Page 2 of Depths of Destruction

I leap out of my chair. "I'm an investigative journalist."

"You aren't anymore. Now get out of here."

"Ezra!"

He points at me. "Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Naomi. You're going to end up dead."

My heart pounds into my chest cavity. "Why would you..."

He crosses his arms over his chest.

"Have they bought you, too?"

Red creeps up his neck and fills his cheeks. His eyes turn to slits. "Excuse me?"

What am I saying? Ezra has always been like a father to me and helped me advance my career.

His voice drops. "You better watch yourself and your accusations, Naomi."

"Ezra, please don't pull me off this," I quietly beg.

He taps his head. "Think, Naomi."

"I am thinking. The people of Belize—"

"How long do you think it'll be before they come after you?"

Time stands still as my blood runs cold. "I know it's a possibility, but we just need to do this correctly."

"There is no way to avoid them coming after you. You know how dangerous they are. And you should have told me you were working on this."

"Ezra, our people are dying. The leaders we put in power don't care about us. They are lining their pockets at the expense of Belizean lives."

His scowl falls from his face. In his fatherly manner he says, "Certain things are beyond our level of impact. This is one of them."

"That's not true," I cry out.

"It is. They'll hurt you then kill you. If they even know you're digging into their business, you're in danger."

Silence ensues, which only serves to make the thundering of my pulse roar in my ears.

He takes a few deep breaths then in a calm voice, he asks, "Naomi, who else knows about this?"

"No one," I lie to him.

He focuses on the folder then closes his eyes briefly. Sighing deeply, he turns his fear-filled eyes on me. "I hope to God you've covered your tracks."

"I have," I assure him. “But we need to run this story."

"No. You're risking death if you do this."

"I told you to run it anonymously."

His eyes widen, and he throws his hands in the air. "You don't think they will come after me to find out who you are?"

"Then put my name on it. The station can get me a bodyguard. They've done it for me and other reporters in the past."

"No. Security can't protect you from these people."