CHAPTER NINETEEN
To say the night was surprising was an understatement. I couldn’t say it was a bad surprise, though.
Shane was also planning to stay a while. It’d been a long time since Shane, Pop, and I were in the same place at the same time. Even though I was supposed to work during my stay in Holy Water, I was looking forward to spending more time with them. And other people too. Like coworkers and such.
Shane and I were close in age and had done a lot together. After high school, I went to college and had a major in software engineering and a minor in literature—I was a geek after all. Then I got a Ph.D. in Cybersecurity. Shane was just a little over a year younger than me. We went to the same college, and we both joined the Army and became Rangers. After a few operations, I decided to leave the army and applied for the DEA.
I started in a desk job but paved my way up, proving I could be useful not only behind a computer screen—although that was one of my biggest strengths. Shane stayed in the army a while longer, until something went wrong in one of his assignments and he decided to leave as well.
He was reluctant to talk about it, but I knew whatever happened had messed with his head. After that, he decided to travel around on his motorcycle, most likely looking for a new place to feel at home. That was kind of the reason for his visit, besides visiting Pop.
From what I heard, there was a motorcycle club a town over that was hosting a convention of sorts in Holy Water. I didn’t know much about The Shadow Guardians. I could only hope they were good to my little brother.
I was still reeling over everything that happened that night when I received an unexpected call. I turned my Bluetooth on to answer my CI.
“Hey, man.”
“ Hello, Ethan. Could you meet me in a bit? ”
“Sorry, I’m out of town. Are you comfortable talking over the phone?”
“ Actually, I’m in Holy Water. ”
“Really? Why?”
He took a bit to answer, and I had to check the monitor to see if he hadn’t hung up. “ I wanted to fix a few things around here. And I heard you were coming as well, so I thought it’d be best if we were all in the same place. Are you free right now? I promise I won’t take too long. ”
He instructed me on where to go, and I turned around, away from the B&B to meet him in a cabin just out of town. The place seemed uninhabited, and I thought that was what he wanted people to believe.
I could see movement behind the curtain on one of the walls, and he opened the door before I could knock. I was surprised to see how tidy the place seemed to be, increasing my suspicion that he had a military background. Once again, I was assaulted by the feeling that he looked familiar for whatever reason.
He closed the door behind me. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“Of course. Is everything okay? Not very long ago you were also out of town. Your call right now was kind of out of the blue.”
He sat down on one of the two chairs he had and pointed at the other one, inviting me to sit with him. “I like to be around as much as I can. It makes me feel…more grounded.”
“I didn’t know you were connected to this place.”
He cleared his throat. “I have some news.”
It wasn’t lost on me that he changed the subject abruptly. But I didn’t call him on it. He was very skittish about his history and identity—to the point I didn’t know his name—but he was also very helpful. So, I waited for him to go on.
“I heard you and your team contacted Pablo Salazar. Whatever you said to him, it ruffled all the right feathers. He’s desperate, on the move, and trying to push the cartel and Brian Keyes to help him hide and then escape.”
“Damn, that’s sudden. Any idea of what he’s planning?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. But you need to increase surveillance on them. Whatever it is they decide to do, they won’t take long. Especially now that Tequila is incarcerated, and the cartel knows Matias’s dead.”
“Have you heard anything about ‘ Badge ?’ That’s how they’re calling the DEA agent who is helping the cartel.”
“No. I had my suspicions that someone inside was working with them, but so far, I’ve got no names. Do you think he had a hand in the ambush against you and your team?”
How does he know about it?
“We know he did. And that pisses me off even more. If it weren’t for the company guys, Aaron and I would’ve died along with some of our other men.”
He fisted his hands over his legs, and I noticed he struggled to control his breathing. “Were they hurt? The people from the company?”
“No. They’re all fine. They—”
“Are you sure? I heard there’s a woman as well. How was she?”
“How do you know—”
“Is. She. Hurt?”
“Damn it! Why is that so important to you? Did you use to date her? What’s in it for you?”
It was just perfect. First my pop, then my brother, not to mention Hugo , and now I had to compete with my CI. Not that I was competing for anything. Or even interested. Or even being honest with myself.
He hung his head down, and I felt like a jerk. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and rubbed my hands on my pants. “I’m sorry, man. I’m just a little on edge with everything going on.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have pushed you. Aaron said you’re a good guy, and I trust him. So, I trust you. I’m just…worried. With everything going on. With how dangerous this is. I just want to make sure that she—you’re safe. All of you.”
It still struck me as odd, but for some reason I trusted him.
“Why don’t you meet us at the company? We could all brainstorm tog—”
“ No ! I’m sorry…no. I still want to help you, but I also need to focus on my side of the investigation.”
“Which is?”
“I’m going to find and kill Carlos Gomes.”
His voice was filled with determination and hatred. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we got Pablo Salazar together first and then focused on Gomes? Why not reach out to the team?”
“I have reasons for wanting him gone.”
I nodded. “Fair enough. Are you being safe? Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine for now. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“No, I mean it. Thank you for coming so fast. For not asking questions I can’t answer. For being patient with me…for keeping them safe.”
I nodded, trying to absorb his odd choice of words. “They’re my team now. That means protecting them with my life.”
He gave me a sad smile. “I can relate to that. I bet they all can.”
We stood up, and he offered me his hand. “About the team, can you please just…”
“I’ll keep them safe.”
He nodded in relief, and I turned around to leave. I opened the door and looked back. I just needed to know.
“Have you ever slept with her?”
He chuckled. “God, no!”
Both satisfied and confused about his response, I left the cabin to go back to the hotel. I felt my phone vibrating as I talked to him, but I didn’t want to interrupt our meeting. At the sight of Mia’s missed calls, my heart jumped inside my chest, and I took a deep breath to control my reaction.
She didn’t leave a message, and it seemed too late to return the call, so I decided to contact her the next day. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was ready to meet her and deal with all the feelings that accompanied her presence.
I parked my car at the hotel and strode to my room, ready for a good night’s sleep—or more honestly, a good night of overthinking and overplanning.
I inserted the key in the lock and noticed the door was already unlocked, and I knew I hadn’t left it open before going to Pop’s.
Someone had broken into my room.
I eased the door open and left the lights off so as not to alert anyone in case they were still inside. I checked the small kitchen and the bathroom and didn’t find anything suspicious. But as I reached the bedroom door, I noticed a figure on the armchair. Since it had its back to me, I couldn’t figure out who the person was. I stepped closer, ready to fight off whoever it was.
I planned to catch them by surprise, but as soon as I pulled their shoulder, the person was startled, and I felt a punch in my stomach. Since it was dark, I couldn’t quite predict their next move, which cost me a jab in the face.
I was able to fight back and pulled the person’s arm, twisting it so their back was against my chest. The intruder elbowed me in the stomach and tried to run, so I jumped on their back, making us both fall against the coffee table, which splattered on the ground. I managed to stop another one of their blows and jumped on the attacker, who avoided me just in time but ended up hitting the bedside table and breaking the ugly vase on top.
I swung my legs against their shins, making them fall, then pulled one of the person’s feet, dragging them to me. The intruder rolled to the side, punched me in the ribs, forced me to the ground, kneeled on my back, and twisted my arm.
Just like it was done to my brother a couple of hours before.
It took me a while to realize that my attacker was way shorter than me and smelled addictingly like strawberry and honey. The lethal combination of a Spitfire.
That was when I heard her voice.
“ What the hell, Phoenix ?”