brought up something that had been on my mind for days. “You like her.”
He didn’t react, didn’t look at me. “Of course I do.”
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