“Son?” Eden could not have been more surprised.
“Well, I have a story for you, don’t I?” Dante smiled. “I’ll explain during our drive tomorrow.” Dante drained his Scotch. Eden noticed then that he was tired, small wrinkles had formed around his eyes. They were all getting older, weary, and even though they were on the cusp of victory, there were too many variables they couldn’t control.
Dante continued, “Liam, you are a smart man, but so are your brothers. They are going to realize that I am the only one who knew they had the bonds. I’ve burned that bridge for you, dear friend. I would do it again. But I will not take a bullet from either of them.”
“Sean is a tech guy,” Eden said. “Security. It’s Kane we need to worry about.”
“Do you even know your little brother? You said that to me before; I don’t believe it. Baby Rogan is a younger Kane.”
Liam laughed. “Sean is not Kane. It had to be Kane and JT who stole the bonds and then Kane left me to suffer the consequences.”
“You should have told him—”
“I did! He knew what was at stake. He thinks he’s noble, never-align-himself-with-a-drug-runner? Well, there are worse people in the world. We could have—”
“Preaching to the choir, friend,” Dante said.
Lucy pounded on the door again.
“I’ll explain the situation to her,” Eden said.
Liam stopped her. “Let her stew a bit longer, then we’ll go up. She’s feisty.” He grinned. “Maybe that’s why Sean fell in love with her.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
As soon as Sean got back to his house, he went upstairs to grab his go-bag. He didn’t particularly like that Noah Armstrong followed him.
“I have a lead on the plane.”
“Call me when you know for certain.”
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business.”
“It is my business. Lucy is my agent, and my friend.”
Friend. Right. Noah would love for Sean to fuck up.
“So are you,” Noah added.
“Stop.” Sean turned and pushed Noah against the wall. “I don’t need you in my head, Armstrong.”
“You’re too smart for this shit, Sean. You have no idea where they’ve gone, you’re grasping at straws, and when we need you here you won’t be.”
“I have a damn good idea where they went, and I’m not going to sit on my ass waiting for confirmation.”
Sean brushed past Noah and ran down the stairs.
Noah pursued Sean to the foyer. “I’m coming with you.”
“No!” Sean whirled around. “Just no.”
“Don’t be an idiot! You can’t do this alone. Whatever plan you think you have, you need backup.”
“You can’t come. You’re a federal agent.”
Noah stared at him, confused, and Sean didn’t have time to explain.
“Dante Romero,” Sean said. “He knows what the fuck is going on and he will tell me exactly where Liam and Eden are.”
Noah pulled out his phone, which was ringing. “Sean, take this call.”
“Stop messing with me, Noah. I have to do something!” Sean would explode if he sat here doing nothing. He had to act, search, hunt … whatever it took to get answers and find Lucy.
Noah pressed SPEAKER. “Agent Donovan, you’re on speaker with Sean and me.”
“Kate?” Sean asked, surprised.
“Uh, yeah, I have something.”
Sean stared at Noah, his turn to be confused. Noah said, “I called Kate when I first heard Eden was in town. Then, after you went to find Lucy’s car, I had to tell her what’s going on. We need all resources at our disposal, Sean.”
“Where are they?” Sean asked Lucy’s sister-in-law.
“I’m working on that, but I have some information. Don’t know where it fits yet. Eden came to the US under another name—Sheila Benton. It’s a very, very good identity—she’s been using it for years.”
Sean stared at the phone. “That’s our mother’s maiden name.”
“She came into the US via JFK last night, flew first thing this morning to San Antonio, landed at six forty-five, and, based on time, distance, and traffic, likely took a taxi directly to your house, Sean. I have calls out to taxi services, see if she made any other stops. Doubtful. Noah said she arrived just before eight this morning.
“Liam Rogan,” Kate continued, “flew under his own passport to General Mariano Escobedo International in Monterrey, direct from Heathrow.”
“Monterrey?”
“I have friends in Mexico and with Interpol. He’s on their non-terror watch list, but there’s no travel restrictions on his passport.”
“Are there restrictions on Eden’s?”
“No restrictions on either, but if they fly into the US or any US territory the FBI is supposed to be notified.”
“But if he flies into Mexico no one knows. Monterrey is only an hour from the border. When did he land?”
“Early this morning, before Eden landed.”
“But it would still take him time to fly into San Antonio,” Noah said. “According to Sean’s security, he arrived here just after twelve noon. Used a small private airport twenty minutes outside of the city.”
“I can run some scenarios, but—”
Sean interrupted. “He flew in using a small plane. Liam is a pilot, just like Kane and me. He flew in, under the radar—literally and figuratively. I’ll bet Rick Stockton put that watch on his passport.” Sean became angry again at Kane and Rick and JT. If he had known that Eden and Liam wanted those bonds, he could have warned Lucy. He would have done something else with them. But either way, she would have been safe.
Kate said, “I have something else. I don’t know what it means, but it might help you figure out what they’re up to. When Noah told me that Dante Romero might be involved with this, I called in a favor. Remember, Sean—I lived completely off the grid in Mexico for five years. I made some friends. Romero closed up his house in Guadalajara three days ago. No one knows where he is, he didn’t take any of his staff except for a bodyguard he trusts named Philip Corsica. I’ve run Corsica, but he seems to be a ghost. He’s an American citizen—I think. He may be an ex-patriot. I have some feelers out, but your brother probably knows who he is.”
Sean had never heard of Corsica before.
“I’m running Romero as well. He was born in Spain on an American military base. I don’t have his father’s name, but his father was likely a soldier.”
“Dante’s father and my dad were friends, long before I was born. But none of this tells me where Lucy is.”
“Not yet, but I’m running everything I have, Sean. Romero’s property records. Corsica’s property records. Banking information. When I find something, I’ll tell you. Property records are going to be difficult, but for banking I can cut some corners.”
“Kate—” Noah began.
“Lucy is my sister,” Kate snapped. “Don’t quote the law to me. If I couldn’t do this, I would be on the next plane out there. But this is something I can do, and dammit, I’m going to do it. I’ll call you as soon as I have something. Oh—and I asked Interpol to send me the files on both Liam and Eden. As soon as I get them, they’re yours.” She hung up.
Sean dropped his go-bag and stood there, uncertain what to do next. He had fully intended to go to Guadalajara and confront Dante Romero. But if Kate was right—and there was no reason she wouldn’t be—he wasn’t there. If he wasn’t there, where was he? Where had they taken Lucy, and why?
Kane walked in with Siobhan. Sean said, “Who is Philip Corsica? How does Dante Romero know him?”
“Corsica is Romero’s friend and bodyguard,” Kane said. “I’ve only met him a couple of times. Keeps to himself.”
“And Romero’s parents? You told me last month Dante was an old family friend, through our fathers.”
“Why?”
“Can you just answer the question? Kate might have fou
nd something, but if you don’t come clean she won’t be able to help us!”
Kane didn’t say anything for a moment. “Carlo Romero was Dad’s best friend. We called him Uncle Carlo.”
Sean vaguely remembered a short, trim man with a mustache and good sense of humor. He had a hearty laugh, and when he came over Sean’s father would stay up late at night talking and drinking Scotch.
“Carlo and Dad were in the service together. If I remember correctly, Philip was a teenager when his father was killed in action. He was a couple of years older than Dante, but Carlo took him in, gave him a home base. That’s probably why Dante trusts him.”
“Where is Carlo? Could Liam be there?”
“He lives in New Orleans.”
“You can reach him.”
“I can try—but that might not be the smart thing.”
“I’m floundering here, Kane.” Sean meant to sound forceful, but he sounded as desperate as he felt.
“I have an idea, but you need to give me some time.”
“Lucy doesn’t have time!”
“Listen to me, Sean. We don’t know where they are. We assume they went to Mexico, but we don’t know. Mexico is a big fucking country. They won’t hurt Lucy, but”—Kane put his hand up when Sean was going to yell at him—“I know, just like you do, if they took her to Mexico she’s in danger. I don’t think they realize how much danger she could be in. I’m going to talk to Carlo. It’ll take me two hours to get to New Orleans, but he will talk to me. Carlo and Dante used to be close—but I don’t know anymore. I haven’t spoken to Carlo in more than six years, and the first time I’d seen Dante in ages was last month.”
“But you’re going to try!”
“I said I would. Carlo may know something—he might not even know what he knows is important.”
“I’m coming.”
“You need to be here ready to go in case I get information.” He glanced at Sean’s go-bag that sat at his feet. “Follow the money, find the plane, find their destination. I’ll get something out of Carlo, and between the two of us we’ll find Lucy and bring her home.”
“Then why are you still here?”
Siobhan had been standing behind Kane the entire time. Now she walked over to Sean and hugged him tightly. She didn’t say anything, and Sean was grateful. Any false platitudes would have made him explode. But he accepted her hug.
She turned to Kane. “I’m going with you.”
Kane caught Sean’s eye. “Take her,” Sean said. “Siobhan, if you remember anything, please—”
“Of course. I wish I’d heard more. I—”
Sean said, “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
She put her hand on his arm. “No apologies.”
Noah cleared his throat and they all looked at him. “We have to tell the FBI.”
“No,” Sean and Kane said simultaneously.
Kane said, “Armstrong, I get it, you’re stuck here. But if they took Lucy to Mexico, we cannot let anyone know she’s down there.”
“We have resources. She may not be there at all, and—”
“But if she is—and I think that’s where Liam and Eden went—then if the FBI puts out a bulletin our enemies are going to hear about it. Right now, we can contain this, but if we’re battling the rest of the Flores cartel trying to find her first it puts Lucy at greater risk.”
“I can’t keep this information from my boss.”
“Your boss is Rick Stockton.”
“Yes.”
“He already knows. Call him.”
“And what do I say tomorrow morning when Lucy doesn’t show up for work? That she’s home sick? Eden and Liam need to pay for what they’ve done. They need to be arrested for kidnapping and threatening a federal agent and whatever else they’re doing. By taking Lucy out of the country against her will, they’ve broken more laws than I can count.”
“Of course they need to be held accountable,” Kane said, “but getting Lucy or them killed isn’t an option. I can’t stop you from talking, but call Rick first.”
Noah walked out of the room and Kane turned to Sean. “What?”
“I’m calling Jack,” Sean said.
“I told you, he’s undercover at Fort Bragg. JT is trying to reach him.”
“He knows these people—he knows Gabriella Romero.”
“Gabriella is still in deep with the Flores cartel. She’s the only reason we know that Jasmine Flores survived last month. She’s the reason we have confirmed that three of the four Flores brothers are dead. If she steps out of line, her cover is blown and they will kill her.”
“But she knows where her brother is. I’m certain of it.”
Kane didn’t say anything for a moment. “Maybe. But you can’t go down there, Sean. It’s suicide. Why do you think I’ve been living in Texas? We have to let this settle down, or they’ll come after us.”
“Lucy could be down there.”
“They don’t know her. They know your face, they know mine, they know Jack’s. But Lucy is just a name to them. And she’s smart enough to know that, if things go south.” Kane hesitated, then said, “I’ve already asked JT to find a way to get to Jack. Jack’s the only one who knows how to contact Gabriella.”
There was nothing else to do. Sean didn’t know how he was going to sit here and do nothing.
“Do what you do best, Sean. Dig into Liam’s and Eden’s lives. I know some of what they’ve been up to, but not enough. Feed me information, maybe you’ll find the answers before I land in New Orleans.” Kane clapped his hand on Sean’s back. “We are going to find them. Lucy’s smart and strong and resourceful and I love her. I will not let anything happen to her.”
When Kane’s voice cracked, Sean realized how much his brother kept inside. He was a warrior, a soldier, but he never shared much of anything about himself. Sean had never once heard Kane say I love to anyone or about anyone. He wasn’t in this alone.
Sean couldn’t speak. He didn’t have to. Kane squeezed his shoulder, turned around, and left with Siobhan.
Sean stood there, in the middle of the foyer, and had no idea what he could do next. Kate was tracking the finances. Kane would meet with Dante’s father. Noah was tracing the plane and figuring out what to tell the FBI. All Sean could do was think about Lucy, unconscious, not knowing what was going to happen to her … or why.
But she was smart, resourceful, strong.
Eden and Liam would absolutely pay for putting Sean and Lucy through this.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out the phone Liam had left him. He’d already checked for messages and numbers; it was a clean burner phone.
But he might be able to trace it—where it was bought, when, with what other phones.
He had to do something, because sitting around and waiting was never an option.
* * *
Noah went outside by the pool and called Rick Stockton. It was nearly two in the morning in DC, but he had Rick’s personal number, the one he always answered. And he picked up after a lone ring.
“Stockton.”
“It’s Agent Armstrong. You’ve heard.”
“Yes. JT Caruso and I have been in constant communication.”
“The Rogans don’t want me reporting this to the office.”
“Correct.”
“Lucy is in danger. I don’t care that Kane doesn’t think that his brother and sister are going to hurt her, they took her—and my gut tells me they took her out of the country.”
“JT concurs.”
“That puts her in danger not only because she’s a Kincaid but also because she’s a federal agent!”
“There is nothing the FBI can do to rescue Lucy south of the border. I’ll call your SAC in the morning and fill him in on the situation. I also have a SEAL team getting ready. They’ll be prepared to deploy by oh-nine-hundred tomorrow. JT told me that Liam left a note for Sean.”
“He promised to call in the morning and tell him where Lucy is.”
Noah wasn’t s
urprised that Rick had a SEAL team at his disposal. Not only was he the assistant director of the FBI, but he also was a former SEAL himself. What bothered Noah was that this operation was off-book. Rick’s alliance with RCK had pre-dated Noah’s employment with the FBI, but he knew they were very close. Noah had had many run-ins with private military operations during his time in the Air Force. Some encounters were good, some were definitely hostile. And while Noah wouldn’t flat-out say he opposed private military groups, he was cautious and suspicious. He didn’t know, if push came to shove, where Rick would fall if RCK crossed the line.
If? They already have, multiple times. How far are you going to move the line, Noah? You used to believe in order, in right and wrong, in the system.
He still did. But he also believed in people like Rick Stockton. Noah didn’t like being put in this position.
But ultimately, if Lucy needed his help, even though it was against procedure and protocols, he would go to Mexico and help save her.
“Noah, I know this situation puts you in a difficult spot,” Rick said.
“What do you think you know?”
“I knew that you were involved with Eden years ago.”
“How the hell? Sean didn’t know.” Noah hadn’t thought Kane did, either, until he told him, but maybe Kane was just keeping his mouth shut.
“I did a complete and thorough background check on you before I recruited you into the FBI. More thorough and more complete than the FBI normally does.”
“What?”
“I didn’t use RCK. When you filed your retirement papers years before you should have retired, I wanted to know why. Because I planned on bringing you into the FBI before you even knew you were applying.”
“Why do I suddenly feel that my life and decisions are not my own?”
“There are very few people I can trust in the position that I’ve put you in. I’ve had you work some of the most sensitive cases in the Bureau—where any leak could mean embarrassment or danger. The situation in San Antonio after Agent Dunbar was killed? If the public got wind that the FBI had a leak that resulted in the deaths of law enforcement officers in three different agencies, we would have a huge problem. What I’ve had you do was not easy, but it was necessary. Just like now. If it gets out that Lucy is in Mexico, it would be dangerous for her—and potentially damaging to the FBI. I have to look at both. We need to locate and extract her as quietly as possible. I know Kate Donovan is working on it, and there are few people better than she is.”
Make Them Pay Page 15
