Take No Quarter

by Desiree Holt

  Trey watched the woman, studying her reaction, deciding Kenzi was right. Whatever she said now was probably masked whatever was going on in her mind. How could one person be so foolhardy and gamble like this with her life?

  Mike Elliot tapped the screen of his phone to bring up Notes. “Fine. It is what it is. The problem with the spa is, Jay and I will not be able to go inside. Most spas have a hard and fast No Men rule.”

  Kenzi looked around the table. “She’ll be safe inside. I’ve been there a few times when I wanted to give myself a real treat. No one can sneak in, the way it’s laid out, and a man would stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “We need to be ready and available,” Mike insisted. “Jay and I will scope out the place tonight and put some plans together. We’ll figure it out.” He nodded at Slade. “It’s what we do. You know that.”

  Trey was well aware that none of them were happy with the situation, but short of chaining her to a piece of furniture, there was no stopping Dana from doing what she wanted. Mike and Jay would just have to figure the best way to handle it. And that was something they were very good at.

  He was about to refill his coffee mug when Kenzi spoke up and he nearly dropped the crockery.

  “Okay, Here’s my two cents. I’m going with my sister.” Not a question. A statement.

  Trey nearly choked on his own hot drink. “The fuck you are. I’m not letting you put your life in danger.”

  “Oh?” Kenzi glared at each of the men. “You’re not letting me? Is that what you said?”

  Trey swallowed a sigh along with his irritation. “Perhaps I phrased that incorrectly. It would be foolhardy for you to walk into this when there’s no need for it.”

  “The need is for me to be with my sister,” she snapped. “Besides, I won’t raise any eyebrows. I’ll just be a woman arriving for her appointment. The text to Dana said someone at the front desk would give her further instructions. And obviously we’ll be well protected.”

  They all exchanged angry glances, but at last Trey nodded.

  “Fine. But you do exactly what Mike and Jay tell you. Understood?”

  He could tell she wanted to smack him, but instead she huffed a sigh. “Understood.”

  “Okay.” He looked at Dana then at Mike. “Let’s make some plans.”

  * * * *

  It was late by the time they left the ranch. The drive into the city was accomplished for the most part in silence. When they walked into her little foyer, he dropped the keys on the tiny table there, grabbed her and pulled her up to his body.

  “I know you’re probably pissed at me right now,” he ground out, “but my only concern is for your safety. I’m heading out of here in the morning to who the fuck knows what kind of mess, and I need to know you’ll be okay. Can you please understand that?”

  For a moment she stood there, stiff in his grip, eyes flashing. Then she nodded and the tension in both their bodies eased.

  “I don’t want you to go off on a mission with your brain tangled up because you think I might do something stupid. I’ll call in sick tomorrow, if you think I should. And I guess I don’t want to be there when the DEA comes swooping into the office.” She frowned. “I wish I knew which day they were planning to move on this.”

  “All Joe Trainor told Slade was it would be this week. They got a judge to sign the court orders in secret so they could keep it hush-hush.”

  Kenzi shook her head. “That’s going to be a huge shock for Reed Calhoun, not to mention his partners.”

  “Do you think he knows what Alex is really up to?”

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’d like to think not, but anything is possible. I know Alex Reyes was the firm’s first big client and opened the door to a lot of others. They’ve accumulated quite a client list in fifteen years.”

  “I want you to promise you’ll call in the morning and tell them you need a few days off. Calhoun shouldn’t give you any hassle after all the hours you just put in.”

  She laughed. “That’s the life of an attorney. If you plan on hanging around with me, you’d better get used to it.”

  He stood there, suddenly frozen in place. “Am I?”

  She quirked an eyebrow. “Are you what?”

  “Planning on hanging around?”

  The grin disappeared and she stared hard into his eyes. “I think that’s a question for you to answer, not me. Don’t you think?”

  “Let’s not play games, Kenzi.” He pulled her close to him so their bodies were pressed together. “We both know that despite how lightly this started out, how casual, something has changed. Right?”

  He didn’t ever remember being so uptight waiting for a woman to answer a question. Where had the old love ’em and leave ’em Trey disappeared to? It suddenly hit him with the force of a sledgehammer that for the first time in forever, he’d met a woman who he did not want to walk away from. But did she want more?

  She wet her lips as she stared into his eyes. He saw such a mass of emotions whirling there that for a moment, he was afraid she was going to walk away from him.

  “I—” She stopped, swallowed, started again. “My rule has always been to keep it casual. Except…”

  “Except?” he prompted.

  “Except this time something happened, and…” She took a deep breath. “…I don’t want it to end.”

  He blew out a breath. “Thank god. Because I don’t want that either.” He slid his palms up to cradle her face. “I don’t know how good I’ll be at this relationship business, Kenzi. It’s never been on my to-do list. But I want to make it happen with you.”

  “Me, too,” she whispered.

  “Then let’s go to bed and seal the deal. Morning’s gonna be here way too fast.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  By the time he’d reached Reed Calhoun the night before, Alex Reyes had been ready to jump out of his skin. His source in the DEA’s office had called again to let him know the Feds had received signed court orders to raid the offices of Byrnes, Calhoun and Raven within the next forty-eight hours and to confiscate all Reed’s files. And not just the ones to do with Reyes’ business.

  ‘They want to see if Calhoun does legal work for anyone else in the cartel that’s connected to you.’

  ‘How the fuck did they even get onto this?’ Reyes had barked. ‘We’ve been well covered for years.’

  ‘Just like you have a spy, Señor Reyes, so do they. It’s the way the game is played.’

  ‘This is not a game,’ he’d snapped. ‘An entire empire could crumble because of this.’

  ‘Then you’d better cover your ass. And be sure to deposit my latest stipend in the account.’

  He’d slept very little, rising finally at five o’clock and spending an hour in his home gym. At fifty-five, he was proud of the condition he kept himself in. He just hoped nothing was going to happen to alter that.

  Reed had done his best to explain why it would be impossible to just destroy all the records and files. For one thing, his partners had no idea that the law firm had been funded with drug money or that Alex was one third of the triumvirate that ruled the Lopez Garcia cartel. For another, if indeed this all went down the toilet, he was going to do his best to distance himself from the whole mess and claim he thought he was handling legal work for straight business deals.

  He would give his left nut to find out who had sicced the DEA onto him and who was trying to bring him down. It couldn’t be Bruno Cerda. The man had made his pitch and would wait at least until after the meeting Monday to do anything. His greed would prevent him from taking revenge until he knew exactly what the score was.

  For a moment the image of Kenzi Bryant, the associate in Reed Calhoun’s office, popped into his head. No, now he was reaching. But there was something off about her. She had worked on other projects with Reed before, but it seemed there was something about this one that had made her uneasy, and he had no idea why. He’d had her investigated thoroughly, going around Reed so he didn’t have to
have a confrontation over it, but nothing had turned up.

  So who the hell is it?

  And damn it all to hell. There was still no sign of the fucking reporter. How did someone like her just disappear off the face of the earth? What was she doing with the members of the Delta Force team that had raided Hector’s finca and killed so many of his men while rescuing her? And how the hell could he find out their names and where they lived? Even his best sources couldn’t get him wat he wanted, telling him definitively the government kept that information secret.

  He wasn’t hungry for breakfast, but he could use a good cup of coffee. Ana, their live-in housekeeper, should be up by now and hustling around the kitchen.

  “Buenos Dias, Señor Reyes.” She turned and smiled at him when he walked in. “Coffee will be ready in a moment.”

  “Excellent. Thank you.”

  He sat at one of the bar stools at the island counter to wait, taking out his phone to check for messages. There was one from a number he did not recognize, so he debated with himself before opening it. He didn’t want to infect the cell with a virus, or plant some kind of program that would allow the DEA or anyone else to access his phone. And there was no name attached to it, only a number.

  Finally, deciding these days he needed any bit of information he could get, he opened the email. And almost dropped the phone.

  Señor Reyes, my name is Marc Phillips. A friend of yours who met with an accident gave me this number. He said if I ever provided you with any information, you would remember me if I ever needed anything. Now I need protection from the DEA who is investigating everything that took place that day. What I need is a way out of this country and a place to hide. Attached are photos I took at the hangar where two men were shot. I’m sure you know where. One is the reporter I transported. The other is her sister. I am sending them in good faith. Let me know if this helps you and you are willing to reciprocate.

  Jesús, María y José.

  Shock gripped his body, followed by a surge of anger. Of course. He had sensed something, and he was seldom wrong. One of the women was, indeed, Dana Roberts, the fucking bitch who had dropped off the face of the earth. He was about to call Hector and tell him to offer a bonus to the first man who located her.

  The other was the real bombshell, although it reinforced his belief in his internal antenna. Slightly turned away from the camera was Kenzi Bryant, the associate he’d worked with at Reed Calhoun’s offices. And she was Roberts’ sister? Goddamn it all to fucking hell anyway. He’d been right when he’d sensed something off there. He was cursed, that was it.

  He closed his eyes for a moment, drew in a deep breath and pulled himself together. It would not do for the man many referred to as the Iceman to turn into a raving maniac.

  “Ana, please bring my coffee to my office. I have some work to do.”

  “Si, Señor Reyes.”

  Once at his desk, he settled himself and took a minute to collect his scattered thoughts again. First, he contacted one of his lieutenants, gave him the pilot’s cell number and told him to get the man out of the country. The he called Hector, who was anything but pleased to be roused at this hour of the morning.

  “Do you know what fucking time it is?” he griped into the phone.

  “Time for us to take care of business,” he told him, “or we won’t have any to take care of. I am texting you a picture. One of the women is that bitch reporter. The other is an associate from my attorney’s office who is either a relative or a very close friend.” He explained about the text from the pilot. “I am offering a one-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus to the man who finds them and kills them.”

  “Jesucristo!” Hector whistled. “That much?”

  “Hector, we have very little time to find them and get rid of them. The DEA is poised to raid my attorney’s office and the last thing I want is for these two women to talk to them. I think Reed Calhoun and I can deal with the DEA, but those women are a stick of dynamite. Someone is snitching on us and we need to clean this up before whoever it is meets with the reporter.”

  “Are you sure that hasn’t already happened?”

  “Yes. Because if it had, I’d be in federal custody instead of in my office at home. Now get busy and put the word out. I’m calling my attorney to take care of things on this end. You find that damn fucking reporter and take care of her once and for all.”

  He barely restrained himself from slamming the phone on his desk. Only the knock on the door stopped him.

  “Come in,” he called out.

  “Your coffee, Señor Reyes.” Ana stepped into the room and carried a tray with his coffee and two small warm pastries to his desk.

  “Gracias.”

  Without being told, she closed the door on her way out. Alex took a sip of the hot coffee, savoring the smooth bite of it on his tongue and the flow of heat through his veins, blunting the sharp edge of his nerves. Another sip. And after the third had gone down smoothly, he texted the photo to Hector. Then he answered the pilot’s email and told him someone would contact him to be sure he was properly rewarded. At the moment, Alex wasn’t sure if he was going to pay him or have Hector eliminate him. If the bastard had sent the photo the day it was taken, a lot of things might be different.

  That done, he punched a speed dial number on his phone for Reed Calhoun’s private cell.

  “Jesus Christ, Alex,” Calhoun swore. “It’s not even seven o’clock.”

  “I’m calling to make sure you’re moving the file to a secure location before the Feds show up, and that you have everything stashed somewhere to pull it up when this dies down.”

  “It’s taken care of. I worked late last night and, no, no one suspected because I often work late hours.”

  “Excellent.”

  “I can’t believe that’s all you called about, so what now?”

  “What now is the fact that your charming and diligent associate Kenzi Bryant has some sort of close relationship to our favorite bitch reporter, Dana Roberts.”

  Dead silence filled the air.

  “Reed?” he prompted.

  “Where did you get this information?” Reed asked in a tight voice.

  Alex explained to him, giving him the circumstances in which the picture was taken.

  More silence. Then—

  “Fuck. Absolute fuck.”

  “My sentiments exactly. How likely is it that Dana Roberts, who is on a crusade to destroy the Lopez Garcia cartel, your associate, two of the Delta Force soldiers who rescued the reporter and killed more than a dozen cartel soldiers, are all in a hangar where two more cartel soldiers are taken down and it’s all very innocent?”

  “Please,” Calhoun snorted. “I don’t believe in fairy tales.”

  “It must be in her personnel files. How did you miss it?” Hector demanded.

  “Do you think I read everyone’s information?” he snapped. “I was only interested in her grades, her degree and her recommendations.”

  “We have to do something about her,” Hector pointed out. “Call me when she gets into the office.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Calhoun’s voice had a wary tone to it. “‘Doing something about it’ covers an entire spectrum.”

  “The first thing you have to do is assess whether something has triggered her suspicions.” He took another swallow of coffee. “The fact that she knows this reporter and is apparently tight with the Delta Force soldiers makes all my antennae wiggle.”

  “I can tell you that in all the years she’s been here I’ve never seen any sign of her digging into a client’s situation on her own. Plus,” he continued, “she’s close to being offered a junior partnership. You can believe she’s been carefully vetted for that.”

  “You and I both know,” Alex reminded him, “what can be hidden beneath the surface. How would you feel if she managed to dig out the truth about the firm?”

  “That won’t happen,” Reed snapped. “I can assure you of that.”

  “Be that as it may, t
oday or tomorrow the Feds could descend and if she’s there and has any suspicions at all…”

  “She doesn’t, she won’t and if she did, she wouldn’t say anything,” Calhoun snapped. “I promise you that. And when she arrives, I’m going to have her turn in her office laptop and give her a new one. That way nothing will be hanging out there.”

  “Really?” Alex tried to hide the skepticism he was feeling. “Fine. I’ll take care of things on my end. You’d better do the same.”

  Still, when he disconnected the call, the edgy feeling of unease still gripped him. One snap of the fingers and everything his family had worked for generations to build could come tumbling down.

  On top of that, he had picked up some weird vibes from his wife recently. He could not put his finger on why. Nothing that came back to him showed her going anywhere except her usual places or speaking to anyone out of the ordinary. Maybe all this other business was triggering his receptors. Still…

  He picked up his cell again and pressed another number on speed dial.

  Ernesto, his head of security, picked up on the first ring. “Hola, boss. What’s up?”

  How to phrase this without giving away his underlying suspicions? No matter how much he trusted his men, he couldn’t confide this in them. But fortunately, they knew the real nature of his operations, so he had a logical explanation.

  “I am a little nervous about Señora Reyes traveling alone today. Some of my business associates have not been too happy lately with the results of our business deals. People get greedy and do unfortunate things. I’d feel better if you kept an eye on her today. You know how she hates to be crowded, though, so be discreet.”

  “Leave it to us, Señor Reyes. We will make sure she is safe, and she’ll never know we are around.”

  “Thank you.” He disconnected the call and raked his fingers through his hair. How the hell had all this happened—his carefully constructed façade falling apart, the cartel operation in danger and the niggling suspicions about his wife?

  Fuck. Just plain, damn fuck.

  Swallowing the last of the coffee, he brought his computer to life. Time to do something he should have done before—research Kenzi Bryant and who she really was.