Best Laid Plans(105)

How well do you really know her? You met her nine months ago when you called for a girl who liked it rough.

He’d seen that she was smart, and he’d convinced her to take photos with some of her clients. He’d read about a lobbyist who’d blackmailed members of Congress by making sex tapes with a prominent call girl. It was a great scam—the lobbyist was caught only because she had too many people in the know.

With Elise, it was just him and her.

Until Adeline walked in that day.

Except …

The service you originally called. Are you that stupid, Roberto?

He winced at the sound of his ex-wife’s voice bouncing around in his head. They’d only been married for a year, and while the sex had been amazing, Monica had enjoyed demoralizing him and squashing his ego.

He had enough money to disappear. Get a new ID, a new name, just … hide for a while. Someplace he wouldn’t stick out, like New York City. He’d get an apartment and wait it out until the dust settled.

“Flight five-five-five to New York City is in preboarding. Would our first class customers please come to the red carpet?”

Rob picked up his overnight bag from the seat next to him. He ran into a well-dressed man of about forty in a dark gray suit and matching fedora. He looked familiar.

“Garza, isn’t it?” the man said with a smile.

Play the game, play the game. He’d met thousands of people working for Adeline. That’s why he was flying out of Dallas, to avoid people knowing who he was, but even here people in business or politics might know him.

“Yes, how are you?” He’d met him, but couldn’t place him.

The man stuck out his hand. Rob took it, because not shaking it would be suspicious.

The familiar stranger put his other hand around Rob’s and held it there for a moment. A sharp sting on the back of his hand had him trying to pull it away, but the man was stronger than he looked and held on.

He was no longer smiling.

The stranger leaned forward and said, “I heard you’ve been wanting to meet me.”

“Tobias.” His voice wasn’t working right. His tongue was thick and his mouth was dry.

The man smiled. “It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Garza. But then you stole from me and thought you could take down my operation. Ironic, perhaps, because Marquez has always worked for me. You ran to him and he played his part perfectly. I got my money back—the money you and Adeline stole—and had all my detractors silenced in one beautiful slaughter. I’m going to tell you one more thing.”

Tobias leaned closer, his grip stronger, and Rob’s knees shook as his muscles painfully tightened. “I’ve had this planned for a lot longer than two months. You have a federal agent undercover on your campaign, and if I didn’t kill you, you’d be in prison soon enough. But the feds were getting too close to how our agreement worked, and honestly? I never trusted you or Adeline not to talk if the FBI swooped in. I know when to walk away.”

Tobias dropped his hand and disappeared into the crowd of travelers.

Rob couldn’t talk. He couldn’t move. He fell to his knees, unable to breathe. His muscles constricted. He was having a seizure.

I’m dying.

He collapsed onto the carpet as people buzzed around him, but he couldn’t hear anything, and soon his vision faded to black.





CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE



Sean didn’t tell Brad Donnelly everything he’d said and done to Mona Hill—Brad was still a federal agent—but he gave him enough of the highlights that Brad could fill in most of the information himself. The only thing he completely left out was the information about the video of Lucy. No one needed to know about that.

Brad sat down, his head in his hands. “Sean, you just put a big f*cking target on your head.”

“Like I care? His people shot Lucy in the back! That girl isn’t the target, Lucy is. Or maybe both of them. But I can’t tell Juan how I know this.”

“Kane.”

“I’ve been trying to reach him. He was at my house this morning, but hell if I know where he is now. I even called J.T.—Kane’s partner—and said it was urgent. I’ve never done that before, so hopefully Kane gets the message.”

“No, what I mean is we tell Juan and Sam that the intel came from Kane. We have to get a protection detail on Lucy.”

“I’m her protection. She’s not leaving my sight.”

“Barry Crawford will love that,” Brad snapped.

“You’re not helping. I’m trusting you with this, Brad. It’s not easy for me.” He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake clueing in the DEA agent.

Brad let out a long sigh. “Look, I have no doubt that you can keep her safe, but you’re also a target, and if Tobias wants to take you both out, you won’t be able to stop him. We have to get a detail on you both—maybe it’ll draw him out. If we can get one of his people in custody, that gives us leverage.”

“You do. Nicole Rollins.”

Brad reddened. “She wants witness protection or f*cking immunity and I’m not certain she knows much of anything. We can’t give her a free pass.”

Sean sat on the edge of the desk. “You’re right. I’m sorry—I hate having Lucy in the crosshairs just for doing her job.”