“We tracked down a number of corporations receiving the money and making payments. Next was finding who actually deposited the money.”
“There’s a Colombian drug ring based in Corona. If we dig, we’ll likely find that all the deposits were either done by them or other members of the CDA.” Alex pointed out the pictures of the drug ring and CDA members from the file Hank Rupert had provided.
“A strange alliance. It’s even stranger that with so much money going into de la Fuente’s account, no one noticed,” she said. Banks were supposed to carefully monitor such activities.
Alex shot her a skeptical look. “Didn’t notice or maybe got paid not to?”
She shrugged, picked up a tostone from the plate and offered up the twice-fried plantain to him. Too much like old times, she thought. She would be wise not to fall into old habits. “Probably the latter, but there’s nothing suspicious about the bank personnel. After de la Fuente’s activities, the trail gets ice-cold. The dummy corporations’ accounts were accessed via the Internet.”
Alex snagged the plantain from her and chewed on it thoughtfully before replying. “The wonders of modern banking. From drug money to fully available e-money.”
“Impossible to trace,” she agreed. “So we know how they got the money.”
She searched Alex’s face. It showed no trace of emotion and yet her gut told her he was keeping something from her. Another new development in her ex-lover. He’d always been easy to read. “So why don’t you tell me the why?”
He hesitated as he scooped up some of the rice and beans, the delay confirming her instinct hadn’t failed her. “Hank’s probably told you most of this.” He had a hard glint in his eyes as he met her gaze.
A sick feeling settled into the pit of her stomach. For a moment she told herself she really didn’t want to know the worst-case scenario. But only for a moment, since she knew that to solve this case, she needed all the information. “What else is there?”
He braced his forearms on the edge of the table. “Need to know only.”
“My partner—”
“No one besides him and your ADIC. It’s too risky. The weapon stolen from an army base was an experimental prototype for a hand-held smart bomb delivery system and the warheads for same.”
“Ah, fresh destructive power from our wonderful military machine,” she quipped to hide her unease. “Possible chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear kind of destruction?”
“Definitely convertible to a CBRN,” Alex explained. “Although the warheads stolen were your garden variety explosives. But still capable of taking down a large building.”
A shiver worked through her at the thought. She and David had barely managed to escape the collapse of the World Trade Center after going in to help survivors during the 9/1 1 attack.
“Diana?” He laid his hand over hers, clearly sensing her disquiet.
To her surprise, comfort filled her with that simple touch. “I’m okay. Go on, por favor.”
“About three months ago, the CIA heard rumors of this prototype being up for grabs. They intercepted a flurry of e-mails and phone calls that seemed to indicate a purchase had been made.”
He extracted one spreadsheet where her team had painstakingly documented various money transfers. He pointed to the last series of entries. “Right about this time.”
Diana glanced quickly at the papers, already familiar with the story they told. “So the Colombian money goes to the militiamen to buy a very fancy piece of hardware.”
Alex nodded. “Maybe too many deals gone sour with their contacts in Cuba or they feel that with a new regime, it’ll be easier to run drugs.”
“They think attacking the United Nations or the Cuban Mission will accomplish that?”
“Illogical, but extremists and logic don’t go hand in hand. Unfortunately, I’m too low in rank to be involved with the planning or to obtain any information yet on where they might have the prototype. All I know is that the attack is supposed to occur in the next few weeks.”
There were still gaps that neither his nor Hank’s report had filled. “So, the CIA had all this info, but you’re DEA. Why did you get involved?”
He shifted in his seat, turning to face her. “Do you really have to ask?”
As she met his gaze, the earlier walls he had put up were gone, revealing a depth of unnerving emotion. Insight told her it was personal for him, much as it was for her due to Sylvia’s death.
“They killed someone you cared for?” she asked, almost afraid to hear who it was. A wife, girlfriend or partner? She was totally unprepared for him to say, “You.”
“Me? I’m here, Alex.”
She exploded out of her chair to pace back and forth. He blocked her way and grabbed her arms to still her agitated motion.
“When your dad was killed, they may as well have killed you, too, Di.”
She yanked away from his touch. “You think the people behind this—”
“Are members of the drug ring who shot your dad.”
She paced again, unwilling to believe that after so long, her father might get justice. Unable to believe that despite the passage of nearly a decade, it continued to matter to Alex.
She faced him. “Why?”
He moved closer, but she took a step back, needing to keep her distance. Her emotions made it too risky to allow herself solace in his arms.
“Why do you think? I want justice. I want closure so we can—”
With an angry slash of her hand, she silenced him. “Don’t. I don’t need this right now. And I sure don’t need you to take up my cause.”
“Well, that’s a good start at least,” he said calmly as he stood in front of her, deceptively still.
“A good start? Why?”
He took the final step that brought him too close for comfort. “Because at least you’re finally able to admit your dad’s the reason you do what you do. Take the risks you take.”
“I don’t take risks,” she replied, but the statement lacked conviction.
“I’ve seen your file, amorcito.”
“But I haven’t seen yours.”
He held both hands out in front of him, candidly inviting her in. “I’m an open book.”
She suspected that he wasn’t and she was intrigued by the changes in him. He possessed a confidence and devil-may-care attitude he hadn’t a decade earlier. Despite that, or maybe because of it, the briefing had to stop.
“It’s late and I have to be up early.”
When she turned for the door, he gently grasped her arm. “It’s very late. You may want to bunk here.”
She looked down at his arm and then followed the muscled line of it up to his face. “That would not be a good idea.”
“It’s nearly two in the morning. By the time you get downtown…” His voice trailed off since there was no reason for him to finish.
By the time she got home, she would only have a few hours before it would be time to get up. She risked a peek at her watch to confirm the time and then grudgingly agreed. “I’ll take the couch.”
“Good, ’cause I wasn’t offering up the bed.” With that, he sauntered back to the table to clean up the remains of their very late dinner.
She grinned at his unexpected swagger and helped him clear the table. After, he walked to the door of what she assumed was the bedroom. “I wish it hadn’t happened like this, but I’m not sorry about getting the chance to work with y
ou. See you again.” Before she could respond, he muttered, “Buenas noches.”
She stood there for quite a while, wondering if it was wiser to stay or to go. She had to trust he would keep it professional. Part of her was thankful for that. The other part…
The other part was clearly wondering how she would deal with him if he didn’t.
Chapter 11
R yder was eager for a respite from the vampire world filled with sex, violence and the quest for power and blood.
The human world could offer so much more sometimes…The joy of seeing Sebastian and Melissa together. Hearing their baby’s heartbeat. Partaking of a sunset and a glass of wine while staring at the city below. Making love.
Tonight he wanted those human things. He wanted…
Diana.
And so once again he found himself at her apartment wondering where she could be as the first smell of dawn teased his nostrils and warmed his skin in warning. He was about to leave when he noticed a familiar car and at the wheel—none other than his ex.
Her suit and shirt were wrinkled, as if she had slept in them. In his opinion, a way better condition than one that screamed that she hadn’t.
Not that it’s any of your business, she responded mentally. She was staring up at him as he balanced on the edge of the fire escape railing.
Snagged, he thought. He slipped off the railing and plummeted to land in front of her with the barest of noise.
“Definitely snagged. What are you doing here?” she asked, an annoyed tone in her words as she placed her hands on her hips. The action pulled open her jacket and revealed her badge, her holster and the dull black grip of her gun. A threatening posture she used with prospective witnesses or suspects.
“Out for a walk.” She rolled her eyes and blew out an exasperated sigh.
His vamp sense of smell detected pine with the hint of…man. He stepped closer and brushed back a short lock of hair that had fallen onto her forehead. She shied away nervously.
“A new perfume?” When her discomfort became evident, his gut twisted with jealousy. “I see.”
Diana had known he would pick up on things no mortal would, and cursed beneath her breath at his assumption. “It’s not like that. Alex—”
“Alex? That was quick.”
“Alejandro Garcia. I call him ‘Alex.’ He’s a very old friend, but…Damn it, it’s none of your business anyway. You said—”
“I lied.” He moved so quickly, she didn’t have time to react. He pinned both arms behind her back, bringing her flush against him. With his free hand, he cradled her jaw and rubbed his thumb across her lips. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
It was impossible to ignore him when every part of her warmed and came to life with his touch. His body was hard, and fit against hers with perfection, like two pieces of a puzzle coming together. The rough pad of his thumb teasing her lips had her blood pounding as she imagined where else he might touch. But she couldn’t give in. Was her reaction love, lust or some vampire head game? She had to break free.
“This?” she replied, her words as sharp as his bite. She batted his hand away. “This just proves you’re more like a man than you think.”
“Really? And why is that, darlin’?” He slipped into that smooth Southern drawl that heated her blood and made her imagine sultry nights lying beneath a canopy of Spanish moss.
“Why? Because you’re thinking more with your balls than your head.” She shoved him away and headed to the door of her building.
Ryder snagged her arm. “Don’t do this.”
“Don’t you understand? Whatever I’m feeling right now, it isn’t right. It isn’t normal.”
He laughed harshly, but didn’t release her. Instead he brushed his mouth softly against hers. “What’s normal in this world anymore, darlin’?”
“Not this.”
“So,” he began, his voice low and intimate. “Can Alex give you normal?” He laid his hand on her shoulder and traced the line of her collarbone with his thumb.
“It’s not something I’ve thought about,” she lied, ignoring the way his touch ignited her senses and made her body tingle in response. In truth, thoughts of how it had been and could be again with Alex had woken her repeatedly during the course of the night. With sleep beyond reach, she’d left the safe house, hoping distance would grant her peace of mind.
And now this.
Ryder shifted his hand lower until he grazed the upper swell of her breast. Her nipples tightened in response, clearly visible beneath her white shirt. Somehow she kept from moaning as he cupped her and said, “Kids. A house in the suburbs. Nine-to-five like all the masses?”
“Maybe,” Diana said huskily, her breath unsteady as he ran his thumb over the stiff peak of her breast. Somehow she kept up her denial. “This isn’t what either of us wants. This…uncertainty. This misery.”
Ryder withdrew, both physically and emotionally. Standing in front of her, his body tense, his dark gaze searched hers. “Is that all I bring you—misery?”
“I worry where this will lead us.”
“There are few options, darlin’. Either being together until death do us part or—”
“Being together forever.”
The first hint of the sun broke past the tops of the buildings over lower Manhattan. A melange of reds and oranges sat like a king’s mantle on the shoulders of the buildings while the brighter yellow of the sun grew bolder. A beautiful sight. She was hard-pressed to imagine a life where such a sight filled her with dread.
“Diana?” The urgent tone of his voice meant he couldn’t linger much longer.
“I’m sorry, Ryder. I know this isn’t easy for you, but it’s just as hard for me.”
“It’s not something you need to decide right now, darlin’. It’s not—”
She silenced him by slipping the tips of her fingers over his lips. “I know, amor. But I also know there’s another option.”
His face hardened beneath her hand. The other option was that maybe they weren’t intended to be together again.
With a curt nod, he stepped away. “You wanted space. So here’s me, giving you space.”
He leaped upward, landing a story above her on the fire escape. With a second leap and then a third, he disappeared onto the roof of the building and out of sight.
She dropped her head until her chin nearly poked a hole into her chest. Dealing with two exlovers in one night was not exactly what she’d planned. She only hoped by the time her investigation into Sylvia’s murder and the CDA plot was over, she would have a better idea how to handle her relationships with both men.
She didn’t want to consider that there was also the very distinct possibility she wouldn’t have to worry about either relationship.
As she unlocked the door to her apartment building it occurred to her that maybe she should think about getting a cat.
Diana introduced herself and her team to the various agents seated around the table, and then she began her report by flashing the first picture onto the screen. The face of a handsome military man filled the space. He was wearing a standard issue U.S. Army uniform, and his chest held a number of medals. “Gonzalo Chavez founded the CDA in 1972 after his return from Vietnam where he earned a Silver Star for gallantry and an honorable discharge.
“After fighting on behalf of the revolution, Chavez was forced to flee Cuba to avoid imprisonment.” She glanced at the faces in the darkened room, her gaze sett
ling on Rupert. When he nodded in approval she continued.
“Chavez was recruited by the CIA to join the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion. After his release from a Cuban prison and service in Vietnam, Chavez became very active in Miami politics.”
Diana rapidly moved through a series of pictures of Chavez with well-known American politicians until she reach a photo of a young soldier in Desert Storm camouflage.
“Sergeant Antonio Lopez also distinguished himself in combat. He met Chavez in Miami during some protests. The two men hit it off. Within a few months, Lopez had recruited a large number of bodies for the CDA and within two years had expanded the CDA’s reach to Union City, New Jersey—once the home of the nation’s second-largest Cuban population.”
The next slide was of Chavez in fatigues along with Lopez, Moreno and several other young men, all looking strong, healthy and tanned after two weeks of training in the Florida Keys. The CIA had pinpointed these men, all from the New Jersey/New York area, as the most likely to be carrying out the CDA’s agenda of an attack on the United Nations or the Cuban Mission.
“Gives new meaning to ‘Be All That You Can Be,’ doesn’t it?” one of the agents in the room quipped, prompting nervous laughter from everyone.
Diana signaled at Rupert to pick up where she’d left off.
“Hank Rupert. CIA,” he announced as Diana played a video that highlighted his technical analysis of the stolen hand-held rocket launcher and smart bomb prototype.
“Although we have identified the possible targets, we have yet to determine when the attack is planned, although we expect it will be in the next few weeks,” Diana added.
David handed out stacks of papers to each agent. “These are the materials you will need to refresh your understanding of the case and to provide you with the immediate plans for proceeding with a joint investigation.”
After Diana delineated the respective roles of each of the agents and answered their questions, the battle plan was clear.
Death Calls Page 8