by Laney Kay
Once the program came up, Jake showed her how to enter search terms. He entered “DeLeon Labs” and “Marco DeLeon” and then leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head.
Lola looked at him. “That’s it?”
Jake nodded. “Yep. It’s easy. I had already chosen how to sort the information, so when it’s finished, it will come out in the form of a report. One section will have his financials, one section will be his personal information, there will be a section for any legal issues, if he’s on any government watch lists, if there are outstanding warrants, or if he’s ever been arrested or detained. Depending on which agencies we’re dealing with, I can even see if he’s under any sort of investigation or surveillance.”
Lola was amazed. “Jake, this is unbelievable. Criminals would love to get ahold of this.”
Jake nodded. “Yeah, we have a ton of protections to make sure that access is limited to the right people. The truth is, we’re accessing information that’s already out there, so it’s not like the bad guys don’t already have the potential to access these same databases we access, it’s just that our program allows you to do it all in one place. That’s why it’s limited only to law enforcement agencies and the security measures are the best out there.”
The computer signaled that it was done. “Here we go. Let’s see what we’ve got on Mr. DeLeon.”
Lola leaned forward so she could see the screen while Jake pulled on his glasses. Lola was confused. “Wait. Didn’t you already do this search the first day?”
Jake shook his head as he rapidly flipped through the screens and absently answered. “Nope. That was an ordinary search through the same databases that every private investigator on earth has access to. I ran Mitchell through this program, which is why I was able to find his bank accounts, but I didn’t have time to run anything else because Jerry Jeff was doing something with an update.” He winked at her. “And since then, we’ve been a little busy.” He hit a button and sat back. “I’m printing this so we can look it over, then we can do a deeper search on any specific area that interests us.”
When the report was printed out, he clipped it together with a binder clip and handed it to Lola. She started flipping through it while Jake read along with her on the screen. They both stopped on the same section, and Lola whistled, a long, low whistle. She looked at Jake. “Do you see who his first cousin is?”
Jake dropped his head back against the headrest of his chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Shit. Yes. This is like a freaking joke. His cousin, Luis Perez, is one of the bosses in the Mendoza Mexican drug cartel.”
Lola’s brows drew together and she tapped her upper lip as she thought. “Aren’t those the guys that were using biker gangs to distribute meth and heroin in north Georgia a few years back?”
Jake nodded as he flipped to a different screen and pointed to a name. “Yep. And isn’t this interesting? Maria Perez, Luis’ mother, is a silent partner in DeLeon Labs. Apparently, she put up a big chunk of the initial start-up money for DeLeon years ago.”
Lola’s mind was racing. “Jake, it could make sense that a drug cartel is involved. First, I’m sure it’s a great way to launder money, and using Luis’ mother’s name, instead of Luis’, gives them a layer of protection so no one will look twice at them. And, as far as the drugs go, think about it. What happens when a person who’s hooked on opioids can’t get them from legal sources anymore? They move onto heroin. If DeLeon increases the number of addicted people, eventually, his cousin will also benefit from the addiction.”
Jake’s face was completely expressionless. He turned to look at Lola. “This situation is getting ridiculous. So now there’s a chance you’ve also got a Mexican drug cartel on your ass?”
Lola could tell that Jake was about to blow a gasket, and she patted his arm. “Jake, no, I don’t think so. I was just throwing out a theory. At this point, this is total speculation and could be completely wrong. Most likely she’s just an investor in her nephew’s business and none of it is related to the cartel. We’re kind of jumping to conclusions here.” When he glared at her attempt to pacify him, she put her hand high on his thigh and gently rubbed his leg. “If it was the cartel, wouldn’t they have just grabbed me up by now and made me talk? Odds are, this is just some corporate guys trying to make sure we don’t poke around in their business and screw up their drug approval.” When he didn’t look any calmer, Lola continued. “Look, let’s do what we were planning to do. We’ll put the flash drive in my desk drawer at my house and see if they take the bait. In the meantime, we’ll go to Daisy and Luke’s house tonight, we’ll relax and have a nice evening, and afterwards we’ll head up to your house. If they take the bait, we’ll make some decisions then.”’
He turned his head toward her. “Fine. But no more half-ass security for you. Get Mike on the phone and let’s tell him what we’re possibly looking at and have him run a check on your security to make sure everything’s working and nothing’s been compromised. If these guys break into your house, I want to see them so we can get an ID. And Lola, once we take the flash drive back to your house, we’re switching into a different security mode. I’m not screwing around with your safety.”
Lola could see how stressed Jake was and figured now was not the time to mess with him. “Fine. I’ll go call Mikey right now.” She pulled out her phone and walked into the bathroom to call Mike.
As Jake was sitting there, fuming about the ramifications of a drug cartel being involved, he heard a quick knock on the door as Jerry Jeff came in. He handed the flash drive to Jake. “Here you go, boss. Same flash drive, unrestored, and I made sure they can’t reconstruct any of the info I already got. And they’ll never know I was screwing around with it.” Jake nodded his thanks and put it in his pocket. Jerry Jeff leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Hey, Jake, I really like that Lola. She’s funny and she’s smart and damn if she doesn’t have legs for days. That girl’s a keeper so you need to pay attention and not screw it up. I mean let’s face it, you’re obviously not very good with women and you’re not getting any younger.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Jerry Jeff. You know how much I love it when you help me with my love life.”
Jerry Jeff laughed and clapped Jake on the shoulder, almost knocking him out of his chair. “You’re welcome, son. Now, go on and let’s get this show on the road. The quicker you can get her safe, the quicker you can focus on what’s important, like convincing her you might be okay to date, despite all the evidence to the contrary.”
Jake gritted his teeth, reminding himself that Jerry Jeff’s heart was in the right place, even if he sometimes got on his last damn nerve. “Yeah, thanks.”
Jerry Jeff got up to leave, right as Lola came out of the bathroom. He waved at her as he went out the door and she blew him a kiss. Jerry Jeff stopped and winked at her, and threw his hands on his hips as he scolded Jake. “See? It’s not that hard. Just be nice to the lady, like me, and she’ll be nice to you.”
Jake waved him out as Lola started to laugh. As the door shut behind him, Jake shook his head. “Damn, Lola, don’t egg him on. He’s already a pain in my ass, but you’re going to make him much harder to live with. Now, thanks to you, he thinks he knows everything there is to know about women.”
Lola shrugged and tried not to laugh. “Sorry, Jake, that doesn’t sound like my problem. I think Jerry Jeff’s adorable, so it sounds like you’ll just have to figure it out.” She perched on the edge of the desk and nudged his leg with her knee. “Hey, I talked to Mikey and told him what’s going on, and he said he rechecked the security at my place and everything looks good. I told him we were going to put the flash drive in the desk and then we were heading out, so he’s on it. He said the secondary system, with the cameras across the street, and hidden throughout my building is ready to go. He said if anyone shows up, we’ll at least know what they look like. He asked if we wanted him to call the cops if they broke in and I told him no, because we want t
hem to take the flash drive, and he said fine, he’d just monitor. I also told him we’d be staying at your house if he needed me.” Lola thought for a second. “I think that’s it. Anything else we need to tell him? He seemed concerned that maybe I needed more security and I told him you were about to make some changes, but I didn’t know what.”
Jake nodded. “Damn right. We’ve already got trackers on you, but I’m about to start taking some real security precautions. When we leave this building, we’ll be followed at all times by Logan or B-Ray, two of our best personal security guys. We’re going to take my truck and drop off the flash drive, and then we’re switching cars with one of them to make sure we’re not tracked, or followed, to Daisy’s house and then to my house. One of them will be posted outside my house overnight and will follow us if we go anywhere.” He raised an eyebrow, almost daring her to complain about the level of security. “Any questions?”
Lola nodded, crossed her arms, and stood up, trying to look as belligerent as possible. “Yeah. One. And I expect an honest answer.” Jake realized he was tense, waiting for the question, and then she grinned as she continued. “What does B-Ray stand for?”
Jake relaxed as he realized she wasn’t going to give him any shit about the level of security. “Bobby Ray, but one of our rapper clients shortened that to B-Ray, and now everyone calls him that.” He laughed. “Any other questions?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Can we get going? Daisy texted me while I was talking to Mikey and she said she is at home, quote ‘day drinking by herself and would like some company’, so I want to go by there and just hang out and relax a little before everyone else gets there if that’s okay with you.” She held out her hand. “Ready?”
He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it as he stood up to follow her. “Yep. Let’s go grab Logan and B-Ray and we’ll be on our way.”
By the time they dropped off the flash drive, hiding it among the huge pile of other random flash drives in her desk drawer, switched cars and phones with B-Ray and Logan, and then drove around to make sure no one was following them, it was four o’clock. Luke’s truck was in the driveway and they could see smoke wafting out of the chimney in the backyard. They parked the car, and Lola turned to Jake. “Please don’t mention anything about what’s going on. They’ll just worry and I’d rather them not be involved.”
Jake shook his head. “We don’t have to give them all the details, but we need to tell them something is going on just so they have a heads up. I assure you that no one followed us over here today, but y’all have been friends a long time, and anyone who looks into your background at all is going to find all of them. It’s a good idea for them to be aware so they can pay attention, that’s all.”
Lola nodded her agreement. “Okay, but don’t tell them too much. I know them and they’ll be worried and then they’ll be all over me, and I don’t want them anywhere near this.”
“Will do.” Jake leaned over and kissed her cheek, then he got out, and came around to open Lola’s door. She hopped out, and they walked up to the front door together.
Before they could knock, the front door flew open and Daisy was standing there with a drink in her hand and a smile on her face. “Hey Lola! Hey Jake! Y’all come on in!” As she waved them in and shut the door behind them, she commented, widening her eyes and trying to look as innocent as possible. “Wait, I think that’s you, Jake. Maybe you could drop your drawers and turn around so I can make sure it’s you? I’m not great with faces, but I never forget a fine ass.” She winked at him and took a sip of her drink.
Jake grinned at Daisy and his hands went to his belt buckle as he teased right back. “Well, I could always just show you my ID, but if you think my ass would be easier to identify…”
Daisy’s eyebrows shot up and she took a slug of her drink. She whooped and yelled. “Hell, yeah, Jake let’s see it.” She looked around for her purse. “I know I’ve got a dollar here somewhere.”
Lola laughed and rolled her eyes at their antics. “Daisy, leave the poor man alone, and Jake, keep your ass right where it is.” She grabbed Jake’s hand and towed him through the house with Daisy behind him, admiring his butt as he walked. “Daisy, where’s your husband? Someone needs to keep an eye on your drunk ass.”
Daisy took another gulp of her drink. “He’s out back with the dogs messing with the grill. He put the heaters on the porch and lit us a fire, Lola, so it’s awesome out there. Come on, we can go sit and Jake, I’ll introduce you to Luke.”
As soon as they walked outside, Jake came to a dead stop and looked around the porch. “Damn. This porch is amazing, Daisy. Did you add this to the house?”
Daisy nodded. “Yep. Luke added this on a couple of years ago.” She stepped to the end of the porch, opened the door, and motioned for her husband to join them. “Hey Luke, are you at a stopping point? Jake and Lola are here.”
Luke strode around the corner, wiping his hands on a towel as he came inside. “Hey Jake, nice to meet you.” He bent over to kiss Lola on the cheek and then grinned at Jake as they shook hands. “Glad to see you managed to find your pants since yesterday. You apparently made quite an impression on Daisy.”
Jake rolled his eyes as Daisy and Lola started to laugh. “Yeah sorry about that, Luke. That’s not how I usually greet women I’m meeting for the first time.”
Luke shook his head. “Not a problem. Get used to it. These women have no filter and if there’s a way to embarrass you in the process, they think it’s even funnier.”
At that, Lola and Daisy grinned at each other, and Daisy hooked her arm through Lola’s. “That’s all true.” She sucked on her straw and looked disappointed when she realized her glass was empty. “Come on Lola, let’s go get some more punch. You boys go do some male bonding, and we’re going to eat some cupcakes and drink stuff with rum in it.”
Jake’s head whipped around. “Cupcakes?”
Luke shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’ve got an entire batch over by the grill. We just have to save enough for Mark, Jack, and Harrison.”
Luke and Jake grinned at each other and then Jake changed the subject. “So Daisy said you built this porch? It’s amazing.” He took in the timber-framed structure, the big rock fireplace with the huge television above it, and the comfortable furnishings. “I take it you’re a contractor?”
“Yep.” Luke looked at his watch. “I’ve got to check the grill. Come on outside with me. We’ve got a big outdoor kitchen in the back, and I’ll show you around.” As they went outside, three mutts deliriously greeted the two men, and Jake dropped to his knees to give them a quick rub.
Lola and Daisy were sitting on the loveseat with their feet side by side on the coffee table, luxuriating in the warmth from the fire as they enjoyed their drinks and cupcake. Daisy turned to face Lola and smirked at her. “So? What’s up with Jake?”
Lola tried to ignore her. “Nothing. He owns a security company and he’s helping me with a security issue at work.”
Daisy snorted as she took another sip of her drink. “Right. That’s why he was naked in your bed. In the morning. For security reasons.”
Lola rolled her eyes. “Fine. He’s here for security reasons, but I figured I could also use him for some stress relief and recreational sex while he’s helping me out. No biggie.”
Daisy narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lola like she was trying to see in her head. “No biggie, huh? Hmmm, I don’t think you’re telling me the entire truth, Lola. I happen to know for a fact that no man has ever spent the whole night in your bed since your asshole fiance in college, so explain to me how that happened.”
“You’re making this into too big of a deal. He just fell asleep, that’s all.” Lola scratched her nose and looked anywhere but at Daisy. “Look, he’s helping me with a security issue, we’re having a little fling while we figure it out, and once we’re done we’ll go our separate ways, no problem.” Lola chugged the rest of her drink and stood up. “You want another drink? You’ve about fi
nished this pitcher, so I’m going to go make another batch.”
Daisy started to smile. “No, I’m good. You go right ahead.” Then she looked past Lola and smiled. “You need a drink, Jake?”
Lola felt her heart drop into her stomach. Shit, shit, shit. Of course, she didn’t hear him come in. She hoped he hadn’t heard her, but one look at his expressionless face and she knew he’d heard every word. He stared at Lola as he answered Daisy. “No, thanks, Daisy, I’m good. But I will go help Lola make a new batch of punch.”
Daisy hid her smile as she took another sip of her drink. “Sounds great. I’ll wait right here till y’all get back.”
Lola grabbed the pitcher and turned to go into the kitchen with Jake right behind her. As soon as the door closed behind them, Jake caught her arm to pull her around to face him. “You’re already trying to get rid of me?”
“Jake, I just didn’t want to get into it with Daisy. Don’t make a big deal out of this. This situation is stressful enough. Let’s just enjoy each other and get through this mess and then we can argue about this later.” She pulled her arm loose and winked at him as she continued into the kitchen. “I’m pretty annoying by nature, so you’ll probably be glad to be rid of me by then.”
Jake stared at her retreating back. She might be ready to get rid of him, but he was pretty sure that she was exactly what he wanted in his life. Permanently. He hollered to her in the kitchen as he headed out to the porch. “Whatever. I’m going back outside.”