He heard two jeeps drive off a few minutes later, but still he waited. Listened. The wind started to pick up and the plane rocked slightly. The rain pounded harder.
No vehicles, no aircraft, no voices.
Just like in the movies, there was a release hatch for the smuggling compartment to dump cargo in the event of trouble. The problem was, the release was in the cockpit, so Kane had to manually release the hatch. Not as easy when crammed in with minimal maneuverability.
But ten minutes later the bottom fell open and Kane hit the hard ground three feet below the plane. He lay there for a minute, making sure he saw nothing unusual, that there wasn’t a guard left with the plane.
Nothing.
He crawled out and went back inside the plane. Grabbed his go-bag—damn, they’d taken his favorite SIG—and the guns and explosives hidden in the side compartments.
Then he called Jack.
“Where are you?”
* * *
Sean knew that Jack sent him to check the perimeter because Sean was unable to sit still, frantic about Lucy but trying to keep those emotions in check. By the time he returned fifteen minutes later, he was calmer and focused.
Jack proved to be a good commander.
“JT and Kane are both on their way,” Jack said. He had been studying a map of the area under the lean-to he and Sean had put up to protect them from both the elements and detection.
“JT?”
Jack folded the map and stared at Sean. “He found the mole.”
“Someone in RCK did betray us.” Sean didn’t want to believe it, but JT wouldn’t reveal the information if he wasn’t certain. “I had hoped—I don’t know, some sort of hack.”
“You told JT to look outside of the box, and he did. He made several logical assumptions. First, Liam didn’t know that RCK had the bonds until we revealed that information to Dante. That makes sense because only Kane and JT knew about the bonds—at least, they knew the history and origin of the bonds. Only them, you, Duke, and myself have access to the main vault at RCK. JT maintains the storage logs and Duke maintains the security system.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.”
As if he hadn’t spoken, Jack continued, “It would be logical for Dante to believe that the Flores cartel had possession of the bonds or that we had retrieved them and returned them to the RCK safe—but he knew you had them. So JT made a list of everyone who knew that you had the bonds—and the list is short. Only the few of us, plus Lucy and Matt Elliott. However, there’s one person who would know whether the bonds came back to RCK and who may have been able to logically assume that you had them.”
“You lost me.”
“Jayne.”
Sean blinked. “Jayne Morgan. No way in hell did she betray us.”
“JT announced what happened with Liam to a small group of staff—including Jayne. She told him what happened. On her own.”
“I know Jayne. She’s brilliant and loyal and we’re friends. We’ve been friends for years.”
Jayne was as good with computers as Sean. She handled all the back end of RCK, she handled security, she knew the ins and outs of background checks, could get anything on anyone.
“Jayne didn’t know that Liam was going to steal the bonds, and she didn’t know he would take Lucy. He used her, like he uses everyone. She’s one of the few people who was with RCK before Liam and Eden left. And while JT made it clear that they were persona non grata, Jayne occasionally did jobs for them because as far as she was concerned they were family. Nothing she did for them was terribly illegal—mostly background checks, helping move money, helping clean some IDs. Last month—three days after you took possession of the bonds, but after everyone else had returned to RCK—Liam contacted her at home, on her personal phone, and asked if everyone was okay, saying that he was worried specifically about you, wanted to find a way to mend fences. He’d played on her sympathies and her affection for your family. He told her that he heard that RCK had paid off a drug cartel to save a young hostage, that he couldn’t contact Kane because of their falling-out, but anything he could do to retrieve the ransom he would do. In the end, she told him not to worry, everyone was safe, and the ransom was safe with you.”
Sean let it all sink in. Jayne. Jayne had been working for RCK for ten years—maybe longer. She’d always supported him, she’d always defended him to Duke. And yet she was communicating with Liam regularly? Behind their backs?
“She resigned. There’s nothing more that we can do now until we get back to Sacramento, but at least we know what happened.”
“That bastard,” Sean said. “He used her.”
“Now we focus on rescuing Lucy and Gabriella.”
Sean agreed, but he was shredded inside. What had he been thinking? That Liam had obtained the information because security was bad? Or guessed that the bonds were with Sean? He hadn’t wanted to believe that someone he trusted—someone he liked and respected—had given up the information. Not out of hatred or anger but out of … ignorance.
“Sean.”
“I’m with you,” he said.
“JT and Kane are here.”
“How do you know?”
A second later a faint whistle cut through the air. Jack waited, heard a second whistle, then responded in kind.
Two minutes later JT and Kane stepped under the lean-to and shook off their topcoats. They were wet and soggy, but they didn’t dare start a fire for fear of being seen.
“You know?” JT asked Sean.
“Yes.”
“It’s fucked, but we deal with it later.”
Kane said, “Dante turned himself over to Jasmine. Jasmine has Gabriella and Lucy at the compound.”
“You confirmed?” Jack asked.
“Yes. I put a tracker on Dante, and his bodyguard Philip is working their contacts. Jasmine has nothing outside of the compound, it’s the only place she can protect.”
“What happened?” Sean asked. He knew planning this operation was crucial, but Liam and Eden had put them in this position and Sean couldn’t fathom that Kane had let them go. “Did they get away? Disappear? They’re not getting away with this—I will hunt them down to the ends of the earth.”
Kane put up his hand. “Sean, I’ll tell you everything when we’re done. But Liam was shot and probably won’t survive. Armstrong took Eden into custody and flew both of them back to the States. Stockton is on his way to Texas if he’s not already there.”
“No, dammit! He’d better not die. He let this happen— He—” Sean pounded the tree. Waves of emotions he didn’t understand flooded him. “All this for what? What, Kane? What was worth Lucy’s life? A stupid treasure?”
“It’s more complicated, but yes.”
Unbelievable. Sean couldn’t even confront Liam about what he’d done. He didn’t even know his brother. As far as Sean was concerned, the twins didn’t exist. They weren’t family. They weren’t Rogans.
JT cleared his throat. “I just now got confirmation that Rick is in McAllen. He has word from Armstrong that their ETA is fifteen minutes. An ambulance is en route to the airport. Rick also has a SEAL team on standby. They’re waiting at the border but can deploy immediately for an extraction. Once we establish the timeline, they’ll be on the clock.”
“Then let’s get this going,” Jack said. “I have a plan.”
* * *
The two guards brought Lucy around to the main house and sat her in a chair in an elaborate office. They flanked her and didn’t move. Her head ached and her eyes were raw and dry, but she could see, for better or worse. She could also hear the rain blowing against the shutters.
She sat there in silence for what seemed like an hour, but the clock on the mantle told her only thirteen minutes passed before the door behind her opened.
“Agent Kincaid.”
The woman stood in front of Lucy. Jasmine Flores was not as crisp and put together as she’d been last month when Siobhan Walsh photographed her outside th
e house where she’d held captive nearly a dozen pregnant women. In all of Lucy’s research, Jasmine kept control over her enterprise with a firm hand and follow-through on threats. But no one in law enforcement knew who she was because she’d stayed under the radar and had never been caught on film.
Until Siobhan. Until Lucy.
Now Jasmine seemed primitive. Her dark-blond hair was still swept up into a chignon, but it was messy, frizzy. Her makeup was less than perfect. Bags under her eyes told Lucy she hadn’t been sleeping well or had been drinking too much. Probably both.
Jasmine stared at her. “Do you understand why you’re here?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Really. You probably think I’m going to negotiate for your release, have your big important family pay a nice ransom. They couldn’t possibly afford you.”
“No.”
“No, what?”
“No, that’s not what I think.”
“Enlighten me.”
“I’m here because you want to kill me.”
“I do want to kill you, but that doesn’t benefit me. Other people will pay to kill you. Win-win.”
Lucy involuntarily shivered. She had to control her fear or Jasmine would use it against her. As it was, Jasmine was sneering. “Yes, Agent Kincaid, you’re worth a lot to the right people.”
“You need the money because I destroyed your sick business of buying and selling infants. My death will not be in vain. I’ve already found half the babies; my team will find the rest whether I live or die. Your lawyer is giving everything to the government and you’ll never find him. You have no resources, no people, no loyalty—”
Jasmine’s hand shot out so fast Lucy couldn’t brace for the violent slap across her face. The chair rocked and nearly fell over. Lucy swallowed the blood that pooled in her mouth as tears clouded her eyes.
“Arrogant, self-righteous cop,” Jasmine said. “You think I care about you? About your little world? I will rebuild stronger and better than before. I am the Flores cartel. I am the one in power. Everyone will bow down to me. Your efforts were a temporary setback. Do you think that I will run away and hide? I will be more powerful now that I control it all.”
Jasmine paced. Lucy realized that Gabriella was right—Jasmine was not wholly sane. She was a narcissist, but not tempered by self-preservation.
“Reynosa will pay top dollar for you. I’m sure he’ll have a very special spot for you in his harem. Or, perhaps, you’ll serve as the bait he needs to finally destroy the gnats who call themselves RCK. Your brother. Your fiancé. That arrogant asshole Kane Rogan. I will have his head—but I am not an idiot. They are worth more alive than my own satisfaction in killing them. They are worth millions to the right people, and one by one they will all walk into my web and I will have my money back. Do you understand? Do you understand that you’re nothing but rat bait?”
As she spoke, her voice rose. Lucy had faced psychopaths more than once, and Jasmine certainly fit the mold. But Lucy suspected she’d had some sort of mental break after her operation was shut down by the FBI. This was lunacy.
“Do you think that Carson Spade can hide from me forever? Or that I don’t know that his brat belongs to your fiancé? I know everything, Agent Kincaid. Everything. You will be long dead, but know, before your last breath, that everyone you love, everyone you know, will die. You should thank me that you’ll be the first.”
“Is that why you brought me up from your basement? To tell me I’m going to die? Like I didn’t already figure it out?”
“You could beg for mercy. That would be fun.”
Lucy stared at the woman. Jasmine tilted her head, leaned over, and said, “You should be more scared.” Then she pushed the chair over and Lucy fell backward, hitting her head on the stone floor. She was stunned and for a moment feared she’d lose consciousness.
“Take her back to the basement until Reynosa gives me my money. Oh, wait. Get her up.”
The two guards pulled Lucy to her feet. She staggered as they held her.
“Say cheese!” Jasmine held up her cell phone and took Lucy’s photo. “Proof of life. Like they don’t take me at my word.”
She walked out, whistling an unfamiliar tune.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Rick Stockton was at the hospital when Noah followed the ambulance there. There was no rush. Liam had died before the trip was halfway over. Siobhan had tried artificial respiration, but he was gone.
Eden had remained quiet the rest of the flight. Good or bad Noah didn’t know, but he was relieved he didn’t have to worry about anything except flying in the rough weather.
Rick turned to Nate. “The administration gave me an office down the hall,” he said. “Let’s go down there where it’s private. Noah—I’ll be back in a few minutes. Take a breather. You earned it.”
“What happened in Guadalajara?” Noah asked.
“No word. I’ll be back. Wait for me.”
Rick and Nate flanked Eden as they walked down the hall. She was still in shock. She hadn’t looked at Noah since Liam died. Noah didn’t blame her. He’d shot and killed her brother.
Nate hadn’t handcuffed Eden, though he—not Noah—had read her her rights as soon as they landed on US soil. Nate Dunning had been solid from beginning to end, and Noah never had to tell him what to do. He always did the right thing.
Men like Nate Dunning were rare.
It was three in the morning and no word from Kane or Sean? Noah didn’t know if his friends—if Lucy—were dead or alive. Siobhan had been steady the entire trip—she’d taken care of the body, she’d cared for Eden, she never once raised her voice. What was it about the Rogan men that inspired such amazing women to fall in love with them? Because truly, if Kane Rogan couldn’t tell that Siobhan was in love with him the man was a fool.
Noah walked down the hall to the restroom. He splashed cold water on his face and stared at the mirror. Liam hadn’t been the first person he’d killed. He’d killed twice as a soldier. He’d killed in the line of duty. But this … this was different.
It wasn’t the line of duty, not officially.
Noah knew Liam. He knew him well and hadn’t liked him.
He’d shot him in front of his family. In front of Eden. But he didn’t have a choice.
All those cop shows gave people the illusion that cops could just shoot a man’s hand and he’d drop the weapon. That bad cops shoot to kill and good cops shoot to injure. The truth was, cops were taught to stop the threat. If you aim at a small target you have a greater chance of missing and hitting an innocent bystander or the criminal being able to continue to enact violence. You never go for the small target. Always aim center mass. Always aim to stop the threat.
Noah couldn’t let Liam kill Kane. When Kane holstered his gun and tried to talk sense into Liam, Noah realized Kane didn’t want to shoot his brother. He might have been able to, but when Liam fired the gun Noah knew he would continue shooting at Kane until someone stopped him.
Noah had to do it.
Noah would survive. But would Kane have survived—emotionally—if he’d been the one to kill Liam? Noah was glad they never had to find out.
Noah turned off the running water. He didn’t know how long he’d been staring at it spiraling down the drain. His hands gripped the edges of the sink. The last of the adrenaline from flying through the storm drained away. He’d wanted to say something to Eden, but what could he say? I’m sorry wasn’t going to cut it.
Nate came in. “Stockton is looking for you.”
Noah nodded. “One sec.”
“You had no choice.”
“I know.”
Nate was a good cop, but he wasn’t going to last in the FBI. He was too much a soldier. Too much like Kane Rogan.
“Why’d you join the FBI?” Noah asked him.
Nate hadn’t been expecting the question. “My dad was a cop. What else was I going to do when I got out of the Army?”
“Why didn’t you reenlist?”
/>
“I gave the Army ten years of my life. I wanted another life.” He paused. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Why the FBI. Why not a private agency, like RCK.”
Maybe Nate did know what he was thinking.
Nate continued, “Some choices we make to prove to ourselves that we can be better. Better people. Better men. Some choices we make to prove to those who love us that we are the person they see. My dad died in the line of duty. He should have retired, but it was all he knew. He was a beat cop in Chicago, didn’t want to be anything else or anyone else. At his funeral, I realized I didn’t want to be a soldier for the rest of my life. I’m good at it and I love serving my country. Some things are worth dying for. Some things aren’t. There were fewer and fewer assignments I was willing to die for.
“I honestly can’t say if I’m cut out for the FBI, but right now … this is where I’m supposed to be. If OPR ever comes down on me, I can walk knowing I will always have done what needed to be done to protect the most people. And being here, I understand my dad a lot more than I ever did growing up. There’s satisfaction in putting bad guys in prison, not in the ground. There’s satisfaction and honor in standing up for the law that, as a soldier, I fought to protect.” He paused again. “Have you heard from them?”
Noah shook his head.
“Neither has Stockton.”
Nate left. A moment later Rick came in. Noah felt as if he were in the middle of an interrogation room, not a men’s bathroom.
“What’s going to happen?” Noah said.
“I had the doctors admit Eden to the hospital. She’s under a twelve-hour suicide watch.”
“She’s not going to kill herself.”
“She’s in shock, and I need to keep her under close watch. I have two agents coming in to guard her door. Tomorrow I’ll get Eden to plead.”
“Good luck.”
“I don’t need her to, but damn if I’m going to let this shit go to trial. She’ll plead.”
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