Page 54

I glanced around the well-equipped van, marveling at the amount of money it displayed. He had more security and communications equipment than I’d seen in a long time. Since my time spent in the Navy. “What do you do again?”

He threw me a look. “You don’t want to know. Let’s just say I come highly recommended.”

“But you’re ex-military.”

His smile indicated I was right.

“I worry about you, Kage. You seem to have fascinating friends.” At least we had a sense of camaraderie and common beliefs.

Kage snorted. Between Damon and Chuck, I’d say Kage was into some heavy shit. But I knew better. He was on the up and up and always had been. Which was why he’d taken what he perceived as my betrayal so hard.

“Don’t worry. Juliette would kick my butt if she thought I was doing anything illegal. Just like I think Charmaine would do with you.”

“Don’t start. We’re not together.”

He shook his head. “Tell me another lie. I saw the way you were looking at her.”

I barely shot him a look, trying my best to keep my attention on the screens. Chuck was working fast, using some sort of computer application to try to unlock the other files while also working out a possible encryption of the single file I’d managed to open. “She’s my extraction. Remember?”

“Uh-huh. From what, four months ago? I think she’s more than that now. You might as well admit it.” His jesting should piss me off, but it didn’t.

That’s because he was right. I’d been unable to get my mind off her for even a few seconds while also wanting to wrap my hands around her neck for being so careless with her life. Including tonight.

“She seems nice. I won’t allow the fact she digs you to change my opinion.” Kage laughed again, his smile finally fading. “You should come out to Colorado sometime.”

“Maybe someday.”

He could sense I wasn’t in the mood for chitchat. “Did you speak to Gray and let him know she’s here?”

“Yeah, I did. That’s when he mentioned someone is actively attempting to find her location.”

“Alfaro.”

“I don’t think so. At this point, he’s secure in thinking he’s off the radar or immune to prosecution.

There have been a few indictments, but unless the Feds and the justice department are purposely keeping something about the man locked down, they don’t have a true case against him. Or anyone else for that matter.”

“I thought what you provided was a smoking gun.”

“We thought that too,” I admitted. “What we realized is the people on the list doing business with Alfaro are all low-level players.”

“Taking the fall on purpose.”

“Exactly. Meanwhile, Alfaro is casually eliminating the last of his enemies. I think he tasked someone in whatever alliance he formed to hunt her down.”

“She mentioned she wrote an article with detailed notes. Unpublished?” Kage asked.

“Yeah, and it’s going to stay that way.”

“You could use it to lure this person into the light.”

I threw him a look. “What the hell did she say to you, because that’s what she wants to do.”

“It might become necessary if what you’re thinking is true.”

As I studied Kage, I bristled even though I knew he was right. However, I refused to budge. Doing so would place Charmaine’s life in the kind of danger I feared I couldn’t stop.

“You were right,” Chuck said out of the blue.

Kage and I shifted our attention to where he was sitting.

“Meaning?” I asked.

He glanced up from the screen. “The message you managed to open was nothing but a signature. Typical for hackers and radicals.”

“How so?” Kage leaned over the table, studying the screen.

“Every hacker has one. They use it on the dark web to brag about their successes. In this case I think the person was building a resume in the creation of the lists on this drive.” Chuck rolled his chair back so we could take a better look.

He pointed to what the encryption application had determined.

“His or her claim to fame is in how the data was protected. But I suspect he might have hacked into someone’s computer to gather additional data, maybe to use as blackmail.

Maybe this drug lord you mentioned has no clue or sanctioned the hacks.

My guess is whatever is in those files is highly dangerous to dozens of people one way or the other.

I can’t tell the responsible party right now.

Except for one glaring clue. Does the name Raptor mean anything to you? ”

“Raptor?” Kage repeated, taking a sharp breath.

“Yep. Catchy.”

Kage and I rose to our full height, immediately looking each other in the eyes. A smile curled on Kage’s face. This wasn’t a coincidence.

Raptor. The piece of shit.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked.

I scratched my jaw, trying to remember the last details from when I’d heard the moniker.

The asshole had been nothing but a troublemaker, a trust fund baby with a penchant for danger and a knack with explosives.

There was a rumor his kingpin daddy had shoved Raptor’s delinquent ass into the military as punishment.

The kid had been a danger to the team. He’d proven that time and time again.

“It’s entirely possible.” Everyone within our unit had monikers, names that suited their talents and expertise.

They were often used more than our given names.

Was it possible this was someone else? Yes, but I had my doubts.

Kage laughed. “That motherfucker. He had more skills than common sense.”

“And a father with money and power.” I kept my gaze locked on my once best friend. We’d sparred with Raptor, aka Misha Provincal, a half dozen times.

“He thought you were his best friend when he joined the team. Remember?”

“He thought wrong.”

It would seem I’d been lured into doing the grunt work for a group who either didn’t want to get their hands dirty or knew instinctively they wouldn’t be successful.

Either way, it pissed me the fuck off.

“Then I think you need to contact Gray. From what you’ve told me, it’s possible he and whatever clandestine group he’s working with already have suspicions.”

“Yeah,” I hissed. “You’re right. And if you are, I’m going to fucking hunt and kill the man.”

Charmaine

I leaned against the couch, stretching my back.

Since the boys had headed outside, I’d been working on the article I’d already started writing, hunched over the laptop for a couple of hours.

At least I’d had the time to concentrate.

I hadn’t realized how many notes I’d taken over the months of feeling incarcerated.

Some had seemed scattered at the time, but just by reading them over, I realized I had more than a smoking gun at my fingertips.

I had highly explosive material. The only missing piece, if all of us were right, were the names of those in control of using methods of extortion and blackmail.

And murder.

Even without them, the article shed some harsh light on several industries, pharmaceuticals being only one. If only there was a way to bring Alfaro out in the open. He was the real key, the single person who could put all the pieces together.

Sighing, I leaned over again, studying my notes as I typed a few additional thoughts.

Blip.

The sound was faint, but unmistakable.

I’d received a text.

I grabbed my phone, staring down at the screen. A rush of both dread and excitement rolled through me.

Unknown: This is bigger than anticipated. You cannot handle this. Back away.

As usual, the journalist—and the bitch—inside of me wasn’t interested in cryptic messages.

Me: Not good enough. Who are you and what do you know? I plan on releasing names.

I was shocked when I noticed the three blips, my eagerness almost overwhelming.

Unknown: Listen to what I’m saying. There are people who want you dead.

A slight chuckle pushed past my lips. I wanted to tell the person they’d need to take a number. I could feel whoever was sending me the texts wanted to say more.

Me: I can’t do that. I am going public with what I know. And trust me, heads will roll.

Immediately the blips appeared on my screen.

Unknown: If you do you will die, Char. You cannot do that. Just walk away. Let others handle the danger.

Wait. What?

Whoa. I pulled back, still staring at the screen. Every inch of my body began to tingle.

While I’d mentioned to Maddox that he should call me Char and that all my friends and family did, that wasn’t exactly the truth.

Even my parents refused to shorten my name, saying it wasn’t regal enough.

My team had used the shortened name, but they were dead.

My friends? I had two amazing girlfriends I hadn’t spoken to in almost six months.

Plus, one was a doctor and the other working off Broadway. There was no way they were involved.

In my mind that left one person who regularly used the name, often tossing it in my face as if meant to be condescending.

With butterflies in my stomach, I took a chance.

And dialed the number for Mr. Unknown. As expected, it rang and rang. “Come on, you bastard. You got me into this. You need to help me finish it.” No amount of chiding the person on the other end of the line was going to force the issue.

I ended the call, allowing my mind to process the moment for a few seconds.

Then I tapped a second number on the keypad, one I’d had memorized for years.

When voicemail clicked on, I took a ragged breath.

What the hell was he in the middle of? “What are you doing? I know you’re the unknown sender.

I know you were the one I met with at the coffee shop.

You sent me to El Salvador. I need to know why and who’s involved.

Goddamn it. You owe me that if nothing else. ”

After I finished, I squeezed my phone, glaring at the screen as if that was going to make him return my call.

I knew better.

What in the hell was this clandestine game being played and why had he kept his identity a secret from me?

I glanced at the screen on my laptop then looked toward the door. What I was thinking would be considered reckless, but at this point, I knew if I didn’t poke the predator, nothing would change and dozens of people would be allowed to continue with their methods of corruption.

And murder.

The thought lingered in my mind, festering in a way that fueled indignation and hatred. I closed my eyes briefly, reminding myself Maddox was the only man who could keep me safe. Yet I couldn’t stand by and allow more people to die. Not if I had the opportunity to do something about it.

I pulled up the system settings on my computer, navigating to the internet as I remembered what Maddox had told me while visiting one of the guesthouses.

He hadn’t lied to me. There were hotspots created by the previous owner.

I opened my old email, quickly typing in Jerry’s email address.

Information was missing, but what I had collected and reported on eloquently would certainly create several explosions.

With flying fingers, I created a message.

My pulse raced and I constantly glanced toward the door, ensuring I remained very much alone.

Before I betrayed his trust.

The man I’d fallen hopelessly in love with.

Yet this was something I had to do, something that needed to be done. I attached the rough draft of my article.

And I hit send.