by AC Arthur
Chapter 13
“So you took my advice?” Suri asked Dane at breakfast the next afternoon.
They were sitting at the table in the designated dining area of the suite at the San Régis.
“All things considered, it did make sense to bring Zera here last night,” Dane replied.
Today Suri wore a red high-waist skirt, white blouse with puffy sleeves and bright yellow sandals with ties that went all the way up to her knee. She wore yellow make-up at her eyes and fire engine-red on her lips. Her hair was twisted in some fashion that left it piled high on top of her head.
“Of course it made sense,” Suri insisted after finishing her second plum.
A bowl of fruit sat in the center of the table, a carafe with coffee and a pitcher of water on either side of it. Dane enjoyed fruits over vegetables and agreed with Suri’s obvious appreciation of the small summer plum. They were called Mirabelles and Dane was certain he’d never had one in the States.
He finished the water he’d been drinking and set the glass on the table.
“That’s why I suggested you do it,” Suri continued. “I knew once you went to see her that things would work out. And they did.”
Dane had to agree with her and was more than a little amused at how happy that seemed to make her.
Suri wiped her hands on a linen napkin and sat back in the chair. “When I got your text, however I wanted to both strangle and kiss you. I do not need a babysitter, but thank you for being concerned.”
Dane gave her a brief smile.
“I did not say you needed a babysitter, Suri. I simply wanted to make sure you were safe.”
She arched a brow. “You wanted to make sure I wasn’t necking with another woman in the bar at four in the morning,” Suri said. “You didn’t fool me for a second.”
His smile turned into a chuckle.
Dane called Suri last night, or rather very early this morning. After his conversation with Zera and their subsequent joining, Dane had lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Zera had once again wrapped her body around his, her breath whispered warmly over his chest while thoughts continued to run through his mind. He was worried about Zera’s safety and how best to protect her. He was also concerned about how everything that Zera was going through could ultimately impact his businesses and the new Donovan Oilwell endeavor.
That train of thought had led him back to his newfound family and how unexpectedly helpful Suri had been. He eased out of the bed, removed his cell phone from the charger and left the room. Dane sent a text to Suri, thanking her for her sage advice and telling her that he hoped she was safe and sound in bed. He had been shocked when she’d immediately responded asking if he’d taken her advice why was he on his cell phone instead of making sweet love to his woman. Suri made Dane laugh, something he hadn’t done enough of in his life. They’d exchanged text messages for almost fifteen minutes, during which time Dane admitted to being worried about Zera’s safety.
“That’s not what I was thinking, but since you brought it up, I’m glad you were safe and in your suite by that time,” he told her. “It was a good idea to get Zera out of the Novotel. It hadn’t occurred to me that if someone were after her they may have followed her back there.”
“That’s because your mind was sex-addled at the time,” Suri said. “But seriously, her safety should be considered. As soon as Roark told me and Ridge about who she was and what she was to you, I thought about the danger. Of course, Roark with his business-first-last-and-only mentality, thought about the companies. And Ridge’s thoughts went to the family.”
“But you think with your heart,” Dane said.
He admired that about his cousin.
Suri shrugged. “I like to think that makes me smarter than everyone else.”
It just might, Dane thought.
“I appreciate you sending your driver to pick us up,” he told her. “He did exactly as instructed, coming around to the back service entrance. I had to speak to the concierge and hotel’s general manager about us going down the service elevator and through the kitchen to leave. But it all worked out.”
“How is your FBI agent this morning?” Suri asked him.
She had been calling Zera since last night. At first Dane had remained caught up on the “FBI agent” part. Now, he thought more about the fact that Suri believed that Zera belonged to him.
“She was exhausted,” he said. “After everything that happened at that club, her friend’s surgery and me confronting her, she was completely drained. I was able to convince her to have breakfast in bed this morning.”
Suri grinned with a knowing look in her eyes. “I’ll just bet she was exhausted by all of that and by all that great make up sex you two had!”
Dane shook his head. “You’re incorrigible.”
Suri tossed her head back and laughed. “I concur,” she said between guffaws.
“You told LeAmbette I was still here,” Zera said to Aasir when he’d finally returned her messages, later that afternoon.
When she’d asked Dane this morning how he’d found out she was FBI, he’d told her that his cousin was a profiler and he’d come across her name and pictures of her and Dane together in one of his cases, Zera knew that her cover was blown. Maybe not with the Belyakov bratva, but she was definitely no longer working under the government radar.
“I needed someone to keep an eye on you,” he replied. “I told you it was time for you to come home. You almost got yourself killed.”
“No,” Zera said sadly. “I almost got my friend killed.”
She’d called the hospital once this morning and then again after she and Dane had finished with lunch. That was how she came to be in the bedroom of this beautiful suite at the San Régis, while Dane was in the outer rooms. He had business to take care of and she’d wanted some privacy to make her own calls.
After hearing from the nurse that Ines was stable, Zera immediately dialed Aasir’s personal cell number.
“I’m sorry she was hurt, but I am relieved that you weren’t,” Aasir said. “Enough is enough, Zera. This is over. I should never have given you all the information I did. Not only could I ultimately lose my job for my involvement in your search, but you could have died.”
“But I didn’t,” Zera told him.
She’d thought about that all last night. She was alive and Ines was alive. But what about Hiari? And what about the girls?
“Those leads in that agenda book are big, Aasir. They could bring down multiple kidnapping rings and save so many lives. How can I stop now?”
“Give Necole the book. She’ll add it to the information the task force has compiled and they’ll handle this. They are much better equipped to handle it than you can on your own.”
Zera listened to his words. They were similar to some of the thoughts she’d had last night while she’d sat in Ines’s room holding her hand.
It had been four years and while Zera had made some progress, she hadn’t been successful in figuring out exactly where Hiari had been taken. She’d hoped that eventually she would gather enough information on Emmet to get him to tell her everything. But then Emmet had been killed. The explosion at the office building where Emmet operated a legitimate accounting firm and his illegal money laundering and human trafficking empire had come just a week after Emmet’s last trip to the French Riviera. It was after that trip that Emmet had placed the money and the agenda book in his safe. Zera wondered now if Emmet had known that Misha Belyakov was going to order his death.
“I know where they took her,” she told Aasir. “I’ve worked so long and so hard for this. I want to find her.”
“Then let Necole do her job. Give her the information and come home, Zera. Come back to Nairobi. Your mother and grandmother miss you terribly.”
Zera sighed. “I spoke to them yesterday morning.”
She realized now that she’d called them because she knew she was planning to go after Pierre and Luka yesterday and some part of her must have known ho
w dangerous that was.
“It’s over, Zera.”
She shook her head. “Not for me, Aasir. And I apologize for putting your job at jeopardy. I appreciate all the information you’ve been able to pass onto me. If I’m ever asked, I promise not to divulge my sources.”
“Necole already knows I was helping you,” he said. “Luckily her family is very close to mine so we’ve always been more like relatives than colleagues even though she prefers to make London her home with her husband. We all want to bring our girls home, Zera. We do. We’re just trying to do so while working in the guidelines that have been set for us.”
And that was the problem, Zera thought. The guidelines were too damn restraining.
“I appreciate all of your help, I really do. I’m safe and after last night I think my investigation will get a push in the right direction.”
“After you walked into the arms of the bratva and barely escaped? Are you kidding?”
“No,” she told him. “I am not talking about that. I mean, those events obviously set things in motion, but I won’t be working alone anymore. A fr…uh, I mean, someone I’ve known, or rather…,” she paused and sighed. “I’m going to have some help now. So this might actually be over soon. But not yet, Aasir. Not until—”
“Not until you know for sure whether Hiari is dead or alive. I get it, Zera. Who is this friend that is going to help you? And do you think it’s wise to get some outsider involved?” he asked.
“His name is Dane. He’s a wealthy American and he has resources that I can use to open more doors. I can follow the trail that was outlined in Emmet’s book and hopefully figure out a way to fill in the blanks where he left out Hiari and her group’s final destination,” she told him.
“Why is he helping you? What does he want in return?”
“Nothing,” Zera replied. “And why do you say it like that?”
She felt like he was accusing her of something, but not actually having the guts to come right out and say what.
“I’ll say it one more time, let Necole and the rest of us do our jobs, Zera.”
“It is my job!” she told him. “She is my family. My grandmother wants me to bring her home and I promised her I would.”
For Zera, that was all that mattered. She ended the call with Aasir after he agreed to visit her family to let them know that she was doing well, but still disagreed with her working with Dane.
Zera refused to focus on Aasir or his pessimism right now. She walked out of the room and entered the sitting area that was now full of people. One of which was familiar.
“Zera,” Dane said and immediately walked toward her.
He touched her elbow and walked beside her until they were standing in the center of the room.
“These are my cousins, Roark and Suri Donovan and Agent Cade Donovan. Cade is with the FBI. And this is—”
“Agent Necole LeAmbette,” Zera finished for him. “Nice to see you again.”
Zera gave the Interpol agent a bleak smile, but she looked to Dane’s cousins and gave them a more genuine one.
Roark stood with his arms folded across his chest. He wore black slacks and a white Polo shirt. His complexion, a soft buttery hue, was lighter than Dane’s. But Roark’s black hair, thick brows and light beard gave him a darker, more brooding look. Cade also had a lighter complexion than Dane’s. He wore a black suit, crisp white shirt and a black tie which gave him a definite federal agent appearance. The gold watch at one wrist and thick link bracelet on the other said he was not as straight an arrow as his job might entail.
“Hi, Zera. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” the woman named Suri said.
She also extended her hand for Zera to shake. Zera happily did so.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Suri.”
The woman’s smile was as bright as her yellow eye shadow and sandals. Her hair was beautifully and boldly styled and Zera thought she could definitely like her.
“We need to talk, Zera,” Cade said and motioned for Zera to take a seat.
Dane, once again touching her elbow, steered her to the couch and waited until she sat. He sat beside her.
Necole and Suri took seats in the chairs across from the couch, while Roark and Cade remained standing.
“I understand that my name came up in a case you’re working on, Agent Donovan. But I’m not totally sure why,” Zera said.
“Call me, Cade,” he said with a quick smile. “After hearing about last night’s events, I decided I needed to make a visit to Paris. Luckily, the Donovans have two private jets.”
“Three,” Suri chimed in. “Dane’s got one too.”
Suri smiled, but Dane kept the somber look on his face after that little announcement.
Cade continued. “I’m speaking totally off the record today. The Bureau has an international team that works directly with Interpol on a variety of cases, so I’m a little out of jurisdiction on this one.”
“Join the club,” Necole stated. “This is also an unofficial meeting on behalf of my office and the international task force I am attached to.”
Okay, all disclaimers had been made, Zera thought. That meant this little meeting was not going to be good.
“This all sounds very official,” Suri said. “I might need a drink. Can I get anyone something?”
The men each gave Suri a slight shake of their head, while Necole smiled with her “no thanks”. Zera, on the other hand, quite agreed with Suri.
“Yes. Please. A glass of wine would be great,” she said.
“There have been a half dozen murders in the States stretching from New Mexico to Rhode Island. Each victim with ties, both current and past, to Russian organizations that were already on an international watch list,” Cade said. “My team was asked to review the case files and to provide a profile on the killer. In doing so, I came across your name.”
“In what capacity?” Zera asked.
She accepted the glass from Suri and took a tentative sip. Her goal was to appear calm, when she was actually feeling a little ill. Zera had no idea what Cade was going to say next, but she knew it could only get worse.
Cade unbuttoned his suit jacket and slipped a hand into his front pant pocket. He looked like a GQ cover. While, off to the side, Roark put her more in mind of Heathcliff, the brooding hero in Wuthering Heights, one of Zera’s favorite books.
“You once provided a report on a man named Thaddeus Trudeau in reference to a series of phone calls, meetings and email transmission intercepted via a FISA warrant. Your report emphasized that the Bureau had no evidence to connect Trudeau to any of the cybercrimes that were being investigated. So no arrest was made.”
Zera remembered the report clearly because it was one of the first she’d worked on at the Bureau. The warrant obtained through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was specific on the messages that could be used in their investigation so it had been a colossal headache sorting through all of the intelligence, making sure to only focus on what they could use legally.
“I remember that,” was all Zera said in response.
Cade nodded. “Trudeau is the latest murder victim. His body was found six weeks ago. Information concerning a disagreement between Trudeau and the organization he worked for made an easy murder plot. But not a professional hit. So investigators had to dig deeper. Your report was in Trudeau’s file, but when the investigating agent tried to reach you to discuss, he discovered you’d taken a leave of absence. A four-year leave of absence and that you’d left the States. You hadn’t returned to Nairobi and the last trace of you traveling had been to Paris. A city where Misha Belyakov runs a very lucrative leg of the Belyakov bratva, the organized crime family that Trudeau was connected to.”
Zera could easily follow Cade’s train of thought from there. Her report had kept Trudeau out of federal custody, allowing him to go on for the next four years and commit whatever other crimes he had committed in that time. Those crimes quite possibly led to Trudeau’s death. Years
later there’s trouble brewing between Trudeau and the Russian mafia. And the agent who let him go free is on leave. Had she been working for the Belyakovs too? And, if so, after she did her job of keeping Trudeau out of jail, had she then traveled to Paris to perform another job for the organization? It made sense on a basic level, even if it was totally untrue.
“I’m not working with the Belyakovs,” she stated evenly.
“We know that now,” Cade said.
“After I spoke with you last night, Zera, I felt it was time to clear some of the air,” Necole added.
Zera looked at her. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“As I told you last night I believe you’ve done all you can here with regard to your cousin’s case. The Belyakovs want to get their hands on you so badly that they were willing to shoot up their own club, bringing the eyes of the police right to their door. You know something, or you have something they want and they aren’t going to stop until they kill you to get it.” Necole spoke in an eerily calm voice, but her words had Dane reaching for Zera’s hand.
And Zera’s heart beat wildly.
“So since we’re now certain that you’re not working against us,” Cade interjected. “We need to protect you.”
“We need to know everything you learned from Emmet Parks,” Necole said.
Zera’s hand began to shake, so she hurriedly finished her wine. She toyed with the stem of the glass for a few seconds, feeling the eyes of everyone in that room on her.
“I knew Emmet Parks,” Dane said. “We went to college together. Are you certain that he had enough information to hurt a Russian crime family in some way?”
Necole shrugged and kept her gaze focused on Zera. “Only she can tell us that.”
“And what happens when she tells you?” Dane asked.
“We take over the investigation and she gets out of sight,” Cade answered.