by Matt Lincoln
“What?” He looked up, distracted, and in a world of his own. “Yeah, Mia’s with George and Kippy. They were supposed to have a meeting about her work visa today, I think. So, she’s not here.”
I decided to address the other matter. “Was she okay after the beach incident? Seeing that guy really disturbed her. I expect she’s feeling better now.”
“I think so. She didn’t say anything about it. I texted her, but… this visa thing has her pretty busy.” I hated how down he sounded, but it was going to be for the best in the long run. At least, that’s what we all hoped for. If they still felt the same about each other when things had settled, then I’d be fine with it. Yet, for now, I needed my team’s heads in this game until it was finished.
Eve tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a plate. “I didn’t spice it too much, just some salt and pepper. You can add more if you like. I’ve seen everything from ketchup and hot sauce to maple syrup on them.” She looked around to see that everyone else had eaten. “That’s done then. Time to clean up.”
I thanked her as she handed me the plate, and then I had taken a bite as she said that. It looked like simple fare: scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon, all mashed together between two pieces of rye bread. It was uncomplicated but damn tasty. I tried to chew and swallow quickly to respond to her last comment. I had to gulp some coffee to wash it down.
“Hey, don’t do that!” I insisted. “You’re a guest here, Eve. You don’t have to earn your keep.” I sat down next to Doc at the bar but kept my eye on her. “I’m serious. Don’t. Just sit down and relax. Grab some coffee and chill for a minute.” I heard Rosa enter from the balcony. “Besides, Rosa always does the dishes for me.”
I waited for the slap on the back of the head. Instead, she just stood over me and glowered.
“I am teasing, you know.” I winked at her.
You aren’t. That’s the problem. Rosa took the last of the three stools at the bar and watched me eat. So, do we have a plan?
Eve received a text and looked at her phone.
In between bites, I answered. “If the kidnappers have brought Arik to Miami, then we stand a better chance of finding him by asking around. I’m going to get Wraith tonight and do some recon around the bays and try to find that ship that Mia’s guy was watching yesterday. If we find that ship, we can go from there.” That’s if it was still in the area, and I prayed that it was.
“Um, Jake?” Eve’s voice was quiet, and we all looked up to see what was wrong. She was holding her phone like it was going to attack her. “Agent Nace of the DEA is coming here to meet with you. Judge Fu gave him your address, and he’s on his way.”
“She what?” I got to my feet and headed for the door instinctively as if he were going to knock any second. I could not believe the level of invasive behavior this woman was comfortable with. If I’d not been so agitated and astonished at her audacity, I probably would have lost it and gone off on anyone in sight, even the messenger.
Eve was beside herself, apologizing to me. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think she’d go that far, but she got your info off of my medical discharge papers.” Eve looked like she was going to throw up. She was that upset.
I could see Rosa and Doc watching us in confusion. “I thought it was kind of odd that they needed that, and I didn’t want to, but they refused to release Eve without a verified address.” Now it made more sense, and I felt like I was getting played. “Because Eve was from out of town, they wanted a local address in case they needed to contact her. I told her to put mine down so that we could get out of there. That was the only reason I consented to it.” It looked like the Judge was pulling all kinds of strings behind the scenes, and that was dangerous for her, whether she knew that or not.
“So, then the Judge got that information released to her and then gave it to another individual?” Doc gave out a slow whistle and shook his head. “That’s breaking all kinds of laws right there.”
This Nace guy is the DEA Task Force agent tied in with the Judge, correct? Rosa wanted clarification. Then he might actually be able to help us locate Arik. He might have some resources that we don’t.
“True.” There was no reason to be overly apprehensive about him yet. Just because Kippy had seemed worried about him didn’t mean a thing. “Alright, we’ll play it nice and see what he’s offering and asking for. If he has something to help us with Arik, then that’s our main objective with him. Agreed?”
Doc, Rosa, Xavier, and Eve all agreed.
I went to clear my own plate, but Eve took it from me and started working on the dishes anyway, even though I protested again.
“Don’t,” she insisted. “Just let me stay busy, please?” The look in her eyes left no room for argument, so I relented.
I went back to my bedroom to close the doors and hide anything that might bring up unwanted questions. There was no telling what this guy was like or what his true intentions were. I didn’t want anything sprung on us if I could help it.
Chapter 26
Jake
The knock came about twenty minutes after Eve’s text. Rosa and Doc sat in the living room area while Eve had gone to take a shower. Xavier was at the table still but had shifted sides so that he could see the living room and the front door at the same time. I knew he had done that on purpose. He was going to be recording this little visit, and he needed a clear view of the living room.
I answered my door to a shorter man with a top-notch fade haircut and the smoothest face I’d ever seen on a man. He had light brown eyes and hair and a sunny, golden tan most people only see on photo-shopped magazine covers.
Agent Nace was wearing a tailored deep red, almost black, suit jacket, and it was cut to allow his toned frame to bulge in pronounced effect. The lady agents were sure to love that, I mused to myself jokingly. He had expensive shoes that looked newly polished and a watch that you only wear to show off to other people.
From how he stood, he was packing two weapons: a chest holster piece and a back pocket special. That suit was just too tight to hide those effectively. The dark suit and shirt made his ultra-white silk tie stand out, and frankly, it looked a little comical as a whole. I’d bet he didn’t think so, though.
I offered out my hand to shake his and welcome him in. “Agent Nace? I’m Jake Header. We’ve been expecting you.”
He gave off a condescending aura but politely took my hand in both of his. That was a contact control tactic. I’d seen it covered in certain forms of training, but I detested the subtlety of it. I wasn’t much of one for manipulation if I could avoid it. He stepped into the condo with a fluid motion to his every move. He instantly started to scope out the room, scanning and scrutinizing every inch of what he saw.
Once I got my hand back, I closed the door and waved for him to join the team in the living area. “Do we call you Agent Nace, or would you prefer something less formal here?”
“Ryan works.” He took it all in with a smile. “May I?” He gestured to the chair next to the couch as he unbuttoned his jacket.
“Please.” I waited until he was seated, and then I took the end of the sofa furthest from him. This put him in the middle, between Rosa and Doc on the couch, and me on the sofa, with Xavier watching from behind. That was a good setup to keep eyes on him.
“I understood that Ms. Sarabia was going to be here, as well. Was that incorrect?” He leaned back into the chair and crossed his legs. He spread out his arms on the chair to encapsulate the space. It was a typical beta deterrent. He was proving that he was in charge and liked it that way. He was demanding what he thought was respect and was going to get it in any way he had to.
“She’ll be out in a bit. In the meantime, can I get you anything? Water, coffee, something like that?” I wasn’t going to be a rude host, after all. I would have liked to, but I don’t think this guy would have even noticed. He was a creature living in his own world, and it was my experience that people like that only ever saw and heard what they wanted to. I was fine with that
, as long as I wasn't expected to kiss his… shoes.
“I don’t do coffee. Not good for the metabolism. And I’ll pass on the water, as well.” He smiled again and then dropped into a stoic gaze as he waited.
I thought Doc was going to lose it. I could see him turn his head to avoid grinning or laughing. Rosa, on the other hand, watched him attentively and controlled her own space. She was leaning forward, ready to pounce if it came to that.
Before more could be said, Eve walked into the room. She had done herself up as a hard case attorney, complete with a crimson power suit and a slicked-back bun. But her shoes… she was wearing the glittery canvas ones with the ribbon laces. I loved it.
“Agent Nace.” She avoided the handshaking and went straight to the sofa next to me. “Nice to meet you finally. What brings you all this way?”
He was smirking. “Judge Fu has received intelligence that the kidnappers are currently here in Miami, and we are looking to make a trade.”
“Her son’s safe return for… what exactly?” I already didn’t like where this was going.
“What does any criminal want? They want to not do time. They want to avoid paying the cost of committing certain illegal acts.” He scoffed as if it were the only answer. “That’s all they ever really want.”
“So then, Judge Fu is willing to negotiate for her son’s return?” Eve’s response to this was telling. She seemed surprised to hear it.
“Naturally, she’d like to have each one of them rot in their own feces, but in lieu of that, and to get her son back home and safe, she’s willing to appear accommodating.” He liked talking like this, I could tell. All big and important, as if he was in control of more than he actually was. It was more than just loving the sound of his own voice, though. It seemed to be a high for him.
Eve looked thoughtful as if she were calculating her next words.
I wanted to give her time. “So, then, where does my team come into this new paradigm? How does the Judge want us to proceed?”
“She would like you to continue attempting to locate Arik, and if by some chance you can find him and extract him securely, then do so.” His jaw flinched, and I felt that he was up to something else.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” I countered. “Trying to pull both ends of the rug out from under the bad guys? That usually doesn’t work in the way you expect it to.” I knew from experience that this kind of double-cross frequently ended in the wrong people getting hurt.
Eve was careful in her choice of words. She was looking for a reaction, too. “Do you have any further info on the group that took him? Last I heard you had yet to confidently identify the kidnappers. It’s not still connected to the Yabut, is it?”
“No, we’ve ruled them out as the ones behind this.” We knew that he was lying about that, as they weren’t going to out their double-crossing allies. The Judge and the DEA would want the trail to get as far away from the Yabut as possible to keep the guilt from reflecting back at them. “They were contracted, sub-contracted to get him, but the actual strength is a group called the Mao.”
I’d never even heard of them before now. “What’s the connection to the Judge? Why the attack against her son?”
“The Judge and this Task Force are making new enemies every day in our efforts to stop the illegal drugs flowing through Miami.” That was a perfect response. I bet he’d been waiting to use it. He’d probably even rehearsed it on his way over here. “Her son, Arik, was an attack of opportunity. Easy to get to, easy to maintain.”
He was saying all the right things, and most of it made sense. If only we didn’t already know better.
“So, let me get this straight,” I continued. “The Yabut group, they don’t have anything to do with this anymore, as far as you and the Judge are concerned?”
“All the evidence is leaning that way. They’re low-level runner types out of Colombia. Trying to make a name for themselves. The Mao have ties all over the world, and they may have used this as a recruiting tool, to see who could pull this type of crime off and how far they’re willing to go for power.” Nace was still reigning in the chair. He hadn’t moved during this entire exchange.
“That’s not uncommon, I guess.” Eve was trying to make it sound like she was buying it. It was a smart move. But would Nace bite?
“It’s not. But anyway, enough of that.” He started to get up, fluidly and gracefully as before. “Ms. Sarabia? Have you had any luck in locating the rest of Arik’s belongings from his visit to Portugal? Judge Fu is anxious to see everything is returned and accounted for.”
“I have not, but I’m still attempting by going through all the legal channels. You have to love international law.” Eve smiled ever so sweetly and rose to meet him.
They stood there, two opposing forces of contrasting will. I liked what I saw from Eve. She offered her hand to him, and he shook it again with both of his. Then he looked over at the three of us, who had been almost forgotten now. “It was a pleasure. I’ll be in touch if I have the need.”
I stood and walked my guest to the door. We didn’t say another word to each other as he exited, and I closed it behind him. Then I turned around and faced the expectant faces of my team and Eve. “That… was interesting.”
Eve flopped down into the sofa and flung her head against the back. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Doc knew that it was a figurative comment but asked anyway. “Do you need anything?”
“Another shower. Just being near him feels nasty. He’s… I don’t like him.” Eve closed her eyes to relax.
“Well, creepiness aside, what have we learned?” I wanted to see what they’d picked up from the meeting.
They’re trying to deflect attention from the Yabut. Rosa was quick to point this out. But I still think they’re involved, especially since Mia saw one of the original kidnappers just yesterday.
“It is odd that a Federal Judge would be willing to be seen as… soft on the criminals that kidnapped and endangered her son’s life,” Doc added. “Whether it’s a feint or not, it’s a high-risk gamble to her reputation and career.” Doc nodded at Eve. “No offense intended.”
“No, you’re completely right.” Eve’s voice was wavering in its resolve. “She’s done a full turn around since this all began. I’ve never seen that before. It’s not like her. At all.”
“Maybe Arik’s absence is wearing her down,” I added. “I can’t imagine the kind of pressure and strain this puts on a parent.” I had seen people change agendas on a dime when it came to a loved one. Particularly loved ones in jeopardy.
“Does anyone have some info on the Mao?” Doc asked.
Just because I was unaware of them didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t like I was up on everything that there was to know.
Xavier cleared his throat to get our attention. “I have something. But Header, you’re not going to love this as much as we are.”
“We who, and what?” I made my way over to him, stopping at the other side of the table to face him and the laptop.
“Who’s the last person you would want to ask for help from today? Besides Agent Nace?” Xavier leaned back in his chair with an odd, almost unsettling look on his face.
“I have a list.” That wasn’t the answer he was looking for, though. “Um…”
“Kippy,” Doc replied for me, getting Xavier’s joke. “She’s somehow connected to this Mao bunch, isn’t she?”
I knew that she was trouble. Rosa smirked.
“We all knew that,” I pointed out. “So, she’s part of some international crime ring or something? Tell me more.” I leaned against the table, eager for what I was about to hear. And I hoped that it was juicy.
“Actually, she’s not.” Xavier’s tone was steady as he prepared to break my heart. “While the name ‘Mao’ may imply a Chinese origin or connection, the source is based in Cape Verde, off the coast of Senegal. And they’re not explicitly identified as criminals. They list themselves as a Mercenary Corp if that changes a
nything.”
I took a minute to file this through my recollections. “What you’re saying then is that Kippy is a hired gun, paid to do whatever the money holder tells her to.” Something clicked in my head. I wanted all of this to make sense, right now. “That could still indicate that she’s involved in the larger project here. She was hired by the Judge before we ever got involved.” Maybe I just really wanted to have Kippy be responsible for more than she was. I needed to be careful not to let my feelings against her get the better of my reasoning, though.
Doc fit it together, too. “True, but she’s the one that mentioned hiring us to the Judge if I’m not mistaken. At least, that’s the impression I got. Kippy gave our names and credentials to Judge Fu. That’s when Eve got involved, right?” He glanced her way for confirmation of this.
“No.” Eve was candid. “Before the Judge thought about either of you on her own, her friend, Admiral Farr, mentioned hiring your team to locate Arik. Everything was happening so fast, and calls were coming and going at all times of the night. But I do know that Kippy was called in to pay off that Hemez guy to get Arik off of the Azores.”
She did mention that. She was trying to smooth it all over with money. Something else must have gone down, though, to escalate it so badly. Rosa had a good memory, and I was glad that she used it for our benefit in times like these.
“Admiral Farr?” I muttered in surprise. “Why would he suggest us to the Judge? I haven’t heard from him in years.” That was a strange thing to find out this far in. “And how did he know that we were even in the Azores in the first place to be able to help the Judge?”
My mind went back to the first mention of the Yabut pirating goods in the Atlantic islands. “Xavier, you’re the one that brought the Yabut and their activities to our attention. Who sent the information to you?”
He saw where I was going. “I got it in my news feed. I have several monitoring sites that track and relate news and rumors. Like a grapevine for suspected criminal activity.” He dove into his files to pull up sites and emails to verify this. “If something gets flagged more than once, or if more than five news sources ping in my system within a twenty-four-hour period, I then mention it to you guys.”
