Hidden Prey

by Cheyenne McCray

  He put his hand over hers and squeezed prior to turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

  * * *

  Landon paused as he left Tori in the room alone, then headed back down the hallway and entered the large briefing room.

  Sofia Aguilar, the Resident Agent in Charge, sat at the head of the room. The RAC almost always had a hard cast to her features, but today she looked fiercer than normal. She’d pulled her dark hair away from her face and twisted it in a knot at the base of her neck. Her dark eyes were sharp as ever.

  Landon took a seat when Aguilar began speaking. “As most of you know, someone executed one of our own in Bisbee last night. Miguel Garcia.”

  The agents in the room erupted with expletives.

  Landon clenched his hands into fists as anger burned hot and bright inside him.

  Aguilar held up her hand, silencing the agents. “We believe the Jimenez Cartel is responsible. Miguel worked deep undercover within the cartel.” She nodded to Landon. “Agent Walker can give more details as he was at the scene last night.”

  Landon spelled out what happened. “A witness is here now. Knowing it’s the Jimenez Cartel will narrow the search considerably when we show her photographs of some of the key players.”

  Aguilar braced one hand on her hip, which pushed aside her blazer and exposed her shield and her Glock. “Get with her and once she’s finished, make sure she’s kept in protective custody.”

  Landon nodded. “We’ll return her to the safe house as soon as we’re finished.”

  “How the hell did this go down?” Dylan’s forehead wrinkled as he asked the question. “Did he blow his cover, or did he just piss off Jimenez?”

  “That’s what we need to find out.” Aguilar snapped each syllable, expressing without words how angry she was over Miguel’s death. She barked out orders before excusing everyone.

  Landon’s skin heated and he had the feeling he would explode under the right conditions. Yes, he would personally take down the man responsible for killing Miguel.

  With renewed fury burning in his veins, Landon headed back to the room where Tori waited.

  Chapter 8

  Landon stood in the doorway and looked at Tori. For some reason, he hated putting her through this whole procedure more than he usually did with a witness. Maybe it had something to do with the nightmare last night. Hearing Tori say ‘the truth’ when she’d woken from her nightmare had sent a chill through him. The thought that it could have something to do with his involvement in her brother’s death didn’t make sense.

  “Come on out here, Tori.” He inclined his head in the direction of the hallway. “I’m going to have you study some photos.”

  She pushed back her chair and followed him to another room. Six monitors covered one wall. She settled into a chair at a conference table in front of the flat-screens.

  Landon sat beside her, a tablet in his hands. He set the tablet on the table and turned to her. “Let’s start with the blond man you described.” Landon used the tablet to bring up six images of men, one on each of the six monitors in front of her.

  “That’s him.” Tori pointed at the bottom middle screen and looked to Landon. “He helped another man force Miguel down onto his knees before the other man murdered him.”

  Landon’s jaw tightened and his body hardened. She’d identified John Graves, a key man in the Jimenez Cartel. No one else in the cartel had white-blond hair that Landon knew of, the reason why he’d included Graves in the lineup.

  He stared back down at the tablet and in a moment the images of six other men were on the wall monitors, one image per screen. “Do any of these men look familiar?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He scrolled through more images. One after another flashed on the screens and she shook her head as they passed by.

  After a while, she blinked rapidly. “All of the pictures are starting to blur. Can you slow down?”

  He stopped the images from moving across the screens for a moment. “No problem.”

  When he started again, she continued to watch as surveillance photos and mug shots went by, one after another.

  “Stop.” She pointed at one of the surveillance photos. “The man on the left screen. He was the other man who held down Miguel.”

  Tori had just identified Pablo Perez, another key player. Landon tried to keep his expression neutral. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “I’m absolutely positive. He and the blond man chased me.” Tori seemed so tightly wound, as if she might spring apart.

  “We believe we’re dealing with the Jimenez Cartel,” Landon began and her eyes widened.

  “Jimenez Cartel?” She clenched her hands into fists on the tabletop. “The same cartel my brother had dealings with before the agent killed him in the raid.”

  A pained feeling shot through Landon. He squeezed her shoulder, hoping to make her feel at least a little safer. “It’s going to be all right.”

  She hesitated then nodded.

  Landon narrowed his eyebrows. “What can you tell me about the man who shot Miguel?”

  “I remember he wore a suit and had dark hair.” She put her hand to her forehead and frowned. “I think he was five ten or five eleven.” Her frown deepened. “Miguel called him something, but I can’t remember the name.”

  “Let’s go through additional photos.” Landon touched his tablet and more faces started to scroll by on the screens.

  She shook her head at the images parading before her. “I don’t recognize any of them.”

  Landon studied her. She looked exhausted and like she needed a break.

  * * *

  Tori’s head ached as her thoughts churned over and over what she had seen and the knowledge the cartel wanted her dead. The Jimenez Cartel. The same horrible people her brother had somehow been involved with.

  Her thoughts turned back to her family and her ex-boyfriend. “My parents. Gregory.” She scratched her head. “I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid for them.”

  Landon pulled out his phone and handed it to her. “Why don’t you try him at work?”

  “Oh. Of course.” She thought about it a moment then remembered Gregory’s direct line and dialed it. Her call went straight to his voicemail. She tried not to get more freaked out and left as calm a message as she could, telling him to call her, and leaving Landon’s number. Then she dialed the main office number and asked for Gregory when Laura, the receptionist, answered.

  “He hasn’t been in today, Tori.” Laura sounded irritated. “He missed his appointments and he was supposed to be in court at ten. His intern hasn’t shown up either.”

  Tori’s throat felt crowded. Something desperately wrong had happened. “I’d like to leave a message to call me if he comes in later.”

  “Yes, of course.” When Tori left messages, Laura always came across as sarcastic and put out. She clearly didn’t like her job.

  Tori thanked her and cut the call. When she handed Landon his phone, she saw concern in his gaze. She repeated what she’d been told.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked him.

  Landon raised his phone. “I’ll call the Tucson Police Department again and file a missing person report. Usually the police wouldn’t consider him missing yet. But the cartel’s involvement changes that.”

  She listened to him file the report then end the call.

  “There’s nothing you can do right now.” He appeared to be trying to give her the news in a way that wouldn’t upset her. “Our main concern is keeping you safe. We have agents watching your parents’ house and the Tucson Police Department is looking for your boyfriend.”

  For a moment, silence hung heavily between them as he let her come to terms with what he’d said.

  “What else do you need from me?” She tried to sound less shaky than she felt.

  “This is a witness statement.” He pulled up a form on the center screen and started typing. “Let’s go over all of it
again and see if you can remember anything else.”

  Feeling as if everything had become surreal, Tori once again began giving her account of what had happened.

  When she finished, he glanced across at her, his expression serious. “Is there anything else you can remember?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I can recall.” She frowned and scrunched her nose as she thought about it. “It seems like there’s something, other than the name, that I’m missing. I just can’t remember.”

  “Do you think revisiting the site would help?” Landon asked.

  “I don’t know.” She pictured the scene. “Maybe.”

  “Let’s go.” Landon pushed back his chair and Tori did the same. He cleared the monitors before they walked out of the door.

  * * *

  The ride to Bisbee from the DHS’s ICE office didn’t take long. Landon worked over details in his mind and Tori seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Tori’s guard detail followed in an SUV behind them.

  Landon’s mind turned to the scene last night. He remembered the unrecognizable face and his blood boiled.

  Sonofabitch. They had to get these bastards.

  He thought about Miguel’s wife and two kids and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Landon needed to pay his respects to Jane. The memorial service would no doubt be scheduled for the following week.

  When they got to the site, the SUV with Tori’s guard detail stopped beside them. Landon trusted the two agents assigned to protect Tori, but he couldn’t help but feel he needed to be there for her too. He’d never felt that way with any witness and he shouldn’t be feeling this way with Tori.

  He had difficulty handling even the thought of having her take the witness stand. He didn’t like the idea of putting her in even more danger.

  He parked the SUV and turned to Tori. “Stay here.”

  To disguise her appearance, she wore one of his other ball caps and a blue overshirt he kept in his truck. However, he wouldn’t take any chances by letting her out of the Explorer.

  When Landon climbed out of the vehicle, he slowly surveyed the scene.

  Both Johnson and O’Donnell looked around, attempting to secure the area.

  Agent O’Donnell glanced at Landon. “It’s too open. Too many places a sniper could be hiding.”

  “We’ll make this quick.” Landon opened the passenger door and met Tori’s gaze. “Stay in the SUV and try to remember everything you can.”

  She looked from the location of the scene back to him. “I think I’ll remember more if I get out.”

  He shook his head. “Too dangerous. You need to stay right here in your seat.”

  The play of the muscles in her throat betrayed her tension and discomfort. “Of course.”

  She stared at the taped-off area and looked as if she might gag at the memory of what she’d seen. Landon wasn’t surprised. She’d seen a man’s face get blown off. That would be traumatic for anyone who didn’t deal with violent death on a regular basis.

  “I just remembered. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.” Tori shook her head. “The suit the man wore was expensive, probably tailored just for him.” Her forehead wrinkled in concentration. “In my career I see a lot of men in pricey suits and his definitely cost a pretty penny.”

  That could narrow the field a bit, Landon thought. Only those high up the food chain can afford expensive suits. Very high up.

  “Do you remember anything else?” Landon asked.

  She frowned. “Miguel called him by something unusual…like El…and something starting with a P, I think. It’s on the tip of my tongue.” Her eyes widened. “He called him El Puño. The Fist.”

  Landon’s pulse quickened. Expensive suit and called El Puño. It could only mean one person. “I’m going to have you look over more mug shots.”

  He went around to the driver’s side and climbed in before he removed his tablet from inside the center console and set it in his lap. He took a flash drive and inserted it into a USB port on the tablet and opened a file on the drive. The file held photographs of every key member who had been identified in the Jimenez Cartel. He touched the tablet and brought up six images of leading cartel players.

  Tori pointed to a man’s image from one of the surveillance photos. She looked as if she would scream when she saw it. “That’s him. He killed Miguel.”

  “You’re certain?” Landon asked.

  “Absolutely.” She nodded. “No doubt in my mind.”

  “Alejandro Jimenez, also known as El Puño.”

  “Yes.” She nodded again, vigorously this time. “Yes.”

  “The son of the Jimenez Cartel drug lord.” Landon hadn’t intended to say the words out loud. Shit.

  “The drug lord’s son?” A wave of horror crossed Tori’s face.

  Landon reached out and put his hand over hers. He could feel it shaking. “You’re going to be all right, Tori. We’ll make sure of it.”

  She buried her face in her hands. When she looked at Landon again, she appeared worn and drained and he wrapped his arms around her.

  “Shhh.” He held her securely. “It will be all right.”

  “Could I possibly have witnessed an execution by anyone more dangerous than him?” Her voice sounded strained as she drew away. “I saw the drug lord’s son commit murder. I’m a witness against an organization so merciless they won’t stop until they hunt me down.” Her coughed, trying to swallow. “I don’t know if I can do this, Landon.”

  “You can.” He put conviction into his tone. “You’re a strong woman.”

  “I don’t feel strong.” She bit her lower lip before adding, “Not at all.”

  He remembered her strength last night when he’d told her she didn’t have to testify. Everyone had a breaking point and this might be hers.

  Chapter 9

  Gregory’s toes barely reached the floor as he dangled by metal handcuffs linked over a hook. The two men who had abducted him had fastened the hook to a chain hanging from a beam high overhead in an abandoned South Tucson warehouse. His body slowly turned like a slab of beef dangling in a meat locker.

  Nothing would gel in his brain and he had lost touch with reality. Every bit of him hurt, agony his constant companion. In less than thirty minutes, he’d been beaten, his leg shot so the bone had shattered and most of his fingers had been broken one at a time with pliers.

  And the sadistic bastards hadn’t even asked him a single question since they’d left the townhouse. No matter how he had begged and pleaded, and promised to tell them whatever they wanted, they hadn’t listened.

  They’d laughed.

  Pablo said they wanted to send a message. Gregory knew they’d enjoyed torturing him and hadn’t wanted to ruin their fun.

  A phone rang. Through swollen eyes, Gregory watched Pablo answer it and heard his sharp responses.

  Pablo tossed the phone onto a nearby table and snarled words at Gregory. “My man hasn’t gotten anything from the names you gave us earlier, you piece of shit.”

  He approached Gregory. “This will end if you give me the address.” He sounded as if he would be doing Gregory a favor.

  If Pablo killed him now, he would be doing Gregory a favor. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take.

  He tried to get the words out but his throat had become raw.

  “Give me the address.” Pablo’s voice grew menacing again.

  Gregory tried to swallow, but his throat felt like sandpaper had scraped it bloody. He ran his tongue over his parched and swollen lips and tasted blood.

  He finally pushed out a reply. “I’m sure she’s at her parents’ home in Bisbee. I don’t know the address.” Gregory spoke in a voice hoarse from screaming in agony with everything these men had done to him since bringing him to the warehouse. “I told you at my house. Their names are Josie and Henry Cox.”

  “Those names got us nowhere.” Pablo scowled. “You must have made them up.”

  “They don’t have a computer.” G
regory swallowed. “Her father doesn’t trust the Internet. He’s a conspiracy nut and believes everyone is out to get them. He’s a drunk too.”

  A side door creaked open and Gregory could see the darkness outside. The blond man called John walked into the warehouse carrying two cases. Gregory could just make out his own briefcase and Tori’s laptop case. Clearly John had gone back to the townhouse and retrieved both.

  “Your computers.” Pablo sounded satisfied as he took one of the briefcases from John. “Maybe now we’ll get somewhere.”

  Gregory closed his eyes. He didn’t have the address on his computer, but Tori no doubt had it on her laptop. He knew Tori’s password and these men would get it out of him. She had never known, but he had a software program that tracked keystrokes and he’d learned her password.

  He’d spied on her and had gone through her laptop several times, making sure she hadn’t been cheating on him. He’d reviewed her email regularly and had even managed to break into her phone sometimes when she’d been in the shower. No text messages, no instant messages, and no emails. He’d made sure he knew her location at all times and had even installed a tracker on her phone—

  He went still. The tracker he’d put inside her phone. These men could find Tori with it, even if she turned off the phone and took out the battery.

  “Do you have anything else to tell me that will help me find Tori?” Pablo asked.

  Gregory avoided Pablo’s eyes as he thought about the finder application on his laptop and how easy it would be to tell the man about the device in her phone—it would lead the bastard straight to Tori.

  Somehow Gregory managed to hold it in. He’d already given too much. Tori might be as good as dead, thanks to the weakness that had brought him to this point.

  She deserved it after all these men had done to him, didn’t she?

  His whole body went slack. He couldn’t bear anymore of the agony that brought him so close to passing out. This could all be over if he gave them what they needed.