Because You're Mine

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Simon Kent

He watched as Dalia, or Strange as she liked to call herself, paced from one end of the room to the other. She was furious and hadn’t yet told him exactly what had pissed her off and upset her to this extent.

“Dalia, sit down and tell me what the hell has you in this state.” He coaxed.

She threw her hands in the air but at least she sat down in the chair across from him in the small seating area of his suite.

“I went to the beach, looking for Kellen Paxton, I wanted to see how much I could get out of him about Maingarde and the Dogz. I found him surfing at Big Bay but the bastard tried to get me to leave. I soon found out why he wanted me gone.”

The fingers of her left hand tapped wildly on the arm of her chair, her right hand moved from fiddling with her hair to her lap, never settling.

He knew there was more so he stayed quiet.

“We were surfing when I spotted Walker on the beach but so did Paxton. We rode waves out, I got to the beach before him. There were two men and a woman with Walker, he didn’t see me because he was watching Paxton. It played perfectly into my plan. I ran to him and threw myself at him, trying to kiss him. Walker yelled out in pain and shoved me away. He was definitely in pain, I saw blood on his shirt. One of the men with him immediately started tending to him while the other and Paxton kept me away. The woman helped the one tending to him.”

She rubbed both hands through her hair leaving it looking wild and sticking up all over the place.

“I got away from the men and approached Walker. He was bleeding heavily from what looked like a knife wound to the chest. I tried to re-connect with him but was told in no uncertain terms that the woman was his old lady. That’s what bikers call their girlfriends and wives.” She snorted derisively.

“She has an American accent, so not a local girl. I think she has a son with Walker. It sounded that way when she made dinner arrangements with Paxton.”

A child? That was indeed interesting news.

“There’s nothing about a wife and child in the information I was given regarding Walker.” Simon kept his voice calm, almost disinterested.

Dalia shrugged. “I’m only telling you what I heard. I can’t confirm it either.”

She suddenly smiled and he didn’t like the smile, it looked decidedly evil.

“We could use the son as leverage to get what we need. If there’s one thing I know about Spider Walker it’s that he’s loyal to his family, he would do anything for them.”

The woman who’d been pacing a hole in the carpet was gone. A cold calculating operative was sitting across from him and he had to be careful, very careful. He needed to keep her close in order to keep his friends safe.

“I’ll include everything you’ve told me in my report and request more information on him and his family. You’re right, a son would indeed be leverage to get him to cooperate with us. The Director might even offer him a deal.”

He was talking out of his ass. There was no way the Director would ever sign off on the kidnapping of a child to force their mark to give them information. ICI didn’t operate like that.

“Good. I’m going to shower and I’m starving. We’ll talk later.” She jumped up and left his suite.

Simon sat quietly for a minute, maybe more, before he moved. Taking the wand from his briefcase he checked for bugs everywhere Dalia had touched. He found none. It didn’t mean she hadn’t planted one elsewhere, the woman was damned sneaky. She’s been suspicious of him ever since he tried to side line her for this mission.

Going out onto the balcony he reached up to the ledge above the doorway for the burner he had stashed in a tiny hidey hole that Dom’s people had created for this exact purpose. Taking it out of its protective plastic bag he turned it back on and quickly sent a text.

Need to meet. ASAP

The answer came a few seconds later.

Tonight. 11pm Maingarde parking garage

Fuck.

He would be under surveillance the entire time he was there. It would be proof he was in contact with Dominick Maingarde after he had assured the Director he wasn’t. If it came out it would be the end of his career at ICI.

Double fuck.

Turning the phone off and sliding it back into the plastic covering he put it back in its hiding place.

Back in his suite he got ready to meet with two of his team. Setting the cameras around the rooms he checked that it would alert on his phone and once he was satisfied it worked properly he left.

Earlier today they had found a lead to another player and he wanted to know who it was.

He needed to know before he contacted the Director.

Maybe if they were lucky and the lead panned out he’ll be able to take the focus off Dom.

He bloody well hoped so.

Strange / Dalia

She didn’t trust Simon.

The thought shocked her because he’d been a fellow agent and a friend for many years.

She wasn’t exactly sure why she didn’t trust him, she just knew that she didn’t.

There was something about the mission that didn’t fit, unlike all the other missions she’d been on with him, this time he didn’t share his thoughts with her.

It had been like a ritual with them, sitting in either his or her room going over the day and dissecting what they had learned. Then planning the way forward.

It was so unlike him that it had her bullshit detector pinging wildly.

What if she got it wrong?

She had with Spider.

She had been so sure she’d be able to seduce him once again and look what happened.

He wasn’t interested, not even a little bit.

He had a new woman, and maybe even a son.

She didn’t like thinking about the fact that he had made a family with that bloody horse faced American.

It was supposed to be her.

If not for her orders to return to London with Simon when he’d been so badly injured she would have been deeply embedded inside the Iron Dogz MC right now. They wouldn’t have needed a team to get the necessary intelligence on the bikers. Not with her on the inside as Spider’s woman. He would have been completely under her influence and would have given her everything they needed to…

To what? Lock them up?

Maybe the others but not Spider, no, he would have been safe. Safe because he would have been hers and as their informant he would have been considered to be a part of the team.

And maybe his son would have been hers and not the horse faced bitch’s kid.

Feeling the fury rising she quickly shut the intrusive thoughts down.

She needed something to focus on, something that had nothing to do with the bikers. Or one certain biker.

Reaching for the case folder she crawled on to her bed and sitting cross legged in the middle started going over what they knew.

It wasn’t much but somewhere there had to be something to point her in the right direction.

She just had to find it.

Simon Kent

Driving into the underground garage after several circuits through the city he parked in the only open space available, the others had been taped off, and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long for the tap on his window.

Gideon Acheson stood looking down at him with no expression at all, then turned and walked away.

Dragging a hand over his face he sighed and got out of the car, closed the door and walked over to where Gideon stood waiting at the private elevator. An elevator he’d ridden in countless times as part of Dom’s team.

It was all so familiar it felt like he was coming home.

He only admitted it to himself, no one else, because it would get his ass locked up and the key thrown away.

If he was honest with himself, and he tried to be, his time undercover on Dom’s team had been some of the best days of his life.

Dominick Maingarde was the type of man who inspired loyalty in his men.

He had done the same to Simon. He’d inspired him to give his best.

His time with Dom had ended in terrible pain and suffering but it had been worth it because he’d been able to reveal the real criminals, the Harrisons.

“Hello, Gideon.”

“Hello, Simon. It’s good to see you looking well.”

Gideon’s cool eyes took him in from head to toe and he knew the man missed not a single thing.

“Thank you. I’ve heard there have been a lot of changes since I was here last.”

He smiled. “And all of them are good changes, very good changes.”

They stepped into the elevator and rode up in silence. There was nothing left to say.

Walking into Dom’s office and seeing the team gathered around him felt like it was the place he was supposed to be. As if he was part of the team.

It totally fucked with his mind.

“Simon, welcome back to Cape Town.” Dom said as he stood and walked around his desk, hand stretched out in greeting.

It wasn’t just shaking hands, it was more than that, it felt like he was being welcomed back.

“It’s good to be back, Dom. I’m only sorry it’s under these circumstances. Once again you’re at the centre of a witch hunt.”

He smiled and shrugged. “You get used to always being the bad guy. Sometimes it’s not a bad place to be.”

Walking back around desk he indicated the chair in front of it.

Sitting down he got comfortable, lifting his leg to rest his ankle on his knee and waited.

“You contacted me, requesting a meet. What can I help you with?” Dom looked totally relaxed, leaning back in his chair, but his eyes gave him away. They were intense.

Simon smoothed his trouser leg before he answered.

“I had a very interesting talk with one of my operatives earlier today. It was suggested that we kidnap a man’s son to manipulate him into supplying us with financial information on his organisation.” He held his hand up before anyone could say anything. “Rest assured it’s not going to happen. With the previous Director it would have been pushed through but not with my new boss. She will remove the operative from my team once I report the incident, which I will. The problem comes in with who the operative is.”

Dom sat forward, his expression hard, his eyes dead and merciless.

“Who is it?”

He didn’t even hesitate to give them the name.

“Dalia Mitchellson aka Strange. She was in a relationship with Walker before we were ordered back to the UK. I think she came back here thinking she could pick up where they left off. Unfortunately for her, it seems Walker has moved on. He in no uncertain terms told her he wasn’t interested. She told me his woman is an American and that there’s possibly a child. It’s his son she wants to kidnap, not yours.”

He was surprised that it was Gideon who lost his shit. The man was usually the calm one.

“Fucking hell! We have to warn Spider and get more surveillance on the boy. If the bitch teams up with the Rutherfords and The Foundation that little boy is as good as dead.”

Simon frowned, he had no idea who the Rutherfords were but he was very well acquainted with The Foundation. Having them involved wasn’t good, not good at all. It didn’t take him long to put it all together and get to the answer. An answer that threw an entirely new light on his investigation.

“Damn. I now fully understand why my team was sent out here. If The Foundation has its eyes on your part of the world there’s going to be a blood bath. You’re in the way and therefore need to be eliminated but they will start with the smaller elements before moving up to the big one, you and the Syndicate. There will be car bombs, drive-by shootings, unexplained house fires and your families will die. They will destroy you, and The Foundation will step over your bodies and take over. The local SAPS don’t have the knowledge, experience or political clout to deal with Abishek Gopal and his killers. They are like a cloud of locusts settling on a field, there will be nothing left once they are done. The South African and African crime scene will be changed forever. It is something my organisation must be trying to prevent. I’ve not been given all the information, not yet anyway.”

“Is Abishek Gopal the leader of The Foundation?” Dom asked.

“Yes, he is The Foundation. His great grandfather started the organisation in India but in recent years it has spread like a rot to the rest of the world. Abishek likes thinking of himself as the Maharajah of the crime world, unfortunately he’s not far off. He’s been battering at the doors of the big crime organisations and taking over territory at an alarming rate. He’s ruthless, kills men, women and children to weaken his adversaries. When he takes over a territory the first thing we notice is the disappearances of children, young men and women. Some show up on slave auction websites but most are never seen again. No one dares move against him because of the way he retaliates, he targets the weaknesses of his prey. Their families. Destroying everything they hold dear.”

“Fuck.” The mumbled word came from behind him and he nodded.

“The Foundation is already targeting you. My team was sent here to gather evidence against the Iron Dogz MC, the Shadow Wraiths MC and the Syndicate. We were told to find the evidence connecting the three organisations to money laundering, funding of terrorism, human trafficking, arms dealing and dealing in narcotics. My agency received evidence anonymously, evidence linking all three organisations to those crimes.”

Dom snorted and shook his head. “You worked for me, you know damned well I do not dabble in those waters. Why did you not supply your Director with the evidence of your previous investigation? Evidence that clearly show the Syndicate is not involved in those filthy businesses. I’m not an arms dealer or a drug dealer or involved in selling flesh. And funding fucking terrorism? I actively fight against them getting a foothold in my country. Money laundering would mean I clean the money of the fuckers who are involved in those crimes. I’d rather kill them, it would make my job easier.”

“And what is your job, Dom?” Simon asked.

“Keeping scum like Abishek Gopal and his minions from destroying my country. We will fight his organisation to the last man before we allow him to turn our country into a wasteland run by criminals.” Dom said, his voice hard and determined.

“Now tell me, why did you ask for this meeting?”

Simon smiled. “Disregard everything I have said up to this moment. I asked for the meeting to inform you of the problem with Dalia. But the main reason was to give you a heads up regarding Gopal’s plans. I was sent to SA to ostensibly obtain the evidence against you and your friends. That is my cover. The real reason I’m here is to find those who are assisting The Foundation. ICI has been tasked with investigating the organisation and their influence in Africa. I’m supposed to investigate and report back to my Director. I have a good team, men I personally selected and trust. I did not select Dalia. She was added to the team at the last moment despite my reservations regarding her readiness. I’ve not been able to get a straight answer as to why she’s here.”

“Do you trust your Director?” Gideon asked.

“I do and I don’t. Her appointment was part political and part experience. She’s been an operative with ICI for many years with an exemplary reputation. Until she proves differently I have to trust that she’s not one of the bad guys.”

“I’ve not been able to find links to crime in her background but I’ll keep looking.” Rico stated as he typed away at a laptop. “I’ve started a deep dive on Dalia Mitchellson as well. The name is an alias and I’ve not cracked the wall around her file yet, but I will. I’m wondering why it’s protected when yours isn’t.”

“You’ve accessed my ICI file?”

“I have. Those of your team as well. You’re all clean. It’s interesting that you were all recruited from the SAS, very interesting. But not her, where did she come from?” Rico never looked up, he just kept working.

Simon shook his head as he looked back at a grinning Dominick Maingarde.

“I can’t stay much longer, my team is covering for me but I need to get back. I will reach out when I know more.” Simon said as he stood.

Shaking hands with Dom and his old team was a bittersweet experience.

Driving away felt wrong.

It made the decision easy. He wanted a better life, a family.

This would be his last mission for ICI.

He was done chasing shadows.