Page 53 of Sticks and Stones (FBI Romance/Thriller #65)

The FBI really, really didn’t want the drugs in this country if they were handling this and a soldier was giving them tools to get it done.

They were going off the reservation on this one.

“We didn’t,” Ethan admitted. “Our alibi is taking care of business at our home.

Well, that worked.

To get the show going, he tossed them the two phones.

“Here is a laptop in case you need to research anyone. It’s encrypted, and no one can see your search. Director Rothschild wants you to destroy it when you’re done researching.”

Uh, okay.

The man kept talking, and he opened the case as he was doing it. They both saw inside, and they were surprised.

“Leave your guns here. Leave anything that can tie you to the FBI here. Now, you’re more CIA than FBI.”

They could tell.

How?

The CIA preferred the Glock-nineteen, as opposed to the FBI handing out Rugers.

More than willing to not use weapons tied to them, both men took off their guns. Ethan and Gene had them tucked at their back before entering the hotel, and they swapped them out.

“The Director said that if you use these, make sure they never see the light of day again. Like the laptop, make them disappear.”

Yeah, that told them everything they needed to know.

This was bad shit they were about to wade into, and that was dangerous.

The man in the mask picked up the envelope.

“In here, you have a list of most of the patrons who hit that particular establishment. It’s been under surveillance for a few months. Since you two have been in there, you’ll recognize the slime balls who frequent there.”

Yeah, they would.

Gene took the packet, and he opened it up.

Inside, there were black and white photos of each of the people he remembered being there. Most of them were of the men walking out of the building.

Ethan was curious.

“If you had the place under surveillance, why did no one help the cop who went in the other night?” he asked, going there.

The man glanced over, and he could hear the hostility in his voice.

“Agent, I’m the wrong person to ask about that. I didn’t do the surveillance. The only reason I’m here is because I was in Colombia and dealt with this mess there. I have no prior knowledge regarding the club. Don’t get angry with the messenger. I bite back.”

Gene stared at him.

Oh.

Hell.

No.

If he so much as snarled at Ethan, he was punching him in the face. Military tats or not.

“Yeah, well, so do we. What are we supposed to do with the photos?” he asked.

The man continued.

“On the back, you’ll find their names and their addresses. You can look them up with this laptop if you need to in order to figure out who is who. You’re agents, so you know how to detect. Find one, and see what you can get out of them.”

That screamed torture.

Not for them.

For the men in the pictures.

Since five of them in the envelope were the assholes who hurt Corbin, that worked for them.

“And we can find them at the bar or their home?” he asked.

The man clued them in.

“The bar didn’t open today. I’m going to guess it’s regarding what you mentioned before. Intel says that they are laying low. I’d start with the man named Renegade. Chatter has that he’s ready to blow town if the heat is on.”

The man dropped a key on the table.

Then, he clued them in.

“There’s a black sports coupe parked right beside your ride.

Leave it where it is when you’re done with the key inside.

The CIA will retrieve it when you’re finished.

When you pick up each one of the people that you believe are trafficking people and Snow, call me on the burner phone.

My contact is the ONLY one in them. I’ll come to you and pick up the people for transport. ”

Gene was curious.

“Where are they going?” he asked.

The man said nothing. Instead, he started walking out. That told Gene all he needed to know.

They weren’t going anywhere good.

That was for damn sure.

“Wait.”

When he stopped, Gene was curious.

“You said you were in Colombia. How bad is this shit that our case is tied to via that bar?”

The man was honest.

“It’s bad. Here’s something that you may or may not know. The CIA doesn’t let the FBI play in their games unless it’s dire consequences. There was a Fed on the ground there, and now you two are handling it here. That should tell you everything you need to know.”

Yeah, he was aware.

“If you come in contact with the substance, DO NOT get it on you or breathe it in. If you do, there’s nothing you can do but ride it out.”

Gene got it now.

“Is that why we got the room?”

He assumed.

“The director is likely bracing for worst-case scenario,” he admitted. “Again, if you come into contact with it, shower it off as quickly as possible, and then brace for it. The shit is dangerous.”

Ethan was curious.

“How dangerous?”

The man shared what he could since Gabe didn’t tell him not to. He seemed to trust both men, so he’d give them enough to satisfy their curiosity but not vet them into that military operation.

“It’s commonly used to traffic young women. The man who created this nightmare used it on women so he and his men can rape them. When women weren’t enough, he used it on teenage girls as young as nine.”

Well, that was gross.

Gene hoped the asshole suffered when the military took him out.

“And the women?” Gene asked.

The man was to the point.

“They have zero inhibitions and will fuck on the edge of building and fall to their deaths wanting more. If you see any during this process, get a sample, so we can figure out if this is, indeed, the same shit. Leave it in the glovebox of the car. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Well, shit.

This sounded like a shit show in the making.

“And if we get it on us?”

He laughed.

“Well, I suggest you don’t do that. If you do, like I said, brace for a long night. This shit is nasty.”

With that, he turned, headed out, and was gone without another word.

Jesus.

What the hell had Corbin gotten them into on this one? This wasn’t going to be fun.

Not.

At.

All.

Now, Gene was stressed that they’d get that toxic shit on them. In fact, Gene wanted to avoid that at all costs. Glancing over at Ethan he focused on him.

“After this is taken care of, we’re grounding Corbin. He’s a bigger menace than you.”

It made him laugh.

“I mean, look at this in a positive way. This is going to be really great on our resumes.”

He snorted.

Yeah, if they survived their time here in Philadelphia . If not, it really wouldn’t matter.

Now would it?

As of that moment, Gene knew what he needed to do. As they said earlier, always have a backup plan.

“If for some reason, I get this shit on me, get me back here, and tie me to that bed. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Ethan knew why he said that. You’d think that endless hours of wild sex would be the least bad option out of everything that could possibly happen, but Gene was still stuck on hurting him.

“My ass again, Gene? Do I need to go get a hooker?” Ethan asked.

He stopped him.

Oh, there was a good reason too.

“EJ, I’m rough on a good day. You heard the guy. People will fuck on a ledge and not care if they die. I’m more worried I’ll do something stupid. Just tie me to the bed until I ride it out.”

Blackhawk could see that he was legitimately concerned. The last thing he wanted to do was dismiss that.

So, if that was what he wanted him to do, he’d make sure he was safe and couldn't hurt anyone.

Meaning him.

“Please?” he asked.

For Gene, what wouldn’t he do?

Yeah, he could do that for the man if he was legitimately worried about it.

“And if I get any on me, same, okay?” he asked, wanting to make sure he didn’t hurt Gene either. They were both strong, and Ethan wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he hurt his partner.

“Oh, no, don’t make me tie up a hot Native,” Gene teased, much calmer now that they had agreed.

Blackhawk laughed.

“I know. Sometimes, I wonder how we fell down this rabbit hole in Philly .”

He could say that again.

Now that they had that handled, together, they sat on the bed and spread out the pictures between them.

Whoever did the legwork for this, most likely a CIA agent, had done a good job. It was all of the suspects that they’d come across on that one case when they were there, and then some.

Gene recognized most of them from their undercover stint there.

Getting started, Gene picked up one of the photographs and held it in his hand.

It was Cash Masters, the bartender.

“He was the money man for the one stripper that was getting plowed at Bull’s . He might be involved,” he said. “We should see if he’s rich and possibly branching out.”

Ethan agreed there.

He was a good suspect.

They knew someone could be handling the incoming money and getting it to the person grabbing the victims, or he could be the one behind it all.

They put that one picture off to the side.

“I think we should start with good old Renegade, like the masked dude suggested,” Gene admitted. “He screams ‘up to his eyeballs in this fuckery’ , and he had been a little too excited to go dick diving in your ass when we were there. He is definitely the kind of man who likes to assault people.”

That was the truth.

Ethan agreed that it was a good place to start.

“I don’t recall him having a skull ring that they are using as a brand.”

Yeah, him either, but they’d not been up close and personal with many of the bikers in there. Mostly, it was Cash Masters and Renegade.

“We’ll find whoever did that to Corbin,” Gene admitted.

Yeah, if it was the last thing they did.

When they flipped over the picture, Renegade’s real name was there.

‘Mario Turner.’

“Finding out someone was spying on the place would have been helpful when we were working undercover there,” Ethan admitted, seeing the man’s name.

Gene agreed.

It was insane how alphabet agencies didn’t have a clue when they were tromping all over each other’s cases.

“Well, the CIA is the CIA. I’m glad I work for the FBI. I like my partner safe where I can see him not bleeding,” he admitted.

That made Ethan laugh.