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“I need intel on him, now.” Finally, he’d found his voice.
Husk gave him a stern look. “The FBI handles this case. And we advise you not to get any other party involved, such as your recent connections to the Bratva.”
Like he would ever ask Kristoff for help.
“You expect me to sit back and twiddle my thumbs, while this fucker goes after my family?”
“That’s exactly what we expect,” Husk said. “Decker is somewhere in this city, and we will catch him this time. Do not get in my way, or I will have you arrested before you can say ‘Semper Fi.’”
Oh, he was going to Semper Fi this asshole right fucking now. “I’d love to see you fucking try.”
Achilles stepped in between them. “Look, we both want the same thing; to catch Decker. Now, why don’t you tell us, Special Agent Husk, how we can help? I’m sure you didn’t come all the way here just to warn us.”
Husk backed off. “If we don’t catch him this time, he will go underground, and it may take another month, even years, before we hear from him again.”
“We need your cooperation,” Gonzales said.
“That’s why you’re here. I’m the bait.”
“You are the bait,” he acknowledged.
“The FBI will protect you and your family,” Husk added.
“Protect me and my family? This fuckwad took out four Marines before you even knew what was going on. Now you think you can just come in here and tell me what to do?” Everything dark inside him was fighting to reach for the surface.
Achilles cleared his throat. “At least we know he doesn’t target someone’s family. That’s something, right?”
It wasn’t really a question, but Hector didn’t miss Gonzales’ eye twitch.
“Tell me,” he snapped.
Gonzales sighed. “We don’t believe he targets women or children. However, when he blew up Hawk’s garage, his wife happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. She… didn’t make it.”
Hector realized that, up until this moment, he had never truly experienced fear. Gut-wrenching, bone-crushing fear.
***
He didn’t leave his office for the rest of the day. Not until it grew dark outside. He had a decision to make. One that might rip out his soul.
His phone rang, and he picked up without looking on the screen. For a few seconds, there was nothing but white noise in the background.
Then a voice said, “I know they visited you. So you know I’m going to end you, Diaz. Did you really think you’d get to fucking live happily after? After what you did to my brother?”
Every part of him went on alert. “Decker?”
“You don’t get to live, Diaz. You don’t get to have a family to live for. Just like I don’t have a family anymore.”
“Decker. This isn’t what your brother would have wanted. Turn yourself in.”
More static, then a voice, devoid of any emotion. “You don’t get to fucking be happy. You should say your goodbyes.”
Click.
“Dammit!”
Decker wouldn’t stop coming after him. He was never going to stop until one of them was dead. It could take weeks, months, to hunt him down, especially now he knew about the feds.
He dropped back into his seat. He should’ve never married Mary. By marrying her, he’d put her on Decker’s radar. He’d vowed to protect and honor her. Not to lure the danger into their lives.