CHAPTER 12
Laila
I am slowly getting worked into more rotations and more responsibility. Finding out about one of Titus’s hideaways was a big step, but it didn’t help me find out anything about the senator’s son. So far, there has been no sign of him anywhere or with anyone. I’ve tried to ask about ex team members to see if a name comes up or if anyone messes up and says anything about him, but all I could get was a vague mention of Noah. It’s a code amongst them that I am careful not to push. Nathan questions everyone once a week. What they know, what they’ve seen, and how many times they’ve seen it. He’s overly paranoid, so I can understand why no one would want to discuss anything about work or the people who don’t exist to them anymore. I don’t ask for assignments, but I am sure to make myself available for every interesting opportunity. Anything outside of watching Titus’s back would be nice. Nathan has gone out of his way to ignore me until today when no one else is available.
“Don’t smile at me. Take this package and deliver it to the address on the label. Don’t say anything, don’t talk to anyone, and don’t go anywhere else before. Go straight there. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” I say, trying not to be a smartass, but it is really difficult to do with this asshole. I take hold of the package and wait a second while Nathan groans at me before leaving. I take off down the street with package in hand and wave at Nathan as he curses me from behind a window on the top floor. Not sure what his problem is, but I continue paying him no mind. I am not walking down the street long when I feel someone watching me. I stop in my tracks and look back to see Ben pulling up beside me. “Why are you following me?”
“Nathan called me and said to, ‘Go help the dumbass that’s walking to make a delivery’. I assumed he meant you. Are you ever going to get a car?” He opens the passenger door for me, and I slide in.
“I lost my license.”
“How’d you lose it?”
“The state took it and won’t give it back until I apologize.” I admit as if it was a common occurrence.
“Oh, I’ve got to hear this. Apologize to who and why?”
“Will you just drive?” Ben won’t stop looking my way, and I know he won’t let it go until he finds out. I am sure, with Titus’s contacts, he can find out anyway. “I stole the governor’s car while he was eating dinner and drove it onto the beach. I left the doors open, and the tide washed up into it. Apparently, the governor’s wife left her favorite sweater in the car with her favorite broach on it or something. They found it a week later. A crab was carrying it around the beach. They wouldn’t have caught me if Beach Bum Jack hadn’t told on me. I knew I couldn’t trust him. That man would do anything for weed money. Anyway, I haven’t been allowed to drive since.” Ben starts laughing so hard he has to pull over. “It’s not that funny.”
“Oh yes it is. You stubborn ass. Just apologize already. Damn.”
“He’s not even the governor anymore. I don’t know why he can’t let it go.”
“Why can’t you let it go and apologize?”
“Because.”
“That’s a wonderful argument, F Lee Bailey.”
“He said that our foster system works perfectly outside of a few bad apples.” Ben looks my way, less amused. “He’s a prick.”
“I agree. You did the right thing, except for Beach Bum Jack. You should have put that sweater on him and fed him to the fishes.”
“Shut up.” I laugh, shaking my head, refusing to look at the fool who enjoys making me laugh too much. Ben pulls into some backlot to park. I follow him through the door of an old store. It is dusty and full of items as if the owner just walked out one day and never came back. We are instantly greeted by two large men who insist on searching us and taking note of our weapons. The package Nathan handed me is oddly small for such an ordeal.
When they try to take Ben’s gun, he backs off and holds me back at the same time. “I don’t know why you gentlemen are so nervous today, but you’re not taking our guns. I don’t think you want to make us nervous in our own house. We invited you here as a safe place for us all.”
“Titus has been arguing with me for over a week, and now he wants to a send me a peace offering? You tell me why should I trust you?” the primary asks.
“You know damn well Titus wouldn’t let anyone other than Nathan handle his real business. We’re nothing more than messengers,” Ben follows.
“We both know you’re more than a messenger, Ben.” A bald man steps through the door, waving his hands at his men to calm them down. “Who’s this one?” he asks pointing towards me.
“Don’t you remember, Larson? The woman who beat down nine men?” The man looks over at me with eyebrows raised. “You were there, you should know who she is.”
“Yes, you were very good. Entertaining especially. If you ever want to leave Titus, let me know. I always have room for beautiful women, especially ones who can kick so much ass in one night. Come. Let’s do some business.” He turns his back, waving for Ben to follow him when I’m the one with the package.
“My name is Laila.” Larson turns back towards me, glancing at Ben in confusion. “I just thought you should know my name. You took the time to know his. I think I’ve earned the respect for you to take the time to learn mine.” Larson glares at me for a few seconds before bowing his head in my direction. He doesn’t say another word; he simply motions once again to follow him. I make sure to step in front of Ben who holds back a second to offer me some respectful space.
We pass through a door that leads into an odd storage space. An old, crotchety man sits inside with a book in front of him. “Sign,” he says, pointing to a page with a list of names. “Sign,” he says more emphatically, pressing his finger to the paper.
Ben takes the pen. “Nathan likes to keep a record of everyone that comes to these meetings. Ciro here is the bookkeeper and watcher over this place. If anything happens, they know who was here last, without question,” he whispers, silently underlining the names of Larson and his men before handing me the pen. As I sign my name, I quickly scan the names prior to me and notice one that I have been looking for—Paul Curry, the senator’s son, his undercover name. The date is there, along with Kian’s followed right after, but no one else. Kian is a killer, one of Nathan’s best, or rather one of the coldest. I have no doubt the two being together is no accidental assignment. I need more. How many times did Noah come here and why? Why was he not wary of being alone with Kian, had he done it before?
Larson takes a deep breath and turns to flip a series of switches in a particular pattern. A wall opens behind him, and a dim hallway leads to another room. The moment I walk in, I notice the blood stains on the cold, concrete floor. Struggling to remain focused, I shift my eyes back to Larson.
We stop in a small room. Ben nudges me forward, and I hand Larson the package. He takes it to a corner and opens it with us there. I lean up to see inside the box that contains only a note. Though I can’t read it, I know it must bring some dissent as Larson’s face morphs into something far less than happy.
“Tell him it is done.” Larson sets fire to the package and the note, tossing it on the ground to burn to ashes. “We’re leaving, and I would appreciate it if you would not follow us.” His intense glare alerts me to the seriousness of the situation, and I agree silently. Ben and I keep eyes on them, but we stay put and silent until they are gone.
“Should we leave another way?” I ask Ben.
“No. If he was going to kill us he would have done it while we were here. He’s too scared to waste time. We’ll wait a few more minutes, just to make sure though.” Ben watches the cameras to the outside while I purposely walk into some dried blood.
“What is this place?” Ben shakes his head. “If we’re going to wait here, I might as well know where I’m at?”
“The best thing you can do is to never ask questions. I don’t. That way, I never have any information that can be helpful to anyone.”
&nbs
p; “Can you at least tell me what’s going on? It seems serious?”
“Like I said, I don’t ask questions, but I would bet we won’t be meeting Larson ever again.” I open my mouth to ask another question, and he turns, holding up his finger at me. “Laila, keep yourself alive and stop asking questions. You never know who’s listening. Besides, we have a date Friday that I need you for. Do you have any preferences on where you would like to go?”
I roll my eyes and walk out of the room. “Not here.”
“Aw—I was so looking forward to having a romantic dinner in the pile of bugs and dust.”
Now I have a solid date that Noah was last seen, and it just happened to be in a place where his blood stains the floor. Henry had the dried blood on my shoe tested to confirm. If I can somehow get the video feed from those cameras, I might be able to find out exactly what happened to him.
Nathan trusts me to go out again, and hopefully, not with Ben as my driver. The man is relentless. He’s not letting this date idea go, and I am doing my best to let him believe it is still going to happen. The longer he believes it, the less he notices I am finding ways to get out of it. If anything, his persistence gives me a reason to find the missing cop and end this mission as soon as possible. I get called into Nathan’s office, where I find Nathan holding his finger up to Ben who is not happy at all. Kian, the guy who goes on a lot of these assignments, is kicked back in a chair, laughing. “Lowell, you are helping Kian today. He has some people to meet with, and he needs help making sure they understand their placement in this world.” Kian is Nathan’s protégé. If I thought possible, I would think Kian was Nathan’s twin brother, only not as smart, which makes him even more dangerous. I begin to wonder if my actions of stealing blood from the floor was caught on the video feed. From what I understand, Ben has purposely made sure I haven’t been scheduled to work with him since I started. I assumed it was because he didn’t trust me, but now knowing him better, I think it’s more because he doesn’t trust Kian. Nathan gives me the quick rundown of our day, mostly names. He tells me only to follow Kian’s orders exactly as he gives them. Ben sends a glass crashing against a wall and walks out cursing. This doesn’t look good for me, but it’s too early to tell if I can make this into something usable or if I have to set an alarm to get me out.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s just jealous. He’s afraid you’ll end up in my bed instead of his,” Kian boasts. I want to say something, but I have a feeling it would only make things worse. “Alright. Let’s go, hot stuff.” Kian opens the door for me and smacks my ass as I walk through. He’s proud of himself and even more so when he meets Ben’s glare as we walk past.
“Laila,” Ben calls out, motioning for me to come near. “Watch your back at all times. He’s only out for himself. Don’t trust he cares what happens to you. Also, he’s not smart. He’s a loose cannon, and that’s what’s been holding him back from moving up with Titus. He hates his impulsiveness and inability to make strong decisions. Remember that, and look out for yourself.”
“Thanks.” As much as I’ve been trying to avoid him, I have to admit, Ben has become my strongest ally.
“You’re welcome. Call Luca if something goes wrong. He and Gus are helping do community service today, part of Titus’s plan to keep people looking away from his right hand.” I leave Ben with a nod and an appreciation for his honesty.
Kian’s car is brand new, fully loaded plus some, and ostentatious as hell. His ego is beyond reach. “How do you put up working with that guy? I would have requested to work with someone else by now.” Kian says flying a middle finger up to Ben who glares at him from the doorway.
“I haven’t been working here long enough to request anything.”
“Hm, probably true. Tell you what, you do well today and I’ll make sure you get to work with me from now on. I get the best work, no guarding Jolie, and I get to be right next to Titus in every important negotiation.” I keep my eyes on the road and the surroundings, making note of exactly where we are and where we are going. “Hey.” I glance at him as he looks me over. “You know Titus is getting ready to take a big trip. You do well, and I’ll make sure you get to go on that trip. It’s a great getaway. Top of the line accommodations, and we get enough time to enjoy them and each other,” he says, touching my leg. I jerk my leg away. “Oh one of those, huh? Hard to get doesn’t work with me, Sweetheart. I have better things to do than deal with a finicky bitch. I’ll leave that shit to Ben. That asshole loves a challenge. Once you fuck him, he’ll leave you alone though, trust me. That’s how men work. If I were you, just get it over with and move on. There are plenty of men we work with waiting to get at you.”
Trying to keep my balled up fist from flying into his jaw, I swallow with a simple response. “Good to know,” I say, doing my best to give him the impression that we are friends.
“You know, I don’t think we have gotten off to a good start. I need to stop and get some gas and a coffee. Would you like anything? It’s on me.” I shake my head. “Are you sure? It’s going to be a long day. You want some water or something?”
“Sure, some water.” Kian jumps out of the car and starts the gas pump before getting into the trunk for something. I watch him and everyone around us as he goes in to pay. Nothing seems amiss when he returns with his coffee and a bottle of water for me.
“Titus is going to be choosing a successor soon. He wants to have a second to take over in case something happens. It’s pretty standard, especially if you don’t want your wife taking over. Between you and me, I don’t see anyone else touching that position other than Nathan. Titus doesn’t have any children, so Jolie would be it to inherit. No one wants that.” Kian has a big mouth. I have no doubt this is information he should not be sharing. You never want it known who will take over. It just makes it easier for the police to know who to target before they get there. Before they are protected. “Anyway, Nathan and I were talking about you, and if you’re interested in skipping a few steps on the ladder, I have an offer that could help you get there? It’s not an easy job, but it will secure your position in this organization.” I sit up straight and show the interest he was looking for. “That’s right, we would like you to become a key informational transport. Interested?”
“Of course, what would you like me to do?”
“Yeah, I knew you would be game. Our first stop, has been wanting to meet you. I think his admiration for you could really help loosen him up to get the information and arrangements we are needing right now. I know you are not capable of pulling off a sophisticated conversation, but I don’t think that matters. Let me do the talking, and then you do what you do. Smile at him, find out about him. Then report back to us the information you learn.” I really don’t like him, but for the sake of the mission, I will keep my mouth shut. For now. I hope I get to arrest Kian personally, and I hope he fights back so I have an excuse to hurt him. We pull up to some gates in front of an estate almost as big as Titus’s. Kian says what he needs to get us in. The moment we pull up, I have a bad feeling. Kian greets people as if they’re old friends, introducing me and keeping me a few steps behind him. He certainly likes to feel like the big man. Caberera steps out of his large office with open arms and hugs Kian, making eye contact with me and smiling wide. The last time I saw him, Titus was ready to strangle him to death, and I doubt the relationship has warmed up since then, considering Caberera’s threat. I can’t imagine why us being here would be good for Titus.
“This must be Laila.” Caberera politely takes my hand and kisses it. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to finally have this chance to meet you properly. I have heard all about you, and I have to say, you are even more beautiful in the light of day than a dark, absurd club. Come, let’s talk.”
“I’ll wait out here. It’s all up to you now. Make him happy and get the information we need,” Kian says, sitting down and stretching out like he just scored a huge deal. Everything within me says to get out of here. The warier I become, the he
avier my legs feel. My head clutters, making it nearly impossible to think. I take a drink of my water, trying to focus on the room around me.
“Come.” Caberera steps back to me to escort me into a large room, shutting the door behind us. “Would you like a drink?” I shake my head, studying the room the best I can. My focus is off but not enough that I don’t notice the connected room is a bedroom. The information I am supposed to extract doesn’t look to be through conversation alone. I take a step away from Caberera’s hand and trip against a chair. My hands grasp the wooden arms in an attempt to stabilize myself. “You know, I might owe Kian something bigger than what he asked for considering this present. You don’t have to worry. It’ll be great for us both, I’m sure.” I step backwards, searching for a way to run. Before I can execute a plan, I am thrown into a wall with Caberera all over me. “I love the fight in you. I’m going to enjoy taming you. And I will tame you. Even if I have to have my guards hold your legs apart, I will fuck the fight right out of you.” I manage to wiggle away from the man, taking out my phone and dialing the first name I come to. I hear a voice, but I can’t respond other than screaming threats for Caberera to get away from me.
“I didn’t agree to this! Stop! I don’t want to have to hurt you!” I scream, throwing my phone at his face.
“You can’t hurt anybody. You’re too drugged, but please keep fighting because I do love that about you.” Fighting, I can do, but I can’t find my gun. I do everything I can while I search the floor, the chairs. The longer I search, the dizzier I become. Caberera gets a hold of me and grabs between my legs. “It’s all mine now.”
“Fuck you!” I throw an elbow into his jaw and kick him backwards. My instincts are better than most and certainly better than any woman he’s met. I don’t need to see clearly to fight. Caberera screams out with anger.
“We have to go!” Kian yells suddenly through the door, banging loud with intent. “Alfie, we have to go. He knows! He knows we are here.”
Undercover: Secrets & Lies Page 10