“You will send me the information before I agree.”
“It will take too long. Please trust me to find a house, Father. I promise you will be happy with my choice.”
“Choices, querida. One for you and another for Victoria.”
“But—”
“Those are my conditions, Juliana. If you do not accept, Diego and I will be glad to fly up and help you.”
“You and the family will always be welcome.” She knew he was right. At some point, Victoria would want her own home. Their father’s offer would assure they’d select houses they wanted and still be close to each other. “All right. Each of us will choose a house in the same secure community.”
“Excellent. Send everything to me. And, querida?”
“Yes, Father.”
“I will expect your decisions within two weeks.”
Before she could respond, Armando ended the call.
“I’m sorry, Tori, but he left us no choice.”
“Please don’t worry about it, Julia. It’s probably best we have separate homes.” She touched her sister’s arm. “As long as they’re close to each other.”
Glancing down the street, Julia spotted the van approaching, slowing to a stop in front of her. Resigned, she walked up to it, waiting until they lowered the window.
A young man of maybe twenty-five poked his head out. “Are you Ms. Stanifer?”
“I am, but unfortunately, there’s been a change in plans. You’ll need to meet me back at the storage locker as I’ll not be moving today.”
“You know there’ll be additional charges.”
“I’m happy to see they’re paid.” Opening her phone, she pulled up her contacts. “Please send the charges to my father.”
Tracker’s anger hadn’t subsided. Nailing Jaeger with a solid punch to the jaw had helped, but didn’t make up for what the DEA agent had done to him and Julia.
“Are you going to be able to keep your man under control, Wrath?” Charlie studied Tracker from where he and Wrath stood on the other side of the room, knowing he was much more than a member of the Brethren.
“He’s fine. But you should’ve warned me about Delphine. He and Tracker have a history, and it’s not a pleasant one.”
“Yeah, I gathered that.”
“He’s essential to our plan, Charlie. I’m not cutting Tracker loose. If anyone should be cut, it’s Delphine. If we can’t trust him, there’s no use moving forward.”
“Both men are here for a reason. I understand your concern about Jaeger. He can be a loose cannon.”
“Which we don’t need.” Wrath crossed his arms, unwilling to go further without assurances from Charlie. “Look, I know this is outside your authority and that you’re putting yourself way out there for us. Still, I need to know Delphine can be controlled.”
“You know I can’t make promises about someone from another agency. But if he does anything to jeopardize our plans or one of our members, I’ll see he’s booted from the task force. Will that be sufficient, Wrath?”
“Yeah, as long as you understand we’ll be watching him, too.”
“I’d expect nothing less. We should join them before Tracker gets the urge for a second round.”
Wrath had been thinking the same. Taking seats at the table in the kitchen alcove, he introduced Rock and Ghost. “You already know Tracker.”
Charlie pointed to each of the other three men. “You all know Jaeger Delphine. He’s with the DEA. Tom Lotten is with the FBI. Dick Greene is a CIA analyst and works under me. I’ve known all three men a long time and would trust them with my life. And your true identities.”
An uneasy glance passed between the four Brethren. They couldn’t afford to have any of the men before them blow their cover.
“Talking about the MC outside of this room can’t happen.” Wrath pinned each man with a warning glare. “I can’t stress enough the importance of discretion.”
“We understand,” Dick said at the same time Tom gave a quick nod.
“And you, Jaeger?” Wrath asked.
Eyes narrowing on Tracker, the agent offered a terse nod. “No one will hear about you from me.”
“All right. Here’s what we have so far.” Charlie opened the folder in front of him, handing a piece of paper to each of them. “These detail the three bogus missions the Brethren have been sent on and the results. As you already know, the last one ended with a remotely detonated incendiary device leveling their onsite repair garage.”
Wrath pulled the device from his pocket, setting it in the center of the table. “This is what we found.”
Reaching out, Tom picked it up, studying the design and structure. “It appears to be a C4 explosive.”
“Yeah, we believe the same,” Ghost said.
“Only one?” Dick asked.
“We searched the entire compound and the remains of the garage three times. That’s the only one we found,” Rock answered. “They sent us on a false run with almost half our men. The assignment was a bust. We were about to leave when we got the word from Wrath about the attack. At that point, we were over two hours from the clubhouse.”
Wrath leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “We believe the first two missions were a dry run, meant to see what they could do. They planned it out, planted the bomb on one of the choppers when it was outside the compound, then went through channels so Grayson would approve the mission.” He looked at Tom. “The intel came from the FBI Director. The same with the first two.”
Tom’s mouth drew into a tight line. “Are you certain they came through his office?”
“Him personally. All communication goes directly from him to our commander.”
“Admiral Grayson?” Jaeger asked.
“That’s right. Until now, only a handful of people know our true identity. Unfortunately, the director isn’t the same person who worked with Grayson to make the Brethren possible. Same with SECNAV. The original Secretary of the Navy retired and another took his place. Only the admiral has met with them. He’s not as confident of their allegiance to our existence as the original two.”
“So you believe the new director is the leak?” Tom felt a wave of unease at the thought his boss was a traitor.
Wrath gave a quick shake of his head. “We don’t know. But I sure as hell want to find out.”
“So that’s one of the reasons why this group was implemented. We need to find the leak and stop it. The other reason is another run at taking out the Nuevo León Cartel.” Charlie glanced between Jaeger and Tracker. “You two have a history with the Quintero family, so we are counting on your expertise to help us shut down their operation.”
Stroking his goatee, Tracker’s jaw tightened as he considered how to respond. The last task force, the one when he’d lost Julia, had been a bust. He had no intention on repeating the blown assignment.
“It’s been six years since I had contact with the Quinteros. I know nothing of their operation or structure now. The fact is I knew little about it back then. That part was handled by an undercover DEA agent who reported to Delphine.”
“Unfortunately, the agent was made and executed. It’s taken us a long time to get another man in there. Ernesto Ramirez has been elevated to the inner circle. He’s one of Diego Quintero’s bodyguards. Ernesto reports to me, and I send what he’s learned to my boss.” Delphine folded his hands on the table. “He was there the night you rescued a kidnapped boy from an abandoned building in Nogales.”
Wrath’s hands clenched. “How the hell did you learn about that?”
“All I can say is there are informants in all the cities where the cartel transfers their goods. Nogales is a major hub.” Delphine drummed his fingers on the table. “We have more than one person feeding us information. The bottom line is Agent Ramirez heard Diego call Tracker by his given name.”
Wrath leaned forward. “Tracker reported it to me soon after returning to the compound after rescuing the boy.” He didn’t mention the boy was his nephew. Wrang
ler’s son, Jamie. “Tracker didn’t respond to Diego, so I decided to let it go.”
“You should’ve elevated it to Grayson,” Charlie said.
“Maybe. We did what was necessary to rescue the boy and take out several men working for an associate of Armando’s. From our intel, that distribution channel has been closed. Since we weren’t tasked with going after the cartel, I made the call to let it go.”
“For what it’s worth, Ramirez doesn’t believe Diego has any idea about the MC,” Delphine said. “All the men were in combat gear, which would be consistent with how Diego remembered Tracker. I don’t believe there’s an issue, just something we need to put on the table.”
Sitting back, Charlie closed the file. “Read over what I gave you, then destroy it. We can’t afford to have anyone learn of our existence. Most communication will be by secure lines. No emails, no texts. We’ll establish secure connections on those soon. I’ll make that happen, but after today, Dick will be my representative. Wrath is the leader of the task force. Let me be clear. The CIA will disavow any involvement in what we’ve been discussing. Dick has been temporarily assigned to work out of the FBI office in Phoenix where Tom’s located. Delphine will be operating out of the DEA office a little farther north.”
Pulling out a map, Wrath spread it out on the table, pointing to a spot north of Phoenix. “This is where I suggest we meet. It’s a safe house we’ve used before after a hostage rescue. It’s owned by a former Navy SEAL, and we have exclusive use of it. For now, we need Dick to analyze all the data we provide. Tom, we need any intel you have about past and future drug shipments, whether suspected by the Nuevo León Cartel or another organization.”
Folding the map, Wrath slid it back into the inside pocket of his cut. “Tracker, Delphine, you two are the most familiar with the Quintero operation. You’ll need to forget the past and provide whatever you know about them. Families, business structure, patterns of behavior, trusted associates. Rock and Ghost will work with our associated clubs to learn whatever they know about shipments through Arizona. Don’t expect much, as those clubs are actual one percenters. They don’t give a fuck about providing us information. Whatever intel we gather will be analyzed by the entire team. Any questions?”
When no one spoke, Wrath stood. “Thank you for agreeing to this. We meet again at the spot designated on the map one week from today at 0800.”
Charlie stood, pacing to a backpack against the wall. Walking back to the table, he reached inside. “These are secure sat phones. For now, it’s the only mode of communication for this task force.”
Glancing at Rock, Ghost, and Tracker, Wrath nodded toward the door. “Gentlemen, we look forward to shutting down the cartel and identifying the people responsible for attacking the Brethren.”
Chapter Four
“I’m too tired to even consider cooking or going out. Can we call for delivery?” Tori curled into one corner of the sofa in their extended stay hotel room.
Julia lowered herself into an oversized but uncomfortable chair next to the sofa. “If we hurry, we can still catch happy hour downstairs.”
“You can go down, but I’m comfortable right here.”
“You’re right. It’s been a long day.”
Holding up a hand, Tori ticked off what they’d done. “One, we spent an hour supervising the men loading the furniture from the storage unit. Two, canceled the rental agreement on the apartment. Three, spent another hour supervising the same men returning the furniture to storage. Four, located a realtor and visited ten homes in gated communities. Five, made offers on two. And I haven’t included our conversation with Father. Did I miss anything?”
“I don’t think so,” Julia said with a weary smile.
“You’d think after being on my feet all day at the animal clinic, I’d be used to standing and walking.”
“What we did today was different. At least we found a couple houses that should satisfy Father. I know he wants what’s best for us, and I love him. But there are times I don’t have the energy to deal with his overbearing, protective attitude.”
“He’s no different than Diego and Antonio, Julia. Our brothers are just as controlling as Father. Sometimes more so. It’s been a long time since we’ve had to face all three of them at once. I’m so glad you came to an agreement with Father before he gathered the family and flew up for a visit.”
Julia opened her mouth to respond, closing it when her phone rang. Looking around, she found it in her purse beside the chair.
“Hello?” She listened a moment, her smile growing. “That’s wonderful. Would it be all right if I called you in the morning to find out what we have to do?” She listened again. “Thanks so much. We’ll call you tomorrow.” Hanging up, she looked at Victoria.
“Well?”
“The sellers accepted our offers. I’ll call the realtor tomorrow and set a time to meet her and go over the details.”
Tori’s energy returned at the news and she stood. “That’s wonderful! It’ll be my first home. We should celebrate. I’ll call the front desk and see who they recommend for Chinese. If that’s all right with you.”
Chinese. The one word caused a ball of pain to form in her chest. She and Nate used to have it at least once a week. Julia hadn’t eaten it in six years.
“Sure. That’s fine.”
While Tori took care of ordering the delivery, Julia headed to the bedroom, her mind filled with memories of Nate. She’d been crazy about him. So in love she knew they’d be together forever. It had been a foolish thought by a naïve young woman.
Seeing him at Freedom Meadow several weeks ago had caused a confusing reaction. Desire, as strong as ever, ripped through her before she remembered what he’d done. Then the hurt and anger returned, causing her to strike out at him.
She didn’t regret her words. Still, a part of her wished she hadn’t been so filled with fury. He was the only person who could set her off with a glance or a few words.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she fell back, an arm covering her eyes. She’d been surprised to see his goatee, mustache, and longer hair. When they’d been together, he’d been clean-shaven, his hair in a buzz cut. She liked his new look, although he’d never know it.
Julia had made the short trip to Liberty Lake for an interview with a pediatric clinic. Tessa Walker had encouraged her to at least talk to the doctors. She’d driven over on Wednesday. Due to the doctors’ schedules, she’d interviewed on Thursday and Friday. An offer had come late afternoon on Friday. She’d accepted within an hour.
On Saturday, her other friend in Liberty Lake, Cara McCord, invited Julia to her in-laws’ ranch. At least once a month, Stuart and Belinda McCord invited children from other areas to their ranch. Several of the Eternal Brethren volunteered by showing the kids how to groom the horses, tack them up, ride, and take care of the animals when they returned from the trail ride. It had become so successful they found themselves having to turn groups away.
Julia expected to have a wonderful time, until Nate stopped a few feet away from her. She hadn’t been able to control her body’s reaction to seeing the man she once loved. Still loved, if she wanted to be honest, which she didn’t.
Remembering what she’d said to him at the ranch, Julia winced. “I have no desire to see, talk to, or be within miles of you, Nate.”
It had been a necessary lie. She hadn’t meant it. Not exactly. After all this time, she still had a burning need to know why he’d betrayed her. He’d stood by when DEA agent Jaeger Delphine took her in for questioning, putting her through hours of interrogation about her father, Armando Quintero, and the rest of her family.
It had been a complete waste of time for the agency. She refused to give in to his intimidation tactics or attempts to get her to confirm his suspicions about the family who’d adopted her and Tori when their parents died in a plane crash.
When Delphine realized she knew nothing about illegal activities, he’d backed off. Before escorting her outside, the agent
had said something Julia had never been able to forget.
“Guess Nate was right. You don’t know a thing to help us bring down the Nuevo León Cartel.”
At that moment, Julia realized Nate had never loved her. He’d been doing his job, nothing more. It had taken her a great deal longer to accept all they’d done, everything he’d said about loving her had been a lie. She ached to know why he’d done it, but her terse reply to him at the ranch had been firm and final.
“Food’s here, Julia.”
Sighing, she rolled off the bed, rubbing her eyes. Once in a while, she allowed herself a brief pity party. They were unexpected, never giving her time to prepare. After all the years without him, she’d learned the only way to shove them aside was to go through the entire sequence of events. She’d start with the day they met and ended the night she’d left the DEA office, taken a cab, and left Nate standing alone on the sidewalk, a defeated look marring his handsome features.
“I’ll be right there, Tori.” Grabbing a brush, she ran it through her silky, blonde hair in an attempt to calm the tension caused from reliving the past. It often worked.
This evening, the strokes had little effect. Setting the brush aside, Julia looked in the mirror, not surprised at the lines around her eyes and mouth—a certain sign of fatigue. And the trepidation she felt at being so close to Nate.
Tracker stood outside the ruined garage, sipping his first cup of morning coffee. His thoughts moved between the task force meeting the day before and the short discussion he had with Jaeger afterward.
The agent had caught up with him as Tracker opened the door of Wrath’s truck. He’d expected him to say something about the phone conversation they’d scheduled. Instead, Jaeger stunned him by apologizing for his part in destroying his relationship with Julia.
What Jaeger didn’t say was his reason for breaking his promise to let Tracker determine her knowledge of the cartel. The SEAL didn’t need him to spell it out. Jaeger didn’t trust him, the same as Tracker didn’t trust him now.
He’d agreed to phone conferences with the agent, but already determined whatever he learned would go to Wrath first. His prez would make the decision about what would be shared with the other task force members. Never again would Jaeger betray him.
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