“Until he somehow got off on a technicality after Dad testified,” Rayna said woodenly. She was so young at the time, but she still remembered the agony and terror in her father’s voice when he found out Diego Cortez had walked. Then the death threats started, but nothing could be traced back to Cortez. After an attempt was made on their lives, the U.S. Marshals stepped in and removed the Fullers from the area, leaving behind no traces of them...or so they thought.
“It turned out the judge was in his pocket,” the assistant director admitted. “Not only that, but the jury was scared shitless to go up against the mob boss.”
“Why do you think the verdict will be any different now?” Rayna questioned, even though she knew if it came down to putting a bullet in the bastard or bringing him in to stand trial, she would do the latter. “What makes you think we can finally put him away?”
“A couple of things. We have some movers and shakers in Washington now. They want this case closed as much as I do. They will do anything to get Diego behind bars.” A slow smile curved Talbot’s lips as he continued, “Diego has lost a lot of his following in the D.C. area, which you know. His organization should have grown over time, but instead has actually dwindled significantly in numbers. Everyone is terrified of him. They don’t want to work for him because they are afraid they will be the next dead body to show up in the river.” His eyes glittering with determination, he said, “As much as I hate the idea of using you as bait, you are the only person in his past that could lure him out of hiding who isn’t already six feet under. I don’t think that we will be able to make a move on him here on his home turf, but the Director and I both agree that with our agents integrated in Serenity Springs to back you up, we have a good chance of catching the bastard.”
“With all due respect, Sir, Diego may be a crazy son of a bitch, and he may have lost some of his empire, but that doesn’t make him stupid. You know as well as I do that he is still watching Serenity Springs to see if I will return. You can’t just suddenly stick a number of agents into a town that size and think he’s not going to notice. Especially if I show up around the same time.”
Talbot stared at her intently as he idly tapped his fingers on the desk in front of him. “I agree. That’s why we are only sending two other agents and we are going to work with the Serenity Springs Police Department on this one.”
“No!” Rayna’s response was quick and forceful. “You will not involve the Caldwells in this. I won’t allow it.”
The Assistant Director raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his hard lips. “You won’t allow it, Agent Williams? Let me remind you who is in charge here. I might be agreeing to this foolhardy plan, and against my better judgment, I am allowing you to be a part of it. But, make no mistake, I am the one in charge. I will involve whoever I think needs to be involved.”
Rayna sat quietly, her dark eyes snapping in anger. She wanted to get Diego, had wanted to catch the bastard for years, but not at the expense of innocent lives. Finally, when she was sure her emotions were once again under control, she implored, “Please, Ethan, don’t involve the Caldwells. They are a good family. An innocent family. They don’t deserve to be brought back into my nightmare.”
“Back into it?” Talbot asked. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Rayna refused to tell her superior everything about her past. She would keep him informed on what he needed to know, but some things were just too personal to share. “I know them from my time at Serenity Springs. I don’t want any of them hurt. Please, I’m asking you, don’t involve them in this.”
Sighing deeply, Talbot replied, “I’m sorry, Rayna, but it’s too late. Once I figured out what your intentions were, I contacted the Sheriff in Serenity Springs. I informed him of the situation and our plans. He’s on board with everything.”
“That’s it? It was that easy? You tell Creed Caldwell that we are going to draw the fucking mob to his home town, and he was fine with it? I find that hard to believe.”
Laughing sardonically, Talbot shook his head. “Of course not. He was pissed as hell. But, when he found out I was going to do it anyway and there was nothing he could do about it, he demanded that he be fully involved with the investigation.”
“Does he know who I am?” Rayna asked softly.
“No. He only knows what he needs to know.”
“I think he needs to know everything,” Rayna whispered, against her better judgment. “As much as I want to keep the whole operation as far away from Creed Caldwell and his family as possible, if you are going to insist on the police department’s involvement, then he needs to know.” God, she did not want to do this. She did not want to bring the pain and horror of her life into the lives of the Caldwells. She had no idea how this suicide mission of hers would turn out. In a perfect world, she would bring Diego Cortez to justice, but she had been shown several times in the past that the world she lived in was far from perfect.
“Then I will leave it up to you to tell them,” the Assistant Director decided, once again rising from his seat. “Now, go meet with Donaldson and Brentworth. They can bring you up to speed on everything we have on Cortez. If you know anything we do not, share it with them. Then, the three of you need to devise a plan. Work together on this, Rayna. It is the only way we are going to get the bastard.”
Rayna stood and walked slowly toward the door, her mind focused on the task before her. She had come into the meeting expecting her request for a leave of absence to be approved. She was packed and ready to go, and planned on leaving tomorrow morning with no idea whether she would really return or not. Now, all of her plans would need to be changed. Not only was the FBI involved in her fight, but so was the Serenity Springs Police Department. She knew three of the Caldwell siblings worked for that police department. She refused to think about one specific Caldwell who had captured her heart so long ago; the way his intense blue gaze would brighten with laughter and his lips would turn up in a slow, sexy grin as he teased her mercilessly. Her young heart had warmed towards him and she had begun to live for the time that she was able to spend in his presence. Her hands tightening into fists, she vowed that she would protect the Caldwell family from the evil that stalked her. She would protect them all, no matter what.
“Rayna.” Turning back to acknowledge the Assistant Director, she waited patiently for him to continue. “This will not be easy. Diego Cortez will not go down without a fight. But, I want you to know, this agency will stand behind you the whole way. You are a good person, Rayna Williams, and an outstanding agent. I have no doubt that we are going to bring Cortez down this time.”
That makes one of us, Rayna thought sarcastically. That bastard always managed to stay just below the radar somehow. There was so much death and destruction on his hands, but her father had been the only person with enough courage to stand up to him. That courage had gotten Rayna’s entire family killed. Well, payback was a bitch. And Rayna was all about payback when it came to that piece of shit.
“Stay safe, Rayna,” Talbot said gruffly.
“I will,” she replied shortly before turning to go meet with Donaldson and Brentworth. They were seasoned agents with a lot of experience under their belts. If anyone could help her capture Cortez, it would be them.
Ethan Talbot sat back down in his chair, heaving a huge sigh of frustration. Rearranging a stack of papers on his desk, he swore quietly. He hated sending an agent to what could very possibly be her death. He wasn’t lying when he told Rayna she was an outstanding agent. She had proven herself more than once with the bureau, and was one of the best agents he’d ever worked with. Not only that, but she was strong, loyal, and full of determination. He did not want to lose her.
Squeezing the bridge of his nose tightly, he groaned softly before reaching for the phone. A moment later he was being transferred to the Director of the FBI. “Talk to me,” Director Anderson demanded as soon as he answered the call.
His grip tightening on the phone, Ethan told him, “It was exact
ly what we thought. She was going to lure the bastard to her. Who knows what she had planned for Cortez once she got ahold of him.”
“We both know what she planned,” the director scoffed, “and if I wasn’t worried that she would get herself killed in the process, I would let her do it.”
“She might still end up dead,” Ethan said gruffly, as he fidgeted with his pen. He really did not want Rayna’s death on his conscience.
“You have a couple of your best agents going in with her you said. She has a much better chance now than she did just hours ago.”
Throwing the pen across the room, Ethan snarled, “I know, but this is still a fucking suicide mission. You and I both know it. My agents can’t be with her 24/7. And if I send more than the two that I chose, chances are Cortez will make them right away if he has eyes on the town. I have to keep the number down because Serenity Springs is so small. I don’t have a choice.”
“What are the undercover assignments of the agents you are sending?” the Director asked.
Ethan stiffened, sitting up straight in his chair. Up to this point, he had refused to tell anyone except Donaldson and Brentworth which agents were going and exactly what they would be doing. He knew even before Rayna told him that there was a leak in the agency. And, even though he was sure the Director was clean, he was still going to keep the information quiet. “I have to go, Ben,” he said quickly when his cell phone rang. “I have another call.”
Ignoring the Director’s sputtered response, Ethan hung up the phone and then silenced the ringing on his cell. Picking his office phone back up, he dialed Agent Hanson’s extension. The man was a genius with computers. If anyone could track who was trying to get information on Rayna, he could.
Chapter 4
Rayna stood outside the door of the conference room where Senior Field Agents Donaldson and Brentworth waited for her. She was hesitant to enter after her conversation with Talbot. Before, in her plan to take down Diego, she was the only one involved, which meant the only one she had to worry about keeping alive was herself. Now, after her conversation with the assistant director, there were not only two more FBI agents involved, but also the Caldwell family. And even though it may be the FBI’s job to take down criminals like Diego, the Caldwells had not signed up for this. Defending the small town of Serenity Springs was a lot different than going up against the biggest mob in the Washington D.C. area. Unfortunately, it was too late. There was no way Talbot would let her go off on her own now that he knew what she was up to.
She knew she should be grateful that the Bureau was backing her crazy scheme, but somehow everything changed when the Caldwells became a part of the picture. Rayna still wanted to confront the man who had ruined her life, and she was positive the only way to draw him out into the open so that she could get to him, was to lure him to Serenity Springs. But, her fear for the family she had once cared for was making her hesitate. If something happened to one of them, she would never forgive herself.
Rayna reached out and grasped the doorknob firmly. Taking a deep breath, she turned it and swung the door open. The other agents looked up from the files spread out on the table in front of them as she entered the room. She found herself trembling under the hard gaze of Agent Nathan Brentworth as she closed the door behind her. He sat at the end of the table, a man who seemed to immediately demand the attention of anyone who walked into the room. He was a legend in her field, after taking down more criminals than she could ever imagine doing herself. His specialty was working undercover in many different capacities because of his ability to blend in wherever he was needed. She knew he was in his late forties, but he was able to assume an identity from age twenty-five to over fifty. She also knew that once the man went undercover, you would not recognize him unless he wanted you to. Right now he had a distinguished look about him, with his dark black hair slightly greying in spots, cleanly shaven face, and dark suit and tie that looked custom-made just for him. Vaguely, she wondered how many kill shots he had under his belt. Personally, even though there were many dicey situations where she came close, she’d never actually had to put a bullet in another person. However, she was certain that was about to change.
Letting her gaze wander from the steel grey eyes of the man in front of her, she glanced over to where Agent Donaldson sat in a chair at the middle of the table, across from where Rayna stood. The woman smiled gently, before motioning to the seat in front of her. “Please, have a seat.” Her light blue gaze was filled with a warmth that surprised Rayna, because she knew the other agent had worked for the FBI for over thirty years. She thought a seasoned agent such as Kayla Donaldson would be...harder. Kayla tended to spend more time in the office now than in the field, running down leads and going over theories with a team that worked under her, but Rayna was not fooled. She’d seen Agent Donaldson in action at one point, and never wanted to be on her bad side.
Rayna sat where the other woman indicated, leaning forward and resting her arms on the table. Glancing back and forth at the agents, she introduced herself, “I’m Agent Rayna Williams. It’s nice to meet you.”
“We know who you are,” Brentworth said, with a short nod.
Agent Donaldson smiled, “We’ve seen your file, Rayna. It’s very impressive. We are happy to have you on our team.”
“Thank you, Agent Donaldson,” Rayna replied, not sure if she should be pissed that they took the liberty to look at her file, or happy they found her acceptable to work with.
“Please, call me Kayla.”
“How much do you know about Diego Cortez?” Agent Brentwood interrupted in a deep, gravelly voice. Before she could reply, he picked up a file in front of him and tossed it towards her. “The guy is scum. He takes lives like they mean nothing to him. We have been trying to bring him down for years, and now Talbot says we have a good chance of getting the job done.”
“I know everything there is to know about Diego Cortez,” Rayna responded roughly. “I have made it a priority to find out every single thing about him that I could over the past few years.”
Her eyes narrowing, Kayla asked, “And why is that?”
“The assistant director didn’t tell you?” Even though it frustrated Rayna, she was not surprised. It would seem as if he were going to leave it up to her to share her story. Maybe it was his way of protecting her, she didn’t know. What she did know was that if these two people were going to help her, then they needed to know the truth.
Opening the file in front of her, she flipped through it until she found what she was looking for. Turning it around, she pointed at it. “You tell me. How much do you know about the Fuller case?”
Kayla stiffened as she reached out and lightly touched the file, tracing a finger over the picture of the Fuller family clipped inside. “Everything,” she finally whispered, raising pain-filled eyes back up to meet Rayna’s gaze. “I was a part of the investigation. The father came to us, ready to testify and put Diego Cortez away. Things didn’t work out the way we all hoped. After Cortez went free, we put the family in protective custody with new names, in a place we thought he would never find them. We were wrong. Not only did he track them down, but he killed them. All of them. He murdered them because the father was brave enough to stand up against the bastard in court.”
“Not all of them,” Rayna said softly.
“What?” Agent Brentworth growled. “That’s not true. I was there, dammit. I went to their funeral. It was one of the only cases in my career where I fucking failed. I failed that family. I let that son of a bitch kill them. I failed every single one of them.”
“No you didn’t,” Rayna told him, her eyes meeting his stormy grey ones.
“Yes I did, dammit,” he snapped, slamming his fist into the table. “They had kids. Two teenage girls and a little boy, and I didn’t protect them.”
“How could you have?” Rayna asked incredulously. “The FBI was not even involved with them after the trial.”
“No, but I should have done something in t
he beginning,” he insisted, “before the trial was thrown out.”
“What?” Rayna demanded. “What could you have done? There was nothing you could have done, Nathan, nothing.”
His eyes widened in surprise at the use of his first name, but she didn’t care. She had never seen him look the way that he did right now. So upset, torn up, beaten. She could not just sit there and let the man torment himself.
“I went to their funeral,” he snarled. “Five caskets, all closed because the destruction was too much for people to see. Five caskets containing bodies of people that I could not protect.”
“You see,” Rayna said softly, “that is where you are wrong.” Looking at both of them, she smiled tremulously. “There were only four bodies in those caskets.”
“What?” Kayla sat up straighter in her chair, leaning forward earnestly. “What are you saying?”
“There were only four bodies,” Rayna repeated, her gaze going back and forth between the two agents. “I survived.”
There was complete silence in the room. After a long moment, Nathan finally spoke. “You were one of the girls?”
“Yes,” Rayna admitted. “I was taken by the U.S. Marshals from the accident, and my name was changed again. They put me back in witness protection with a whole new identity.”
“But, I don’t understand,” Kayla said in confusion. “How are you an FBI agent? How are you even in law enforcement at all? I wouldn’t think the U.S. Marshals would allow it. The people they put in witness protection are supposed to get jobs where no one would think to look for them. Teachers, construction workers, convenience store clerks, things like that. They are not supposed to be waving around guns and calling attention to themselves.”
Rayna let out a short laugh as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, they tried that with me,” she said with a shrug. “I never have listened very well. I’ve always been one to travel my own path. Quiet, but determined.” She smiled as she remembered how it always drove her mother crazy. She used to say that Rayna was too stubborn for her own good. Smiling wryly at the memory, Rayna went on, “They had me hidden in a small town in Nebraska, close to Omaha. I finished college and applied to the police force. I was accepted before the Marshals knew what was going on. I didn’t ask anyone’s permission, I just did it.”
Saving His Soul (Serenity Springs Series, #3) Page 2
