Matt had to be careful. Chris was known for jumping the gun, and Matt didn’t want him biased against Brianna. Salazar was the enemy, not her.
“Nothing. It’ll take some more time. If she knows anything, I’ll get it from her.”
Chris glanced at the wine glasses and couch pillows on the ground, shaking his head. “Just remember whose side you’re on.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you need to put your job first and the girl second. I know how you are. You think you have to save everyone. Don’t assume that everyone wants or needs to be saved.” Chris sat on the couch across from Matt.
“I know. I was thinking that maybe she could be on our side. Give us information on Salazar in exchange for immunity.”
“You don’t have the authority to offer her a deal at this point,” Chris said. “If she’s involved in John’s death, she is going down with Salazar.” That was Matt’s fear—Brianna paying for her father’s crimes.
Looking to change the direction of the conversation, Matt asked, “Have we heard from Richard Bennett?”
“Yeah. We’re setting up a meeting for next week.”
“I want to be there for it.”
“Hey, have you seen this guy?” Chris pulled out a picture. Matt didn’t recognize the face. “This is Dominic Bennett,” Chris informed him. “Richard’s son. He’s been seen out with Brianna and at Salazar’s place.”
Matt took the picture and examined Dominic’s face. He looked young—around Brianna’s age. Matt sensed Chris watching him, testing him by mentioning Brianna and Dominic together.
“She hasn’t said anything about him,” Matt said. “But I’ll see what I can find out.”
Why was Brianna was with Dominic? Matt barely knew her so he couldn’t expect her to tell him if she was dating anyone else. Yet, after the time they just shared together, he found it difficult to believe she was dating someone. He got the feeling she was inexperienced.
If Salazar was trying to recruit Dominic, then it made sense Dominic would meet Brianna, especially if Brianna had a role in the organization. Now that Matt had slept with her, hopefully she’d trust him and would let her guard down. But what if that’s what she was trying to get Matt to do?
He had to be careful not to let his desire for her cloud his judgment. Matt couldn’t make this personal. He was used to being undercover and playing a different person. To be someone different, someone that you would never and could never be, was invigorating. He’d gotten close to women in the past, but for some reason this time it felt different.
***
Brianna slid into the passenger seat, eager to read Ben’s face to ascertain the damage done from her little rendezvous. Hopefully Ben would keep his mouth shut, since he managed to lose her for a couple of hours. It was her only hope at this point.
Ben shook his head.
“Is there something you’d like to say?” Brianna asked, buckling her seat belt.
“Are you insane?” He backed the vehicle out of the driveway, slammed the car into drive, and took off.
“I know what I’m doing.” Okay, not really. But what she was doing sure felt good. For once in her life, she’d done what she wanted, all on her own. Well, not her own, Matt certainly participated. Her body warmed just thinking about it.
“You do remember what happened to Derek and the bodyguards, right? Your father had them killed because you let Derek get too close.”
“No,” Brianna snapped at him. “Derek and my two bodyguards were murdered because you told my dad something that wasn’t necessary. Derek and I were just friends hanging out. You got jealous and jumped to conclusions. Trust me, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about it.”
“Then what are you doing? Are you trying to get us all killed? Is that what you want?” Brianna shook her head, focusing out the window. Ben continued, “You’re an intelligent person, but when it comes to common sense, you don’t have any.”
Brianna stifled a laugh. Common sense left a long time ago, and there was nothing common about her situation. She was in survival mode. Or was she? What she did today was something she normally would’ve never done.
“There’s nothing going on between us,” she lied.
Ben sighed. “You better be more careful then.” He relaxed his grip on the steering wheel.
Thankfully Ben was going to keep his mouth shut. He was good at protecting secrets, like the one between the two of them. When Brianna met Ben at prep school all those years ago, they were immediately attracted to one another. Brianna and Ben started spending all of their time together. When her father came to visit one weekend, he found Ben in her dorm room. Salazar was livid her bodyguards hadn’t told him she was dating a fellow student. The truth was, they didn’t know. Her bodyguards were not only male, but too old to be allowed in the dorms. They had watched her from a distance back then. Salazar realized she needed to have both male and female bodyguards her own age. Their job was not only to protect her, but to watch over her every move.
Of course, Salazar didn’t approve of Ben as boyfriend material for Brianna. Salazar decided Ben was better suited for another role, and he forced Ben to become one of Brianna’s bodyguards. Salazar told Ben that if he didn’t take the job, not only would he never see Brianna again, but his scholarship would be revoked as well. Ben’s family desperately needed the money and Ben didn’t want to lose Brianna, so he agreed and became her lead bodyguard.
Brianna originally intended to secretly date Ben. However, once Brianna had two female bodyguards with her all the time, it was impossible to sneak away, or to trust them to keep quiet about it. Given the circumstances, Brianna broke up with Ben.
What everyone failed to see, and what Salazar still didn’t know, was that Brianna and Ben had slept together before Salazar discovered their relationship. Both Ben and Brianna knew that it was vital Salazar never discover this detail of their youthful fling. At least that was what it was to Brianna—a fling. But she knew Ben’s feelings were deeper, and that’s why Salazar used him for her bodyguard.
Brianna stormed from the courthouse, furious with the prosecution. She’d spent a lot of time setting Hector up. Not only had she tipped off the DEA with Hector’s location, she’d made sure the warrant issued was unjust. Brianna even went to work at Eric Smith and Associates so she could represent Hector. All of this because her father wanted Chavez’s location—and Hector worked for Chavez. Brianna was simply a tool to get to Chavez through Hector. But now she wasn’t sure how this was going to happen, since the DEA somehow rectified the error with the warrant. Now the prosecution had a solid case, and she was fighting an uphill battle. Salazar was going to be furious.
Matt strolled alongside her, calm and collected, as always. Didn’t he care Hector was indicted on possession of an illegal substance with the intent to sell? To make matters worse, Matt had been flirting with Allison, the United States District Attorney, after the hearing. Brianna couldn’t help but eavesdrop. She’d heard Allison tell Matt they were willing to eliminate most of Hector’s jail time, but only if he gave the name and location of his supplier. Matt assured her they could work something out.
Didn’t Matt know that for someone as high up as Hector, going to jail was preferable to ratting out those above him? People like Hector were rewarded for keeping their mouths shut, but they were tortured for speaking. Salazar was only able to get Hector to work with them because her father guaranteed all of Hector’s charges would be dropped, and Salazar was paying him thirty-five million dollars, cash.
Brianna quickened her pace. Matt adjusted his stride to keep even with her. When she glared at him, he smiled, appearing amused. She wished she could wipe the smug look from his face. It seemed like he was waiting for her to say something, but she refused to talk. If he wanted to break the silence, he was going to have to be the one to do it.
Matt finally said, “You handled yourself well today.”
Brianna didn’t resp
ond. Was he trying to remind her of how young and inexperienced she was?
“Are you heading back to the office?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she snapped. Why did he care anyway?
“When we get back, we should get ready for the next hearing.”
“We’ll see.”
“What’s the matter?” Matt asked. “Are you upset over the hearing, or are you jealous?”
“Excuse me?” She stopped and turned to face Matt. He was still smiling at her, looking thoroughly content with himself. “Nothing’s the matter,” she said. “I mean, I am upset over the hearing but. . . .” Brianna shook her head and continued walking. Sometimes Matt could be so irritating.
Brianna wasn’t interested in talking to Matt right now. She was embarrassed over what had happened between them. She didn’t want Matt to think that she was some weak woman who was easily seduced into bed. She was better than that.
Thankfully, Brianna got a call from Phillip before Matt had a chance to ask her another question. Phillip needed to speak with Brianna in a public place as soon as possible. She agreed to meet him at Café 51 in twenty minutes.
The second she ended the call, Matt asked, “Want to grab a bite to eat?”
Trying to calm herself down, she took a deep breath. “I have a lunch meeting. I’ll see you back at the office later today.”
When Brianna turned to leave, Matt caught her arm, his smile gone. “I haven’t stopped thinking of you since the moment you left,” he confessed.
Not expecting to feel his warm hand on her arm, Brianna jumped. “I’m going to be late. Do you mind?” She pushed his hand away, not wanting him to touch her.
“You seem upset today. Is everything okay?”
No, everything was not okay, but how could she possibly explain that to Matt? His eyes were watching hers. Matt took a step, closing the distance between them.
“You can tell me,” he whispered. “I want to know.”
Realizing he wasn’t going to back down, Brianna decided to be honest with Matt. “I wasn’t planning on what happened between us the other day.”
“Neither was I. But I’m glad it did. Let me take you out for dinner tonight. I want to get to know you better.”
She wanted to scream yes and kiss him. His lips parted and she took a step back. “I can’t. Like I said before, my father wouldn’t approve.” Brianna hated sounding like a teenager. Most grownups didn’t need their parent’s permission. She should’ve just made up a story instead of telling him the truth. Then she wouldn’t sound so pathetic.
“We’re working on a case. We’re going to have to spend time together.” Again he placed his hand on her arm.
“What’s the point?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Say we do go out and discover we like each other. Then what? I told you I can’t be with you.”
“I can’t believe you’d allow your father to control your life. Just walk away.”
Walk away? For years, she’d been trying to run away, without success. She’d finally given up and accepted her lot in life. “Out of the question.”
“To be honest, I’ll take what I can get,” Matt said, the corners of his mouth turning up. “That gives me time to convince you to change your mind.” His dimple was back.
“You’re crazy,” she said smiling at him. Matt certainly was persistent. She liked that. She found it sexy that he knew what he wanted and was fighting for it. Fighting for her. It was nice to feel special and wanted.
“So what do you say? Let me take you out.”
More than anything, she wanted to be with him, but it was impossible.
“I can’t. I’m sorry.” Brianna turned and walked away. If she carried on any sort of relationship with Matt, one way or another, Salazar would find out. It simply wasn’t worth it. She wouldn’t allow any harm to come to Matt.
***
Café 51 was crowded from the lunch rush. Brianna found Phillip waiting for her at a table toward the back of the restaurant. She quickly joined him, worried by the anxious look on his face.
“How are you?” Phillip asked.
“Fine,” she replied with a smile. Even though something was clearly wrong, Phillip still took the time to make polite conversation. He was so much more civil than her father. Phillip truly seemed to care about her. He always treated her with respect, and she loved him for that.
“How are you? Is everything okay?” she asked. He wouldn’t have asked her here unless there was a problem.
“You know me well. As a matter of fact, we do have a situation. Open your menu and look down,” he instructed.
Brianna did as she was told, knowing enough not to ask any questions.
Phillip did the same. When he continued, he spoke softly down into the menu. “I’m being followed. Based upon the surveillance I’ve seen, I’m betting it’s the government—FBI or DEA. Hopefully not the latter. We’ve never encountered a situation like this before.”
The waitress came and they ordered. Once she was gone, Phillip continued. “Have you noticed anything unusual?”
Brianna had been so wrapped up in her own life, she hadn’t been paying attention to things around her. If she was being followed, wouldn’t Ben have noticed?
“Actually– ” she began but Phillip cut her off.
“Put your hand in front of your mouth when you speak.”
“Oh, sorry.” She did as she was told. “I was out at dinner the other night with a fellow attorney when Ben spotted a federal agent’s car outside.”
“Who were you with?” Phillip asked while buttering a roll.
“Matt Fuller.” She hated talking about Matt, afraid her feelings for him would show on her face. “He’s the guy from the firm that’s been helping me with Hector’s case.” Before she was allowed to work with Matt, Ben had performed a background search on him.
“Yes, I’ve heard of him before.” Phillip’s eyebrows bent inward as studied Brianna’s face.
“What?” she couldn’t help but ask, afraid of what he might say.
“You were followed here.” Phillip bit into his roll.
Brianna knew her safety was an issue, but the threat usually came from a rival cartel. Living in the U.S., she was relatively safe. For some reason, she never thought the threat would come from her own government. It was naive not to have seen where her actions could lead. Working for Salazar, knowing anything about his organization, made her a conspirator, a criminal, an accomplice.
“Does my father know?”
“I haven’t discussed anything with him yet. I wanted to see if they were watching you or Dominic first.”
Phillip wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He’d been wanting to retire for such a long time, but whenever he got close, something always happened to pull him back in. But it was official now. Brianna was in training, and once fully capable, she would take over Phillip’s position and work closely with Salazar and Dominic. The idea of filling Phillip’s shoes seemed daunting. He’d singlehandedly kept Salazar out of all legal scuffles and always managed to be one step ahead of the law. He’d been Salazar’s right-hand man for nearly thirty years.
A couple weeks ago, Phillip celebrated his sixty-seventh birthday. Brianna went to the party with her father. Everyone in attendance was from the organization. Phillip did have a sister, but he severed all contact with her years ago, claiming it was for her own good. How sad to be so alone. Phillip’s only family was Salazar and Brianna. She preferred to think of Phillip as her stand-in grandfather instead of her half-uncle. Either way, Phillip was family, and it hurt to see him sitting there looking so worried. It would be a shame to be caught now, when he was so close to retiring.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.
“Be careful with everything you say and do. Assume you’re always being watched and your office is bugged. If anyone asks you anything out of the ordinary, or something too personal, let me know.”
“I can do that. What about you? What are you going to do?”
“Get to the bottom of this. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. Just watch yourself. I wish you didn’t have to be a part of this.”
“Don’t think I’m tough enough?” Brianna asked, surprised that he didn’t want her to be a part of the family business.
“Quite the opposite,” Phillip said. “You’re smart enough to handle the job. It’s everything else I worry about.”
A thought occurred to her. “You don’t think any of this has to do with Dominic, do you?”
“If you’re asking if Dominic turned us in, the answer is no. Dominic has been loyal—I’m certain of that. But there are a lot of other factors to consider. Just remain calm and focus on your case. You have a job to do. Remember, you’re part of us now.”
Right, and if one of them went down, they all went down.
Walking around Austogen Pharmaceutical, Salazar introduced Dominic to various employees. Now Dominic remembered why he hated science so much—none of it made any sense, and the only ones who seemed to enjoy it were all dorks. Everyone he met at Austogen loved their job. Enough said.
Dominic smiled and shook hands, making polite conversation. Inside he was secretly thankful this wasn’t going to be his life. He couldn’t handle a mundane nine-to-five office job.
Austogen was an honest company working on a drug to cure lupus. Dominic thought it would be ironic if they actually succeeded in creating a drug. Funny how the word drug could mean something good in one instance, and something terrible in another.
Back in Salazar’s office, he explained the necessity of Austogen to Dominic. Salazar was less likely to fall under any suspicion running a legitimate company. In addition, he made a point of being an active member of the community. He donated to charities, participated in fundraisers, made sure he personally knew the mayor and city councilmen. That way, should any hint of suspicion befall him, his reputation and friends would surely encourage such minor discrepancies to be overlooked.
The Power to See Page 11
