Page 42

Chapter 41

Traitor

Big Al

L ettie’s eager blue eyes are the first thing I see when the elevator doors open.

“Thank goodness you’re here,” she blurts out. “Everyone’s wound tighter than the screws on the space station.”

If she’s already in full-blown Southern idiom mode, today’s off to a fan-fucking-tastic start.

Considering how I left things with Maddie, I should have expected the shit to hit the fan as soon as I walked into HQ.

I exit the elevator. “Good morning, Lettie. Lay it on me.”

“Sorry ’bout my lack of manners. Good morning to you as well. They need you in the lair. Immediately .”

She falls in step with me as we start marching down the hall. “When I say immediately, I mean do not stop at your office. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.”

I chuckle under my breath. “Easy does it, Lettie. You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.”

“Do you need something from your office? If so, I’ll get it for you.”

“I’m good. Thanks.”

Maddie would be so proud of my manners.

My neck muscles tighten, and my jaw clenches. Maddie . I can’t believe she said that to me. Today of all days.

Considering how she broke down on the night I met with the architect, it’s understandable that she’d want to do something to ease her apprehension now that I’ll be at risk again.

My point stands, though. She shouldn’t make this decision with the upcoming op hanging over our heads.

Maybe she is ready for our someday . But I’d rather not have any doubts.

Lettie matches my steps as we barrel past her desk. I cock a brow at her, then glance over my shoulder back toward her workspace.

She reads my silent message and answers with confidence. “Yes, siree, I’m tagging along. I’m too dang nosy to sit this one out. You should know that by now.”

I don’t bother to stifle my smirk. “What am I gonna do with you?”

“Well, I’m no psychic, but I reckon you’ll suck it up, ultimately adoring me just the way I am.”

“Sounds about right. Any idea what I’m walking into?”

Although her breathing picks up from our accelerated pace, she doesn’t slow her steps. “It’s about Katia.”

“Of course it is.” I shake my head, teeth grinding. “Tomer sent you to get me, huh?”

“Nope. It was Mia. As soon as your vehicle hit the lot, she told me to drag you down there.”

Hmm . Interesting.

We enter the lair, greeted by a flurry of activity.

“Okay. I’m here. Where’s the fire?”

“Katia’s dirty,” Tomer announces without preamble, keeping his focus on his computer.

Klein piles on. “You should probably get a message to Bigsby requesting an urgent meeting. We suspect she’s trying to sabotage him and fuck up the whole mission.”

I hold out my hands in front of me, palms toward the carpet. “Slow down, children. Start at the beginning.”

Tomer launches into an explanation. “Tapping Katia’s phone at the hospital when she had the baby has finally paid off.” His normally even-keeled tone is brimming with excitement, likely because he’s been vindicated.

Dammit .

I didn’t want him to be right about her.

As my relationship with my daughter has developed, I’ve become sympathetic to Bigsby’s plight. There’s no telling what I’d do to save Lettie if she were stuck in Lenkov’s clutches.

Should it be revealed that Katia’s working against the chief, his suffering will be tenfold. I don’t want that for him. He’s already dealt with so much tragedy.

“Boss, over here.” Mia captures my attention. “I’ll play the call we intercepted. Any bets on who she spoke with?”

“My money is on the mayor,” I answer, having sensed this coming for weeks.

“Bingo.” She clicks the play button on her screen. “Pull up a chair.”

During the last month, Mayor Kirkland has advanced from someone we suspected of playing dirty to an outright villain. Once Klein got into his home Wi-Fi with one of our toys, it all unfolded rapidly.

Turns out, Mayor Kirkland’s political influence is partially to blame for Nikolai Lenkov being cleared in the Franco Financial case. I wouldn’t have thought a local mayor could pull off what he did, but he knows powerful people. And a little blackmail against a federal prosecutor can go a long way.

Ultimately, one of Lenkov’s patsies took the fall on some downgraded charges. Even still, the bratva had to scramble and make big changes. And here we are.

The recording begins, and the first thing I hear is a baby cooing in the background.

“Why are you calling me?” Katia whispers.

“I have information to pass on,” the mayor responds.

“You know better than to contact me here,” she chides him, her accent coming out more pronounced thanks to her budding irritation. “Too risky now. They watch everything we do. Two days is all we have.”

The baby grows fussy, and Katia’s voice softens as she placates him with soothing whispers.

“When was this call recorded?” I ask, directing the question to no one specific.

“About seventy minutes ago,” Klein answers.

I cock my head at him. “Did we pick it up on his cell too?”

He shakes his head. “Only hers.”

“He must be using a burner phone,” I surmise.

Having quieted the baby, Katia returns to the call. “I must go. What is message?”

Tomer stops typing, spinning in his chair to face me. It’s not a great sign if he wants to see my reaction. Aw, shit.

With a touch of triumph lacing his voice, the mayor says, “I was able to get the second port cleared like you wanted.”

My eyes bulge. “What the fuck?”

She curses in Russian, then smoothly shifts into English to continue berating him. “You pathetic idiot. You were supposed to do this weeks ago. Not now. Will be too hard to move everything. Nikolai will be furious.”

“We don’t need to move everything, Katia. I recommend he keeps what he’s already sent down south, as planned. Anything he hasn’t moved yet can go through Tampa. It’ll be safer to spread out his product, anyhow. Trust me. This is a good thing, and we still have time to adjust. He will be pleased.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She practically growls her response at him. “I doubt this very much. I will send word later. Or maybe he come find you himself.”

The call ends abruptly.

“Nice little threat at the end,” Klein murmurs.

I spring into action, darting to the easel in the corner and thrusting the used pages over the back. “Before I start barking out orders, tell me what you’ve done so far.”

Tomer’s ready with his update. Exactly like I knew he’d be. “Klein pulled the names of everyone who works at the Tampa port or has access.”

I scratch that on the page in shorthand. “Good. I want that cross-checked with every other list we have. With any luck, we can figure out who works at the port that’s in bed with Lenkov. That’ll tell us where to focus surveillance. I also want to know who at the port the mayor used to put this in motion.”

“Already in progress,” Klein answers.

“Excellent. What else, T?”

“I’m reviewing the vessel schedule for Tampa. We need to know what ships are in port already, which are coming in over the next few days, and how much available space they have for containers.”

I scrawl more notes across the page, nodding along as he explains.

“Boss, to cut to the chase... we’re essentially repeating the prep we did for the Port of Miami, aiming to identify all the ships, terminals, and berths that might be available to Lenkov. We’re going as fast as possible, but this is a metric shit ton of info to pore through.”

“I’ll help. Tell me what you need,” Lettie offers.

Fighting an inappropriately timed sprawling smile, I settle for winking at her. “Once we’re done listing out steps, we’ll divide and conquer. Lionheart, Sawyer, Jonesy, and the rest of the team will be in soon. Hell, I’ll put Val to work if I need to.” I glance at the clock. “Lettie, why don’t you get Shep and his brood up here now? Lionheart and Sue too. Let’s not wait.”

“You got it, Boss Dad.” She dashes out of the lair.

I look from Klein to Mia and Tomer, waving my hand in a circular motion. “All right, what else have you started?”

Mia provides her status. “I pulled the cargo ship routes for Tampa to compare them against the list we anticipated as our most probable targets for Miami. If we can narrow down where they’re headed, we’ll have a better shot at stopping them. We have a ton of space to cover in Miami as it is. Adding multiple locations in Tampa is gonna be a challenge.”

My shoulders become vises, applying steadily increasing pressure. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. We’re fucked in terms of our people-to-targets ratio. We need more undercover law enforcement we can trust. But you already know how I feel about that.”

I raise my hands like I’m directing a chorus. In unison, they drearily recite my new mantra. “The more people who know, the more likely it’ll get back to Lenkov.”

“Very good.” My head lowers into a partial bow. “Moving on.”

They list five more tasks while I struggle to write fast enough to keep pace with them.

“I also want you to pull cruise and passenger ships.” I stop writing and set my sights on Mia. “Check the passenger manifests like we did for Miami. There’s still a chance they’ll attempt to use cruise ships in favor of smuggling via cargo.”

She nods. “Will do.”

I drag the marker over the page, adding other random notes before I forget them.

We need to work fast. This prep took weeks for Miami. This bomb could not have come at a worse time.

Scratch that. Pretend I didn’t jinx it.

Learning Lenkov is diverting half his shit to Tampa could have come tomorrow or the day after, which would be way fucking worse.

I huff out a deep breath from my lungs and scan the page. “Is that all you have so far?”

Tomer interjects, his tone braided with a barely discernible thread of apprehension. “Before we continue, you need to hear the rest of the surveillance we got on Katia.”

I freeze the marker an inch from the page and crane my neck around to shoot wide eyes at him. “There’s more?”

He nods, licking his lips nervously. “I finally found a way to access the camera and microphone on her cell phone.”

Last I heard, he couldn’t do more on her cell other than monitor her location and tap her calls due to anti-malware tech on the device. And she barely uses the damn thing for phone calls. Reminds me of my daughter in that way.

And only in that way.

I pump my fist, unable to quash the urge to celebrate. “What did you get so far, you big-brained motherfucker?”

“Nearly irrefutable proof of her being as corrupt as her half-brother, a.k.a. shitbag Yev.”

My stomach sinks. “Go on.”

“After the call with the mayor, she put the baby in the crib and went to deliver the message to Nikolai.” Tomer whips his head toward Mia. “Play it for him.”

She points her finger at one of the monitors. “Here we go. Up here.”

I move closer and fold my arms in front of my chest. “How many times have you watched it?”

“Just once so far. We jumped into the other tasks afterward.”

As the video begins, the screen jostles due to Katia’s hurried steps. She proceeds rapidly down a long hallway, seemingly holding the phone in front of her midsection.

“She’s moving like her ass is on fire,” Klein muses.

For the first time, we get a glimpse inside Lenkov’s home.

Tomer settles back in his chair to watch, lacing his hands behind his head. “Seems like she has the run of the mansion. Not exactly giving abductee vibes, is she? No guard at her door. No footsteps trailing her.”

As I’ve come to expect, Mia attempts to give Katia the benefit of the doubt. “I’m not surprised. She just had his baby. And she’s been there for years, so Lenkov obviously trusts her. Isn’t that the point of having a spy on the inside?”

Tomer holds her stare, his features revealing nothing.

My attention fastens on the video. Katia turns a corner, breezing through a sitting area. We get a flash of boxes lining one wall. Maybe a bookcase.

I gesture vaguely at the screen. “I assume you’ll be breaking this down frame by frame.”

“Obviously,” Mia drones, embellishing her snark with a showy eye roll.

“In light of our workload, you’re getting a one-time pass for that, Mia. However, it’s noted, and I’m not above sending Lettie to retrieve my shit list.”

She laughs boisterously, totally unbothered by my petty threat. “Oh, here we go. Katia’s almost to Lenkov’s office.”

“Sounds like I’m back just in time,” Lettie announces, flouncing into the lair. “The troops will be along shortly.”

Without looking away from the screen, Tomer extends his arm toward her. She glides to him without hesitation, taking his hand and letting him tug her onto his lap. The movement is natural. Seamless.

As their boss, I recognize it’s 1,000 percent inappropriate for her to sit on his lap at a time like this. As a father, it warms my heart to witness their tender affection.

I should probably break it up. However, we’re only watching a video. It’s not like he needs his hands for that.

Speaking of the video, I try to focus on it, but my vision keeps falling back to them. Gradually, he splays his palm over her rounded belly, holding my unborn grandson.

Well, fuck. It’s official—she can sit there as long as she wants.

I’m getting soft in my old age.

I redirect my attention to the monitor in time to see Katia knock on a dark oak door. A deep, muffled voice calls out too softly for us to decipher. Before entering, she appears to switch the phone to her other hand. The view spins around, then lands behind her. The bottom of the screen goes black, and the audio scrapes against something.

Klein must be reading my mind. “Best we can tell, she slid her cell about halfway into her back pocket, which is why we maintain a partial view.”

I don’t respond since I’m attempting to follow the conversation. And failing. “Somebody translate the Russian. I’m rusty.”

“Same. I’m also a bit rusty,” Lettie utters, her eyes bouncing around suspiciously to see if anyone bought her bullshit.

My daughter is goddamned adorable.

“I got ya.” Mia rewinds the video. “Lettie, feel free to correct me if I mistranslate anything.” She gives her a playful side-eye.

“Will do,” Lettie tosses, beaming like the freaking sun.

Once it’s back to the part when Katia enters Lenkov’s office, Mia translates.

“ Kirkland called me. ”

There’s a pause, and then Lenkov answers, “ And? ”

“ He cleared Tampa and says you should split the loads between the ports. Everything that’s already in Miami should leave from there. The rest you can change to Tampa. ”

“Of course, they aren’t saying exactly what they’re moving,” I grumble in frustration.

Mia provides a recap of Lenkov’s seething response. “So now, he’s essentially cussing up a storm. Nothing of importance.”

Lettie jokes, “I beg to differ. This is the most important part. I’d love to know how Russians curse.” She whispers to Tomer loud enough for everyone to hear. “Tell me what he’s saying, babe. Don’t hold back.”

“Lots of F-bombs, something about a horse’s urethra, and I think he called the mayor a...” Tomer slopes his head to the side, his gaze unfocused. “What would you call that, Mia? Zasranets ? Doesn’t that mean diarrhea?”

“It does. Based on context, I assume he means asshole or maybe shithole. Could be a shitass. It isn’t literal diarrhea.”

Shep barges in at the best time, given his maturity level. “Who’s got literal diarrhea?”

Lettie’s quick with a retort. “Apparently, the mayor. He either has it or is it. Stay tuned to see which.”

“That tracks with what I know about politicians,” Kri quips, following a step behind Shep.

“Pause the video, Mia,” I order, my tone masking my annoyance. “No sense in trying to listen while everyone is gathering.”

Junior, Leo, and Sue enter the lair, suddenly making it feel much smaller.

I provide a quick rundown of what’s transpired, including the call from the mayor.

Sawyer comes tripping in right as I wrap up. If he wants a recap, it’s not coming from me. Fuck that. I’ve officially lost my patience.

“Lionheart, you can get him up to speed later.” I shift my attention to the monitor. “Resume playback, Mia.”

“Here we go.” She clicks the space bar.

When Nikolai’s profanity eventually ends, Mia continues translating. “ I need to call Bowen before I decide. ”

“ No, my love. It’s too dangerous. They’re watching him closely. ”

Huxley Bowen, the Miami Port Authority director, is one of the few from the list of seventy-two trafficking customers who haven’t been arrested yet. The only victim who could remember enough about him to be a credible witness is fourteen, and her parents won’t let her testify.

As for the other seventy-one, Lettie has convinced several trafficking victims to serve as witnesses or provide enough information to law enforcement to obtain confessions. Each time another rapist goes to jail, she stands a little taller. I couldn’t be prouder of her. There’s still about two dozen who haven’t been arrested. But we won’t stop until justice is served.

In the playback, Lenkov continues, “ Moving to Tampa might be better if the GI Joes are all in Miami. Maybe we should move everything and not half. ”

“If he’s talking about us, that’s beyond offensive,” Kri huffs, then clicks her tongue. “GI Joes . Sexist.”

Katia says, “ I know you’re not asking me, but I think staying the course with Miami is best. ”

“ You’re right. I’m not asking you. ” There’s a pause, then he says, “ But I’m curious why you think this ?”

“ We know law enforcement will be minimal down there. And Bowen has good reason to uphold his end of the deal. We are better prepared for Miami, even if Redleg is there. ”

“ And Tampa ?”

“ You already lost Dempsey and the FBI bitch. Do you really trust the mayor and Alexei to keep this port clear? ”

Undersheriff Dempsey was arrested in the first wave. He’s on house arrest while awaiting trial. Needless to say, he’s suspended, pending the criminal proceedings. The fact that he was put on leave without pay is a good sign that he’ll be officially ousted soon. They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t have their own evidence.

The audio recording distorts a little, and the frame shakes. I narrow my eyes, taking a step closer to the monitor. With only a view behind Katia, it’s hard to tell what’s happening in the room. It sounds like footsteps and then a rustling of clothing. Flesh-colored skin passes by the camera lens. When Lenkov speaks again, he sounds much closer to Katia.

I suspect he’s pulled her into his arms or is groping her ass. An acrid taste fills my mouth.

“ Oh, Alexei will do anything I tell him, ” he says menacingly.

Katia’s voice is breathy when she replies. “ Are you sure ?”

“ He will do what I say. And you’ll make sure of it, won’t you ?”

“ Of course. He believes everything I tell him .”

“ That’s my pretty little dove.” Mia makes a gagging sound, then continues translating. “Come to my room tonight. ”

“ What do you want me to tell the mayor ?” Katia asks.

“ We’ll split the shipments. After you call him, ensure all our personal things are packed. I want to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. ”

“ Okay. I’ll go tell him. I trust you .”

Lettie groans. “Gross.”

Her comment draws soft laughter from the others.

“ After you call him, remember to have your phone wiped. ”

“ Yes, my love ,” Katia agrees. Based on the audio, they share another kiss.

I’m unsure which is worse—her sounding like she’s enjoying it or Lenkov forcing it on her. Both options are possible, but the latter seems less probable based on the tone of this entire conversation.

Poor Bigsby.

The only thing that’ll save her is if she delivers a message to her father or Patterson to let us know they’re splitting the shipments between the two ports. Otherwise, Tomer was right all along.

Considering Bigsby has never indicated she’s pretending to be a double agent, I fear he’s entirely unaware of this.

And until now, we had no idea Lenkov knew we were planning to intercept him in Miami. The only way he would know that is because of Katia or another law enforcement rat.

Aside from Patterson, Salgado, and Bigsby, I’m done sharing intel. My lips are sealed until we gift-wrap Lenkov and his people, then hand them over to the feds.

“I’m gonna throw up,” Lettie adds in response to the prolonged intimate moment between Lenkov and Katia. “He’s so old and vile. Argh .”

The rest of the recording is uneventful. She keeps her phone in her pocket until she gets back to the bedroom. Her stroll through the house gives us a better idea of the interior of the home. But nothing stands out except more boxes.

At least we know they’re planning to move.

As promised, Katia calls the mayor to inform him of Lenkov’s decision to split the shipments. Nothing else.

The video comes to an end.

Tomer explains, “Katia immediately turned off her phone after the call. More than likely it’s being wiped now or will be soon. We backed out at that point so we didn’t get caught spying on her.”

A sharp nod is my only response. I stride slowly toward the window while attempting to process my thoughts. But my mind is foggy. The direction we need to take is unclear. It’s unsettling since I normally see things so vividly.

Disappointment over Katia’s apparent allegiance with Lenkov stings my chest. Especially when I picture how Bigsby will take the news. I’m unsure whether my relationship with Lettie or Maddie has brought more emotions to the forefront. Regardless of why, they’re blocking my ability to see the endgame.

No one speaks for several seconds.

Although I keep my back to my team, I feel their eyes on me. The heat of their stares warms the back of my head as they wordlessly request direction.

The pressure holds me down with the weight of a tank.

I’ve always been comfortable with the burden of crucial decisions. Even when lives are on the line. Normally, the steps form clearly in my mind within seconds. By the time I’m asked how I’d like to proceed, I’ve already run through various scenarios and can answer immediately. It’s part of why I’ve always been comfortable in high-stakes leadership positions.

The same way I saw the flower in the painting, I typically view the right path for my team.

Not this time.

We don’t have enough people to cover two ports. And the more law enforcement we call in, the greater the risk.

Klein’s the first to break the arduous silence. “Well, are we splitting up between Miami and Tampa? Calling in more law enforcement? What’s the plan?”

I pivot away from the window to face my team, my arms crossing at my chest. The urge to tell them I have no fucking idea swells from the pit of my stomach. But I cut it off in my throat.

One thing is for certain. I need more intel before I can make a solid decision.

“We’re not changing our strategy until we have more information about the Tampa port. While I step out to contact Bigsby, the intel team will hand out assignments for the fuck ton of tasks needed. You’re gonna help us complete several weeks of prep work in one day.”

I point at Tomer. “Divvy up that list and anything else you think we need to do. I’ll be back after I talk to the chief.”

Lettie rises from Tomer’s lap, allowing him to ease toward the easel we used for brainstorming.

He clears his throat, preparing to address the team. “All right. Here’s what we need.”

While they start on that shit, I need to figure out how to tell a man his daughter is a traitor.