Hidden Agenda

by Lisa Harris

  “First, you should eat something. It’s been hours since we had breakfast.”

  “You sound like the old ladies at my church. Whenever there’s a death or a tragedy, the solution is always to eat.”

  He smiled. “I’d say they’re right.”

  “Fine, but after that, I want to help, Michael. I can’t just sit around here waiting for this to be over.”

  “Avery would like to ask you some questions when you’re ready … if you’re ready.”

  “Of course. I’ll grab some of that pizza and be right there.”

  While Olivia got herself some lunch, Michael sat down near his sister, ready to get to work himself. Five file boxes covered the floor, besides a number of pulled files. “What are all of these boxes?”

  “Files and paperwork relating to your case.”

  “My case?” His brow furrowed. “All of this?”

  “I’ve spent the past eight months digging up everything related to your death and what you were working on at the time. I ended up turning my basement into something of a crime scene lab. Photos, timelines, key points of the case … I’ve got it all.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I couldn’t handle the accusations against you.” He’d rarely seen Avery cry, but today he didn’t miss the tears pooling in her eyes. “I … I couldn’t handle the rumors and lies that were being spread about you, and I thought that finding answers to your death would help bring about the closure we all needed. But I always knew the rumors weren’t true. I knew you weren’t the kind of man who would ever sell out his family, the force, your country, over money.”

  “Thank you. For believing in me.”

  Avery brushed away the tears, then squeezed her brother’s hand. “I always have, and I always will.”

  As Avery released Michael’s hand, Olivia walked into the living room with a glass of water and a couple pieces of pizza on a paper plate. She slowed to a stop, a tentative look on her face. “Am I interrupting?”

  “Not at all,” Avery said.

  Michael motioned for her to join them. She sat down next to him, her arm lightly brushing his as she put her glass on the nearby table. A wave of protectiveness rushed through him. He reached over and gave her hand a quick, gentle squeeze.

  She smiled at him, then turned toward Avery and took a deep breath. “Avery, I know you have no reason to trust me or my brother, but I want you to know that everything I’ve told Michael … and everything I tell you … I swear it’s the truth. My father … I can’t say we were close or that he was around much, but he was my father. I saw what I wanted to see.”

  “Trust me.” Avery smacked her brother on the knee. “I know from experience that you don’t get to choose your relatives.”

  “Very funny.” Michael rolled his eyes. “I think we need to get to work, because we know it’s only a matter of time before they pick up our trail between the convenience store, the cabin, and this morning’s car wreck.”

  “Don’t forget the two goons we left handcuffed at the storage unit,” Olivia added.

  “They’ve been brought in for questioning,” Avery said, “but for someone supposedly needing to stay under the radar, you’ve really managed to get yourself in a lot of trouble.”

  Avery walked over to the white board they’d set up in the corner of the room and pointed to the photo plastered at the top left. “Starting with the convenience store robbery, we’ve got Simon Bunch. He’s got a number of priors, including assault, robbery, auto theft, and drug dealing.”

  “Any connection to the cartel?” Michael asked, stepping up beside her.

  “Oh, yeah. Right now we think it was simply a random robbery that put you in the wrong place at the wrong time, but we’ll know more after Carlos finishes questioning him.”

  “What about the accident on the interstate?” Michael asked. “Can they trace it to us?”

  “We don’t know much, other than an eyewitness called 911 and it was classified as a hit and run. There’s a BOLO out for the driver of the vehicle—that’d be yours—that left the scene first. The car that reportedly hit the guardrail was gone by the time the police got there.”

  How had he managed to incur both the wrath of the cartel and the US government in less than seventy-two hours?

  “You’re lucky so far,” Avery said. “The car doesn’t trace back to you—at least for now—and no leads have been called in yet.”

  “That’s all very optimistic,” Michael said, “but we both know that it’s just a matter of time until they run fingerprints and check out the cabin where we stayed last night or check the video footage at the storage units. It’s all going to come down very soon.”

  Michael stared at the board, where Avery had posted the photos of Tomas and Elias. “Are they talking yet?”

  “Nope.”

  Avery pointed to the photos. “What can you tell me about these men?”

  Olivia stared at the photos, wondering how she’d become involved as a witness against the cartel. “They work for my father. Obviously, they know my connection to Felipe.”

  A sick feeling hung in the pit of her stomach. The closest she’d ever come to facing death before this week had been when her mother died. Seeing the mug shots of the men who’d killed Felipe, then tried to kill her this morning, felt like an episode of some TV police drama.

  But this wasn’t television or some action movie. This was her life being ripped to shreds.

  “Olivia?”

  “If this is too much too soon—” Michael began.

  “No, I’m fine.” She nodded at Avery, then looked back up at the board. “Sorry. The one on the left, his name is Tomas. The other man is Elias. I’m sorry, I never heard their last names used. I always thought they were bodyguards, but clearly that’s not all they do. Michael can attest to that.”

  “Anything else?”

  Olivia shook her head. “What about Felipe’s cabin?”

  The shooting at the gas station and the near accident on the interstate had left her shaken, but the attack at Felipe’s cabin had been personal.

  “Details are still sketchy. Law enforcement is still going over the scene,” Avery said, “but Carlos is doing what he can to keep us in the loop. The most surprising thing is that they found a safe under the floor, full of cash.”

  “Cash? I don’t understand. Felipe lived a simple life. Why would he have a safe full of cash?”

  “Maybe it belonged to the previous owners and was forgotten for some reason,” Mason threw out.

  “CSU will dust for prints inside the safe, and hopefully have an answer for us soon,” Avery said.

  Michael grasped Olivia’s hand. “What about Felipe’s body?”

  Avery checked her notes. “According to the latest report … there were no fatalities found on the scene.”

  “And the two men I shot?” Michael asked.

  “They must have escaped.”

  Olivia tried to respond, but she couldn’t. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Where was Felipe?

  “I don’t understand,” she finally managed.

  Michael squeezed her hand. “Look again, Avery, because that doesn’t make sense. Felipe was shot and killed in that cabin.”

  “I’m just telling you what the report says.”

  “I shot two of the men,” Michael said. “The other two shot and killed Felipe.”

  “They’ll run the traces of blood that were found, but so far, there are a lot more questions than answers. More than likely, the men hightailed it out of there.”

  “And took Felipe’s body with them? Why?” Olivia needed to breathe, needed to move. She stood and started pacing.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Were there any witnesses?” Olivia caught the panic in her voice as she spoke. “Someone has to know what happened to him.”

  “Uniforms are canvassing the area now to see if anyone saw anything. We should know more soon,” Avery said. “I promise I’ll let you know the moment I hear anything
.”

  Guilt refused to lessen its hold. They never should have left him there. There had to have been a way to save themselves and Felipe.

  “There is one other thing I need to tell you, Olivia.” Avery pulled a file out of the stack on a table. “Felipe’s name sounded familiar, so I started digging through my paperwork to find out where I’d seen his name before. Olivia, please understand, I know this is difficult, but did you know that your father and Felipe were brothers?”

  “Brothers?” Olivia’s voice caught. “No, that can’t be true. Where did you get that information?”

  “I dug up every mention I could find on the Cártel de Rey in our files, going back four decades. According to one of the sources, Antonio and Felipe used to run the cartel together. Then about thirty years ago, something happened between them, and they split up, eventually causing rifts in their territories.”

  Olivia’s head spun. Somehow, in some crazy illogical way, everything was beginning to make sense. The secrets hadn’t stopped with her mother and Valez. Felipe had known the truth about Valez because he’d been a part of it all.

  “There have been rumors circulating for months that La Sombra is dying and grooming a replacement.”

  Olivia sat back down on the couch and leaned forward, bracing her arms against her thighs. She’d noticed that Felipe had lost weight and seemed … different.

  Avery continued on. “I know this is hard, Olivia, but what do you know about Felipe’s relationship with your father?”

  “Not very much.” Olivia looked at Avery and tried to digest her question. She didn’t want to deal with any of this. “Felipe and my father … I know they met at least once years ago, maybe twice. But I don’t think they were friends, if that’s what you mean.”

  Of course, all she had was the word of her mother and what she’d seen.

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “I never saw them together, and my father never mentioned him, but Felipe … When we were there at the cabin, Felipe told me he was in love with my mother … and that she was in love with him.”

  “Did Valez find out about their relationship?” Avery asked.

  “Not as far as I know. Felipe told me my father would have killed him if he’d ever found out.”

  “Did Felipe ever talk about any involvement with the cartel?”

  “Felipe?” Olivia narrowed her gaze, uncertain as to where Avery was taking the conversation. “No. He never said anything about the cartel. Ever.”

  Avery’s gaze shifted to Michael, then back to Olivia. “I know this might be difficult for you to hear, but we have evidence that Felipe was involved in the cartel also. That he disappeared for a while, but was still very much active.”

  Olivia felt her anger rise. This was nothing more than another crazy wild-goose chase in the wrong direction. And what did it matter anyway? Felipe was dead. “Felipe lived in a cabin in the woods with his dog. Kept to himself most of the time. Loved it when we visited, which was only a couple times of year. He was a hermit.”

  “What if he was there because he’d gone into hiding, Olivia?” Avery asked.

  “No—”

  “Avery’s just looking for answers.” Michael reached out and took her hand.

  Tears welled in Olivia’s eyes. “I know, it’s just that you’re looking in the wrong place.”

  She dug through the cluttered recesses of her mind, trying to unearth anything that connected Felipe to the cartel. He’d always been like a father to her and Ivan, much more even than her own father. Beyond his somewhat quirky behavior, she couldn’t see him involved with the cartel.

  Unless she’d simply ignored the truth like she’d done with her father. The thought made her sick. How easy it had been to see what she’d wanted to see and ignore what she didn’t.

  “Did he have any enemies?” Avery asked.

  “I don’t know.” She reached up to rub her throbbing temple with her free hand. “Maybe. He did mention one time that he needed to keep a low profile for a while, but he didn’t seem overly worried, and I never thought much about it.”

  “Did he ever have any visitors while you were there?”

  She shook her head. “We didn’t see him often, but when we did, he was always alone. I thought he preferred it that way.” So many secrets had been kept. So many lies.

  The room pressed in around her. Olivia struggled to breathe.

  “I’m sorry.” She pulled her hand away from Michael, unable to hold back the tears any longer, and ran toward the balcony.

  20

  Olivia stepped out onto the chilly balcony overlooking the Atlanta skyline and drew in a ragged breath. A thin layer of snow covered the buildings framed by the green beltway in the backdrop. She tried to shake the feeling of being caged in, wondering by the time this was over how many more secrets would be uncovered.

  When all of this was over, she was going to whisk Ivan away with her. They could move across the country. Disappear, somewhere safe, where her father could never find her. Except she wasn’t sure there even was such a place.

  Besides, maybe her father wouldn’t come after her. Michael was the one he wanted. Michael was the one hiding from the police and searching for evidence that would take down Antonio Valez. Which meant that when all of this was over, there was the very real possibility that her father would spend the rest of his life in prison.

  But Michael—the man she should resent was also one of the reasons she wanted to stay.

  Emily stepped out onto the balcony, hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, with her double-breasted vintage coat and knee-high leather boots. She handed the wool jacket she carried to Olivia. “You’re going to freeze out here.”

  Olivia took the coat and nodded her thanks as she slipped it on. She’d barely even noticed the cold.

  “I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Emily said.

  “My nerves are a bit … strung out. I just needed some fresh air.”

  Emily rested her hand on Olivia’s arm and caught her gaze. “If anyone can figure out what’s going on right now, it’s the team working inside. You can trust them.”

  Olivia nodded, wanting to believe her. “I want you to know I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. The clothes … the encouragement …”

  For making her feel as if she weren’t an outsider.

  Emily smiled. “We’ll have to go shopping together when this is all over. I have a few places where I can always find something unique.”

  “I’d like that.” Almost as much as she liked the friendship Emily was handing her.

  “Besides,” Emily said, “our family owes you for saving Michael. I’m still trying to absorb the fact that he’s alive. It seems like yesterday when we received the news that he’d been killed.”

  “I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.”

  “I think you can.”

  Fresh pain washed over Olivia, leaving her raw emotions feeling exposed. “Felipe was like a second father to Ivan and me. It’s still hard to believe he’s gone.”

  “You’ve been through a lot in the past couple days.”

  “How did you deal with the news of Michael’s death?” Olivia asked.

  Emily stared out across the city. “Michael’s presumed death was hard on all of us, but I guess the fact that I knew he’d been doing what he knew was right helped in a small way. Unfortunately, even trying to make the world a better place doesn’t always guarantee a happy ending.”

  “What about when you find out your family’s running with the cartel?” Olivia asked. “How do you justify that?”

  “I don’t know, but I can tell you this. That fact doesn’t influence Michael one bit. He asked me to put in a good word for him. He likes you. A lot.”

  Olivia brushed her hair back from her face and turned to Emily. “Which is exactly what scares me. I don’t meet a lot of men my age—or shall I say, men I can see myself being with. They usually end up too busy with their career or on the other end of the spec
trum, living with their mothers.”

  Emily laughed. “Believe me, I know the feeling. It took me a long time to find a man I can trust.”

  “Mason?”

  A blush swept over Emily’s cheeks. “Our whole relationship was completely unexpected. There was always a chemistry between us, I guess, but I was just the baby sister of his best friend. Everything that’s happened over the past two weeks has reminded me what’s important in life, along with the uncertainties life often throws at us.”

  “Michael told me a little bit about Charlie and how he ended up being a dirty cop.”

  Emily’s gaze dropped. “I’m still trying to work through those emotions. Still trying to get the picture out of my head of what happened when he died. All I know for sure right now is that it’ll take some time.”

  Olivia leaned against the railing, wondering how long it would take her to work through her own father’s betrayal. “So how did you let go and trust? Especially after what happened with Charlie?”

  “I’m finding it’s not easy,” Emily said. “But when you find the right person, in the end it’s a decision you make to believe in that person. And the reality is that there are good men out there. Charlie betrayed me, but I know I can’t generalize that all men are evil because of him.”

  “It still scares me. I’m suddenly faced with the realization that my father isn’t the man I thought he was or—at the least—wanted him to be. It suddenly makes me question all of my relationships and why I didn’t see the truth in front of me.”

  “I know I had to keep reminding myself that God didn’t give me a spirit of fear and timidity,” Emily said, “but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

  “Maybe it’s time I grabbed on to that truth.”

  Mason and Michael walked out on the balcony, bringing with them a gust of hot air from the hotel room.

  “Are we interrupting?” Mason slid his arms around Emily’s waist.

  “Yes.” Emily smiled, then let him kiss her lightly on the lips. “Olivia and I have been talking … getting to know each other.”

  Michael stopped beside Olivia, making her long for him to gather her into his arms and kiss her too.