Gray Wolf Security: Back Home

by Glenna Sinclair

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “If anything has changed in your circumstances, please don’t forget to mention it. We don’t want any surprises on this.”

  “Of course.”

  Joss dismissed me then without a second glance, stepping around me to disappear into her office.

  “What the hell?” I hissed to Audra.

  “I don’t know,” she said, gesturing down the hall to where Shaw, another operative hired the same time as me, was coming out of one of the offices. “She’s making us all do it. I’ve been waiting nearly forty minutes for Jules to come get me.”

  “Are they looking for a mole? Do they really think someone here at Gray Wolf would turn on her or Ash?”

  “I think they’re just covering their asses.”

  It made sense, but I still didn’t like it. I’d been on the wrong side of a snipe hunt before and it didn’t feel good having my colleagues look at me with suspicion. I’d thought I’d escaped that sort of thing when I left the Marines.

  I guess I was wrong.

  Chapter 3

  Joss

  I settled behind my desk, pain flaring from my back. Mike was watching me, concern engraved on his forehead.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine. You were stabbed last night!”

  I turned away from him, reaching for a file on my desk. Pain shot through my back again, forcing me to stop and take a deep a breath.

  “Joss—”

  “I’m fine. It’s just sore.”

  “You should be at home, in bed.”

  “I don’t have a home to go to and I really don’t want to go back to the hotel. So…”

  He was quiet for a long moment. Then, gratefully, he changed the subject.

  “My boss called me a while ago. Said he thought they’d clear me in Elizabeth Runion’s suicide.”

  “That’s good.”

  He shrugged. “I should have been more careful.”

  “You couldn’t have had any idea that she’d do that.”

  “No, but if she’d grabbed my gun and taken a shot at you or someone else in the office… that would have been my fault.”

  “Mike—”

  “I learned a long time ago how to conduct myself around suspects. I never should have allowed her to grab my gun. That was fucking unprofessional.”

  I got up and crossed to him, took his wrists in my hands. “It’s not your fault. That woman would have found a way to kill herself if she was really that determined to do it. And you couldn’t have done anything to stop it.”

  “I should have tried.”

  There was a heaviness about him, a weight on his shoulders that was pushing them down, rounding them visibly in front of me. And the shadow on his face was heartbreaking.

  I reached up and touched his cheek, aware that there were no words to soothe away the guilt. His eyes touched mine, a storm of emotion raging in them. I thought for a moment he might try to kiss me. I thought, for that moment, that I might let him. But then he stepped back.

  “Who knew you were at that hotel last night?”

  I groaned, sitting gingerly in one of the two chairs situated in front of my desk. “We’ve been over this.”

  “We need to keep going over it until we figure it out. If they come after you again—”

  “I don’t think they will. It was a warning. He was telling me that he could get to me if he wanted to. That’s all.”

  “He was reacting to his niece’s death.”

  “Yes. And he could have killed me, but he didn’t. He could have killed Ash or Mina, but he didn’t. They wouldn’t have been hurt at all if that one bullet hadn’t ricocheted and caught Mina in the arm.”

  “How is she?”

  “Fine. Ash took her home an hour after she arrived at the hospital.” I sighed, reaching around to touch the heavy bandage on my back. “She only got five stitches.”

  Mike leaned against the front of my desk. “Was it one of your employees?”

  I shook my head quickly. “I don’t think so. They have no reason to turn on me.”

  “Money is a good incentive.”

  “We pay really well here.”

  He rolled his shoulders in a sort of shrug. “Then why are you having them all re-vetted?”

  “A precaution. And because I know the social lives of the people who are attracted to this sort of work can be fluid. It might not be one of my people, but it could be someone new in their lives.”

  “Shouldn’t we be looking at new people in your life, too? Or old friends?”

  “You mean Kirkland?”

  “You spent a little over a week there.”

  I shook my head. “I trust Kirkland with my life.”

  “What about the people around him?”

  “You’ve met them all. They’re good people.”

  “Even good people can turn on you. Look at what your husband did to Ash Grayson.”

  My heart jumped into my throat at his words. There was an instant expression of regret on his face, but he didn’t take it back.

  I knew what my husband had done. I also knew he thought he had good reason for doing it. Mahoney threatened to tell his colleagues, his clients, his children, that he’d had a one-night stand outside of our marriage. He also threatened to expose the fact that he’d been moving illegal cargo unwittingly through his shipping business. But it was the former rather than the latter that had inspired Carrington to work for Mahoney in Wyoming, to kidnap my friend and boss on Mahoney’s orders. But he’d done all he could to make up for it since.

  “I’m re-vetting my people. What more do you want me to do?”

  Mike shrugged. He turned away from me and began pacing the length of the small office. I watched him, the pain in my back a throbbing ache that was growing harder and harder to ignore. And there was this nausea that made it impossible to take the horse pills the doctor had prescribed for the pain. It was like showing me the baby growing in my belly had made my body decide it was time to start enjoying the great side effects of pregnancy, such as morning sickness.

  “I want you to survive this, Joss. I want to stop Mahoney and keep you safe. Is that really so much to ask?”

  “I’m beginning to think it is.”

  I sighed, adjusting my position in the chair, hoping to relieve the throbbing pain in my back. But every movement made it worse and that made the nausea worse. It was a no-win situation.

  “I want to get Mahoney and all his men out of my city. I’ve already talked to David and Sutherland. They’re both doing the same, identifying the remaining pockets of Mahoney’s men in their areas. But it seems like the largest concentration exists here.”

  “How can I help?”

  Mike took a seat in the chair beside me, his eyes warm as they moved over me. I was grateful for his offer. I’d hoped that was how he would respond.

  “We need to identify Mahoney’s men. We already know a few: Jorge Martinez, Sam Wilson, and Todd Michaels. They are running a group of prostitutes out of a motel on the east side of town, Meadow…something.”

  “Meadow Hills?”

  I nodded, reaching back to press a hand to the bandage there. “I’ve had Shaw surveilling them for a while, putting together the hierarchy and how they run things. Audra’s helping. And I’m going to send Kari Reyes in undercover. Apparently, Michaels doesn’t spend a lot of time at the motel, but he’s the power behind it all. I’m hoping Kari can draw him out so we can take them all out at the same time.”

  Mike dragged a hand over his face. “Okay. I’ll have a couple of agents keep an eye out, back up your operatives.”

  “But they stay out of the way until we need them.”

  “Of course.”

  There was a knock on the door. Jules stuck her head in and said, “They’re nearly done with the interviews. They want to know if you want to review them before they head out to do the background checks.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Jules shot me a
concerned look, but then backed out of the room without expressing whatever it was she wanted to say. Mike watched her go before turning back to me, slipping my hand off my knee and holding it lightly between both of his.

  “Go get some rest, Joss. You look like you’re about to fall over.”

  I inclined my head slightly. “I will. I just…there’s one more thing I wanted to ask you to help me with.”

  “What’s that?”

  I tilted my head, aware he wasn’t going to like what came out of my mouth next. He was watching me closely, curiosity nudging out his concern for the moment.

  “Joss?”

  I dropped my eyes, stared at the toe of my shoe for a long second. When I looked up again, the concern was back, raging like a wildfire in his eyes.

  “I want to see Mahoney.”

  He began shaking his head before the words were completely out of my mouth. “Are you insane? You really want to be in a room with that criminal?”

  “I want to look him in the eye, ask him to back off.”

  “It won’t work. This man is insane! He can’t be reasoned with.”

  “I know. But if I didn’t try…”

  Mike shook his head, dropping my hand as he got to his feet. “I’ll do all I can to help you identify the last of his people here in California. And I’ll back you up in your mission to get rid of them. But I won’t do this. I won’t allow you to put that particular gun to your own head.”

  “Don’t you see, Mike? I’m not the one holding the gun. He is.”

  He looked at me for a second, his eyes unreadable. Then he shook his head.

  “Go home. Get some rest.”

  And then he was gone, his shoulders slumped like the weight of the world was on them.

  I knew the feeling.

  Chapter 4

  Kari

  “Your name, date of birth, and place of birth.”

  I twisted my fingers together in my lap as my mind flipped through its filing cabinets.

  “Kari Louise Reyes. I was born June 2, 1990 in Ruidoso, New Mexico.”

  “Are your parents still living?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I was abandoned at the hospital when I was four. I grew up in the foster care system.”

  The interviewer looked up from her computer screen for the first time since I walked into the office. Her eyes moved over my face with that same touch of pity that most people’s expressions showed when they learned that particular truth about my past. But then she quickly looked back at the computer screen and asked her next question.

  “We have listed here a Mr. and Mrs. Juan Reyes as your parents. Who are they?”

  “Foster parents. They took me in when I was fourteen. I lived with them until I graduated high school.”

  “Are you still in contact with them?”

  “No.”

  Again, she shot a look in my direction, but didn’t comment.

  “Were you formally adopted?”

  “No. I took their name, but I was never adopted.”

  The woman tilted her head slightly. But, again, she didn’t comment. She just typed furiously into her computer before asking the next question.

  “You joined the Marines straight out of high school?”

  “I did. I was stationed at—”

  “We have your records here.” She typed a moment longer, then asked, “What did you do after you were discharged?”

  “I traveled. I went to London and Paris, New York City, and Chicago. Then I began applying for jobs, accepting the job at Gray Wolf four months ago.”

  “You have an apartment on the west side of town?”

  “Yes.”

  “What do you do in your off time?”

  I shrugged. “Mostly just hang out at home. I like to cook and read. And Netflix. I’m kind of addicted to Sons of Anarchy right—”

  “Do you spend time with friends?”

  “Sometimes. We go to local bars, hang out after cases.”

  “Cases?”

  “Yes. Audra, Shaw, and Erin. Sometimes Tony, Dawn, a few others.”

  “I meant outside of work. Do you have friends who are not associated with Gray Wolf? Friends from high school, friends from the military?”

  “Not local.”

  “Any other friends?”

  I shrugged again. “I’m friendly with a couple of my neighbors.”

  She nodded, typing that into her machine. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

  Tommy’s face flashed into my mind at that moment. We’d been sleeping together for several weeks, but I wouldn’t call him my boyfriend. We’d never talked about being exclusive, never even talked about what we did when we weren’t together. For all I knew, he had a dozen girls coming and going out of his place when I wasn’t around.

  He wasn’t my boyfriend.

  “No.”

  The girl nodded. “Do you talk about the cases you are involved with at Gray Wolf with anyone outside of the firm?”

  “Of course not.” I shook my head, feeling my hair come a little loose from its knot. “I signed a non-disclosure agreement. I wouldn’t break it.”

  The interviewer looked over what she had on her screen before glancing at me again. “Is there anything else you feel would be pertinent to this interview? Any information Gray Wolf should know about you?”

  “Nothing. My life’s an open book.”

  The woman looked as though she wanted to roll her eyes, but she simply nodded. “You’re free to go, Ms. Reyes.”

  I walked out, feeling a little freer as I stepped through the door. I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, but doing these interviews always felt a little like being called to the principal’s office in high school.

  “Joss wants to see you,” Jules said as I tried to slip past her desk in the reception area.

  I turned on my heel and headed to the door tucked in a small alcove behind Jules’ desk. I tapped on the door, again feeling that weight of guilt like I’d been caught smoking in the girl’s room. Joss was behind her desk when I opened the door – leaning back, a hand pressed against her lower lumbar section, her eyes closed. She was a little pale, dark shadows smeared under her eyes. She looked as though she hadn’t slept in weeks.

  “You wanted to see me, Ms. Matthews?”

  She opened her eyes, a flinch of pain pinching her face as she sat up a little straighter. “Come in, Kari,” she said, waving a small hand.

  I walked in, allowing the door to slide closed behind me, and perched on the edge of a chair in front of her desk. Joss looked me over, her eyes hesitating on my conservatively buttoned blazer for some reason.

  “We have a new case. I’m sure Jules might have mentioned it to you.”

  “Something about a prostitution ring?”

  Joss nodded. “Audra handled a case some weeks ago that revealed the names of some men who were once in the employ of the Mahoney Cartel. Have you heard of them?”

  “Yes. Audra and I talked a little about it. Shaw, too.”

  Joss seemed pleased by that. “Yes, Shaw also handled a case dealing with one of these men.” She leaned forward, reaching back to touch her lower lumbar section again. “These people are dangerous, but they are also part of a cartel that’s quickly falling apart now that their leader is in prison. We’d like to rid our fair city of these criminals as quickly as possible. For that reason, we’ve been monitoring the activities of the ones we have identified so far. Three of them – Jorge Martinez, Sam Wilson, and Todd Michaels – are running prostitutes out of the Meadow Hills Motel on the east side of town. Shaw and Audra have been watching them, putting together their organization and how it’s run. I want you to join them, to go in undercover to draw these people out.”

  I inclined my head, my heart suddenly in my throat.

  “This is a very sensitive case. We don’t want to scare these men away before we can take them down. But they are acting with the utmost caution, especially Todd Michaels.” Joss studied me a brief second. “We are actually
responsible for the death of his brother. He was killed during a rescue at his compound in Mexico during Shaw’s case. Drawing him out will be tricky, but he’s the one we want.”

  “Okay.”

  She tilted her head slightly. “This will put you in a few complicated situations. But we will not allow you to be harmed in any way. So, please, don’t worry about that.”

  I nodded even though I wasn’t sure how she could guarantee that. She wanted me to go undercover with a bunch of prostitutes. Wasn’t that putting me in a situation where I was definitely going to be hurt in one way or another?

  “If you’re uncomfortable—”

  “No, ma’am,” I said, sitting up a little straighter, hiding the shake that had suddenly settled in my hands. “I’m up for whatever you want me to do.”

  Joss smiled softly. “We’ve been told they’re looking for a hostess, a pretty girl to direct the johns to the appropriate rooms. That’s the job we’re hoping you’ll be able to secure. If it looks like it might go a different direction, we’ll pull you out.” Her smile disappeared as she looked me over once again. “We would never expect you to do anything to compromise your physical or mental safety. Understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Her words, however, didn’t soothe the rumbling in my soul that hated the idea of what she was proposing. I wasn’t a prude, but I also didn’t like the idea of being placed in a position that would require an invasion of my personal space without my consent. There were guys in my unit who had crooked noses now because they’d tried that. I was in complete charge of my body and no one came near it without my full cooperation.

  Again, an image of Tommy’s face, that smile he wore this morning as he teased me in my bedroom, filled my mind. At the moment, he was the only one I wanted encroaching on my personal space. But this case was going to push my limits, I could feel it already.

  Men who ran prostitutes struggled to maintain any sort of proper physical boundaries. It would take a lot for me not to respond.

  “I’ll do the best I can, ma’am.”

  Joss smiled again, but her smile was weak and filled with pain. She wrote something on a small slip of paper and handed it to me.