Authors: Katie Reus
“Which paramilitaries?” His mouth pulled into a thin line.
“FARC, Black Eagles, Black Devils, AUC, you name it.” He’d never understood how these groups considered themselves freedom-fighting revolutionaries when they were little more than terrorists.
Connor tapped his finger on the table. “And you have proof of Davis’s involvement?”
Hunter nodded and decided to lay more of his cards on the table. “Calero was holding a lot of stuff over him. Got dirt on Davis before he killed his uncle and took over the cartel. I don’t think Davis ever truly thought of Calero as a threat. He was someone Davis could use for monetary gain. But Calero played him well right up until the day he took over everything. A CIA agent helping a drug lord and illegal paramilitaries for money is about as bad as it gets.” And Davis couldn’t pay off anyone in the United States if word of his treachery leaked. He’d be hunted forever.
When Connor didn’t say anything, Hunter continued, “Davis wanted—needed proof of his involvement back if he ever wanted to retire or walk away or
anything.
He couldn’t get the stuff himself so he blackmailed me into doing it for him and…” His eyes narrowed when he spied a man standing in the underbrush about thirty yards behind them. “Call your dog off before he gets a bullet in his head.”
Connor turned around and waved the man away. “Okay, before I go ahead and start a full-scale shakedown, I need to know that you have this proof.”
Hunter weighed his options. Too many things needed to be decided before he handed everything over. Like if he even trusted Carl Connor. “For now I can give you a couple offshore bank account numbers.”
“Davis’s?”
“And Marcus Foster’s.”
“That’s not going to be enough.”
“For now it’ll have to be. I need to think about my options and I’m going to need complete protection for—”
“Alexis Baptiste and her son. Yes, I figured you would. It won’t be a problem.”
One thing was still on his mind so he decided to plunge ahead. “Davis gave me a letter from the president clearing that operation in Nicaragua. How would he get that if the mission wasn’t sanctioned like you say it was?”
“I’m already looking into that. When Alan forwarded that paperwork, I got a team on it right away.”
“So what if the president is in on this?”
Connor shook his head. “I don’t think he is, but I also don’t care if he is. No one is above the law.”
His last statement gave Hunter pause. “Someone took a few shots at me about an hour ago when I was out with Alexis and our son.” He only told him to get his reaction.
Connor jerked back in genuine shock. “What?”
Maybe he could trust him. It didn’t matter, though. He’d left Alexis alone for too long. He stood and sheathed his gun. “I’ll be in touch.”
The other man started to protest, but Hunter cut him off. “I’m not skipping town, but I’m not making this decision alone.”
“Fair enough, but Hunter…if someone is taking shots at you, you need to be under our protection.”
Hunter nodded but didn’t respond. He walked with Connor to the parking lot, but kept his distance. And only when Connor was out of sight did he check under his hood, the bumper and the dome light for tracking devices or any sort of bombs. When he pulled out of the parking lot, he dialed his PI friend, Rick. The only other two cars in the parking lot didn’t move, so he knew he wasn’t being followed.
“Yeah?” Rick picked up on the second ring.
“It’s me.” He didn’t bother identifying himself.
“How’s it hanging, man?”
“Fine. Listen, would it be possible for someone to hack into the DEA’s computer system?”
“No way. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, I don’t want any part of it.”
“Damn it, Rick, I didn’t say I wanted you to hack into anything. I only wanted to know if it was possible.”
Silence. “You there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Rick sighed.
“So, can it be done?” he pushed.
“Now? Possibly. Years ago? Definitely.”
“What do you mean?”
“A few years ago some German kids hacked into the FBI’s system. Since then all agencies have tightened up. Don’t get me wrong, a smart enough hacker could do it, but they’d have to have a serious reason. It’s not something you do as a prank. The likelihood of getting caught soon afterward deters most hackers.”
“But it is possible?” Hunter pushed.
“Anything’s possible. Why?”
For a moment he considered discussing what had happened, but he kept his mouth shut. No need to bring anyone else down with him. And if Rick somehow got dragged into this, he’d have plausible deniability. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Is that the only reason you called?”
“No, can you run a detailed check on Alan Saltz and Carl Connor? Specifically, I want to see if either have offshore bank accounts.”
“Sure. Anything special about them?”
“They both work for the DEA…and Connor’s the deputy director.”
“Is this gonna get me killed?”
Hunter chuckled. “Not if you cover your tracks right.”
Rick grunted something unintelligible then said, “I’ll get back to you soon.”
“Wait, can you do me one more favor?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you look up unoccupied rental homes in the Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, area?” It was winter so there should be more than a few places available. All the snow birds would have gone south for the next couple of months. He desperately wanted to get Alexis and Jonathan out of that hole of a motel room.
“Uh, sure, what are you looking for?”
“Look for upscale condos and houses that are furnished but unoccupied, and won’t be rented for at least a couple of weeks. Places that will keep the power on year round during the lag times. And if you can, look for places with privacy. I’d prefer a house over a condo.”
“You want security codes for these places too?”
“You serious?”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that. Stay on the line. This won’t take long.”
Hunter heard the clacking sound of the keyboard in the background.
Finally the noises stopped. “I think I got what you’re looking for. There’s a house right on the beach unoccupied for the next two weeks. Looks like some renters just left so you’ve got a little time. Security code is 3547.”
“How the hell can you possibly know that?”
“Hacked into a real estate agent’s email and private calendar. You’d be surprised by what people save in their email.” Rick rattled off the address before they disconnected.
The house was only a few miles from where they were staying now so at least they wouldn’t have far to go. As soon as he hung up, Hunter dialed the motel room. After the tenth ring, his whole body had turned numb.
Alexis didn’t have a car so she couldn’t have left. And there was no reason for her to ignore the phone unless something had happened. Gunning the engine, he battled to keep a level head. Unfortunately he’d never had a level head where Alexis was concerned.
Chapter 8
Alexis jumped when she heard the door in the adjoining room slam shut. Hunter had told them to stay in this room and if they heard anything out of the ordinary, to climb out the back window.
She looked at Jonathan sitting across the small wooden table by the kitchenette. His eyebrows were knitted together as he fit two pieces of his puzzle together. She reached across and gently placed her hands on his, signaling to stay quiet.
He froze and looked up wide-eyed. Before she could move, the adjoining door flew open. Her hand flew to her throat.
It was Hunter. “I’ve been calling the room.” His voice was almost accusing.
She frowned at him. “We haven’t gone anywhere.”
Wordlessly he strode to the phone and picked it up. He tried the dial a couple of times, then placed it back in the cradle. When his dark eyes locked on hers, she saw fear.
A rare emotion for Hunter. At least in her experience. Even with everything going on, he always seemed so sure of himself.
Years ago, her leg had cramped up when they’d been swimming at the beach. If it hadn’t been for him, she might have drowned. The expression she’d witnessed from him remained etched in her brain because she hadn’t known it was possible for anything to worry him.
“Mommy.” Jonathan’s voice dragged her attention away.
“What is it, sweetie?”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay.” He didn’t need her help so she wasn’t sure why he was telling her. He’d been very clingy since what happened at the beach. And she didn’t blame him.
As the door shut behind her son, suddenly Hunter gripped her shoulders from behind. When she swiveled to face him, he pulled her against his chest so tight she had to give him a little push back so she could breathe.
“I thought something had happened to you,” he muttered.
“I’m fine. I promise.”
“I called and you didn’t answer.” His voice was ragged and almost distant.
For a split second, she could feel herself being transported back six years. The way he looked at her now with that dark, hungry gaze it would be so easy to lean in and give him what he wanted. Take what
she
wanted.
She instinctively moistened her lips. Hunter let out a small groan.
Pressing a hand to his chest, she didn’t push him away like she knew she should. Her fingers fisted into his shirt, tugging him closer.
He brushed her hair out of the way and traced his finger along her jaw before dropping a brief kiss on her neck, right below the sensitive spot near her ear. Then he pulled back and stared at her, silently asking if this was okay.
Slam!
The sound of the bathroom door shutting made her jerk back.
Frozen to the spot, she was too stunned to move or react. Her skin tingled where he’d left his mark. Instinctively she rubbed her neck, then cursed him for having such an effect on her. The man was a menace to her sanity.
Technically, he hadn’t kissed her on the mouth. And the fact that she was thinking in “technical” terms meant something was seriously wrong. Hunter’s actions were completely intimate and inappropriate.
So were her thoughts.
Guilt swelled in her chest. She knew there was no future with her and Hunter, but she couldn’t marry Michael. Not when she was lusting after another man. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair to him. She needed to end things but how could she do it over the phone? Michael deserved more, but there wasn’t another choice. It didn’t matter how much she wanted to deny her attraction to Hunter, it was useless. The next time they got close she worried she wouldn’t pull away. She couldn’t live with that guilt.
She turned when Jonathan tugged on her hand. His big eyes were filled with curiosity and concern. “What’s going on? Are we staying here?”
“No. I found an unoccupied place for us.” Hunter’s voice softened as he answered Jonathan. He sidestepped her and grabbed the two bags off the bed.
“Unoccupied?” she asked.
“Ah, no one will know we’re there.” Hunter’s voice was wry.
“Good, this place stinks,” Jonathan muttered and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Are we going to be able to go back to Michael’s and grab the rest of our stuff?” she asked. Hunter had managed to snag some of their stuff earlier but he hadn’t gotten everything.
Again, he shook his head, and all that need and hunger she’d seen mere moments ago was gone. He was back in battle mode. “Anything we need, I’ll pick up somewhere else.” His words were clipped.
Okay then.
Sighing, she hooked her purse over her shoulder and picked Jonathan up off the ground. His small arms wrapped tightly around her neck as he buried his face against her shoulder. He was almost getting too big to hold, but right now it was obvious he needed to be comforted. If she was honest, so did she.
The place Hunter had found had almost exactly the same layout as Michael’s house and it was only a few miles down the road. At least it was a bit more private. They’d parked their vehicle a few blocks away and had used the cover of darkness to enter the house unnoticed. With all the blinds and drapes drawn, they were keeping most of the lights off. She wasn’t sure how long they’d be staying there, but it was a lot better than the motel.
Right now Jonathan was stretched out on the living room floor completely absorbed in a movie. He’d been so quiet since everything that happened, it was nice to hear him laugh again.
“So what did your old boss say?” She kept her voice low even though they were in the kitchen. She’d wanted to talk to Hunter about the meeting in the car but not with Jonathan so close.
“They’ve been watching Davis and they have a pretty strong case against him.”
“Wait, the DEA has been watching the CIA? Is that even legal? Do you believe him?” She closed her mouth, trying to stop the machine-gun fire of questions she was shooting at him.
He nodded. “It is legal, but I don’t know if I believe him at this point. I’ve got someone checking out his financials to make sure he’s straight, but after our conversation, my gut tells me he is.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Her hand tightened around the stem of the glass.
“Their case is strong, but it needs to be airtight. If they bring charges against a veteran CIA agent, there can’t be any room for error.” Hunter rubbed a hand over his face.
“So what does that have to do with you?”
“Remember all that stuff I told you about?”
“The papers and stuff Calero was using to blackmail Davis?”
He nodded and understanding set in.
“You’re going to give Carl Connor all that information?”
“It might be the only way to put all this behind us. If Connor brings a case against Davis, you can return to your life.”
There was something about the way he said “your life” that bothered her, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
Before she could respond, the house phone rang and she jumped. Hunter had texted Michael the number earlier so there was only one person who should be calling.
After one ring, it stopped.
When it rang again, she snatched it up before he could. “Hello?” Her hand fisted around the receiver.