Page 32 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Savvy

I woke up this morning in my own bed. Alone. It’s nice to be home again and in my own space, but I do miss Hunter. I guess spending every day with someone, you get used to them being there.

After my morning coffee, I call Maggie. Might as well see what she’s heard before I call Susan.

“Hello?” Maggie answers.

“Good morning, it’s Savvy.”

“Oh, thank goodness! You’re all right?”

“Yes, it’s been a rough few days, but I’m okay now. I was going to call Susan, but I wanted to check in with you first. Is she mad about what happened or understanding?”

Hunter thinks she’s very understanding, but since I don’t know her that well, I’m not sure how she’ll react to having hired someone with so much baggage.

“Um, she was worried about you being kidnapped and helped search for you. ”

I take a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, good. I’ll give her a call then.”

“Wait!”

“What?”

“I’m guessing you haven’t checked any social media today.”

My insides lurch. I’ve been avoiding it, hoping the article about me working with the cartel doesn’t go viral. It sounds like it has.

“No, why?”

She doesn’t respond.

“Are you still there?”

“Yes. Sorry, I’m not sure how to tell you. There is this podcast, and an episode came out last night that says you were working with the cartel. It’s not true, right?”

Dammit. A podcast? It’s Peter. “No, it’s not true. I never worked with the cartel. They had men trying to kill me. That’s why I’ve been hiding for the past few weeks. It’s who Bob was working with.”

“Bob was working for the cartel? Oh wow. I heard he was selling guns, but I had no idea. I’m so sorry you have to deal with this. But you should know the podcast doesn’t make you sound good. And Susan said she doesn’t want to be associated with you because of it.”

“What podcast?” I ask, even though I already know.

“Wrongly Accused.”

“Tell Susan it’s all lies. I have to go.” I hang up and open the podcast app.

A new episode was released late last night. How is that possible? Peter was in the hospital. He wasn’t seriously injured, so maybe he was released quickly.

I spend the next hour listening to the podcast and searching social media. By the time it’s done, I feel sick. This can’t be real. He can’t say this. It’s all lies. And the things he said about Reed Hawthorne Security. They can’t be true. Can they?

Peter made a lot of connections between Hunter’s company and the cartel. But it’s all circumstantial. It has to be. There is no way the man who has been protecting me all of this time is wrapped up in some criminal enterprise. If he was, he would have turned me over.

My mind races. Peter also claimed that the men of RHS used him to kill Marco unknowingly because they needed him out of the picture. I guess that’s his attempt to get the cartel not to go after him.

I never asked Hunter how Marco found his house. Peter alleges Hunter sent Marco there, knowing both he and Peter were searching for me.

Could Hunter have lured Marco to his house and into this trap?

I rub my temples. No, I’m jumping to conclusions. Hunter wouldn’t do that. His anger toward Agent Myers for doing that was not fake.

Yet, here I am questioning everything. I should call Maria. She’d know, wouldn’t she?

It’s Peter I need to speak to in order to find out if he has any other evidence on this so-called connection. He did imply I was connected, too. He’s seen me with Hunter multiple times and apparently drew conclusions .

The podcast has a website with a contact form. That’s it. There is no other way to contact Peter listed. I fill it out and hope he’ll reach out.

While I wait, I run a search on Hunter, his coworkers, and their security company. There isn’t much information available beyond the last twenty-four hours and the events after Hawthorne’s death.

My phone rings with a number I don’t recognize. Please let it be Peter.

“Hello?”

“Is this Savannah Williams?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me when you first became involved with the cartel?”

I end the call. How did someone get my number?

The phone rings again. This time, I ignore it.

Someone knocks on my door. I peek out to see who it is. On my front steps are two men. One is holding a camera.

“There she is!” He points at me in the window.

I slink back out of view.

After double-checking that my doors and windows are locked, I escape upstairs to my bedroom. This can’t be real.

I check my phone, and I have twenty missed calls and a lot of texts from unknown numbers. At the top is a message from Hunter.

Hunter: I’m heading over.

Knowing he’s coming comforts me. And that tells me what I need to know. There is no way Hunter would knowingly work with the cartel or put me in danger .

In that moment, I curse myself for doubting him. Hunter is a good man. It’s all this craziness that has my thoughts twisted. Maria would have warned me if he wasn’t.

The fact that I even debated it is ridiculous. Hunter and Durango wouldn’t have been watching Bob’s warehouse that night if they knew what was going on.

My phone buzzes again.

Hunter: I’m here.

I go downstairs and let him in. As he steps in, flashes from cameras go off.

“Did you work with the cartel?” someone shouts.

I shut the door.

“How many are out there now?”

“I counted five photographers.” He pulls me into his chest, and I wrap my arms around him. “Did you listen to the podcast?”

“I did. How could he say those things?”

He steps back and looks into my eyes. “Because he’s a liar.”

“Why does he keep getting to put out false information?”

“Reed’s attorney is filing a lawsuit against him today. Also, Agent Stevens wants to question Peter. Once the old podcast was brought to her attention, she discovered Peter got a few things right that weren’t known to the general public.”

I lead him into the kitchen, where all the curtains are closed .

“Why did this blow up? Why are there photographers outside my house?”

We both sit down at the table.

“Unfortunately, his podcast is popular. And he told quite the story. People believe him and want justice for those who framed him. At least that’s what I got from those protesting outside of Reed Hawthorne Security.”

“They are protesting?”

He nods. “They have signs and are yelling.”

“Do you think Reed’s lawsuit will stop him?”

Hunter shrugs. “I hope so, but who knows? The hard part is going to be finding Peter to get him served.”

“Was he already discharged from the hospital?”

“No. He was never admitted. He went to the ER, got checked out, and they sent him home.”

I guess he wasn’t really hurt. “How’s Moose?”

“Good. He is home now, resting.”

Thank goodness. I worried about Hunter or his friends getting hurt and then Moose got shot. I’m glad it wasn’t really serious.

“I went to Peter’s apartment, and he’s gone.”

“Gone?”

“A neighbor told me they saw him pack his car with two suitcases last night and leave. He knew we would be looking for him.”

“Peter said you used him to kill Marco. Is this something the police are considering?” I ask.

Hunter shakes his head. “No, the police ruled it an accident. Reed spoke to an officer who questioned Peter. ”

“But if Peter is claiming he was used as a weapon, then it wasn’t an accident,” I say. “He’s hurting his own defense.”

“I think he’s more worried about the cartel right now. I’m certain Peter created this episode solely to get the cartel to come after RHS or me instead of him.”

“So, you think he’ll go back to talking about Stacy in the next episode?” I ask.

Hunter stands up. “I’m not sure. I need coffee. Do you mind if I make some?”

“Sure. I’d like some, too.” I watch him as he moves around, grabbing everything he needs. Seeing him so comfortable in my place causes that butterfly feeling in my stomach. I really like it.

“If I were Peter, I might do another episode focusing more on the why. Why would RHS want to take out a cartel member? He claims we are working with the cartel, so if he’s going to tell fictional stories, that’s likely where he will go next.

But beyond that, I don’t know his game plan, and that bothers me. ”

I go over everything as Hunter makes coffee.

He places a mug in front of me. “You okay?” he asks.

“I was thinking about what you said about us not knowing Peter’s game plan. We need to find out and get ahead of him. I don’t think my reputation can take another hit.”

I pick up the mug and take several gulps of coffee. If he puts out another episode about me, I won’t have a chance at finding another broker here.

“Are you tired?” Hunter asks .

I glance down and realize I nearly drank the entire cup of coffee in seconds. I set the mug down. “No, I was distracted.”

He grins. “Okay. I thought that’s how you drink coffee.”

I laugh. “Yep. Only way to get my eight cups in a day.”

“I like this. That we can joke around even with everything going on,” he says.

“Me too.”

We sit in silence for a moment as my mind continues to race.

“According to Maggie, my boss wants to distance herself from me. I’m jobless again.”

He takes my hand. “I’m sorry. You should call your boss and talk to her directly. Explain the situation.”

“If I have a bad reputation, clients aren’t going to want to work with me.” That means it won’t matter if I find a new broker again. “I can put out a statement that all of this is false. I can say he’s making it all up for ratings.”

Hunter nods. “You could. But then he might accuse you of lying. And while he didn’t provide real evidence, he made connections some people will still believe. You need proof.”

“How do I prove a negative? That I didn’t do something?”

“I think the way to go after this is to prove he lies about everything.”

“And do you have any thoughts on how we would do that?” I ask.

He leans back and stares at the floor. Then slowly, a smile spreads across his face, and he looks up. “Actually, I think I do. We’re going to beat him at his own game.”

“And what is that?”

“We are going to record him.”