“No…” But then I remembered. “Ortiz—”
“What?!” Candace looked over her shoulder, searching. Of course, Ortiz wasn’t there. “What about Ortiz?” she demanded.
“She was working with Taj, helping him!” Sophie gasped, indignant.
“Case, put out an APB for Agent Ortiz—”
“Actually, I don’t think you’re going to need to do that,” I said.
They both turned to me. “Why not?”
“She had a little accident.” I gave Candace and the agents a quick synopsis of everything that had happened, from discovering Varon to our takedown of Taj and Ortiz. “She fell down a sewer hole. She must be hurt. I don’t know if she could get very far.”
“She might, if Taj stopped to help her,” said Candace.
Would he? After all I’d heard him say, I wasn’t so sure about that. Candace asked the local police to search the area where she’d fallen and arrest her if they found her.
“Okay,” she said, turning back to me, “do you have anything else I need to know?”
“We have one of Taj’s accomplices in the back of the van, and, um … Kevin’s probably a little chilly?” I jerked my head toward him.
Candace’s mouth opened but nothing came out right away. “Blanket!” she finally shouted, and one was thrust into her waiting hand. She tossed it into him and he emerged with it wrapped around his middle, leaving his chest bare. Sophie climbed out and put her arms around him. There were catcalls from some people across the street, and some girl wanted his phone number. Kevin turned furiously red—all over—and I had to laugh.
“Parker has to put you in a spread, Kevin,” Candace snickered. I didn’t think he could be more embarrassed, but he was.
Some officers came and took Luca away.
“C’mon, Bec,” she said with a relieved look. She put her hand on my shoulder, then suddenly enveloped me in a crush-the-air-out-of-your-lungs hug. I went to hug her back and saw the police leading Dante away in handcuffs.
“Let him go!” I pushed Candace in their direction. “If it hadn’t been for Dante, we never would have been able to find Mrs. Jennings and save her!”
Candace nodded to the officers and they reluctantly released him. Dante joined us and I gave him a hard hug.
“You’re a hero, Dante!”
Now he blushed and smoothed back the sexy wayward shock of hair. Some girls called to him, taking pictures. Sorry, ladies, not happening. Get your own hero.
“And what about me?” demanded Kevin.
Sophie threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.“You were amazing.”
Kevin’s ego did not need any more stroking, but if she could handle him, good for her. Then I thought, Oh, what is my life going to be like when things return to normal and I have to work for him every day?
I’d deal with that tomorrow.
Dante pulled me to him and tilted up my chin. I leaned forward into a long, delicious kiss. “I knew there were lots of reasons to like you, bella.”
“Let’s get inside,” said Candace, exasperated, pushing Dante and me apart.
Dante, Kevin, and Sophie each went with new agents to be questioned.
The remaining police were left to disperse the crowd that had clustered around the hotel. People shouted and took photos with their cameras and cell phones. I hoped they didn’t get one of me. I looked a mess. A tow truck pulled up, and men who looked more like government officials than mechanics started tending to the van. A good portion of the crowd backed away after that.
“How’s Varon?” I asked as we made our way up the steps and into the hotel’s elegant porch. I felt a little out of place; my ruined shoes squished and my filthy dress hung in shreds. Plus, I’d worked up a sweat climbing all those stairs and running through the streets. It was a shame that Candace’s gift was reduced to less than rags. I was tired and, as her wrinkled nose indicated, badly in need of a shower. My whole body slumped after all the excitement and tension. There couldn’t be a drop of adrenaline left in my body.
“His hand has numerous breaks, but other than that, he’s recuperating.”
“And Mrs. Jennings? Where are they taking her?”
“She’s on her way to the American embassy. They’ll take care of her there. As much as I like her, I’m beyond grateful that she’s not my responsibility anymore.”
I nodded, understanding all too well.
The doorman opened up for us, and we trudged into the lobby.
Candace put a gentle hand on my arm, stopping me. “Don’t get too comfortable. You have to be debriefed first. We need to know everything you learned about Taj. I don’t think his friend will be very cooperative. He’s refused to ID himself.”
“His name’s Luca,” I said.
“Well, that’s a start.” She took a deep breath. “Thanks. I can do your interview upstairs, after you’ve taken a shower—”
The lobby door flew open and a gang of suited men burst in—and with them, the Man. He moved quickly despite his uneven gate, and he held a badge aloft. Everyone froze.
“Inspector Frederic Poulet. Interpol. No one may leave.”
“Great,” Candace muttered, but flashed a wary, weary smiled at the older man. “Inspector Poulet. So good to see you in the light for a change.”
“Agent Worthington,” he said tersely—and loped over to me. “We have to question this young woman. Miss, you’ll be coming with us. We need to interview you about your dealings with Tajo Renan.” His stony voice grated on my nerves.
“Tajo Renan?” Candace repeated the name like she’d never heard it before.
Inspector Poulet shook his head impatiently. “Known to you as Taj. Now, miss”—he turned to me again, holding out an arm—“come with us.”
“I—” I started, not liking the idea of “accompanying” Inspector Poulet and his gang to some undisclosed location, but at the same time, dying to. I wanted to know everything there was to know about Taj/Tajo—and then use it to bury him. Interpol could catch up to him another time.
“Ms. Jackson is an American citizen and a minor in my custody. You can debrief her right here in the hotel,” said Candace firmly, “under my watch.” She wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Thanks, Candace. I felt a small warm rush.
Inspector Poulet grudgingly agreed but wouldn’t let me so much as pee first. We went right upstairs to the suite and the interrogation took place immediately, in the sitting room.
“I really don’t know much about him,” I said, hating the admission. Thinking about how he used and duped me and everyone else, including Candace, made my blood boil all over again.
Poulet frowned. “Tell me everything you can from the moment you met him. He could be out of the country by now, he’s clever enough.”
Only if you tell me everything you know about him, I thought. But the inspector was right; I was willing to bet next year’s boarding school tuition that Taj was long gone.
“There’s not much. He wasn’t very open.” I paused. “Tell my why you’re chasing him, it’ll help me be more specific.”
The inspector and Candace exchanged a brief look.
Crossing my arms over my chest defiantly, I said, “I kept quiet about everything I heard about the First Lady. One problem I don’t need is being stalked by official agencies—domestic or international. You know where I live. Trust me, I’ll keep quiet about this.”
I caught a flicker of amusement as Candace licked her upper lip. I think she was trying not to grin.
Poulet scrutinized my face, probably trying to judge if I was trustworthy. Finally, with a prim look, he said, “We’ve been following the Renan family for years. They’re South American arms dealers.”
“Brazilian?” I offered.
Poulet raised a bushy gray brow. “Yes.”
Candace stared at me.
“When we were at the Forte, he mentioned a trip to a beach there, and then when we found Mrs. Jennings he was speaking Portuguese to Luca.”
>
Poulet continued. “The father runs the operation, his oldest son made the deliveries. Santo Renan was captured several years ago by U.S. border patrol agents. Interpol has been waiting for them to make another misstep.”
Candace pointed a long, steely finger at him. “We almost had an international catastrophe. If you’d bothered to share—”
“It looks like the crisis has been averted,” the inspector interjected smoothly, “and I told you, I wouldn’t and couldn’t reveal anything that might have ruined my own plans, but now my mission is a failure. When we positively identified Tajo and followed him here, we believed he was planning to bargain for his brother’s release. It looks like we were right, but now we’re back to square one.”
“Taj hacked Kevin’s bank account, maybe you could use that,” I suggested, even though I knew there’d be no link between the hack and Taj.
“She’ll tell you everything she knows, inspector. Hopefully it’ll give you something to work with.” Candace crossed her perfect legs, as if daring the inspector to disagree.
I didn’t think anything I offered would be valuable. Taj had obviously eluded the police, Interpol, and the Secret Service when he was right under their noses, but then everyone I knew was focused on the First Lady. After we left him on his butt in the street, he had to have disappeared. It’s what I would’ve done. But I would never try to kidnap anyone, no matter what. It was a special kind of desperate to think that kidnapping the president’s wife would solve your problems. But I told Candace and Inspector Poulet everything I knew or even thought, realizing that Taj never left fingerprints or DNA behind; he took his water bottles, didn’t touch things that weren’t his—and didn’t let his personal belongings far from his person. He didn’t want to be traced or put into a data bank.
No evidence.
He’d always had a plan B.
TRICKS AND TIPS FOR THE EDGE-Y GIRL
Got a friend who’s recovering in the hospital? Skip the flowers and go for a more unique gift. How about a massage, mani, or pedi? A little pampering will make anyone’s day.
32
I ran ahead of Candace into the hospital room, which was almost overflowing with flowers. Parker sat up in bed, looking weak, but very much awake. I wanted to cry, but instead, ran to her bedside, and grabbed her hands, careful not to crush them with my enthusiasm.
“You’re okay!”
“Easy! I want to get out of here, not stay longer!” she laughed softly. Embarrassed, I let go and backed up a step. After my interrogation with the inspector and a shower, Candace agreed that I’d earned a visit with Parker the next morning, as soon as the hospital would allow.
“Sit! I heard you turned my magazine—and Rome—upside down.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking to Candace or me. It would apply in either case.
Pulling a chair up, I gave her the unedited version of what happened. She’d already been briefed and had given her statement. Candace stood, leaning against the wall across from Parker’s bed, nodding and smiling in the right places, grimacing in others, and sighing tiredly and shaking her head at the end.
“I can’t believe Ortiz sold out,” I said, disgusted. “And she was the one who searched my room.”
Candace looked taken aback. “What?!”
“Yep,” I said and turned to Parker. “I dusted my room and matched up her prints. She even downloaded a spy app on all our phones so Taj could spy on us, to find out what he could about Mrs. Jennings and the places and times of the photo shoots.”
Parker closed her eyes for a moment. “She fooled us all. And we’re professionals, trained to look for the signs of a traitor. Anyway, she’s in custody. You were right. She didn’t get too far.”
“How could she, with two broken legs?” said Candace.
“And she still wouldn’t give anything up about Taj? Or Tajo, or whatever his name really is?” asked Parker.
Candace shook her head. “She and Luca Vitorio, his other accomplice, won’t say a word. I’m surprised about Ortiz, though. She’s keeping her mouth shut, even after he left her down there.”
“Ten million dollars buys a lot of loyalty,” I offered glumly, not liking the idea that, whatever bargain they made, he’d just abandon her in a sewer. She could have died down there.
“We wouldn’t have known about Serena’s part in your crash without Bec picking up the purchase of the electronic cables.”
Parker exhaled, a sad look on her face. “Poor Serena. She only wanted to replace me at the magazine. She didn’t realize what she was getting into.”
I didn’t feel sorry for Serena, and I didn’t think Candace did either.
“From what Inspector Poulet told me, it’s the way the Renan family operates,” Candace added. “My guess is that Taj checked Ortiz out and promised to take care of her and her family if she got caught—the price of her silence. Same for Luca.”
“So what happens now?” I asked, sitting on the end of the bed.
Candace and Parker exchanged a look.
“Hey, no secret spy signals!” I protested. “I went through a lot! I was zip-tied with Kevin, had guns waved at me, had to jog a marathon in wedges through nasty sewers, got slammed around in a crazy car chase, and saved the First Lady.”
“I think she deserves to know some,” said Parker softly “Without her, we could have lost Mrs. Jennings.”
Yes! Let’s trust Bec!
Candace deliberated a few moments. “Okay, but don’t ask any more questions when I’m done. Agreed?”
I didn’t want to concede, but I knew Candace wouldn’t say a word until I did.
“Fine.” I sounded surly. And I was. After everything, they still weren’t going to let me inside the circle?
“Like Inspector Poulet said, Interpol has been watching the Renan family for a long time. He was actually the original officer assigned to the case. He’s been tailing Taj because his superiors felt that the family was ready to make a move—”
“—because of Taj’s brother,” I said.
“That’s right. Santo Renan, unlike his little brother, joined his father in the family business—arms dealing. He was caught and put into a Supermax prison shortly before Taj emerged as a fashion blogger. This effort to free him has been a long time in planning.”
“How did he manage to keep his identity so secret and for so long?”
Candace looked exasperated. “What did we say about questions?”
“Oh, come on!”
She sighed. “It seems that to protect them from law enforcement and rivals, the sons were raised separate from their real family—countries apart—but aware of their heritage, who their true parents were, and even saw them from time to time. They were always kept away from the public. There was never any concrete documentation of a visit, exchange of information or even gifts.”
I shivered, remembering what Taj had told me.
… haven’t you learned not to leave evidence? A note can be found if it’s not destroyed. I don’t leave anything behind that I don’t mind others finding. Not on paper—and never electronically. E-mail and electronic searches can be traced, even if it’s erased.…
It had been ingrained in him from birth.
“So everything was done through others,” I said.
Candace nodded. “An ever-changing network of them, according to the inspector. Always a few that knew only so much—and then new people would be brought in. We’re trying to trace the connection between the Renans and his adoptive family in India, but it’s a thin thread. The real question is whether Renan Senior was involved in this plot, or if Taj was acting on his own.”
Rebellious, loyal, doing whatever he had to do to correct a perceived wrong … If Renan Senior went to this length to disassociate himself from Taj—for Taj’s own protection—he wouldn’t have hatched this or any plot that would have involved his son. My guess was that Taj was flying solo, and when Papa found out, he wasn’t going to be pleased. But that was just a guess.
/> “Bec.” Parker squeezed my hand, drawing my attention away from Candace. “If you ever hear from Taj again, you must report it. Immediately.”
I nodded, but I didn’t think he’d try. It wouldn’t be worth the risk for him.
“So when do you get out?” I asked Parker, changing the subject.
“In about a week.”
I glanced quickly at Candace.
Parker’s eyes followed my gaze. “Candace will stay on until the investigation is finished, then she’ll be reassigned. Kevin will take over Edge until I’m ready to go back to work.” She tapped my hand with a finger. “Your spying days are over.”
TRICKS AND TIPS FOR THE EDGE-Y GIRL
Whether it’s your data, an extra pair of heels, or a spare lipstick in your favorite shade, always have a backup.
33
Candace had a car take me back to the hotel.
As I watched the scenery flick by, I thought about Dante and all that we shared. He was open and honest, he never withheld anything about his life or what he was thinking. He never used me. He jumped right in to help Kevin, Sophie, and me rescue the First Lady, even though it was dangerous. He’d been nothing but sweet and hot and exciting. Those memories made me happy and warm, especially that last searing kiss.
Then there was Taj.
He was absolutely wrong about us being the same. He clearly had no qualms about crossing certain boundaries that I wouldn’t even dare to approach. But I couldn’t deny that we had a few similarities. The hacking was part of it, but there was more. Being separated from his family, like I was from mine, made us both learn to depend on ourselves and trust few others. We were both mysteries even with our friends, to an extent. Dante, surrounded by his mother, sisters, and numerous cousins, would never understand the isolation.
Taj had taken things too far, though. Now he had multiple countries and agencies who would never give up on trying to find him. The seclusion would be a thousand times worse for him.
For now, at least Parker was healing quickly, the First Lady was safe, and I wasn’t in trouble.
For once.
Dragging myself past the front desk where Nelson no longer asked to search my backpack or demanded ID, I thought about sleeping for a week.
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