“Like what?”
Chris hesitated. “I’ll let you review the information for yourself. After seeing everything, I actually feel bad for her. I think it’s time you brought her in and we offer her a deal.”
Relief coursed through Matt. He thought for sure he’d have to beg Chris. “Okay,” Matt said as he put his beer down on the coffee table. “But I don’t want her to know I’m DEA.” Matt couldn’t hurt her that way. He’d tell her when the time was right.
“No problem. We’ll keep your cover. I’ll be the one to talk to her.”
“Speaking of which, I have a hearing coming up.”
“Don’t worry, the case will be dismissed on a technicality.” Chris stood to leave.
“We’re going to let Hector go free?”
“Now that we know what Salazar’s plans are, we’re going to try and catch him at his own game. Besides, if he kills Chavez, that’s one less person on our Top Ten.”
Sitting in Phillip’s office, Brianna got a glimpse into her future. On his desk were mounds of files and paperwork that needed to be completed. The walls were cluttered with not only bookshelves containing law books, but pictures and artifacts from all over the world. In all of the pictures, Phillip was standing next to some monument or breathtaking scenery all by himself. No one was there to share the moment with him.
Brianna knew what it was like to be alone. Her life was defined by the fact that she was Salazar’s daughter, and she was never allowed to explore the person she could be. She would marry, take over for Phillip, work long hours, and always be lonely. She may be able to travel the world and experience what money could buy, but it would be by herself. Because, face it, Dominic wasn’t someone she could share and experience life with. He was a friend, but nothing more. Since meeting Matt, she came to the realization that it was the more that she wanted and craved.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Phillip said as he entered his office. “How are you doing, my dear?” Phillip took a seat at his desk, opposite Brianna.
“I’m good, thank you. I assume you’ve heard the news about Hector?”
“I knew you’d be able to have the charges dropped.” Phillip grinned, his eyes shining. “But that’s not why I asked you here.” His smile vanished and he looked reflectively at Brianna. Whether it was training or intuition, Brianna kept her mouth shut.
“What’s going on with you?” he finally asked after several minutes.
Phillip was always perceptive. Over the years, Brianna had gotten good at concealing her emotions—especially around Salazar. But she wasn’t as careful around Phillip. She didn’t realize she needed to be. He was the closest thing she had to a loving family member. Of course Phillip worked for her father, so there was always that barrier between them.
But she knew what Phillip was really asking. There was no way to play dumb. And he knew she wasn’t stupid.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” she said, sitting up straight in her chair. Raising her chin in the air, she rounded her shoulders.
The sides of Phillip’s lips twitched up infinitesimally, but his eyes darkened. “When your father first told me he wanted you to take over my position, I was against it. I didn’t think you could handle it. You’re too young, inexperienced, and naive.” Phillip paused. He pushed away from the desk so he could cross his legs. “But I never questioned your intelligence. I knew you could do it. But handling it is another story. I still don’t want Salazar to give you my job—I don’t want you so intimately involved. And trust me, I know. I’ve lived the life.” Phillip clasped his hands together, lost in thought. After a few seconds, he continued, “However, you know Salazar. He’s adamant, and what he wants, he gets. So I agreed to it. Then he threw the marriage part into the mix,” his voice trailed off, his eyes looking at something beyond her.
Brianna didn’t respond. Phillip rarely discussed matters of this nature with her.
Phillip continued, “You’re like a daughter to me. Dominic’s a good man.”
Tears formed in her eyes. “It’ll all work out. Don’t worry about me.” Brianna forced a smile on her face.
“But I do worry.” Phillip leaned forward. “It’s my job to worry.” His eyes bore into hers. There was an emotion on his face Brianna had never seen before. It was some sort of warning mixed with hatred. And then it was gone. Phillip leaned back in his chair.
Brianna shuddered. Phillip knew—she was certain of it. He used words like daughter to play on her emotions, and she almost fell for it. Now Phillip was questioning her commitment and loyalty to the family. It was like a knife to her heart. She thought he loved her, cared for her even. Biting her tongue, Brianna forced herself to remain calm. When she was in control, she said, “I won’t do anything stupid. You can trust me.”
“Regardless of whether or not I trust you, I want to make sure you’re still being careful.”
Brianna had forgotten about their conversation over lunch, when Phillip told her the DEA was watching them. Truth be told, she hadn’t even noticed. The only thing out of the ordinary was Dominic and Matt. And she was pretty sure they were both okay.
“They still have us under surveillance?” she asked.
“They do,” he replied with a level voice. “I have reason to believe they’ve been in my house. I found a key stroke card installed on my computer. Along with some other things.” Phillip was off in a distant place, thinking out loud. “Something’s going to have to be done. They know too much. Things will have to change.”
“They were in your house?” Brianna asked incredulously. “How did they get a search warrant?”
“They didn’t. They probably don’t have enough evidence to justify obtaining one. I believe they were fishing.”
“What can I do?” Her skin crawled. Was someone watching her right now? Did they know she worked for her father?
“Nothing . . . you’ve done enough already.”
The entire drive home, Brianna had a strange sensation someone was watching her. She kept glancing around, expecting to see a man armed with a camera pointed at her, but she never saw any such thing. Even though she didn’t know a fraction of what Salazar was doing, she understood that she was a vital piece in his master plan. Lately she’d been too wrapped up with herself when it came to Dominic and Matt, and in doing so, she hadn’t been paying attention to Salazar. There were a lot of things she’d been turning a blind eye to. It was time to rectify that.
Needing to blow off some steam and to think, Brianna changed and went downstairs to the training facility. Finding it empty, she went over to the track and began running. One of the wonderful things about being inside the house was the freedom. Ben didn’t follow her every move. He knew where she was, but he wouldn’t sit and watch her like he would if she was outside.
On her third lap, she heard a faint voice. Brianna wasn’t in the mood to talk with anyone, so she hid behind one of the benches next to the track, hoping the person didn’t hear her panting.
After a couple of moments, Dominic’s voice echoed in the training room. He must’ve been on his cell because no one responded to him. Hopefully he was just passing through and wouldn’t notice her.
“Come on Steph.” Brianna remembered meeting Stephanie when she went out with Dominic and his friends that one night. “You can tell me,” Dominic pleaded. “I saw her mom. She looked like shit. I know she’s not doing well.”
There was a long pause and when Dominic spoke again, he was only a few feet away from Brianna. “I want to see her before she dies.”
What in the world was he talking about?
“I don’t care what Claire said!” Dominic shouted, making Brianna jump. Was Claire sick? Although Brianna vaguely remembered Dominic saying something about Claire’s mom having cancer.
“How is she?” he asked, his voice suddenly soft and tender. “Because I still care about her. She broke up with me—those feelings just don’t vanish.”
Brianna suspected all along that Dominic still had feelings
for Claire, as he should. He was going to propose when Claire dumped him, and it wasn’t that long ago. That was certainly convenient timing for Salazar. Brianna’s stomach twisted. With Salazar, nothing conveniently happened—everything was meticulously planned and orchestrated.
“She told you that?” Dominic asked. “That she can never see me again? Is it because of her new boyfriend?”
Dominic had no idea Salazar had gotten to Claire. Brianna couldn’t believe she didn’t figure it out before now.
“Claire isn’t seeing anyone? But she told me . . . oh. Well, can you arrange for me to come by the hospital when she’s—” Dominic’s voice became muffled as he walked away.
Brianna stayed hidden behind the bench, her stomach cramping as if she’d been punched. How could she have been so stupid? Poor Dominic. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He still loved Claire—whether he acknowledged it or not—and he was going to marry Brianna. Perhaps they had more in common than she realized.
***
Matt paced the hallway on the sixth floor of the Federal Courthouse. Doors to the U.S. District Attorneys’ offices lined either side. Brianna’s bodyguards never entered the courthouse, but as a precaution, Matt chose this floor and this location, just to be sure. He popped two Tums in his mouth. The elevator dinged, indicating its arrival.
The doors slid open. Brianna stepped from the elevator wearing a blue dress that clung to her curves. “Mr. Fueller,” she addressed him with an air of formality, “I haven’t seen you since you managed to have our case dismissed. I expect a celebratory dinner. Tonight, eight o’clock, your house?” She smiled and there was a sparkle to her eyes.
“I think that can be arranged.” Matt led her down the hall to one of the offices. Opening the door, he motioned for her to go inside. He went in after her, shutting and locking the door.
Chris was sitting behind the desk, focused on Brianna as she took a seat opposite him, unaware of the situation.
Matt prayed she didn’t freak out. After she revealed so much in the hotel room the other day, he thought it was time to take the next step. Still, Matt needed to tread carefully. “Brianna, I’d like for you to meet my friend, Chris. He works for the DEA.”
The only sound came from the fluorescent lights humming overhead. Brianna’s eyes narrowed and her body went rigid.
“Brianna,” Matt said, taking a seat in the chair next to her. She shook her head, refusing to acknowledge him. His hand reached toward her arm, but she jerked away.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Brianna said to Chris. Her voice was cold and unemotional. She crossed her legs and rested her hands upon her knee.
“Bri,” Matt said, trying to get her to look at him. She kept her eyes glued on Chris.
“Matt, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute?” Chris asked.
As Matt got up, Brianna seized his arm. “I assume there’s no paperwork to sign for Hector?”
“No, I’m sorry.” Matt wanted to kiss her, to tell her it’d be all right—but he couldn’t reveal his emotions while Chris sat there, watching them. “I just said that to get you here. I want you to know what your options are. Chris has helped me out of a few sticky situations. I trust him completely.”
It killed Matt to leave Brianna alone with Chris. He wanted to know what Chris was saying to her and if Brianna was willing to work with the DEA. If she flipped, it would be huge. But Matt still didn’t want Brianna to know he worked for the DEA, so he couldn’t be there while Chris talked to her.
After only fifteen minutes, Brianna exited the room, walking straight toward Matt. He froze, waiting for her to either tear him to pieces, break down crying, or throw her arms around him in gratitude.
She stopped before him, appearing calm and collected. “I know you’re only trying to help me, and I appreciate that. But if you ever—and I mean ever—pull a stunt like that again, I’ll kill you myself. Are we clear?” She smiled sweetly at him.
It must not have gone well. Matt simply nodded.
“I’ll see you tonight then,” Brianna said before turning to go.
Matt went back into the office. Chris was sitting on the edge of the desk. “No luck?” Matt asked.
“Not even close. She threatened me with a lawsuit, though. She’s a feisty one,” Chris chuckled.
“You have no idea.” Matt ran his hands through his hair, wondering what their next move would be.
“Two more weeks,” Chris said, “and that’s it. If you can’t flip her by then, I’m pulling you out and giving you a new assignment.”
Matt nodded his head. Two weeks was all he needed. He was sure he could convince her by then.
The moon and stars were hidden by the dense fog rolling in off the ocean, taking visibility down to only six feet. Brianna had already gone to bed. Her security team was done for the day. Ben knew he needed to tell Salazar what he discovered. However, after seeing Salazar’s temper first-hand through the years, he was afraid of the repercussions and was frightened for Brianna’s life. But that’s what Ben was there for—to protect her, no matter who the danger was from.
“Sir?” Ben carefully interrupted him. “You asked to see me before I left for the night.”
“Yes,” Salazar said, drawling out his words. “I have the extensive background check on Matt completed.”
“And?”
“Do you have proof of a relationship between my daughter and Matt?” Salazar asked in a measured tone.
Ben swallowed. “Yes, sir. I have the confirmation you wanted.” Salazar raised his eyebrows, waiting. Ben continued, “The other day, after Brianna left the courthouse, she went into a hotel. Matt entered a few moments later. I tracked them to a room, listening at the door. I heard both Brianna and Matt’s voices inside. It sounded . . . well, I’m positive they were having sex.” Ben shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“You heard them? And you didn’t think to stop them?” Salazar asked. He was so calm, it frightened Ben.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ben continued, “I wanted to, but I thought it prudent I come to you with the information, instead of interrupting them. I knew you’d know how to handle the situation. But, there’s more.”
Salazar’s hands clenched into fists and his foot tapped on the floor. “What else could there possibly be?” Salazar’s voice was loud and tinged with acid.
Ben was afraid to continue, knowing it would put Salazar over the edge. But he had to tell him. It was vital to everyone’s safety.
“When Brianna left, I had her other two bodyguards follow her home. I decided to watch Matt. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I had a bad feeling about him. When he left the hotel room shortly after Brianna, he made a call that sounded strange. He said something to someone on the other end about being right there, so I followed him. Matt went to the DEA building and entered using a key card.” There, he’d said it. Ben slowly backed up toward the door in case he needed to make a quick exit.
Salazar’s face became bright red and a vein on his forehead pulsed. However, his voice remained calm and controlled. “Thank you for this information, Ben. You will be rewarded for this. Now leave me. I must decide what needs to be done.”
***
As Salazar paced the room, he pulled out his phone and called Phillip. “It’s as I suspected. Matt is DEA. How the fuck could this happen? Not only that, but he has been fucking my daughter.”
“Calm down,” Phillip urged. “Are you sure? The more extensive background check was inconclusive.”
Salazar barked out a harsh laugh. “I know the report wasn’t a hundred percent, but you said it yourself, Matt probably worked for the DEA.” His hand clutched the phone. “Now we have proof.”
Phillip sighed, “I was afraid something like this was going to happen. I told you to back off and stop pushing her so hard.”
“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch,” Salazar declared, rage emanating through each word.
“You can’t kill Matt,” Ph
illip pleaded. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash. The DEA can’t have enough for an indictment. We’ll use this to our advantage and throw them off-track.”
Salazar knew Phillip was thinking logically right now. But he didn’t care. “I’m going to make him pay for what he’s done.” Salazar went through his list of the most painful deaths he could imagine.
“We can’t take out two DEA agents so close together—we’ll really have a problem then. The DEA will go after us with everything they’ve got. It would be obvious it was us and we can’t set-up another cartel. Now that we know what agency Matt works for, let me see what we can find on his family. I’ll call you back when I have something we can work with.”
“Do it tonight,” Salazar demanded. “I want him gone by tomorrow.”
***
Salazar stood in the weapons room, staring at one gun in particular: the one he used on the first person he ever killed. He wouldn’t use that gun on Matt—he wanted to torture him. Salazar couldn’t believe this man had managed to manipulate and fuck his daughter, right under her bodyguards’ noses.
Sliding his hand over the gun, Salazar had never been afraid to kill another person—not like Dominic. Salazar didn’t have the conscious battle of whether killing was right or wrong. It was something that needed to be done for survival. Pulling the trigger was so easy the first time. Watching the man’s stunned face, as he grabbed his stomach and died, was rather interesting. The man’s last moments were filled with shock as he croaked out, “How do you have the power to see so much, Salazar? How did you know it was me who betrayed you?”
Growing up, Phillip never encouraged Salazar to have any sort of spiritual life. Salazar was left to fend for himself. Phillip never married and he certainly didn’t want kids of his own. Even though he wasn’t a father figure, he was a mentor. Salazar remembered asking Phillip once, shortly after he moved in, about God. Phillip laughed and said he’d made a Faustian bargain a long time ago. Salazar didn’t understand what Phillip meant at the time; however, since then, Salazar had made several bargains of his own.
The Power to See Page 19
