Power (The Santini Assassins #1)

24. … Mayhem

24

… MAYHEM

LUCIANO

T he only reason Luciano wasn’t going to break Willie Boy’s face was because Simone was there. Had she not been, this would have been the end for his cousin.

They entered the restaurant. Tara greeted them with a smile, then lit up when she saw Teddy.

“Tara, is Willie Boy here?” Luciano asked.

“Of course. He’s playing pool. Let me take you back.”

He hated that Simone was going to see his darker side, but his patience had run out. Even for family, he had his limits.

Tara led them through the restaurant, past the patrons who were there for a decent meal. Luciano wanted to tell them to get out, to find a better restaurant. He wanted to torch the building and bury the past. Instead, he steeled his spine and followed the hostess.

She walked into the back room, stepped aside so they could enter. His cousin was smoking a cigar and playing pool with someone while a few people watched. Luciano released a string of obscenities under his breath. He couldn’t believe how damn lazy his cousin was. His hands tightened into fists he wanted to launch at Willie Boy’s stupid fucking face.

“Hey, cousins,” Willie Boy said. “What do I owe the honor?” The second Simone came into view, he sucked his stomach in.

Luciano swallowed down a laugh.

“Yo, I remember you, pretty lady. Simone, right? I never forget a hot chick or a super-rad name.”

“That’s some talent you’ve got,” Simone bit out.

“Tara, get them drinks,” Willie Boy barked.

“How ‘bout some beer?” Tara asked.

They declined, and Tara left, shutting the door behind her.

“Gentlemen, I need a word with my cousin,” Luciano said.

“Ah, Jesus,” Willie Boy said. “I got money riding on this game, Lulu, and I’m finally winning. If you knew how much I’m in the hole?—”

Luciano glared at his cousin. “ Now .”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Don’t get your panties in a fucking wad.” Willie Boy shooed the men out, then sat at his usual table, like he was holding court.

“I’ve got a problem,” Luciano said, “and family help family, right?”

“Oh, yeah, sure, of course. What’s going on?” Willie Boy drained his glass of beer, then shouted for Tara.

“Dante never called me,” Luciano said.

“Sit,” Willie Boy said.

He sat across from Willie Boy. Simone eased down to his left, Teddy sat to his right.

“Call Dante,” Luciano said.

“I told you, I don’t have his number.”

“Dante’s a dangerous killer,” Luciano said. “Did you know that?”

“I know he’s done that kinda thing before.” Willie Boy wiped the perspiration from his brow with his sleeve.

“Break his finger,” Luciano said to Teddy.

Simone tensed. It was subtle, but even in the dimly-lit room, he could see her back stiffen.

Teddy shoved out of his chair so hard, it hit the floor behind him.

“Happy to,” Teddy replied. “Whad’ya say WB? Should I start with the pinky? It’s such a defenseless little finger. Or I could start with your thumb, which, technically, isn’t a finger, but that would fuck up your day pretty good, huh?”

Luciano leaned back. He loved watching Teddy. Everything with Teddy was larger than life, a damn performance. He would have already broken Willie Boy’s finger and would have him pinned against the wall.

But everyone did torture differently.

“Fuck, no!” Willie Boy screamed. “I don’t have his number and he hasn’t been by. What do you want from me?”

“The truth,” Luciano said. “How do you know him?”

“I told you the truth. I hired him to do a job for me a few years ago.”

“Did he do the job?”

“Kinda. He did it, but he fucked it up.”

“Then, what?”

“I never heard from him until a few months ago. He came ‘round like he’d never been gone. He was askin’ for boodle, I introduced him to you. He stopped by a few times more, but that was it.”

“If you needed him to do another job for you, how would you contact him?” Luciano asked.

Fear flashed in Willie Boy’s eyes. “I wouldn’t hire him again.”

“Because he fucked up the job.”

Willie Boy hugged himself, hiding his hands in his armpits. “Yeah, right.”

“What was that job?” Luciano asked.

“What was that job?” Willie Boy parroted back. “I, um… I… I don’t remember.”

Luciano flicked his gaze to Teddy. “Cosa ne pensi?”

“Si ricorda del lavoro,” Teddy replied.

“Tienilo fermo.”

Teddy grabbed Willie Boy’s wrist, slammed his palm hand-down on the table, and held it there. Luciano snapped his pinky like a twig.

“AAAAAIIIIEEEEE!!!!” Willie Boy squealed.

Simone turned away.

“Gestisci questo,” Luciano said to Teddy.

“Vuoi che lo uccida?” Teddy asked.

Luciano growled at his cousin. “He’s a traitor. Non mi interessa cosa gli fai . ”

“Lulu!” Willie Boy screamed. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.”

Without another word, Luciano guided Simone out. They waited in the SUV until a car pulled in for Teddy.

Luciano spoke with the driver, then he drove out of the parking lot. He felt nothing. No fear, no sense of satisfaction. He did what needed to be done because his cousin was a liar. You lie to the family, you get punished. It was that simple.

After a few silent moments, she asked, “What did you and Teddy say to each other?”

He laughed. “I just broke my cousin’s finger, left him in the hands of Teddy, and you want to know what we said?”

She shot him a little smile. “Yes. I’m going to have to brush up on my Italian, but in the meantime, help a girl out.”

He wrapped his hand around her muscular thigh. “Not just any girl. My girl. My woman .”

She leaned over, kissed his cheek.

“I asked Teddy what he thought of Willie Boy’s lie. Teddy said, ‘si ricorda del lavoro’, which means, ‘he remembers the job.’”

“What does gestisci questo mean?” she asked.

“Handle this,” he replied.

“Will he kill him?”

“No, but I told Teddy I don’t care what he does to him.”

“You’re ruthless,” she murmured.

He smiled. “Sì, amore mio, lo sono. Yes, my love, I am.”

Simone’s phone rang. “It’s Peter.” She answered, put the call on speaker. “Hi, Peter.”

“The office said you stopped by.”

“Yeah, I did.” He sounded like he’d just woken up. “Are you not feeling well?”

Peter choked back a sob. “Jerod ended things. He broke it off with me last night. I’m devastated.”

She exchanged glances with Luciano. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m a mess.” He paused to blow his nose. “I didn’t think it would affect me like this. I mean, I knew it would end. Maybe I didn’t. Hell, I don’t know. I called in sick today. Fortunately, Lucy is at work. I begged Jerod to come over so we could talk it out?—”

“He broke up with you over the phone?”

“Yeah, it was brutal. It started with a text, then we talked.” He started crying again. “I have to go.”

The line went dead.

“Here’s your chance,” Luciano said.

“I’m going for his jugular,” Simone replied.

“Now, you sound like a Santini.”

She shot him a little smile. “Thank you.”

After she plugged Peter’s address into her GPS, Luciano took the on-ramp to the beltway and slowed. It was rush hour and traffic was crawling.

“I thought Peter was a good guy—one of the best,” she said. “Now, I think he’s helping terrorists get into the country. How fucked up is that? I thought you were a bad guy. You’re one of the best men I have ever known.”

“I just broke my cousin’s finger.”

“He deserved it.”

Luciano clasped her hand in his, rested them on her lap. “You know what we should do together?”

“Go to target practice?”

He smiled. “No. Fly to my Milan headquarters, then vacation on the Italian coast.”

“That sounds incredible.”

“The family has a condo in the city and a home on the coast. You would love it there.”

“I’m sure I would.”

“First, we deal with Hirzog, we find this Dante monster, and we play in Italy for as long as we want.”

“Forever sounds good,” she replied.

“Forever it is.”

She stared out the passenger window as they slogged through heavy traffic. After a long moment, she said, “Why would Peter risk his career to get involved in a government crime ring?” she asked. “Money, right? Certainly not power.”

“Definitely money.”

“If he hates his country, then bringing terrorists in would bring him great satisfaction.”

“Does he?”

“I never got that impression, not when I worked for him,” she said.

“What about Jerod and his pyschosexual hold?”

“Absolutely,” she replied. “Money, love, manipulation. I need to check Peter’s finances. Can you help me?”

“Of course.”

Forty-five minutes later, Luciano drove down Peter’s street as the sun dipped into the horizon.

“His wife just got home,” she said.

A petite woman with shoulder-length blonde hair was opening the back hatch of her vehicle. Several bags of groceries waited in the cargo area. Luciano parked in the driveway and they got out.

“Hi, Lucy,” Simone called.

“Simone, what a lovely surprise. I hope you can stay for dinner.” She smiled warmly at Luciano. “Hi, I’m Lucy Hirzog.”

“Luciano Santini. Let me get those for you.”

Loaded down with bags, Luciano followed Lucy and Simone into the house. Beneath his jacket was his Glock. Since Lucy was there, he doubted Hirzog would ambush Simone, but he wasn’t dropping his guard.

Too much crazy shit was happening for him to relax… even for a minute.

The lights in the kitchen and adjoining family room were on, but no Hirzog. He set the groceries on the center island. A laptop sat open on the counter, the screen lit up to a page that looked familiar. Luciano strolled over and a shock of adrenaline charged through him.

The browser window was open to ALPHA, the screen displaying the current mission tracker. All ALPHA missions were on stand-down due to recent attack by The Bomb Maker. He skimmed the page. A single line item turned his veins to ice.

The Bomb Maker Case: Operative Simone Redding.

Figlio di puttana.

“Thanks for helping with the groceries,” Lucy said. “It looks like Peter’s here, but I didn’t see his car.”

“I talked to him an hour ago, and he said he was here,” Simone said.

“Hmm, I didn’t realize he was coming home early. He’s been putting in a lot of hours at the office. It’ll be nice to have dinner together.” She put a few things in the refrigerator. “Let me tell him you’re here.”

She excused herself and left the room.

Luciano snapped a picture, then snapped a second that included the interior of the home. “Check this out.”

She stood beside him, stared down at the laptop.

“He shouldn’t have access to this and what the hell is the laptop doing open?” Simone also snapped several pictures, then shot Luciano a smile. “This is enough to bring him in for questioning. It’s incriminating as hell.”

Lucy returned to the kitchen. “He’s not here.” She checked her phone. “Maybe he ran to the store real quick.”

“Please let him know we stopped by,” Simone said.

They showed themselves out.

As Luciano drove toward home, he said, “I’ll check Hirzog’s finances when we get home.”

In the dark car, she glanced over. “What happened to Peter? He used to be this amazing lawman, a respected leader, and total team player.”

“I know what happened to him,” Luciano replied. “Jerod happened. We need to find this Jerod De Clerq and squeeze him for answers.”

“Santini style?”

“I’ll start by breaking his fucking knees. I’m done being Mr. Nice Guy. So fucking done.”

Thirty-minutes later, they were sitting at their desks in his home office, their covered dinner plates waiting on the conference table.

“I requested a background check on Peter,” she said. “Is there anything I can do to help you with his finances?”

Luciano had all three computer screens lit up. He was searching for Hirzog’s online bank accounts. Once he found out where Peter banked, he’d access them by impersonating Peter. After he explained to Simone what he was doing, he said, “It’s going to take me a couple of hours, maybe longer. If I find nothing, I’ll search for offshore accounts.”

She pushed out of her chair, walked across the room, her intense gaze pinned on him. “Thank you.” She dipped down, kissed him. “While I wait for Hirzog’s background check, I’ll read the cold-case file on your family.”

He had no expectations she’d find anything. The homicide detective had come up with very little, the arson detective even less.

An hour passed, then another. Every now and then, she’d comment to herself. He loved having her in his office, appreciated how focused she was, how committed she was to finding his family’s killer, despite the odds stacked against her.

“Luciano,” she said breaking her silence.

“Yeah, baby.”

A hint of a smile tugged on the corners of her mouth. “Did the arson detective contact you?”

“No, but the homicide detective did. Once, in the beginning and several months later. He said the bomb materials were untraceable. They were common substances like hydrogen peroxide and ammonium nitrate that couldn’t be traced to a specific seller.”

One nod, then she continued working. She spent the next thirty minutes typing, then reading, more typing, more reading. At one point, she pushed out of her chair, walked onto the back patio, and stood in the yard staring up at the night sky.

A few minutes later, she came inside and rubbed her arms. “It’s chilly tonight.” Then, she sat on the sofa. “Can you sit with me for a minute?”

He’d located Hirzog’s bank, then accessed his checking and savings accounts, but had found nothing suspicious. Both were joint accounts he shared with his wife.

“One minute.” He called Teddy. “How’d it go?”

“It was fun.”

Luciano smiled. “Is he alive?”

“Unfortunately.”

“I need your help.”

“Go,” Teddy said.

After he told Teddy what he’d found, he said, “I’m looking for an account Hirzog doesn’t share with his wife. It’s not at this bank. I’ve searched several others, but there’s nothing.”

“What about a credit union?” Teddy asked.

“I didn’t check those.”

“Lemme see what I can do.”

The line went dead. Luciano joined Simone on the sofa.

The rosy color had drained from her cheeks and she was nibbling on her fingernail. “I’m going to need a bomb expert to confirm what I found in the case file.” She paused. “From what I’m learning, bomb makers—especially the good ones—leave like a signature in their explosives. They use specific materials, blended in a unique way. They’re masters at knowing how much to use to create the exact level of destruction they need. Like with Frederica, The Bomb Maker used just enough dynamite and other materials to blow up his house, but the explosives did no damage to any of the other houses on the street. It was the same when my team got ambushed by him.” She shifted on the sofa, but she was struggling to look at him.

“Simone,” he murmured. “I’m right here. Talk to me.”

She fixed her gaze on him, concern radiating from her eyes. “The same materials, with the same signature components, were found at the scene with your family. I’m not one-hundred-percent certain, and I’m not a chemist, but the types of materials match up. Even the proportions are the same. Less for the car explosion than the houses, but it’s the same.”

Luciano stared at her, trying to absorb her words. Several seconds passed. “Why would The Bomb Maker come after me?”

“I don’t know,” she replied.

“My thing was boodle,” he said. “Counterfeit money.”

The fury, the pain, the grief were always there, lurking below the surface. As he ran through the countless deals in his mind, he’d never once interacted with an explosive’s expert.

His phone rang. It was Teddy. He put the call on speaker. “Tell me something good.”

“Are you in front of your computer?”

He and Simone moved to his desk. He pulled a chair around for her and they sat side by side.

“Hirzog has an account at a credit union in DC,” Teddy said. “He opened it several months ago. There have been ten deposits, each one for twenty-five grand. I’m sharing my screen.”

Seconds later, he and Simone were staring at Hirzog’s bank account.

“Jesus,” Luciano bit out.

Simone’s smile lit up the night. “Teddy, I love you,”

“I’m good, huh?” Teddy asked.

“The best,” she replied. “This is huge. Thank you.” While Luciano took a screenshot, she hurried back over to her desk, retrieved her phone, and made a call.

“Cooper, it’s Red. I got a break in the case.”

SIMONE

The next morning, Simone was ready to rock it. To say she was fired up was an understatement. She’d hardly slept, which worked out to her and Luciano’s favor. After he’d zhuzhed her up good at four in the morning, she was still buzzing with energy.

It was eight o’clock. She was sitting at her desk in Luciano’s office ready to execute her plan. All she needed was her star player.

She texted Hirzog.

I’m worried about you. Can we talk?

…

I have an all-day meeting with the Director. How’s 4 today?

I’ll be there

Simone called Cooper. “I’m meeting Hirzog at the Bureau, four o’clock.”

“Nice work. What do you need from me?”

“I’ll let you know.” Simone hung up, called Commander Nikki Cardoso. After she brought Nikki up to speed, Nikki suggested Simone meet her at the police station so they could work out the details. Though elated, Simone wasn’t getting ahead of herself. This wasn’t a win, but things were moving in the right direction.

She pushed out of the chair, sat across from Luciano. “How are we going to do this so I’m safe, and you can go to work and not worry?”

“Stuart and I can drop you at the police station. He’ll take me to the office, then come back and drive you to your meeting with Hirzog.”

“That’ll work.”

As planned, they drove her to the DC police station.

She and Nikki talked strategy, discussed options, reviewed Guy Chenkus’s and Cary Newburg’s cases. She loved bouncing ideas off Nikki, feeling confident she was making headway. If her plan worked, she’d be arresting more than one person in the next twenty-four hours.

Even more so, she felt thrilled to be back in the game. She’d missed her life and was done hiding in the wings, watching from the shadows.

By three forty-five, Nikki had secured a court order. Armed with a pen capable of recording their conversation, Simone left the station and ducked into the Range Rover waiting at the curb.

Five-minutes later, Stuart dropped her at FBI headquarters.

As she rode the elevator, her heart pounded faster than usual. There were so many ways her conversation with Peter could go. She was hoping for his cooperation, but expected pushback. Deputy Director Hirzog would not come quietly.

Upstairs in the executive department, while waiting in reception, a calmness settled over her. She was there to get answers and she wasn’t leaving until she had them.

At just after four, several people exited a nearby conference room, one of them Carrera.

“Good luck,” Carrera murmured before heading toward his office.

Simone didn’t need luck. She needed the madness stopped and the bad actors locked away. It sounded like a lot, but she just wanted to do her damn job. And do it well. She had enough to arrest Hirzog, but she wasn’t sure if she had enough to get a conviction.

Peter had just broken away from the group. Their eyes met. She pasted on a cheery smile. “There he is.”

“Red, good to see you.” Bags hung heavy under Peter’s eyes, his rueful smile telling the real story. He ushered her into his office, shut the door.

“How are you doing?” she asked.

“It’s been rough.” After a beat, he said, “Lucy told me you stopped by with Santini. What was that about?”

She was there to question him, not be questioned by him. Instead of answering, she pulled a photo from her computer bag, set it on his desk. It was the picture she’d taken of Peter’s laptop, open to ALPHA’s secure website. In the photo’s background was his home.

“How do you have access to ALPHAnet?” she began.

He stared at the picture, furrowed his brow. “What is that?”

“Seriously? You’re asking me? It’s from your house. Your laptop was open and ALPHA’s website had been accessed.” She pulled out another photo, this one with a close-up showing the line item for her working The Bomb Maker case. “Why are you tracking this?”

He read it, then shook his head. “I have no idea what that is.”

“Is that your home?”

“Yes. Why are you questioning me about this?”

“Peter, why are you tracking ALPHA?”

“I’m not .”

“Isn’t that your laptop?” she asked.

He pulled a laptop from his computer bag. “ This is my laptop. That’s an old one I let Jerod use when he’d swing by.”

Anger streaked through her. “Then, why is Jerod tracking ALPHA?”

“I have no idea,” he replied.

She studied his face. It didn’t appear that he was lying, but her trust of him had been shattered. She slapped her Joelle James FBI badge on his desk.

“I’m working The Bomb Maker case, and you’re a suspect.”

His eyes bulged, his surprise uncontainable. He stared at her for so long, he looked catatonic. “I would laugh, but that’s not funny. That is an egregious accusation. I take personal and professional offense with that. I’m going to ask someone to step in here.”

He opened his office door and his jaw dropped when Carrera and Nikki Cardoso appeared in his doorway.

“Mr. Hirzog, I’m Commander Nikki Cardoso, Metropolitan PD.”

Carrera glared at Peter. “Deputy Director Carrera Santini.”

“Fuck me,” Peter grumbled.

Nikki eased into the second guest chair while Carrera stood like a sentry, arms crossed. He wore no smile, he said nothing.

A peace settled into Simone’s troubled soul. She felt hopeful she was on the right path to getting justice and to healing her heart.

“Peter, sit back down,” Simone demanded.

Peter crumpled into his chair, his gaze jumping from Carrera to Nikki, then back to her. “Why the ambush?”

“You have a bank account with ten deposits of twenty-five thousand dollars each,” Simone continued. “Where did that money come from?”

“Jerod paid me,” he said.

“For what?”

“I helped him bring his family into the country.” Peter pulled out his phone, showed her several pictures of people, but Jerod wasn’t in any of the shots.

Simone’s brain skidded to a stop. “That’s what he told you?”

“Yes, he wanted to help them, especially his mother.” Peter pulled up a picture of an older woman. “I put him in touch with several people who could make that happen.”

“Like?” Simone asked.

“Cary Newburg at State, Trish Benderson at SSA. I created an entire network for him.”

“Peter, you’ve created an intragovernmental crime ring to bring terrorists with the Haqazzii terror cell into the country.”

Peter recoiled. “No, that’s not true?—”

“Is his family’s name Haqazzii?”

“Jesus, no.”

“Jerod manipulated you, worked you for information,” Simone said. “With your help, he brought an unknown number of terrorists into the United States. Where the hell did you think all that money was coming from?”

Peter swallowed. “He told me his family had money.” He glanced furtively at Carrera. “I was too caught up in the excitement of the relationship.” A growl shot out of him. “That son of a bitch used me.”

“Peter Hirzog, you’re under arrest for treason,” Simone said.

“No, wait,” Peter blurted. “Let me help you. I’ll do anything. Anything so that I don’t get arrested for that . I’ve worked here my entire career. I don’t deserve this. I’m guilty, but not of losing my allegiance to my country or its government.” He paused, his eyes shifting left and right, as if searching for a way out. Then, he sat ramrod straight. “If I’m arrested, the press will find out, and Jerod will bolt. I’ll help you catch him, if you don’t arrest me for treason.”

“Go on,” Simone said.

“He’s money obsessed. I’ll offer him the quarter of a mil he paid me if he’ll meet me one more time. Then, you can arrest him.” Hirzog exhaled a squeaky breath like the air was being released from a balloon.

The two women exchanged glances.

“We’ll consider that,” Simone said. “Where would you meet?”

“My house,” Hirzog said. “Lucy left today to visit her sister. She stocked the fridge for me, made me a casserole last night.”

Simone’s stomach dropped. His sweet wife doted on him, loved him, yet he was a lying cheat and corrupt government worker.

“Text him,” Simone said. “Show us the text before you send it, then we’ll hold onto your phone so you don’t warn him.”

Hirzog’s eyes widened. “Warn him? Why would I do that? He’s just ruined my life. I never want to see the SOB again. This my Hail Mary.”

He typed out a text, showed it to them.

“Send it,” Simone said.

Jerod, I don’t want the money. You can have it if you come by tonight so we can talk. One last time

Seconds later, his phone binged.

8 tonight. You can transfer the money when I’m there

Peter’s shoulders fell. “I can’t believe he used me.”

Outside, Nikki placed Hirzog into the back seat of a waiting police car. Simone and Nikki slipped into Nikki’s unmarked cruiser, and the caravan took off for Hirzog’s home in Chevy Chase.

“I’m not convinced Jerod will show,” Simone said. “If he’s funded by terrorists, he doesn’t need Peter’s money.”

“I’m not sure I agree with that,” Nikki pushed back. “If he’s in it for the money, he will. I don’t know a lot of people who wouldn’t . Two hundred fifty thousand is a lot of money for a fifteen-minute meeting.”

It was six-thirty when they arrived at Hirzog’s. Two police officers entered, cleared the home, then waited outside. Simone was surprised that Peter heated the casserole, opened a bottle of wine. Both she and Nikki declined the alcohol, but Nikki ate some of the enchilada casserole.

“Your wife is an excellent cook,” Nikki said.

“Yeah, she’s a great woman,” Peter said. “I really blew it with her. When she finds out, she’ll leave me.”

Simone had been seated at the kitchen table, studying Hirzog. She wasn’t sure what to make of her former mentor. He appeared as relaxed as could be, but maybe he was good at hiding his emotions.

I wouldn’t be able to eat if I was accused of helping terrorists into the country.

Peter turned on the television to watch the news broadcast. When it ended, he turned it off. “I’m relieved I wasn’t on it.” He regarded Nikki. “I’d like to call my lawyer.”

“After you’re arrested,” Nikki replied. “You don’t get special treatment just because you offered me a piece of your wife’s casserole. Doesn’t work like that.”

Hirzog went to the counter and got busy making a pot of coffee.

At seven-thirty Luciano texted her.

How are you doing?

Quiet here. Hirzog is acting like things are normal. Denial???

Body armor, yes?

Yes

Service weapon?

In my handbag

Not good enough. Wear it! See you in 45. Love you, baby.

I love you

Luciano brought her joy, plain and simple.

“This situation feels surreal,” Peter said. “I should never have had an affair with Jerod.”

“Why did you?” Nikki asked.

“Jerod’s very handsome and he paid me a lot of attention. We worked out together, played pickleball, met for dinner.”

“Yeah, so? Friends do that,” Nikki replied.

“He seduced me, led me to believe what we had was real.” Hirzog brought over a tray with three coffees, a small pitcher with creamer, and a bowl of sugar. He set a mug down for Simone, one for Nikki, then joined them at the table.

Simone pushed hers away. She couldn’t stomach a thing. Nikki drizzled in cream, added a little sugar. In silence, they sipped their hot drinks. When Nikki had finished hers, Hirzog held up the carafe, but she waved it away.

“Excuse me,” Nikki said. “I’m going to the restroom.”

Simone checked the time. Five past eight. Adrenaline powered through her. She was ready to arrest Jerod, Hirzog too. She’d followed the white rabbit and it had led her to these two men, but there were so many others she didn’t know about.

I’ll find them too.

She and Hirzog sat in silence. She had nothing left to say to him. A few minutes passed, but Nikki hadn’t returned.

THUD!

“What was that?” Simone asked.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Hirzog replied.

She hurried to the closed bathroom door. “Nikki, you okay?”

The door opened. A glassy-eyed Nikki said, “I lost my balance.”

Simone helped her back to the table. Nikki sat in the chair and slumped over. “I don’t feel so good,” she mumbled.

After a quick glance at Hirzog—who appeared oblivious to Nikki’s situation—Simone hurried to her handbag, rifled through it, but her Glock was missing. A punch of fear pounded through her.

“I moved your gun,” Peter said. “I don’t want things to get violent.”

A growl shot out of her. “Where’s my service weapon, Peter?”

“You won’t be needing that.”

POP! POP! POP! POP!

Simone jerked her head toward the sound. The front door burst open and a man strode into the kitchen, eyed the three of them, and drew his lips back into a sinister smile, like a dog baring its teeth.

Dread filled her to the depths of her soul.

His dark hair fell to his shoulders. He wore tinted eyeglasses, dressed in an expensive-looking suit, bright white shirt, and shiny, black loafers. In the low-lit kitchen, he appeared very tan, but his complexion looked more orange than sun-kissed.

She glanced at his hand. On his pinky, he wore a flashy diamond ring.

Her heart dropped.

Ohgod, It’s The Bomb Maker.

Hirzog looked flat-out confused. “Who the hell are you?”

“Who am I?” barked the stranger.

Ohgod, no.

Simone staggered back.

It was Jerod De Clerq.

“It’s me, honey baby, but I prefer my chosen name, Dante.” Jerod removed his tinted glasses, walked over to Hirzog, and kissed him on the mouth. “Surprise, lover man!”

Adrenaline-fueled fear spread through Simone like wildfire.

Jerod is Dante… and Dante is The Bomb Maker.

LUCIANO

Luciano was seething. Traffic had come to a standstill. An accident had shut down one of two northbound lanes on Connecticut Ave in DC.

As he inched his way toward Maryland, he thought about everything that had transpired over the past few months. From Simone spying on him to their first erotic meeting at Burke and Morticia’s. How they’d fallen in love while hunting down a madman, then found themselves following a trail of corrupt government workers. Hirzog had blamed him for his ex-wife’s infidelity, then he’d cheated on his current wife with Jerod.

What a snake.

He thought about Jerod’s quick exit from Carole Jean’s minutes after meeting him.

Why did I think I’d met him before?

There was something about Jerod that reminded him of someone, but who?

His voice.

“Jesus,” he bit out as reality rained down on him.

He didn’t look familiar…he sounded familiar.

Jerod De Clerq is Dante The Bomb Maker.

Dread crept in, but he shoved it out.

Luciano texted Simone, got no response, and called her. Her phone rang. “C’mon, answer.”

She didn’t.

He searched for an alternative route, but nothing would get him to Hirzog’s any faster. According to the nav app, the accident was just up ahead. Once he got past that, he’d be there in fifteen minutes, tops.

Despite the situation, he would not let fear take control.

He called Teddy.

“Yo,” Teddy replied. “I can’t talk.”

“Why the hell did you answer?” Luciano snapped.

“Whoa, whoa, you gotta take it down a few.”

“Simone may be in trouble, and I’m stuck in traffic.”

“Sorry, bro. I’m in Virginia Beach.” Teddy hung up.

Luciano started swearing in Italian.

As he drove past the accident that had caused the major delay, cop cars, an ambulance and a fire truck blocked both southbound lanes. A tarp had been laid over one of the vehicles. His stomach dropped, his heart ached. Whoever was in that vehicle had not survived.

“Tragic,” he murmured.

Once past, he picked up speed. He called Simone, again. Still, no answer. In his gut, he knew something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

Simone’s walked into another ambush.

SIMONE

Hirzog beamed. “I love the disguise and I love the name, Dante . Very impressive. I’m ecstatic to see you. I want us to work things out.”

“Shhh, honey baby,” Dante said. “We’ll have lots of time for chatting once we take care of business.” He glanced over at Nikki, then glared at Simone. “First, those annoying officers out front are down.”

Peter stilled. “Down, as in dead?”

“Of course,” Dante replied. “ Killing is my specialty, not all the blowjobs I gave you. That was Dante doing whatever it took to get the job done.” Dante bowed. “Mission accomplished.”

Dante regarded Simone and his eyes turned black with hatred. “Red, Red, Red.” He pointed his gun at her. “You just wouldn’t stop coming after me, no matter how many times I warned you. Now, you’re going to pay, which is a bummer, ‘cause I really like you. And thank you, honey, for confiding in me. That made me so happy. I get that we’re friends—well, you’re friends with Jerod—but Dante is all business, so don’t take this personally.”

Simone’s heart was pounding out of her chest, but she refused to surrender to the fear. She would fight to her death if she had to.

“You’re insane,” she snapped. “Fucking insane.”

“I’m just leading two very different lives, but I can assure you I’m sane. Very sane and very, very evil.” His satanic grin sent a shiver whipping down her spine.

“And don’t get me started on Becca,” Dante continued. “She can’t wait to move here so you two can become buds.” He made a sad face. “You don’t get to be her friend because you’ll be DEAD!”

Simone lunged for him, but Hirzog grabbed her. “You need to have a seat.” He shoved her down on the chair.

“Actually, I need our lovely Simone to do me a favor,” Dante cooed.

She wanted to spit in his face, but she needed to stay calm. Her first priority? Find her Glock or take Dante’s from him.

He pulled rope from his shoulder bag, held it out to her. “Tie up my lover.”

“ What? ” Hirzog bellowed. “Are you out of your mind?”

Dante pointed the gun at him, his cold eyes spewing venom. “Sit, your ass down, you old fucker.”

Hirzog dropped into the kitchen chair.

“Tie him up, sweetie.”

Hirzog put his hands behind the chair and Simone loosely tied them together, then she tapped his wrists hoping he would know. Though a risk, she still believed he was the lesser of two evils.

“Sit,” Dante instructed her. “We have to get caught up.”

Dante glanced over at Nikki still slumped on the kitchen table. “What’s her story?”

“I drugged her, like you told me,” Hirzog said.

Dammit. Jerod got to him.

“Is she dead?”

Simone stifled a gasp.

“No, she’s passed out,” Hirzog said. “What is up with you?”

“Do you know who I am?” Dante asked.

“Yes,” Hirzog replied. “You’re Jerod in disguise.”

“ I’m Dante. Jerod is like Clarke Kent. Jerod works for ATF, chasing bad guys. All bad guys except The Bomb Maker. Do you know why that is?”

“Because you’re The Bomb Maker,” Simone said, keeping her voice steady so he wouldn’t hear her fear. “Dante is a killing machine. Dante killed Guy Chenkus. Dante killed Cary Newburg.”

“Ding! Ding! Ding!” Dante beamed. “I’m that person. I create mayhem and destruction wherever I go. Years ago, I bombed all those government buildings?—”

Tears spilled down Hirzog’s cheeks. “Why?”

“Because it’s fun! I love making explosives and watching people suffer. The more the merrier. I love seeing my success play out on the news, on social media. No one could catch me, but ALPHA—fucking ALPHA—was on to me. So, I killed them.” He slunk over to Simone, grabbed her face in his gun-free hand, and squeezed. Hard. “This cutie pie lived, but I didn’t know that. I thought everyone had died.”

“Ohgod, this is bad,” Peter bleated.

Dante kept his wild-eyed gaze on Simone.

“Imagine how surprised I was when you returned from the dead, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. What a fab reunion! Thanks to Peter and his laptop, I had access to ALPHA. Happy day! And here you are, again. Finally, I get to finish the job I started, make a cool quarter mil then vanish into thin air, just like I did five years ago. Only this time, I’m going to make sure you, Simone Redding, are dead.”

“You killed my team,” Simone bit out. “You sent me into hiding, you stole my life, then you killed Frederica and her team.”

“My motto is destruction and mayhem?—”

“I thought you said mayhem and destruction,” she hissed.

Dante smacked her cheek. “You’re annoying me. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Simone’s face burned from his slap, but she stayed silent. He had the power and the weapon… until she took them both from him.

“Don’t hit her,” Hirzog growled, the tone catching her ear.

“Seriously, big guy, you’re in no position to tell me what to do.”

“You want the money,” Hirzog said. “Take it and get the hell out! Crawl back under the fucking rock from where you came.”

“Speaking of fucking… you, lover man, liked it rough,” Dante said. “Is that what’s happening now? You’re putting on a tough-guy attitude with me? I wasn’t interested in you then. I’m not interested in you now. You were such an easy mark. I fawned all over you. I stroked your massive ego and I stroked your dick. And you fell for me.” He grinned. “I was playing a part to get you to create that incredible network of yo-yos who gave me what I needed. A government-based crime ring where I gave open access to the world’s most ruthless criminals. And they’re here. They’re all here! Our day is coming and, when it does, we will be immortalized as the most destructive power in the universe!”

To her absolute horror, Dante did a happy dance.

Bile rose in her throat while nausea rolled through her. She wanted to throw up.

“I’m going to quote Jerod,” Dante said. “Death is the ultimate loss. It messes with people in a way that nothing else does.” His face split into a terrifying grin. “Don’t you just love that quote? I do!”

Hirzog jumped out of the chair, the rope dangling loosely from one of his wrists. He lunged for Jerod.

BANG!

“AAAAAAIIEEEEEEEE!!! Hirzog shrieked, falling to the kitchen floor.

“Shut up, old man. Shut the hell up! While I couldn’t have done it without you, I can do without you now. Now, you’re a cling-on. You’re a fucking nuisance and you’re expendable.”

Groaning in pain, Hirzog lay bleeding from a leg wound, blood oozing onto his pants.

The front door banged open, Luciano rushed into the kitchen, his Glock drawn. Dante yanked Simone out of the chair, pulled her in front of him like a shield. One arm around her neck, the gun to her temple.

“Welcome to the party, handsome,” Dante said. “I believe we’ve already met.”

Luciano growled, his fury-filled gaze sliding from Simone to Hirzog to Nikki, still slumped at the table.

“I’ll kill her,” Dante said. “Because I love watching people suffer. So, Mr. Richie Rich, put the weapon on the counter and step away.

To Simone’s surprise, Luciano set down his gun.

All her hope faded away.

He devours power, so why did he just give it all away?

LUCIANO

Luciano smiled at Dante. “Do you want to die quickly or do you want to die slowly and suffer?”

“Oooooh, I love forced choices, don’t you?” Dante rolled his eyes, as if contemplating his question. “I’m the one holding the gun, so I’m not going to die. Nope, not me. I’m going to wreak havoc here, then vanish until… drumroll please…May thirty-first. Five thirty-one.”

Simone was alive. That was Luciano’s primary concern.

Luciano relaxed his stance, loosened the fists he’d made. “I know who you are, Dante. You’re Jerod, Inferno531, The Bomb Maker.”

“Congratulations, shithead! You wouldn’t sell me counterfeit money, but you did become very interested in me, Mr. Santini. After a little detective work of my own, I realized you were helping our lovely Red. Red, who’s about to be dead. How are you, the great and mighty Santini, going to handle the death of yet another loved one? I mean, the pain must still be so raw all these years later. I’ve seen you at the cemetery visiting your dead family. I’m sure it’s very touching, but I don’t have any empathy. I’m not an empath. I’m a sociopath.” He grinned. “Life’s short. If you cross me, it’s really short.” He cackled, his high-pitch laugh slicing through the air. “I’m the one who killed your beautiful wife and two kiddies.”

A hatred so consuming filled every cell in Luciano’s body. Fury and revenge had him primed to release a maelstrom of violence, but he had a plan.

Time to put it into play.

“Dante—or should I call you Jerod?”

“I like that about you. You’re very couth. I prefer Dante.”

“Alright, Dante, let’s talk. Man-to-man, yes?”

“Aren’t we doing that now?”

“You’re hiding behind a woman, so no, you’re not.”

Dante stared at Luciano. “You’re not gonna pull any funny business, are you? You do, she gets it.”

“You have my word. Just a simple conversation, then you can kill me. You can finish Hirzog off too, but please, let Simone live.”

“You’re a gentleman.”

Dante moved Simone to a chair at the table, pointed his Glock at her. “Don’t move or I shoot.”

Simone glared at him.

“Okay, what do you want to talk to me about?” Dante asked as he re-aimed the gun at Luciano.

“Why the counterfeit money?” Luciano asked.

“My middle-east friends have paid me millions, but I had to fork out a huge chunk to Hirzog and his nincompoop network. If I had counterfeit to pay them with, I’d cut my expenses, amass a fortune, then vanish, leaving my army of minions to carry out my orders.” A heinous smile filled his wretched face. “Ingenious, don’tcha think? The perfect crime.”

Dante didn’t get the boodle and he was about to die, so no, it was not the perfect crime. Instead of disclosing that, Luciano continued with his line of questioning. Slowly, slowly amassing the power he needed before he took this monster out.

“Why did you kill my family? We didn’t know each other, we’d never done business together.”

Luciano slid his gaze to Simone. She was waiting. As terrifying as this situation was, she looked as calm as he felt. Calmer, maybe. They stared into each other’s eyes for a brief second and, in that fleeting moment, time stood still. He saw his future. With her, and their children. He saw a life overflowing with love and laughter. And he saw an eternity with both his families. Peace settled into his soul. He shifted his attention back to Dante.

“It was an oopsie,” Dante said. “The hit was meant for you.”

“Which rival family ordered it?”

“That’s a yes—and a no—answer.” Dante pointed his weapon at Simone, then back at Luciano. “I don’t know who I’m going to kill first. Simone, what do you think? All four of you will die. You choose who goes first!”

She didn’t respond.

“Simone, if you don’t answer?—”

“Me. Take my life, but spare Luciano.”

“Why? You haven’t even known him that long.”

“I love him. That’s what you do when you love someone. You want them to live, to thrive, to make the most out of this one life that we have.”

“Very noble. I’m impressed. As Jerod, I did love being friends with you. You were always the coolest agent in the room.”

“Thank you. I felt the same about you.”

“Dante,” Luciano said. “Who ordered the hit?”

“Are you ready for this?” He glared at Luciano. “I don’t think you are, but I’m going to tell you, and then, I’m gonna kill you.”

“Understood,” Luciano said.

“Please, no,” Simone whispered.

“I’ve held it in for five long years. Only one other person knows the truth.” He puffed out his chest. “I’m bursting to tell you… are you sure you’re ready?”

“Tell me.”

“Your cousin, Willie Boy, ordered the hit. He wanted you dead, so he could run the business without you. But I killed your fam instead. My bad!”

“Slowly,” Luciano said, devoid of any emotion.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Dante asked. “C’mon, I just told you that your cousin— your own family —ordered the hit on you. And all you can say is slowly? What does that even mean?”

“It means, you will die slowly and painfully. Very, very painfully.”

“Dante, Commander Cardoso is waking up,” Simone said.

Dante glanced over. Luciano whipped his second Glock from the holster hidden beneath his jacket.

BANG!

Luciano shot the gun out of Dante’s hand. Simone leapt out of the chair, grabbed it, and pointed it at Dante.

BANG!

Luciano shot him in the abdomen.

“FUCK! You son of a bitch.” Dante pressed his hand against his torso as blood poured from the wound.

BANG!

Simone shot him in the upper thigh. “That’s for killing my team.”

“AAAAIIIIIEEE!!!” Dante shrieked.

Then, she fired off a round into his other femoral artery.

BANG!

“That’s for killing Frederica and her team.”

Dante crumpled to the floor, landing on his back, blood flowing from his wounds.

Luciano knelt beside him and glared into his eyes. “I want my face to be the last you see before you spend eternity with the devil.”

“This isn’t over,” Dante rasped out.

Simone stared down at Dante. “Any last words?”

Gasping for breath, Dante said, “May thirty-first will be memorialized forever. My name will be remembered as the king of mass destruction. I’ve set into motion something that not even the great Santini can stop.” An evil smile contorted his face.

She held the gun steady. “This is for killing Luciano’s family.”

BANG!

The bullet pierced Dante’s heart, his eyes went flat, and his breathing stopped.

It was over… for now.

Luciano knew the real nightmare was to come. Dante had deployed a ruthless team of terrorists throughout the country, with plans for a major attack against the US.

He rose, pulled Simone into his arms, held her tightly, and breathed. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes. You?”

“You’re in my arms, so it’s all good.”

“Thank you for the save,” she murmured.

“Thank you for having my back, and for avenging my family.”

She nodded.

“Partners always, yes?” he asked.

“Always,” she replied.

One more hug before she checked on Nikki while Luciano called for an ambulance.

After seeing that Nikki was coming around, Simone grabbed a towel, hurried over to Hirzog, and pressed gently against his wound.

“You’re going to be okay, Peter,” she said. “You were very brave.”

“I’m sorry,” Hirzog murmured.

Luciano called Carrera, added Sin to their call. “The Bomb Maker is dead. Hirzog is wounded. Simone was a rock star. The Bomb Maker gave me the Day of Destruction.”

“When?” Sin asked.

“May thirty-first.”

“In six months?”

“Yes.”

“We’re not gonna get much sleep, are we?” Carrera asked. “Does Teddy know?”

“I’m calling him next.”

“We’ll talk,” Sin said.

Luciano hung up, called his brother.

“Hold one,” Teddy answered. After several seconds, he said, “What’s the latest?”

“Willie Boy ordered the hit on me, the one that killed my family.”

Teddy released a string of obscenities in Italian. “How are we handling it?”

“The Santini way. You in?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions, fratello,” Teddy said. “Of course I’m in.”

Luciano hung up as the wail of sirens grew louder.

The next hour was mayhem, but when Cooper and Dakota appeared on the scene, Luciano collected Simone and vanished into the night.

He tucked her into his Range Rover, got in behind the wheel. “Ready to go home?”

“So ready.”

“Yours or mine?”

“As long as we’re together, does it make a difference?”

He collected her hand in his, kissed her warm skin. Grateful she was alive and unharmed, he smiled. “Together.”

“Absolutely.”

Simone stayed quiet on the ride home. She held his hand in her lap and stared out the windshield. He pulled up to the gates of his home, the guard cleared them to enter, and he drove up the long driveway. After parking at the fountain, he cut the engine and turned to her.

“You were brave and composed under pressure,” he said.

That elicited a smile. “I trusted you. I believed we’d get the job done.”

“I saw our life together,” he murmured. “Children too.”

She leaned over, kissed him. “Do you even want to bring children into this world? There’s so much evil.”

He lifted her hand to his lips, dotted her skin with kisses. “And love. If you could help me feel whole again, then I think a family would only make our lives better.”

“I’ll have your children, Mr. Santini.”

He smiled. How could he not? They’d come face-to-face with the devil and they’d cheated death. He believed their love would heal them, and they’d have a long and happy life together.

They went inside, sat on the sofa in the family room, staring at the flames dancing in the gas fireplace. She turned toward him, draped her legs over his lap, and ran delicate fingers through his hair.

“I love your touch, Simone.”

A whisper-soft smile graced her beautiful face. “What are you doing about Willie Boy?”

“What would you do?”

“I’m not an assassin,” she replied, directing her attention back to the roaring flames, “but it’s a dead man’s word against your cousin’s. Without evidence, it would be hard to arrest him. Even if he was arrested, a conviction might be impossible.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said.

She regarded him, the light from the fire reflected in her eyes. “I will love you no matter what you choose.”

“He got what he wanted,” Luciano said. “I left for Italy, he took over the family business.”

“You’ll know what you have to do when you see him,” she said.

She’s right. I’ll know when I confront him with the truth.