by Lisa Harris
“I just … I just need you to trust me to be able to take care of myself.”
“You know I do.”
“I know you want to.” He turned. “Gizmo and I are going for a walk.”
Olivia watched Ivan walk away with the dog, knowing all she could do at this point was pray God would protect both of them.
Michael watched the conversation from the end of the storage units, wanting to give them some space. He couldn’t understand Ivan’s sign language or hear everything that was being said, but the gist of the conversation was clear. Ivan had grown up, whether Olivia was ready to accept it or not.
“Is everything okay?” he asked as she approached him.
He tugged on the edge of the wool cap he’d grabbed from the cabin, keeping his head down, like he’d instructed Olivia and Ivan earlier. Security meant cameras, something they needed to avoid. And he’d become a pro at avoiding detection.
“He’s angry at me. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. I’ve overprotected him—but now I’m in the middle of a situation where I can’t guarantee his safety and it scares me.”
“Can we ever completely guarantee someone’s safety? It seems like so many times I’ve thought I was in control of something, I’ve ended up realizing that I actually have no control at all.”
She paused beside him and glared at him. “That’s a reassuring thought.”
“I’m not trying to add fuel to the fire, but the reality is that as much as we think we’re in control, we’re really not.” He ran his hand down her arm. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. But giving him a little slack won’t hurt either of you.”
“It’s hard not to worry about him. I’ve been taking care of him since he was twelve, and I’ve always been more like a mother to him than a sister.”
“The two of you have been through a lot together, but I suspect that even if he was your son, things wouldn’t be any different. I think every parent struggles to let their child grow up. I know my mom did.”
Michael stopped in front of unit 415. Three years ago, he’d set up this locker in case of an emergency, hoping he’d never have to use it. So much for hoping. Now he had both the cartel and the authorities after him, which meant he was going to have to play things out very carefully.
“Tell me about the locker,” Olivia said.
“The last time I opened it was about a year ago. My partner and I checked on our gear and added a few more items. It’s our backup plan—our emergency stash in case one of our undercover gigs goes south and we need a way out.”
Michael had never really considered that he’d need a way out. He’d always assumed he could go to the department if he found himself in trouble. He’d never imagined a scenario where he’d have to prove his innocence on his own, let alone ensure the safety of someone else. He understood Olivia’s worry over Ivan all too well.
He put in the four-digit code, opened the door, then glanced around the 5x5 room. Besides the layers of dust, everything looked exactly the same way he’d left it. A broken lawn mower, a wheelbarrow, hoes and buckets, along with a bunch of garden stuff and other junk he and Mason had picked up at a garage sale. And two large wooden storage boxes.
“What is all this stuff?”
“On the surface, a bunch of garden supplies and other random stuff in case anyone got too nosy. But inside these boxes”—Michael unlocked the first one—“is our survival stuff, like extra weapons, a few untraceable burn phones, and first-aid kits.”
“So you can contact your friend now?”
“That’s my plan.” He grabbed an empty backpack from the box and started filling it with things they might need: a flashlight, a radio with extra batteries, a first-aid kit, a bunch of power bars, and two burn phones.
“Do you have an extra set of clothes in there?”
He dug into the corner and pulled out an extra-large I’m a rock star T-shirt. He held it up to her, chuckling at the way it swallowed her up.
“Maybe not.” She tugged on the bottom of the Army green sweatshirt she’d borrowed from Felipe and smiled. “I think this will do for now.”
“I’ll have my sisters get you something else to wear as soon as possible, I promise.”
Olivia’s smile faded. “Do you think your sisters know you’re alive yet?”
“Yeah.” Michael pulled up his pant leg and strapped on an ankle holster. “I think they’re worried and waiting for me to call, but I’m worried they’re being watched.”
He followed her gaze toward the direction of the car, knowing she was dealing with her own pain and worries.
“He’s fine, Olivia.”
“I know.”
Michael slid his handgun into the holster, then dropped his pant leg. “And we’re going to be fine as well.”
He picked up the backpack and swung it over his shoulder, keeping out one of the phones.
Gizmo came running toward the unit with Ivan trailing a few steps behind him. He stopped to catch his breath. “That crazy dog is always running off.”
“You know, I think there might be a leash in here.” Michael rummaged through an old bucket filled with random junk. “Here.” He tossed Ivan the leash, then came out and shut the unit door.
Olivia knelt down and rubbed Gizmo’s belly. “You’ve got to stop this running off.”
Ivan started to secure the leash, then hesitated.
“What’s wrong, Ivan?” Olivia asked.
“I think I know how they found us.”
“What do you mean?” Michael came toward them.
Ivan looked up at them, a deep frown marking his expression. “They’re tracking Gizmo.”
16
Michael watched Ivan unclip a small device from the dog’s collar. This was how they’d tracked them?
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice this before.” Ivan handed the gadget to Michael. “He’s wearing one of those tracking collars.”
Olivia peered over Michael’s shoulder at the unit. “A GPS?”
“Exactly,” Ivan said. “They help monitor where your pet is and notify you if he runs off. Felipe must have been afraid Gizmo would get lost.”
“So whoever tracked us at the cabin used this to track us this morning,” Olivia said. “Can anyone follow these devices?”
Michael felt a chill seep through him. “All a person needs is a password and a computer. But if they’ve been tracking Gizmo, that implies they weren’t after us, they were after Felipe.”
Olivia frowned. “Maybe. Or they knew we were at the cabin, and discovered a way to track us today.”
Dirty cops or the cartel?
Michael dropped the device onto the concrete and smashed it with his shoe. He was getting careless. He should have caught this. But at least their trail would end here.
“There’s something I don’t understand.” Olivia picked up one of the shattered pieces and set it in her palm. “If they were using this to track us, then they should have been able to find us last night. Why wait to come after us now that we’re in the city when the risks of being seen are clearly greater?”
Michael shrugged. “It’s possible that the cabin where we stayed last night was in a dead zone, and they were only able to pick up the signal again this morning.”
“He’s right,” Ivan said. “These trackers send GPS positioning data over cellular networks, and while they’re fairly accurate, there will always be places where they can’t catch a signal.”
“That could definitely explain what happened,” Michael agreed, “but for now we need to get out of here. We can figure out exactly who’s after us later.”
Gimzo raced away from them down the row of storage units as Ivan started to put on the leash.
“Go get him, Ivan. We need to get out of here,” Olivia said.
Michael switched on the burner phone as they hurried to the car. Why they’d been followed was one more piece of the puzzle they were going to have to figure out, but in the meantime, with a chance they’d been tracke
d to the storage units, they were going to have to scrap his idea of dumping the car. They needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“I’ll text Mason to have him meet us,” Michael said. “As long as we can’t be followed from here, we should be okay.”
Unless the police spotted the stolen vehicle they were driving. Or they were pulled over for some other reason. Or they’d already been tracked here and the bad guys were waiting for them to emerge from the lot.
He shoved away the list of potential problems and finished typing in the message, hesitating before pushing Send. Dragging Mason into this situation was a gamble. Not because he didn’t trust him, but because he didn’t want to put his friend’s life and career at risk. But he knew they’d never make it out alive if they didn’t get outside help. Valez and his friends had bottomless pockets and too many resources.
Michael pushed the unlock button on the key fob as they approached the car, then froze at the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked behind them.
You’ve got to be kidding me, Lord.
“Where are you going, Liam? Or should I say Michael? Michael Hunt?”
Tomas?
“Tomas.” Michael slipped the phone into his pocket, then pulled Olivia behind him. “I thought we left you behind on the island.”
“Nice try. Tracking that stupid mutt was the best idea we’ve had in a long time.”
“Gizmo?” Michael worked to absorb Tomas’s words. “You were tracking Gizmo?”
“We’ve been monitoring Felipe and guessed correctly you might go to his cabin. We didn’t expect we’d have to find you a second time, however.”
“So you’re the ones who attacked the cabin?” Olivia asked.
“I’ll admit I underestimated you, Michael. But trust me, I won’t do that again.”
Tomas stood next to Elias, who also had a gun pointed at them. Tomas looked pleased with himself, clearly ready for another round. But the stakes were higher this time, and Michael had no intention of anything happening to Olivia or her brother.
Show me a way out of this, Lord …
“From the looks of your little getaway party,” Tomas said, “I’m guessing you hadn’t expected to see me again so soon. Where is Ivan, by the way? I know that dog is here somewhere.”
“My father told me you were head of his security team, not a hitman,” Olivia said.
“Just like your friend here was supposed to be a corrupt businessman, not a cop.” Tomas took a step forward. “You had everyone fooled about who you were, Michael Hunt. Son of a former police captain, laundering money for the cartel while undercover. It was clever, actually, and you’re clearly good at what you do, because you had all of us fooled for a very long time. Unfortunately, you weren’t quite good enough.”
Michael studied their surroundings, frustrated at Tomas’s advantage. Because the man was right. But instead of dwelling on his mistakes, he needed to buy time and figure out a way for them to gain the upper hand. He wasn’t going to let Tomas win this round.
“And as for your father, Olivia,” Tomas continued, “how do they say it … the jig is up? He foolishly thought he could protect you by keeping you from the truth.”
“The truth that he’s a leader in the cartel?” she asked.
“That information should have made you think twice before rescuing this man, Olivia.” Tomas held up the flash drive Michael had given Kendall at the restaurant, hours before his death. “And you … did you really think you’d get away with this?”
Michael’s heart sank. He’d hoped Kendall would have found a way to stash the drive, or pass it on to someone … anything besides let Tomas get ahold of it. Because not only could that drive take Valez down, it held the proof Michael needed to prove his own innocence.
Tomas laughed. “And then there was that miraculous escape the three of you tried to pull off, which Valez is quite unhappy about. Did you seriously think you could get off the island without anyone guessing what happened, or no one coming after you? Quite impressive, but again, not impressive enough.”
“All we need right now, then, is another miracle,” Michael said.
“Not this time, considering we have the guns.” Tomas laughed again. “What’s your plan of escape now?”
Michael balled his fists. “Forget the games, Tomas. What do you want?”
“Whatever the boss wants, which right now is to find you. Which, as we can all see, I’ve done.”
“Then what does he want?”
“To talk to you … before he kills you, that is.”
“Why all the cat and mouse?” Michael asked. “He could have just called me. I’m a pretty cooperative guy.”
Tomas stepped forward and grabbed Olivia, pressing his gun to the back of her head. “You were right. Enough of the games.”
“Michael—”
“Leave her alone, Tomas. I’m the one Valez wants.” Michael took a step forward, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice, unwilling to give Tomas another trump card in his hand.
Tomas grinned as he ran his thumb down Olivia’s cheek. “I didn’t know you cared, Michael, though I can see how you might have grown fond of her. I’ve always thought she was quite a beauty.”
Michael took another step toward them. “I said leave her alone.”
“Why should I?”
Michael decided to take the bait. “Because if I don’t kill you, Valez will.”
“Do you think that Valez cares anything about the bastard children of his dead mistress?”
Olivia’s chest heaved. Tomas’s gun pressed into the back of her head, as if he were just waiting for an excuse to shoot her. Surely her father hadn’t ordered a hit on her and Ivan. The thought made her shudder. She’d seen evidence of what Tomas could do, both with a weapon and with his fists. He wouldn’t simply kill them. He’d have fun with them first, and then finish them off.
“My father would never tell you or anyone to kill my brother and me,” she said.
“Really? You rescued a man who’d betrayed him, and now you think your father will save the day for you? Your father knows he can’t trust you.”
“We couldn’t leave him to die.”
“That’s exactly what you should have done. None of this is your business. You should have stayed out of it.”
“Why did you want him dead in the first place?” she asked.
“No more questions.”
Olivia winced as Tomas shoved her toward the car.
“Elias, frisk Michael, tie his hands, and put them both in the backseat.”
As Elias slid his gun into its holster and started toward Michael, Ivan rounded the corner of the building with Gizmo. The dog pulled from Ivan’s grip on the leash and lunged for Tomas, sinking his teeth into the man’s calf.
Tomas dropped his hold on Olivia as he instinctively tried to shake the dog off, tried to hit him with his gun. “Get him off of me!”
Elias froze, obviously confused about which direction he should move.
It was the distraction they needed. Olivia twisted, and jammed her elbow into Tomas’s throat. Gizmo released his hold as Tomas buckled and dropped his gun. Olivia picked it up, took a step back, then aimed it at Tomas. “Looks to me like the odds have shifted.”
Michael had pulled his weapon from his ankle holster and was holding it on Elias. He pressed his gun against Elias’s head, then pulled him away from the car.
“She’s right,” Michael said. “The odds have shifted.”
“You’re not going to get away with this.” Tomas lunged for Olivia.
Before Michael could react, Olivia shot into the concrete, six inches from Tomas’s foot. “Don’t move.”
Tomas sneered. “You missed—”
“I didn’t miss.” Olivia raised the weapon. “My father made sure of that. Next time I’ll aim for your heart.”
Michael shoved Elias facedown onto the ground and planted his foot in the small of his back. He looked up at Olivia. “I thought you said you did
n’t know how to handle a gun.”
She grinned. “I said I didn’t know how to handle a rifle.”
Smiling, Michael aimed his gun at Tomas. “You’re next. Facedown next to your buddy here.”
“What now?” She held her gun steady at them, as if daring either of them to get up.
“I could shoot them,” Michael said. “Actually, that would be my first choice, but considering there are probably security cameras recording all of this, it’s probably not the best idea. So for now, there’s a pair of handcuffs in my unit, Ivan. In the box on the right. The code for the door is 1776. Why don’t you grab those for me while I ensure these bozos don’t try to escape.”
Michael rolled Tomas over and grabbed the flash drive from his shirt pocket. “I was hoping you hung onto this. Needed a little insurance of your own against the boss? Because I’m starting to wonder if you’re working for someone else.”
“No, I …” Tomas’s jaw clenched from the pain. “Just because I didn’t take you down doesn’t mean this is over.”
“Trust me,” Michael said. “This is far from over.”
A moment later, he handcuffed them together to one of the metal poles running along the fence.
“You’re just going to leave us here?” Elias whined. “It’s freezing.”
“Don’t worry, gentlemen. Someone’s liable to find you in the next few hours.” Michael turned to Ivan and Olivia. “It’s time for us to get out of here.”
17
Olivia sat beside Michael on one of Piedmont Park’s benches, with the city of Atlanta looming behind them, trying to look calmer than she felt. At least Ivan seemed to be having fun with Gizmo. The energetic French Brittany was still on his leash, but was clearly enjoying the freedom of being able to run around.
Freedom, though, still felt out of reach for her. On the drive here, Michael went into more detail about how he and Mason had arranged this meeting place. Working undercover had its own set of dangers, so they’d decided if ever one of them were in trouble, they would send the other a coded message and meet here. In the years that followed, he’d never chosen to implement the plan. Even after Valez had arranged his “death,” Michael didn’t opt to contact Mason, primarily because he was worried about involving his friend in a situation his gut told him wasn’t going to end well.