A Covert Affair (Deadly Ops #5)(47)

“Don’t mind at all. I know I don’t need to tell you that what I’m about to say is confidential, but I’m doing it anyway. This conversation is off the record.”

Matias just grunted as if to say, “No shit.”

“I can’t give you all the details, but this morning we got a call about a potential body dump. The body is one of the missing girls.”

Matias paused for just a moment before putting the mugs in his microwave, but didn’t comment.

Wesley continued. “We’ve still got too many angles to cover, but it’s been confirmed that the woman wasn’t abused sexually or physically, had been taking prenatal vitamins, and had recently given birth. Cause of death was poisoning.”

“Can you tell me if she’s from the list I gave you?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Ester Panjari.”

Matias’s expression turned grimmer, if that was possible. “What else are you holding back?”

“After the initial find, we’ve since discovered thirty-five more remains. We’re not done searching in that area, so there could be more.” He couldn’t tell him where it was, but he could give Matias this much. It was possible the location could leak to the media, but they were going to keep as much information quiet as they could.

“So you don’t know that she’s not there?”

“No, but my gut says she’s not.” She hadn’t been gone nearly long enough.

The microwave beeped, but they both ignored it. “The woman you pulled up, she’d been on prenatal vitamins?”

Wesley nodded.

Matias sighed. “When will you know more about the rest of the women?”

“It’ll be a tedious process, but I’ve got a team and so does the Miami PD, working around the clock. They can tell a lot from bones. If there are any similarities between Panjari and the others, we’ll know soon enough.” Wesley loathed the idea that these women had been taken for any reason, but his gut told him they were close to finding out why. Ortiz had been on the right track, thinking about black market babies. It could be big money if organized. But Wesley wasn’t jumping to any conclusions until he had more information.

Matias started to speak when Wesley’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

No IDs, blood, or DNA work yet, but it’s clear that at least 3 victims have given birth. Dr. Nguyen’s text was short and to the point.

And the news was exactly what he’d feared.

As he knocked on Amelia’s front door, Nathan knew he should have called or at least texted her before just showing up. He’d already been in contact with one of the team members who was watching Mercado’s place. The guy was currently at his home, and it didn’t appear that Mercado had anyone watching Amelia. Nathan had still parked in another neighborhood and walked here, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He desperately needed to see her. He wanted to hold her in his arms tonight and simply not think about anything else. Sure, he still had a shitload of questions for her, but he didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to think about what he’d seen today. Not that he could tell her anything anyway.

Relief slid through him at the beeping sound of her alarm being deactivated. When she opened the door he was surprised to see her wide-awake and wearing an apron over jeans and a T-shirt.

She smiled warmly, her expression immediately shifting to concern as she tugged him inside the foyer, shutting the door behind him. “What’s wrong?” she murmured, her soft hand cupping his cheek.

He should hate that she read him so well, but he was grateful she did. Closing his eyes, he leaned into her hold for just a moment. Getting lost in her would be so easy.

“Nathan?” Her other hand landed on his waist as she pressed herself against him.

He opened his eyes, looked down into her bright blue ones. The concern there brought up too many damn emotions. And he didn’t want to fucking talk. He just wanted to get rid of the anger buzzing through him. After all he’d seen in the world, it still killed him how people treated each other. “Can’t talk about it,” he rasped out.

Without thought, he backed her up against the front door. What they’d shared last night—how had it only been last night?—was so fresh and raw in his mind. He wanted that again, the release and the connection. He needed her as he needed air. He wanted to taste her, devour her—

Amelia held a firm hand against his chest. “Whatever you’re thinking, we’re not doing that now.”

He frowned, the lust humming through him wild and demanding. “Why not?”

Ducking out from under his hold, she moved quickly down the hall. He watched the sweet sway of her ass, mesmerized for a moment before his legs listened to his brain. But first, he set her alarm before following her. He simply couldn’t take chances with her safety.

When he stepped into the kitchen, she was already at the island, laying out soft tortillas onto a plate. A spicy aroma filled the air, probably from the small pan simmering on the stove top.

“Sit,” she ordered without looking at him. “And what do you want to drink? I bought beer earlier in case you came by.”

“Thanks. I’ll get it,” he said, moving to the stainless steel refrigerator. “You always cook this late?” He slid onto a chair across the island from her.

She looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow. “No. This is for you, though I didn’t expect you this late. I’d planned to put it in the fridge or freeze it.” Before he could respond, she continued. “Is your phone not working?”