by Linzi Baxter
“Why not?” Sophie asked. She leveled her eyes at me and waited for the excuse I was going to make up.
I spouted the first thing that came to mind. “I’m working at the shelter.”
“Liar. I know you aren’t working at the shelter. Try again.” I loved having Sophie back in my life, but it made it harder to get away with undercover work.
“I’m volunteering at Ant’s school.”
Sophie shook her head, not buying my excuse.
“Grocery shopping?”
“Try again.”
“Going to the mall?”
“You buy everything on Amazon. Do you even know where a mall is?”
She was right. If I ran out of anything, I bought it on Amazon. When I arrived home each night, it was like Christmas. Half of the time, I didn’t know what was in the box I was about to open. Sophie would keep on me until I told her what I was planning, or she would show up at my house tomorrow and follow me.
“Fine. I found out Antonio is keeping information from me about the Sanchez case. I’m going to go check out the information.”
“Why are you sure he is keeping anything from you?” Jessica asked.
I really didn’t want to admit that I had bugged my husband and listened to his conversations at work. I did it because he kept information on the case from me. I trusted him with everything else. My heart belonged to him and his to me. But he would do anything to keep me safe, and that included not telling me what information he’d found.
“I overheard him.” I reached for the bottle of wine to refill my glass, more for something to do than because I wanted more. If I looked at Sophie, she would see right through me.
“Then why don’t you confront him about it?”
“Hmm.” I took a big gulp of the wine. “We might not have been in the same place.”
“How did you hear the conversation if you weren’t in the same place?”
“I had a feeling information was being withheld. There is a chance I put a bug in his suit jacket this morning.”
Sophie jumped from her seat. She had been the last to get attacked by Juan when he put a bomb in her car. Knowing Zane hadn’t told her something had her face turning red. “Tell me what they said. I have a right to know,” Sophie demanded.
In the past, I had done all my jobs alone. It was hard to involve the people around me, especially when I didn’t want any of them to get hurt. I knew my sister would find the information one way or another, so as I reached for the glass of wine, I said, “Antonio found the person who put the bomb in your car. Zane went to the bun—”
“My fiancé knows who put the bomb in my car?” Sophie’s eyes narrowed.
Fuck. Antonio would be pissed about my plan, and now I’d also made my sister mad at Zane. If she went off on him, he would ask how she found out, and my plan would be ruined.
Bridget spoke up before I had time to explain. “Hold on a second. Let’s head to the living room and get comfy. I want to hear what you have planned.”
Bridget didn’t wait for any of our replies. She grabbed her apple juice and a platter of food and headed toward the living room.
Once seated, I grabbed a pink throw pillow from the couch and pulled it to my chest. “Sophie, you can’t let Zane know you found out about the bomber.” When her eyes narrowed in my direction, I continued. “Then you will have to tell him how you figured it out. I plan on going to the bunker tomorrow morning. After I get all the information I need, you can scream at him all you want.”
Sophie didn’t reply right away. When we were younger, she would analyze all her options before she would agree to anything. Her far-off look was an indicator she didn’t want to wait to talk to Zane and was trying to come up with a way around it, but it seemed she couldn’t.
“Fine, but the second we get the information, I’m chewing his ass out. I have a right to know who put that bomb in my car. Zane thinks he’s protecting me by not telling me, but it only makes me madder when he keeps important information from me.”
“We need to come up with a plan for tomorrow,” Bridget added.
“A plan? Whatever it is, you can’t come, Bridget. I love you, but no way am I putting you or your baby in danger.”
Bridget let out a huff. “Of course, I’m not going. I might like to help, but I draw the line at putting my baby in danger.” She pointed at Sophie. “You and Sophie are going tomorrow because I don’t want either of you going alone. You will both go where there are webcams connected to White Hat Security so Jessica and I can watch.”
The mission to see what I could dig up at the bunker would be dangerous. Sophie worked behind a computer. I didn’t want her to come in the field with me. The thought that she might get shot or hurt sent my stomach into a tumble. “Sophie can stay with you at White Hat. I will wear the camera and a com.
Sophie leaned back in the couch and folded her arms. “Do you ever see Antonio send his men into the field by themselves?”
“No, but I’m a trained assassin and have worked alone for years.”
“So you’re saying Antonio’s men aren’t trained as well as you?”
There was no way to win this argument. Antonio had some of the best men and women I had ever met. He hired ex-military who were the best of the best, but they worked better as a team. In the years I’d worked for the CIA, I worked alone. It was hard to change and take help from others, especially when I was concerned they would get hurt.
I let out a sigh of defeat. “No, I’m not better than Antonio’s men. I just don’t want any of you to get hurt.
“But it’s okay for us to let you get hurt?” Bridget asked.
“Fine. If it makes everyone happy, Sophie can come with me.”
Suddenly, the door to Jessica and Brock’s apartment flew open. In the doorway stood CJ, Asher’s partner and Bridget’s best friend.
CJ strode in and engulfed Bridget in a hug before taking a seat in the black recliner. I still didn’t know where CJ’s loyalties lay. I knew he planned to work for Asher and Antonio. Would he tell them my plan, or would he stay on our side?
Leaning back in the chair, CJ asked, “What’s the latest gossip?”
Before I had time to say anything, Bridget chimed in. “Kat’s bugged Antonio, and she knows he’s kept things from her. She and Sophie are going to go check out a bunker.”
CJ’s faced paled at Bridget’s words. I wasn’t sure if he was worried I might get hurt or if he thought I told Bridget about him being hired at AA Security.
“You heard all his conversations today?” CJ croaked out.
Bridget gave CJ a puzzled look. “Of course she did. Didn’t you just hear what I told you?”
He nodded and cracked the beer in his hand. He took a couple big gulps. I knew he was worried about what was said. I needed to put his worries aside. It wasn’t my place to tell Sophie and Bridget he had taken another job.
“I told them everything Antonio talked about with regards to Juan.”
CJ nodded at me. He understood I hadn’t let his secret out of the bag. He would have to tell her soon, or she would figure it out on her own.
Conversation about how we would run the op flowed for the next hour. Once Antonio left for the office and I dropped Ant off at school, I would head over to White Hat Security. Bridget had a camera and ear coms I would wear that would link back to her servers and record everything I see or hear. That way, everything we saw or heard would be recorded.
We could come back and analyze the video afterward to see if there was anything we missed.
I looked down at my watch and noticed it was late. We needed to stop by Antonio’s parents’ house and pick up Ant. He loved to spend time with his grandparents, but I still had a hard time being away from him for too long.
“I think it’s time for me to head out.”
I said my goodbyes to the women in the room. We all confirmed the time we were meeting tomorrow. CJ was the last to walk up and give me a hug goodbye.
“Thank yo
u,” he whispered in my ear.
If I could hold his secret, he needed to hold mine. “Please don’t tell the guys what I’m planning.”
I felt his body stiffen under my arms, but he agreed. He wasn’t happy about it, but I wasn’t happy keeping information from my sister and Bridget, either.
As we pulled apart, the door to the apartment swung open. Antonio stood in the doorway with a scowl across his face.
“Why do you have your hands on my wife?”
I walked over and wrapped my arms around Antonio’s waist. “Stop, hun. We were saying goodbye. He’s going to be my brother in-law, you can’t get jealous of your gay future brother inlaw.”
“I still think a goodbye handshake is better,” he grumbled as he led me out the door.
The next day would be an eventful one. I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. I felt slightly remorseful about the secret I was keeping from Antonio.
8
Kat
I gripped the steering wheel and glanced at my surroundings. A small fishing cabin sat in the middle of the property. I reached over to the passenger side and grabbed the piece of paper with the coordinates. I was in the correct location. I took a couple of deep breaths and stepped out of the rented SUV.
The gravel cracked underneath the soles of my combat boots. I reached to my side and checked for my Glock. I was rewarded with the feel of my gun. It made me feel safer for a moment.
I had promised Bridget and Sophie that I wouldn’t come to Nebula’s bunker. Zane had been called to Washington by his brother, and Sophie went with him. We planned to go to the bunker together when she returned on Friday. I was all for the plan to wait until she returned. But when I left White Hat Security earlier, I started to drive, and a half hour later, I ended up at the location I swore I wouldn’t go to alone.
The air in Florida was hot and sticky. I wasn’t used to it. Ant and I had spent most of our time in the northeast corner of the country. Every time I stepped into the Florida sun, I felt like I needed to take a shower.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and it made me jump in surprise. I pulled out my phone to see who was calling. When Sophie’s name flashed across the screen, my stomach turned with remorse. I ignored her call and put the phone in my pocket. Not two seconds later, the phone rang again. By the fourth time she called, I knew she wouldn’t stop.
“Hey, sis.” I leaned against the rental and took in the surroundings.
I heard her huff on the other end of the line. “Don’t ‘hey’ me. What have you found?”
I looked down the abandoned road to make sure I wasn’t followed. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” I couldn’t see anyone for miles.
“Bullshit! I don’t have much time to talk. Zane is talking to Antonio. Have you found anything?”
“I just got here.” There was no point in lying. She would pester me until I told her the truth. I walked toward the abandoned building. The Florida sun beat down with no remorse. I had been out of the car for two minutes and already felt the sweat drip down my back.
“Damn, I’m good. I knew you wouldn’t be able to wait. Hell, I would’ve done the same.”
The thought of Sophie going rogue sent a shiver down my back. Sophie was excellent at the computer stuff that I didn’t understand or care to learn. But she wasn’t skilled in the field.
“Please tell me that if you find anything on Juan, you won’t go alone.” If I lost her again, it would crush me.
“I’m not stupid, Kat. Now, tell me what you see.”
There was a trail that led from the fishing cabin toward the back of the property. “I’m following a trail. I think it will lead either to the underground bunker or into a swamp of alligators.”
I almost missed the shine of the metal door on the ground. It had been covered with grass to obscure the location. I reached for my gun.
“Zane’s coming back, so I need to let you go. Text me what you find. Be safe, Kat. I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you again.
“Call me later, and I will tell you everything I find.”
I brushed the grass and weeds off the manhole cover. I set my gun beside me, reached for the two handles on each side of the door, and pulled with all my weight. It opened slowly. The door was heavy, and it took all my strength to pry it open. It thudded against the ground when it fell on the other side of the hinge. I wasn’t sure I would be able to close the door again.
I glanced around to make sure no one had followed me to the middle of nowhere, then readied my Glock. The hole I had opened was dark and daunting. I took a deep breath and worked my way down the ladder. When my foot hit the second step, light illuminated the area around me. The sudden change startled me and caused me to release my hold on the ladder. The ground came fast and hard.
The fall knocked the wind out of me. I scurried to my feet and waited for someone to appear. After a minute, I realized the lights were motion activated and relaxed a little. The room I had fallen into was cool and damp. The cool air felt good compared to Florida heat that waited for me up the ladder.
The round entryway of the bunker was six feet in diameter with nothing in it, and only one hallway leading deeper into the structure. I worked my way down the hall into the next room, which was huge. It had to be the size of a basketball court. Fluorescent lights lined the ceiling and let off a slight buzzing sound. The right side of the room was filled with shelves and weapon cases.
I reached down to open one four-foot-long green container, and when the lid slid open, I saw the weapon it should contain was no longer present. The container only held black foam with the outline of a grenade launcher. The second case I opened had “AK-47” on the side. Like the first, it was empty. I opened the other ten cases along the wall of the bunker. Each was empty. All the guns had been cleared out.
My heart rate increased as I calculated the price of the weapons on the dark web. An AK-47 on the dark web went for around three thousand dollars. The military containers held around a hundred guns. Whoever had them—likely Juan—could clear three hundred thousand dollars off one container. With this much money, it might take years to stop him.
Maps were plastered across the wall above where the cases of guns lay. These maps were the only confirmation I needed that Juan had used Nebula to come after my family and that when Nebula failed to kill Sophie, Juan eliminated him. Each map corresponded to a house owned by Antonio’s family or Zane’s family. Juan planned to come after not only Sophie and me but also the people closest to us. I took out my phone and captured photos of the maps on the wall.
The middle of the room was filled with racks of MREs, jugs of water, and other consumables and first aid kits. The supplies were intact.
The far end of the room had been set up as a computer station at one time. The monitors attached to the wall had been shattered. The computer’s case had been pried open. The hard drives were gone. Whoever destroyed the place left nothing functioning.
When I had listened to Antonio’s conversation, he mentioned the DVR drive might be readable. If CJ could pull the data off the drive, it might give us a lead on who destroyed the room and took the military weapons.
I glanced at my watch to calculate how long I had been down here. I had searched the bunker for the last hour.
Not finding anything that could lead to Juan sent a wave of defeat through my system. I had hoped Antonio’s team had missed a clue. My husband’s team was staffed with the best mercenaries, so I knew it was a long shot. But I needed to see this for myself. I grabbed a jug of water off the rack and whipped it across the room in frustration. It hit the map that showed our house with a thud. The map tore open and revealed a hidden safe. How fucking lucky could I be? I had given up hope that I would find anything useful.
The safe was a Winchester. I had cracked many safes in my time with the CIA, and a Winchester was a common one. I took a couple deep breaths and placed my ear against the safe. I slowly worked the dial of the safe until I felt the tumb
ler click. The first number hit at thirty-five. I turned the dial twice in the opposite direction, and the tumbler hit at five. Two numbers down, two to go. The third number missed, and I tried a couple more times before I felt the click. The last number came quick.
I grabbed the handle of the safe and turned it until the door popped open. Inside the safe lay a leather-bound book, which I took to the chair next to the computer station and flipped open. The first column had a coded name followed by a number and a date. The first entry was dated 2005. The last entry was the prior week.
I flipped through the book to see if I could decrypt the code. But I didn’t see a pattern or find a key, so I placed the book under my arm. I walked back to the safe, closed the door. I pulled out my camera and took a few more pictures of the bunker to study at a later time.
The journey up the ladder went much better than my way down. I placed my gun and the book next to the bunker entrance and managed to close the door with a lot of effort. I used the grass from earlier to recover the door as well. On the way back to the car, I worked to cover my footsteps from earlier.
When I reached the car, I placed the leather book below my seat. I heard the click of a gun a few seconds before I felt the barrel press against my back. Fuck. Antonio was going to be mad.
9
Antonio
I rolled my neck to relieve the tension of the last month. The longer this case dragged on, the more nervous I was becoming. With any other case, the tension would roll off my shoulders. But with Kat and Sophie still in danger, the tension increased. Since the incident with her car and the men who tried to attack her at our house, I made sure she was armed at all times. I couldn’t lose Kat again.
Stacy buzzed my phone to let me know Detective Higgins had arrived, then she told him to head back.
“Higgins. Good to see you.” I greeted the big detective, who strode across the floor of my office and sat in the leather chair.
Asher must have heard the big detective enter the building. He was in my office before Detective Higgins had sat down. Higgins had worked with us in the past, and he knew anything he had to say to me could be said in front of my brother. From the look on Higgins’s face, I wouldn’t like the conversation.
