by D. Camille
He put a hand to his forehead. “I have no idea. He can't be Justin Black.”
“Well he apparently knows this Dr. Smith,” she pointed out.
Trent frowned. “Why were we even questioning her?”
Callie looked over at him. “Marc thinks she killed both your father and Milton Martin.”
He bolted upright. “What?”
“He told me last night,” Callie sat sitting up.
“What the hell is going on?” Trent asked.
Callie touched his arm. “I don't know baby. I just know this Dr. Smith is way more than anyone thought.”
Trent shook his head. “If Marc thinks that she killed Justin then who was the man last night?”
“We have to find out and we have to find out just who the hell this Dr. Camille Smith is,” Callie told him.
Trent lowered his head into his hands. “This is so damn crazy.”
“You found your brothers who are an elite society of killers, what's so crazy about this?”
He smiled at her. “I love you Callie.”
She smiled back. “If you love me so much, you'll call Ray and see what time he wants to see us.”
“Nah sexy girl, I don't love you that much.”
Callie frowned and Trent laughed as he grabbed his phone. “We'll put it on speaker.”
Ray answered on the first ring. “So you finally got around to responding.”
“Uh, hey Ray. You called?” Trent said looking at Callie.
“You know damn well I called!” Ray told him.
Trent cleared his throat. “Did you need me for something?”
“You and Callie get your asses to this office right got damn now,” Ray said slowly. “And if I were you I wouldn't fall back asleep.”
Callie gave Trent a nervous look. “We're on our way,” Trent said watching Callie with a nervous look of his own.
Ray disconnected the call and the two looked at each other. “Damn, we are really in trouble,” Callie said quietly.
Trent ran a hand over his head. “We'd better get in there.”
*********
Marc sat across from Ray in the conference room at Parker Security. Marc had informed Ray of the previous night’s events then he'd listened quietly as Ray spoke with Trent on the phone. He watched as Ray sat the phone on the table then turned bright brown eyes on him.
“You have the floor Special Agent Graham.”
Marc sat back in his seat. “As I said, things didn't go as I had expected.”
Ray raised a brow. “I hope that you didn't plan it that way.”
“She's more than I expected,” Marc explained. “Dr. Camille Smith is diabolical.”
“She snatched Trent. Why?” Ray questioned.
Marc leaned forward. “Trent said the man in the room looked exactly like Justin Black.”
Ray frowned. “What the hell is going on here?”
“That's my question,” Marc agreed. “Sean came to me and asked me to check her out. I had no idea all of this was involved.”
“We've opened a damn Pandora's box,” Ray commented.
They looked up as Isis rushed into the room. She took the seat next to Marc, as both men looked puzzled.
“Hi.” She smiled at both of them.
“What are you doing Isis?” Marc asked.
Isis looked at Ray. “I'm here to support Marcus. He did nothing wrong and you shouldn't be mad at him.”
Ray looked at Marc. “Is this for real?”
Marc turned to Isis. “That's very nice of you sweetheart, but I'm an FBI Special Agent. I don't need my girlfriend to protect me.”
She looked at him. “I just want Ray to know what happened and that it wasn't your fault.”
Marc took her hand. “Thank you Princess, I'm fine. You should go now.”
He stood and helped her to her feet. With a quick glance at Ray he walked her out to her car.
“I shouldn't have come?” she asked sheepishly.
He shook his head. “No.”
Big brown eyes looked up at him. “Are you angry?”
“No, I'm not angry with you.”
Isis squeezed his hand. “I'm sorry?” she said biting her lip, looking down.
Marc lifted her face to his. “I know how strongly you feel about protecting those you love, but I can handle my job sweetheart.”
Isis nodded staring up into his dark glasses. “So kiss me goodbye and have a good day,” he told her.
She lifted her face to his as he lowered his head and placed a hand at her waist. Their lips met and Marc pulled her closer until she was pressed against him.
“Do we have an understanding?” he asked against her lips.
Isis placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yes, babe.”
He kissed her again. “I'll see you later.”
Marc helped her inside her car and waited until she drove away. Turning he headed back inside where Ray was waiting.
“Is your Momma coming next?” Ray asked as Marc took his seat.
Marc shook his head. “Isis is extremely loyal to those she cares about.”
“She'll get a pass this time because she's my sister-in-law,” Ray sighed. “I swear y'all asses not going to drive me crazy.”
“Let's finish debriefing,” Marc suggested.
Ray nodded. “Any leads on where the infamous Doctor has disappeared to?” he asked.
Marc frowned. “No clue as to how she exited the building unnoticed and there's no activity at her home. It's like she vanished into thin air, which we know is impossible.”
Marc opened a file on the table. “I started looking over Trent's report this morning and figured out how she's getting her information. Going through her history, Trent found that DCS Services is owned by none other than Dr. Camille Smith. DCS Services is the largest services business in the country and has many subsidiary names. They employ everything from servers, to drivers, to cooks and every other type of help that affluent people require. She services every celebrity event, party, baby shower and wedding.” He slid the folder to Ray who picked it up and began looking through it.
“Her signature is that her servers dress in all black,” Marc continued. “She's using this network to collect information and do her bidding. Trent said last night that the four gunmen were dressed in all black just like the servers at the party.”
Ray sighed knowing that this was far more than any of them had expected. He looked over at Marc. “The second mission was a success though?”
Marc nodded. “Yes, everything went exactly to plan, except Jeremiah was early.”
“I'm surprised you trusted him at all,” Ray commented.
“If he would've deviated from the plan, he knew the consequences. I made that very clear.”
Ray watched Marc. “Isabelle said that Isis was very excited after the mission. You want her on the team?”
“She wants to be.”
Ray frowned. “I'm not making a team of couples. Trent and Callie are enough to deal with.” He leaned back. “Can you lead the woman you love in dangerous situations?”
“I would never put Isis in any situation where she wasn't prepared,” Marc answered. “And we have an understanding as to what my job is along with my ability to handle it.”
Ray nodded slowly thinking over Marc's words.
Kyle poked his head in the door and nodded at both men. “Hey Ray, I just wanted to let you know that I've gone through everything from Milton Martin's office.”
Ray nodded. “Anything stick out?”
Kyle shrugged. “Maybe, but I still need to connect the dots.”
“Come look this over,” Ray waved him into the room and handed him the file that Marc had given him. “Tell me if anything waves a flag.”
Marc gave Ray a confused look. “If she killed Milton, she had some connection to him. Let's see what comes up,” Ray explained.
Kyle took the file and quickly began to look it over while Ray and Marc watched.
After a minute, he turned
to both men. “Uh...did you two go through this address list of recent clients?”
“No, Trent gave me the report yesterday and I just started it this morning,” Marc answered.
Kyle looked at Ray. “She had people at your wedding party and your baby shower.” He continued looking over the sheet.
Ray frowned. “What?”
Kyle continued. “And this subsidiary company listed once employed a guy that Milton Martin had on his payroll before his death. I remember seeing this company and wondering why Martin had was paying someone who didn't work at his home or business.”
He looked up at Marc and studied him for a moment. “Are you related to Gregory Graham?”
Marc got to his feet. “Why?”
“The guy who Milton Martin hired is working at the Graham estate,” Kyle said slowly.
Ray stood quickly from his chair. “Dammit! There's someone employed by Milton at your family's house.”
Without a second glance, Marc was out the door and Ray looked at Kyle. “Text him the info and he'll handle it from there.”
Kyle nodded and pulled out his phone sending Marc the information he would need when he arrived. He gave Ray a final look as Trent and Callie entered the room slowly. They quietly took seats at the table while watching as Ray sat and Kyle exited the room.
“Well welcome, although your asses are employed here,” Ray told them.
He turned to Callie. “So Callie, tell me when you started pointing a gun at your Team Leader? I don't ever recall teaching you that.”
Callie lowered her head. “I was worried about Trent. I was wrong and I'll apologize to Marc.”
Trent looked at Callie. “You pulled a gun on Marc?”
“You were missing and I lost it,” Callie confessed.
Trent shook his head remembering the time he'd done the same thing. “Man, Marc is a patient dude.”
Ray frowned. “Yes he is, but don't take him for granted. He knows how I feel about all of you on the team, so he's giving passes, otherwise you two would be dead. Don't push him.”
They both nodded. “What happened last night Trent?” Ray asked.
Trent sighed. “Ray, it was crazy. A guy tried to jump me from behind but I flipped him and the next thing I know there were four guns pointed at me and they took me downstairs to some kind of secret room.”
He glanced at Callie then back at Ray. “The man in the room looked just like the pictures of Justin Black.”
Ray looked confused. “Did he tell you who he was?” he questioned.
“No, he just said that you guys don't know that he exists. He kept telling me that I'm a Black and that I was lost and now I'm found,” Trent told him.
“How in the hell does he know all of that?” Ray demanded.
Trent shrugged. “He has connections to Dr. Smith. He said that she was the one who told him I was there.”
“Did he threaten you?” Ray asked.
“No, he said he wouldn't hurt me because I was family,” Trent reiterated.
Ray sat back in thought. “Who the hell is this dude?”
“I don't know Ray,” Trent said quietly. “But he says he's watching me. I think he's watching all of us.”
Ray frowned. “We're going to find out who this is and when we do...”
He stood to his feet and picked up the file Marc had given him. “I need to get on top of this and you two need to get to work.”
They both nodded. “Okay.”
Ray walked to the door and stopped. “And the next time I call you two and you don't answer, your asses are fired.”
“Okay.” They both glanced at each other then smiled after he left the room.
Ray walked back to his office thinking maybe it wasn't time for The Black Diamonds to retire. This was going to require the skills of all the Diamonds to handle...
*********
Marc arrived at his parent's home in record time. He knew the man he was looking for but first went to seek out his father to alert him of the situation. Kyle had sent him all the information he needed to proceed and there was more to it than he'd originally been given.
Gregory Graham looked up as his son entered the study. To say that he was surprised to see him was a huge understatement. “Marcus?”
Marc closed the door behind him and walked over to where his father was sitting.
“I need to talk to you about a situation,” Marc told him.
Gregory heard the seriousness in his voice and turned all of his attention to him.
“There's someone working here at the estate who has criminal ties. I have reason to believe that he's here spying on you as well as plotting to harm you.”
His father stood from his seat. “What? Are you serious? Who is it?”
“You hired one of the servers from Tasha's party to work here,” Marc said from behind his dark glasses.
Gregory nodded. “Yes, there was a young man who worked at the party. He came and asked me about a job. He seemed like a nice guy. I got references from his company and we added him to the staff. What do you mean he wants to harm us?”
“He's connected to a case I'm working on,” Marc informed him.
Gregory frowned. “This wouldn't happen if you would have become an actor, like you were supposed to be.”
Marc stared at his father. “This is not the time for that conversation.”
“When is the time then Marcus? You never talk to me,” his father replied.
“Ask Alan Daniels to come in to speak with you so I can find out what he knows,” Marc instructed ending the conversation.
Gregory watched his son for a moment before picking up the phone on his desk. “He works in the kitchen.”
“Emma, can you send Alan to my study. I'd like to speak with him.” Gregory completed the call then looked at Marc. “He'll be here shortly.”
Marc nodded. “Let me ask the questions.”
The two men waited in silence watching each other until there was a light knock on the door.
“Come in,” Gregory answered and the door opened.
Marc watched the man enter in ready mode. The guy appeared harmless but if he was working for Milton, he was definitely a threat.
“You wanted to see me Mr. Graham?” Alan asked watching the tall man in the suit and dark glasses. He knew this was Gregory's son and that he was an FBI Agent.
“Mr. Daniels, I'd like to ask you a few questions.” Marc studied the man and felt his tension.
“Uh...questions?” he asked looking at Gregory.
Marc nodded. “Yes, questions. For instance what is your connection to Milton Martin?”
Alan shrugged. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he evaded.
“So you don't know the man who was paying you?” Marc questioned. “The man who planted you here in my family's home?”
Marc noticed the narrowing of the man's eyes and pulled his gun immediately, pointing it directly at the man's face. “Don't even think about making a move!”
“Put your damn hands up!” Marc yelled as he approached Alan.
Gregory watched as his son walked over with his gun pointed. Marc began to pat the man down and stopped when he encountered something. Keeping his gun trained on the man, he lifted his shirt to reveal one of the knives from the kitchen hidden in his waistband.
Marc removed the knife and threw it on his father's desk as Gregory's eyes widened
“What the hell were you planning to do with that?” Marc snapped as he grabbed his cuffs from behind his back.
“Put your hands on your head and if you attempt to try me, your ass will be dead on this floor.” Marc waited while Alan slowly put his hands on the back of his head. He cuffed the man then moved him to the sofa. “Sit your ass down.”
Gregory watched his son in awe as Marc began to question the man he'd hired to work in his home.
“Are you ready to talk now or do I need to give you some encouragement?” Marc asked staring down at Alan with the gun pointed in his face.
<
br /> The man looked up at Marc who seemed to relish the thought of encouraging him to talk.
“What do you want to know?” he asked staring at the barrel of Marc's gun.
“Why are you here and what were you supposed to do?”
Alan let out a breath. “I was supposed to keep an eye on the old man, then when I got the word...take him out.”
Gregory gasped in shock and Marc glanced at his father before turning back to Alan.
“The word from who?” he demanded.
“First it was Martin, but he keeled over unexpectedly so I contacted his daughter. She told me to stay in place and she'd give me the word,” he explained.
“What's the daughter's name?” Marc asked already knowing the answer.
Alan lowered his head. “Her name is Millie...”
“How did you hook up with Martin?” Marc queried.
“He caught me spying on him for the services company at his daughter's graduation party a while ago then he said he'd pay me to do the same thing for him...and more.”
Marc frowned. “What was the services company looking for?”
“Anything and everything...we were supposed to watch and report what happened, what was said who was there.”
Marc turned to his father. “Fire everyone you've hired from that damn company. Today!”
Chapter 24
Marc drove home to his apartment in the wee hours of the morning. He thought back on the past two days, two missions, one botched and one successful; his meeting with Ray and then the events at his parent's home.
He'd made sure everyone connected with the services company had been dismissed and escorted from the property and had Alan Daniels into custody. He'd spent hours questioning him and trying to piece together what the hell was going on.
Marc had called Isis during a break in his interrogation to check on her and to let her know it was going to be a long night for him. He'd promised to call her tomorrow, right now he needed to digest all that had occurred.
The desk attendant smiled slyly and greeted Marc as he entered the lobby. “Have a good night Agent Graham.”
Marc nodded and continued to his apartment. When he stepped inside the dark apartment, his instincts told him immediately that someone was inside. Silently he withdrew his gun then proceeded slowly inside, without turning on the lights. He walked further and stopped abruptly removing his glasses.