CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR
Lana hated to admit that it wouldn’t be safe here to raise the twins. Even though she had left home to join the Army and didn’t come back, mainly because she hated to admit she was afraid to face the Kenwoods, she still loved this small town.
During her musings, thinking about not only the path she took once she and Jayson had broken up, but Jayson’s as well. During that musing, a thought she was afraid to admit out loud struck her.
“Jayson, were you and Angelo just regular Delta, or did you guys become a part of Ghost Op under Colonel Hubbard?” Lana suddenly found herself asking out loud.
“T-that was both of us,” Ryan admitted, looking at Jayson in shock at Lana’s question.
“Fuck!” Lana, Rocky, Hollywood, and Sgt. Bueller all said at the same time.
“What?” Ryan and Jayson asked in union.
“Hubbard was arrested three weeks ago for human trafficking, drugs, arms dealing, and a shit ton of other charges. If his connections in the underworld are true, Angelo may be in danger,” Sgt. Bueller answered, looking over at Lana. “She’s the one who nailed his ass to the ground.”
“That’s impossible. He always helped women we rescued,” Ryan disagreed, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Did those women ever make it to their destination?” Hollywood asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.
“I don’t know. After we took them to a local hospital, they were released. You guys know that we rarely, if any, have any contact with people after we’ve rescued them. Especially in Ghost Op. Lana knows this,” Ryan answered, looking over at Lana.
“Exactly. Hubbard knew this. He knew you guys wouldn’t have access to the information on the girls because they wouldn’t know who you were.
Only he did. He used that information to find the girls, rescue them, and if they didn’t have the connections that the main one they sent in you to rescue had, he told his people who the girl was and where she was located and her description.
Three girls escaped after his guys kidnapped them.
They were the ones who tipped us off to what was going on. ”
“She’s telling you the truth,” Sunny spoke up, leaning forward. “They sent me in undercover and I saw the man with my own eyes. He was using his military connections to find victims and cover his tracks for his business.”
Lana leaned back in her seat. She knew this was going to be hard for both Ryan and Jayson to swallow since they both had high respect for the man.
The fact that she and her team were the ones to bring the man down didn’t account for the fact the man carefully chose who he would bring into the fold. Hubbard didn’t approach either Kenwood brother because they didn’t display the characteristics that Hubbard knew would keep his secret safe.
“But he put several guys who abused victims in Afghanistan in the brig,” Ryan said softly, the shock still visible in his voice.
“He told you they were thrown in the brig. In reality, they were handed over to his crew to get set up in the business since they showed the characteristics he was looking for. He knew with you guys that he couldn’t keep his side business going for long since you two had a moral compass.”
Lana let what she informed the two men sink in. She knew it was hard for them to believe since they never saw Hubbard as anything but their superior. He played the good guy very well.
Not even his own superiors knew the dark truth that Hubbard had been hiding. Suddenly, knowing what she did, she wondered about the truth behind Ellers, Jones, and a few of the others on their team.
She knew that not all of Hubbard’s men were military. Some were law enforcement elsewhere. Especially those that he’s worked with in the past or he’s gotten wind of having a dark side like he did.
What she couldn’t understand or connect was Hubbard’s connection to Hellburn Falls. He wasn’t even from North Carolina, other than being stationed at Ft. Bragg.
“Could he have connections within the Ft. Bragg cartel? They never found out who all was a part of it. A lot of the members they did arrest wouldn’t talk,” Rocky suggested to Lana.
“Let me make a call. Sarge, can you call the captain and see if she can find out the status on Hubbard from her end? I’m going to check with my Army contacts and see if they know anything. See if what we’ve found out matches,” Lana asked Sgt. Bueller.
Lana stepped out of the room, leaving both Ryan and Jayson to stare after her in confusion. She’d been doing that a lot lately with the way her brain thinks.
She didn’t know how to explain it. It’s like she’s thinking on one path, but then when she’s trying to piece everything together and connect the dots.
Her brain brings up other things and then it goes off in another direction that makes more sense than the previous one with what little information they have.
Once her contact had answered the phone, she went into officer mode, talking with them about what they’d been dealing with and her suspicions. Once she’d finished talking to them, she’d leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.
She was getting a serious migraine from all of this. That wasn’t a good thing for her.
She knew once the migraine hit, it would take her at least two days to recover. Usually when one hit, Rocky, Sunny, or her sergeant stayed with her to make sure not only was she taken care of, but her kids as well.
She didn’t have two days to suffer with this, so she knew she had to get it dealt with now. If Jayson knew about these migraines and how debilitating they were for her, he would have a shit fit and watch her like a freaking hawk.
“They released Hubbard on his own recognize. He had a couple of people who stood up for him, as well as the fact he had one hell of an attorney. So, we now know he’s got money and some serious backing.”