by Desiree Holt
“You obviously misread the situation, amigo.” Moreno nearly spat out the last word, robbing it of any sense of friendship. “Now he has disappeared with records of everything and he has the nerve to threaten me. Threaten me!”
He repeated the words with venom and glared at the man sitting across from him. He was impeccably dressed in slacks, a gray sports shirt, and a bad case of nerves.
“I want to find him,” he continued. “No, I need to find him. And you are going to help me.”
“Me?” The man spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “How do you expect me to do that? No one knows where the hell he’s gone, including his daughter.”
“But if we have to, we can use her to force his hand.”
“Did you read what he said? If you don’t leave her alone, he dumps all that information out there, probably to the Feds.” He snorted. “Besides, she’s got that damn fucking Vigilance agent stuck to her like glue. I have to be real careful there.” He leaned forward in the chair. “You should hire better help, Cruz. Then you wouldn’t need me. They couldn’t even destroy a boat without making a major incident out of it. And sending that kid to search? A mistake.”
“If you had gotten to the boats when I told you, it would not have been necessary.”
“With a hundred eyes on them?” The man shook his head. “Anyway, I’m too visible to go sneaking around at one in the morning.”
Cruz shook his head. “I should have all of you eliminated.”
It did him good to see the other man lose all color in his face.
“A good option,” Cruz added.
The man shifted in his seat. “But sending those thugs to the house again? I don’t mean to tell you your business, Cruz, but Vigilance will have both her and the house locked up tight with security. High-end security. This could create another disaster.”
“This is their last chance. They’ll be well motivated.” He stared at the man opposite him. “Hear this, mi amigo. If I go down, I take everyone with me. It might be in the best interest of you and the others to get me the information I need.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Your best better leave no room for error. I want results. If nothing else works, we may have to use the daughter for leverage.”
“I think that would be a big mistake.”
“Then it falls back on you. Get me results.”
Cruz watched Vato through narrowed eyes as he left the house and headed toward the helipad in the back. He meant what he said. There was enough mud to dirty everyone, and he knew just how to do it.
* * * *
The ringing of Logan’s cell phone on the nightstand woke Devon. He slid his arm from beneath her, rolled over, and scooped up the phone.
“Yeah? Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay. We’re moving.” He set the phone down and gave Devon a light tap on her ass. “Time to hustle, babe.”
Devon sat up, shoving her hair out of her eyes. “What? What’s up?”
“That was Avery.”
Devon scrambled off the bed. “She found out where he is?”
“No, unfortunately.” Logan tipped her face up to his and stroked her chin with his knuckles. “Come on. Let’s get ready and see what she’s got.”
She showered quickly and pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. A quick twist of her hair into a ponytail and she was ready. No makeup. Not a necessity today. Logan made sure the alarm was set before they left the house, and fifteen minutes after Avery’s call they were headed toward Vigilance.
Devon sat rigidly upright during the ride, her body stiff as dead wood. She was just as glad they hadn’t had time to eat anything. She didn’t think she’d have been able to swallow anything, much less keep it down. Whatever she heard this morning, she knew it wouldn’t be good and she wasn’t sure how she’d deal with it. She might have had her ups and downs with her father but she still loved him. She just couldn’t imagine him mixed up with anything that would cause him to disappear. Or send people like those two men on the road after her.
Avery must have been watching for them because she opened the door as soon as they pulled into the parking area.
“I have coffee and reports ready. Come on.”
When they were seated in her office, everyone with full coffee mugs, she opened a folder on her desk.
“It took Ginger quite a while to track all of this down,” she began.
Devon gripped her coffee mug so hard she hoped she didn’t break it. “Avery, I don’t mean to be rude but can we just cut to the chase here? Is my father involved with drug dealers?”
Avery hesitated for a moment before she nodded her head.
“Yes. We already know four years ago your father was in a tough financial spot. If he went to one of the major financial institutions, they might hesitate to lend him the money, worried the cause of the red ink was bad management. And if they did process the loan, there’d be a chance word would get out and that wouldn’t be good for business either.”
“Enter the private investor,” she guessed.
“Yes.” Avery flipped through a couple sheets of paper in front of her. “We still can’t find where and how he made the original connection, but like I told you before, the cash was washed through SMX.”
“The one with the fake office in Aruba?” Devon asked.
“Yes. Ginger is really good at digging out money trails. We now have proof SMX is the major funnel for the Moreno drug cartel.” Her mouth curved in a dry smile. “To let you know how good she is, not even the Feds have been able to identify this up until now. Whoever set this up for the cartel did an excellent job.”
Devon was sick at the thought that popped into her head. “Vince Pellegrino.”
“Maybe. For the moment we’ll assume so. It looks like he was involved with the cartel for a long time, before he even came to Cole International.”
“He was a Trojan horse,” Logan guessed.
“What?” Devon looked from one to the other.
“Someone who appears to be one thing but when they are successfully in place turns out to be something else entirely.”
“We think they maneuvered to get him the job at Cole International in the first place. Manufactured a portfolio for him. Then, when he was in place, it’s even possible that he cooked the books to show the company losing money when, in fact, it might not have been.”
Devon’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. Ginger’s found all kinds of things. It’s going to take a really good team of forensic accountants to trace it all and straighten it out.”
“Oh my God.” She felt suddenly lightheaded.
Logan reached over and took the mug from her hands. “Breathe, Devon. Slowly. In through the nose, out through the mouth.”
He watched her until she managed to get control of herself again.
“What about Alford and Bodine? If they used to work for Moreno’s attorney, they also have to be involved.”
“They were. Are. Pellegrino recommended them to your father when he suggested the corporation change attorneys. Hire someone in house. They structured the fake legal work on a lot of the deals so they’d look legit.”
“Damn,” Logan said.
“How does it all work?” Devon asked.
“It’s really very simple. The cartel securities firm poses as a private investor. They seek out situations where an infusion of cash is imperative and they have someone in a position to direct people to them. Once the deal is struck they start funneling it through the pipeline. On paper it looks like a straight business deal—so much cash for a percentage of the business.”
“I can’t imagine anyone would be that anxious to in effect hand over part of their company.”
“But what if they couldn’t get the money anyplace else?” Avery asked. “What if they didn’t have a choice? Moreno’s done this a l
ot. He provides the cash, Alford and Bodine draw up the so-called legal papers, and redefine the structure of the business.”
“In the beginning, it’s a hands-off situation, with a few suggestions here and there,” Logan guessed.
Avery nodded. “The investor is satisfied with his monthly return on investment. By the time someone like your father figures out who their investment partner is, the cartel has its hooks in them so deep they have no choice but to continue the arrangement.
“I’m pretty sure your father wasn’t aware in the beginning where the funds came from,” Avery continued. “It’s all very well hidden. It took Ginger a long time and a lot of knowledge to find the answers.”
“The deal would have looked like a straight financial contract,” Logan added.
“But we found changes in vendors and suppliers after the loan was made. That’s common. It’s how the cartel washes their money through shell companies.”
Logan nodded. “And your father didn’t really think much about it.”
“That’s another area that Alford and Bodine handled. They oversaw all that.”
“Until there was a problem,” Avery agreed. “My money says your father reached a point where he wanted to pay off the investor. That’s probably when he was told where the money came from and that there was no paying it off. Just a lot more of what was going on.”
Devon swallowed back the nausea threatening to break loose. “But we still don’t know who approached my father about this. Could it have been Pellegrino, put in place well in advance to be in that position? Or one of the two attorneys? Someone had to be the point man.”
“Good question,” Avery answered. “Did your father spend a lot of time here before the move?” Avery asked.
“A fair amount.” Her eyes widened. “Do you think it’s someone from Arrowhead Bay?”
Avery shrugged. “Or it could be someone who sails in here and that’s how they met. Sharing a common interest. Anyway, I’d like to think we would have sniffed it out long ago if someone here was washing money for the cartel, but anything is possible.”
Logan looked over at her. “Do you think you could make a list of everyone you remember your father being friends or friendly with for the past few years? Business as well as personal? This has to be someone he trusted a lot.”
Devon nodded her head. “I’ll do my best, but you know there was a lot about his life I don’t know.” She rubbed her face. “God. I can hardly take in the whole thing.”
“One more thing.” Avery looked at some of her notes. “We don’t think Pellegrino’s death was an accident.”
“What?” Devon jumped out of her chair. “What are you saying?”
“If the cartel got wind of your father’s plans and Pellegrino had lost control of him, then he became disposable.”
“Holy God, Avery.” Devon closed her eyes and swallowed. “This is a nightmare.”
“Pellegrino’s accident happened the same day your father disappeared,” Avery said. “We think Moreno demanded a meeting that day.”
Devon was still trying to get her head around it all. “So he just up and left?”
Logan shook his head. “To do a Houdini the way he did required a lot of advance preparation. He was ready to bail. This may just have pushed up his timetable. I’d guess that—”
Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted by a squealing sound from his watch at the same time Avery’s office phone rang.
Devon jumped, startled, then looked from one to the other. “What—?”
Avery was hanging up her phone before Devon could get another word out.
Logan was already on his feet. “It has to be those two jokers from the other day.”
“You’re right.” Avery punched a button. “Mike Perez is in the electronics room. He’s just off an assignment and free. Grab him and get going. Now.”
“She stays here.” He pointed at Devon. “Eyes on her at all times.”
“Done. No one can get to her here. Go.” She waved a hand. “Now. And be sure you guys have your radios with you. I’m calling Sheri.”
“Tell her no sirens.”
“Hey, I’m the boss, remember? I know this stuff.”
But by that time Logan was gone, leaving Avery punching speed dial on her cell and Devon in a high state of nerves.
“What’s happening?” Devon stared after Logan. “Avery, what’s going on?”
“Just stay calm, kiddo. That’s the signal someone broke into your house. There’s an alarm receiver on Logan’s watch as well as the one here in headquarters. We use them all the time. It goes off whenever there’s a breach of the property.”
“I should—” she started again.
Avery shook her head. “You should stay right here, where you’re safe. Logan and Mike will be there in a few minutes. And they won’t be expected. Logan set the alarm on silent before you left, so it won’t tip anyone off in case of something like this. If they think they neutralized it, we have a better chance of catching them.”
“Are you—”
Avery held up her hand and spoke into her phone.
“Sheri? Yeah, a breach at the Cole house. Logan and Mike Perez are on their way. Can you grab one of your officers and head out there? Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay.” She looked at Devon. “Okay, she’s on her way.”
“I hope they catch those bastards.” She could still see them standing on either side of her car, trapping her inside, shattered glass all over her.
“So do I. I want to turn my people loose on them and shake their brains to see what falls out.”
* * * *
“So what kind of shit are we facing here?” Mike Perez asked, as they raced up Seacliff Road.
Logan had worked assignments with Mike before and trusted him 100 percent. Tall and built like a football player, he was also a crack shot.
“At least two guys, we think sent by a drug cartel, to search the house.”
“Drug cartel?”
“Yeah, it seems somehow Graham Cole got himself tangled up with Cruz Moreno.”
“Holy shit!” Mike said. Moreno was well known as one of the most vicious cartel leaders alive.
“In spades. Graham Cole disappeared on them and they want the information he has. They’re stupid to think he left it at the house, or even left a clue as to where he was going. Otherwise, why disappear? They’re after something they aren’t going to find, and that’s going to make them very mad.”
“Do I need to know what?” Mike asked. “Never mind. We just need to catch these guys, right?”
“Right.”
Across from the Cole house he pulled off the road into the thick trees lining that side.
“Hell-o.” Mike pointed to a black SUV hidden not far away. “This must be their ride.”
“Sure is.” Logan turned off the ignition. “That’s the car they forced Devon off the road in.”
“Devon?”
“Cole’s daughter. Come on. We need to sneak around on the far side where they can’t see us. Thank God that’s where the garage is.” He picked up the tiny handheld radio he’d taken from the office. “Avery? We’re here and it’s definitely them. I recognize the car. We’re on our way. Out.” And he slipped the radio into his pocket. “I’ll take point,” he told Mike.
He led the way past the next curve of the road, up the slope of land past the scattering of fiddlewood and pigeon plum trees until they reached the garage. There were no windows here. Logan pulled the key ring Devon had tossed at him as he left Vigilance out of his pocket. The second key he tried unlocked the side door to the garage.
“Come on,” he whispered, opening the door.
They crept across the nearly empty garage to the door into the house. Logan slipped the key into the lock, turned it, and eased the door open. When they were through the opening, he spotted a
guy in the foyer watching the front of the house. He turned to Mike, signaling one person he had eyes on. In one smooth movement, he went up behind the thug, wrapped his arm around his neck, and clamped a hand over his mouth.
“I’d snap your neck without hesitation,” he whispered in the man’s ear, “so don’t make a sound.”
The man nodded but the moment Logan eased his hold he opened his mouth.
“Idiot,” Logan cursed, exerting pressure on the man’s neck until he sagged against him, unconscious.
Logan lowered him to the floor as Mike slid past him, moving slowly through the house to search for the man’s friend. He had just finished fastening zip ties on the man’s hands and ankles when he heard two shots, fired in rapid succession. At once he moved toward the kitchen where the sound came from.
Mike was standing over the other asshole, now on the floor holding his stomach and writhing in pain.
“So much for being quiet,” Mike complained. “The jerk turned around just as I came in and went for his gun. I aimed for his hand and his stomach got in the way.”
He handed the radio to Mike. “Tell Avery to call Sheri to come up to the house. And tell her we need an ambulance. I’ll check the rest of the house but if there was anyone else, he’s gone by now.”
Moving slowly and carefully, Logan cleared each room, one at a time, checking for all possible hiding places. He was convinced there weren’t any others until he got to the den and found the French doors to the garden wide open.
“Son of a bitch.” He looked all around the small patio area, especially the flower beds bordering it. Sure enough, there were footprints in the soft earth. He looked across the yard, hoping whoever it was had run to the highway and Sheri would spot him, but no such luck. The preserve in the back was too tempting and a better way to disappear.
“I radioed Avery,” Mike told him as he walked back into the kitchen. “Sheri will be up here in seconds.”
“Well, there was a third one but he’s long gone.” He took back the radio and punched the button for Avery. “There were three this time and one of them is out there. He ran back toward the preserve so he’s in the wind. Tell Sheri to put out an all-points bulletin on him. The problem is we have no idea what he looks like.”