Chapter 22 #3
“It wouldn’t be the first time treasure hunters have worked with smugglers.
They’re out on salvage vessels in the ocean.
It’s a convenient place to move everything from guns to animals in crates and containers labeled as artifacts or salvage equipment.
Most smugglers don’t give them a choice. Help and take a cut or die.”
“I knew some men were hired by organizations to plunder and steal artifacts for ISIS and such, so I guess it makes sense they also use salvage vessels as a means to smuggle.” She’d spent years making bold life-and-death choices, always trusting her gut—how’d she get everything so wrong now?
“I never saw Andrew meet with anyone suspicious, though. Not that I remember, at least. And his ship was huge. I didn’t have access to every square inch of it. ”
“I did some digging. Twelve years ago, Cutter was broke. No investors. No one to back his pursuits. And then, a year later, Cutter was suddenly in charge of a multimillion-dollar ship with all the equipment he’d ever need.” He opened his palms to the sky.
“You think he made a deal with a smuggler?” Rory’s stomach dropped.
“The Italian didn’t exist back then, but there were plenty of other criminals who may have offered Cutter a ship loaded with equipment for treasure hunting in exchange for smuggling goods for them. They probably also required a hefty cut of any treasure he did find.”
“That’s speculation. A legitimate investor may have—”
“And legitimate businessmen record their investments.” He stroked Dallas’s head now, eyes remaining on Rory. “When I learned you were near D.C., and with Cutter being there, too, and the connection he had to Danny, I tasked my men to watch you and your family.”
Ohh. “There was a man on that yacht who I recognized. Well, not at the time because I was drugged, but it came to me later. He had a scar that resembled the number seven next to his eye, and a tattoo of a green mamba coiled around his neck. He’d worked with Andrew in the past.”
Carter sat taller at the news, lifting his hand from Dallas. “You mean Jensen Fitzpatrick, Danny’s cousin?” His hand became a fist on the table. “He was with Danny and Santiago the night they killed my wife.”
Shivers rolled over her spine at the thought of Danny and Jensen brutally murdering Rebecca. All because she had wanted to make a difference.
Her world went from spinning to collapsing in on itself. “Well, he’s dead. At the bottom of the ocean on that yacht.”
His eyes flashed with anger. Anger that his revenge had been taken from him.
Rory still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact The Italian may have known about her but didn’t make a move before now.
“Aside from falling for my trap in France, did you only stick to that list my wife gave you? The list of twenty-five?” he asked a moment later, his anger seemingly under control.
“My main focus was that list because I wanted to finish it to honor the work Rebecca and I had started, but I’ve kept an eye on the illicit trade of elephant ivory and pangolin—as you clearly knew.
” She still hated that Carter had duped her.
“There was a huge sale of ivory made this summer. The transaction was between a seller in Africa and a buyer in El Salvador. I couldn’t just ignore it.
And when I learned Alvin Santiago was illegally importing the ivory by using a trade network known to be controlled by The Italian, I deviated from the list and went after him.
How could I not? I mean, it fit my mission perfectly.
I’d planned to get back to hunting those on the list of twenty-five after I sent the CIA the intel on Santiago, but then you distracted me with pangolins. ”
“My path never crossed with Santiago’s before last week.
Not that I know of, at least. But somehow, Rebecca’s did.
” His brows snapped together, anger crossing his hard features.
“Santiago’s abduction must be the trigger that set the events of this weekend into motion.
” He stood and braced the back of his head with one hand, working through his thoughts.
“Rory!” The sound of Chris’s voice calling out her name threw her thoughts about Santiago out to sea.
She jumped to her feet, nearly knocking the chair over as Chris rushed toward her.
Chris circled his arms around her back, and she threw her arms over his shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Were there tears pricking her eyes?
“She won’t eat without your presence.” Carter’s words had Chris easing away from Rory to look at him.
A moment later, Harper and Roman appeared side by side at the entrance of the eating area, a guard behind them.
“Brooks,” Carter acknowledged Harper in a firm voice.
Rory wasn’t the only one who’d had access to a shower and a change of clothes. The three of them all had jeans on and a variation of colors for tees.
“Dominick,” Harper said through barely parted lips, then looked at Rory as if confirming Carter hadn’t hurt her.
Before Harper could respond, Chris left Rory’s side, walked straight up to Carter, and clocked him clean across the jaw.
And she was fairly certain Carter let him do it because she’d caught Carter motioning for Dallas to remain seated out of the corner of her eye. To not attack Chris.
“That was for allowing your men to taser her in France.” Chris rounded his fist, prepared to strike again, but Rory hurried to his side and placed a firm hand to his shoulder, urging him to back down.
He twisted to look at her, and his intense expression relaxed immediately. He slowly lowered his fist and stepped back from Carter.
Carter swiped a hand over his jaw before his gaze journeyed between the three of them. “I guess it’s time we lay all the cards on the table.”