53. Pour some intel on me
Chapter 53
Pour some intel on me
TOMER
W hen I get back to Redleg, I’m greeted by whispers and sneaky glances.
Lots of them.
Hell, even alone in the elevator, I sense judgmental eyes on me. And it has nothing to do with the security cameras.
If they aren’t whispering as I pass, they’re struck mute, standing like terracotta warrior statues lined up in a row.
Word of Lettie’s jaw-dropping debut in the conference room this morning has clearly spread.
Have they all forgotten our lives are on the line? One would think that news would get top billing. And one would be wrong. Juicy gossip supersedes risk to life and limb, apparently.
Yet another example of how people make as much sense as tits on a toaster.
A smile plays at the corner of my mouth at my mental word choice. Tits on a toaster has Lettie written all over it.
My heart has Lettie written all over it as well.
I suspect that’s why even the hushed conversations and intrusive stares following me down the hall can’t bring me down. I’m on cloud fucking nine.
I didn’t lose her.
Lettie is still mine.
She knows all my secrets—all the big ones, anyhow. And she still loves me.
Me . Tomer Stillman.
How the fuck did that happen? Despite living it, I’ll never know how I wound up in her heart.
Wish I didn’t have to leave her to return to work. With everything out in the open, the grief that undermined all our past time together is gone.
Poof .
No more viscous dread to taint our love. No more anxiously awaiting the moment the noose would slip over my neck and cinch off my airway. All I want is to breathe the pure air with Lettie.
Sadly, basking in euphoria with the love of my life must wait. On the bright side, she’s content at the shelter and proud of the work she’s doing to heal.
And she’s safe there.
Now, I can focus on ensuring she stays that way, along with the rest of my Redleg family. To do that, we must eradicate the Lenkov infection.
When I enter the lair, Klein’s back is to me. He faces the whiteboard along the wall with a marker in his hand. Mia’s seated a few feet behind him in the middle of the room, lingering about halfway between him and her desk as if she’s been bouncing back and forth.
Nice. They’re already brainstorming.
Hearing my approach, Mia spins her chair to face me. “Oh, hey. You’re back.”
I pull out the chair at my workstation and quirk a brow at her. “What? No confetti cannon to herald my arrival? No song or dance? Nothing?”
Flashing an indulgent smirk, she wiggles her splayed palms beside her face.
“That’s more like it,” I goad her.
Klein backs away from the board, hitting me with a cross between puppy dog eyes and an accusatory glare. The latter makes more sense when he takes a pointed look at the clock on the wall and rolls out his lower lip.
He opens his mouth to speak, but I put out my palm. “I know I was gone a while. Sorry. I had to take care of something.”
Mia digs her heels into the carpet and drags her chair closer to me in a series of overdramatic scoots. Her smile stretches, and her eyes take on a maniacal quality. She cups both hands around her mouth and yell-whispers, “Spill it. Every damn detail.”
Avoiding eye contact, I fire up my machine and play it cool. “About what?”
Gurgled laughter reverberates around the office. Nothing like her normal bright and vibrant chortle. “Cal, did you hear that shit?”
He strides over, plopping down in his chair. Reclining back, he steeples his hands in front of him. “Oh, I heard. It’s adorable how he thinks we’re letting him off the hook. And all this time, I thought he was intelligent.”
With the sensation of weightlessness pulsating through me, I moisten my lips with my tongue and keep my line of sight straight ahead.
Mia propels herself to my side with one final drag of the chair, then smacks me in my upper arm. “Talk, dammit!”
I shirk away, rubbing my bicep. “ Hey! Workplace violence. Read the policy manual. That’s punishable by flogging.”
One of those monstrous guffaws erupts from her. She throws a hand over her face to hold it in, failing spectacularly. No measure of fingers and flesh could hold that sucker in.
Through mirth-soaked breaths, she admonishes me. “Dammit, Tomer. You can’t say shit like that. Especially today of all days. Imagine if Boss were here and heard me cackling?”
Klein eases over from the wall, tugging a few locks of Mia’s hair. “Gotta come up with something better than flogging, T. She likes it, so it wouldn’t be a punishment for her.”
Without missing a beat, I fire back, “Then you’re not doing it right, pal. Let me know if you need some tips.”
Their shock mingles with boisterous amusement, causing the volume to rise a few hundred decibels. Powerless to resist, I join in with a few chuckles of my own.
Am I being... playful ? Oh fuck. What’s happening to me?
Klein races over to shut the door to the lair. On his return, he ruffles my hair. “I’m just busting your balls about being late. Now, talk. What happened with Lettie? Or with Boss? And why did you come in here wearing that dopey ass expression?”
It’s then I realize my face is doing something unusual. The skin at the sides of my eyes is crinkled, and one cheek is pinched up tight.
I’m fucking smiling. And I have been for a while.
I say again. What’s happening to me?
Letting my face fall slack, I cut them with the blankest expression I can muster. No easy feat, considering I’m bubbling over with joy.
Mia’s shoulders raise close to her ears, and she clasps her hands in a prayer position. “Did you two make up?”
On the outside, I aim for impassive. But on the inside? Doing back flips and tossing glitter into the air.
Eventually, my inside feelings prevail, wrenching my facial features upward. “Not that it’s any of your business, but...” I shift in my seat, intentionally dragging it out. They both lean forward, eyebrows inching higher as the seconds tick by.
You know what? Being fun is kind of... fun.
Mia spins her hands in a speed-up gesture. “But? But? But ?”
The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can focus on getting shit handled. So I quit playing around and spit it out. “Yes. We got back together.”
Klein merely smiles at me, offering a minuscule tip of his head. On the other end of the reaction spectrum, Mia springs out of her chair with her hands shooting over her head. A squeal of delight follows.
I wave my palms to physically shush her. “Calm down. Damn, woman. I had no idea you were so invested in my love life.”
Now she’s the one with a dopey look on her face. “I’m so happy for you two. So happy.”
Honestly, I’d have expected a bigger reaction from Klein. Aside from that slight grin, he’s rather stoic.
Odd.
Since my computer is logged in and ready to go, it’s time to get to work. “With that out of the way, where are we? Bring me up to speed.”
Klein emits a grumbled sigh. “Hold on.”
My head flops to one shoulder. “What now?”
“How did your talk with Big Al go?” he asks. “I’ve been worried about you and him since I found out who she was on the night of the rescue op.”
“I’m still alive and haven’t been beaten to a pulp. So better than I deserve.”
“Don’t say that,” Mia chides. “We all deserve forgiveness. Especially when our mistakes have well-intentioned motives, and I’d bet yours did.”
“You sound like Lettie.” As her name leaves my mouth, a smile remains in its place. “She’s always telling me to stop talking shit about myself.”
Mia crosses her arms over her chest, her brows defying gravity. “I knew I liked her.”
Klein still looks concerned. “Seriously, you and Boss are good?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re good. But not nearly as bad as I expected. We still need to work some shit out, but I think he’s,” I lick my lips, searching for the words, “willing to forgive me.”
He exhales through his rounded mouth, adding a shake of his head. “That’s a relief.” He claps his hands once. “All right. Let’s get down to it.”
I crack my neck, folding my hand repeatedly in a give it to me gesture. “Info dump. Pour it on me.”
Klein moves back to the wall, pointing at the grease board with his marker. “We’ve identified five primary areas of focus, represented in each column. Human Trafficking, Drugs, Guns , Cyber , and Financial. ” He taps the marker against the headings along the top. “Under each, we’ve got three rows. Initial thoughts, Questions .” Lowering the marker, he waves it in a sweeping motion. “And at the bottom, we’re listing potential Action Steps .”
Mia concludes, “Our plan is to assign them once we’ve fleshed it out further. Obviously, this will be a living, breathing strategy. It’ll change as things unfold.”
“Solid plan.” Nodding along, I find only one glaring oversight in their approach. “Where is Boss on all this? Shouldn’t he be in here?”
“We ordered him to get some rest,” Mia responds.
“Daring, are we?” I joke.
Klein adds, “Aside from playing fast and loose with her life, Mia made a solid point with him. Madeline was exhausted. So he took her home. Sawyer, Sammy, Leo, and Sue went too. They were emotionally and physically spent. They’re no good to us like that, which they recognized. Plus, Boss needed to clear his mind after...” He flicks his eyes to the ceiling.
She finishes for him, “Learning he has a daughter. We told him we’d start on a plan while he rested. He’ll be back this afternoon.”
Lettie’s bombshell and Madeline being shot must have really taken a toll on him if he was willing to leave Redleg. Wouldn’t have expected him to go so soon, all things considered.
Knowing the large part I played in his mental state doesn’t sit well. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about it now. The guilt will have to rot in my gut.
Mia sighs, rolling out her shoulders. “Lots of others went home to get things in order, talk to their family members, review safety precautions, and that sort of thing. Even Shep left to talk to Kri. He’s probably pulling Val out of school until this shit settles. More than likely, he’ll bring them to sleep here for a few days. He was on edge after the meeting. Makes sense, considering they were taken by Lenkov’s people once before.”
“I assume they’ll be taking over the bunk room.” Clicking my tongue, I sweep my gaze around the floor. “Guess that means we get mats and find a corner when we need rest.”
Klein shakes his head, explaining, “Peggy is having a few of the downstairs offices converted into temporary bunk rooms in case anyone else wants to sleep here.”
“Also...” Mia scrunches her lips to one side, apprehension coating her features. “Cal and I decided we’re going home at night as usual. To his mom’s house. We won’t wreck her schedule or leave her with strangers. And bringing her here would be a nightmare. Naturally, we’ll take our laptops with us and handle the most pressing shit remotely. Before he left, Boss stressed that this isn’t a short game. No one is expected to uproot their entire lives or be here around the clock. Both are important—family and Redleg.”
My forehead wrinkles, and my lips purse as her words permeate.
On one hand, I’m irked that they aren’t all-in on the mission, ready to dive in with no distractions. On the other hand, I understand their point and respect them for putting family first.
As much as I’d love to take Lenkov down in a week or less, the reality is that this will take time. Looking at the amount of information already scribbled onto the board spells that out in black and white—quite literally.
Incidental to all that, it’s interesting to note how they’ve jumped headfirst into a serious relationship. Seems I missed a lot when I was out taking care of Lettie. No regrets.
Nodding slowly, I concede their point. “Makes sense. I get it. We all just need to take safety precautions when leaving HQ.”
Immediately, my thoughts turn to Lettie, and I start doubting whether leaving her at the women’s shelter is the best course of action. Should I bring her here and stay in a bunk room with her? Could she continue healing inside these walls? Would she feel safer? Would I be more focused knowing she was in an environment where I can control things?
In my heart, I know there’s only one answer.
Once they’ve finished bringing me up to speed, I’ll call Lettie and see if she’s open to it. Her coming voluntarily is preferable to exerting my will over her.
Shaking it off, I redirect us back to the board. “Keep going on this.”
For the next few minutes, they take turns rattling off details.
When there’s a lull in the update, I grab the marker and add two new headers. “Putting Law Enforcement here so we can keep that on our radar. Anything we get needs to be shared and able to help with prosecution. If we keep the lines of communication open on our end, they’re more likely to do the same.”
Klein points at the second header I added. “What do you mean by Internal Crimes ?”
“All the illegal shit they’re doing inside their ranks. For example, they kidnapped Savin and Katia as children, forcing them into servitude. I bet there are hundreds of other similar stories of shit we can get them on.”
Mia squeezes my shoulder. “Good thinking, T.”
I shift over to the Human Trafficking column, surveying their initial list.
The names of the six individuals in the house on the night of the rescue are there, four of them with a red X drawn through them. “These are the ones in jail, right?”
“Yep,” Mia confirms. “An underline means we know their whereabouts, but they aren’t arrested yet.”
Below that is a list of Loverboys —the ones who bring in more girls. I’m surprised to see more than the three names I knew about. Davidov has an X over his name. Savin has an asterisk by his.
The next name makes my blood boil.
Through hazy red vision, I circle Yev’s name and grit out, “This one is mine. I have a program running for him on face rec. We need to talk to Yuri about him too. When Shep gets back, I’ll get with him about that.”
Klein reaches over and puts a T beside Yev’s name. “Whatever you want, buddy.”
Rubbing the nape of my neck, I blurt, “Fair warning, I make no promises about what I will or won’t do to him when I find him.”
Shit . Probably shouldn’t have said that.
Both their heads whip to face me.
“Care to explain?” Klein asks.
It hurts to spit the words out, but I do it because I’m sick of fucking lying and hiding shit. “They sent me a jump drive with a video of Yev assaulting Lettie.”
Klein stutters back a step. “Fuck, man. Damn .”
I keep my eyes fixed on Yev’s name on the board.
Mia recovers quickly, immediately shifting into action mode. “Where’s the drive? When did you get it? How was it delivered? What did?—”
Putting my hand out, I halt her interrogation. “The drive was destroyed.”
“ What ? Why did you do that?” Mia huffs. “That was evidence. And a digital trail.”
“I’m aware, Mia. I didn’t do it. Lettie did.”
Mia’s shoulders slump, and she whispers, “She watched it? That’s... tragic.”
“She didn’t watch it. But she was looking at me from across the room when I did. Neither of us knew what it was at first, so I told her I’d screen it. When she saw my expression, she figured it out, snatched it out of the laptop, and threw it down the garbage disposal before I had a chance to react.”
The agony of that night and what I witnessed will never stray far from my thoughts. My soul shatters each time I think about what Lettie endured in that place.
Mia recaptures my focus with a heavy sigh. “There’s another copy out there. I’ll find it so you don’t have to.” She writes the words Video Evidence on the board and puts an M next to it.
Shaking off the horrid memories, I keep going. “I see you have Viktor Lenkov up there. I didn’t think I passed his name on to you yet.” Rather than incriminate myself for holding back details from my team, I add, “There’s a lot to keep straight.”
“Boss was here when we first started this.” Mia gestures to the strategy wall. “He said Violet told him to ensure we were going after Viktor too.”
Despite not wanting to get him on the list so I could handle him myself, I nod and put a T beside his name. “He’s mine too.”
Curiosity gets to me, compounding my worries about Big Al’s mental state. “Did Lettie tell Boss how she knows about Viktor?”
Klein hums as he sifts through his recollection. “He didn’t mention it to us before he left.”
Staring at Viktor’s name, I bite back an explanation. Something compels me to tell them the whole story. Perhaps it’s the day for total honesty. First with Boss, then with Lettie. Now, with these two.
Fuck it.
“Not sure if we share this with Boss, but Viktor took Lettie on purpose. It wasn’t random. He knew she was Big Al’s daughter.” I clear my throat, fighting off the oppressive guilt. “And my girlfriend. It was payback for our role in removing their foothold at Franco Financial.”
For the second time, Klein’s physically knocked back by something I share. He plops down in the closest chair and drags his hand down his face while stifling a groan.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mia’s firmly in strategic mode. “Tomer, would Lettie be willing to come in and talk to us? Or talk to me? I’d like to interview her about what happened in that house. If she knew that , there’s no telling what else she’s aware of that might be invaluable to us.”
“I’ll get you a copy of her police interview with Patterson and Salgado. It was recorded. As for another interrogation...” I shake my head, nibbling at my lip. “I’m not sure. She’s already shared a lot with me. I can fill in the dots for us.”
“Fair. I’ll go easy on her. Just think it through.”
“I will.”
“Maybe ask her?” she prods, nudging me further as if she knows I’m not on board.
Dozens of times when I thought I knew what was best for Lettie flash through my mind. And she’s proved me wrong at every turn. “Fine.”
Our brainstorming continues for several minutes. Studying the board, I ask questions, seeking clarification when it’s needed and add details here and there. Once the conversation winds down, I add two lines with question marks beside them.
Katia’s role in the trafficking?
The box?
“What’s the box?” Klein tilts his chin at what I added to the board. “And Katia? Is that Savin’s sister?”
“When Shep and I paid a visit to Savin, he directed me to a box hidden in the wall at the trafficking house. He didn’t tell me why. And now he’s in WITSEC. So I can’t contact him to get more information.”
“Did you get the box?” Klein asks.
“It’s in a safe at my house. No fucking clue why he wanted me to get it so badly. All that’s inside is a novel, some snacks, a Russian nesting doll, and two containers of Narcan.”
“Narcan?” Mia slopes her head to the side, eyes thinning to slits. “Why Narcan?”
My arms fling out to the sides. “I can only assume it was in case someone overdosed.”
“Did you ask Lettie about it?” she fires back without missing a beat.
“No.”
She puffs up her lips with a sharp inhale. “ This is why I need to interview her.”
Wait. Should I have asked Lettie?
When I don’t respond fast enough, Mia adds, “The box was in the house. Lettie was in the house. It’s worth asking the question.”
“I’ll see what she knows.”
Guess I’ll be calling her sooner than planned. Nah . Fuck that. She won’t answer, and it’s not appropriate for texting. I’ll go see her tonight.
Silence falls in the room as three pairs of eyes study the board.
“What’s going on with Savin’s sister?” Mia asks, reminding me of Klein’s earlier question.
“The night I nabbed Skidmark, he was in the bar with Katia. During our chat with him, he said she was often sent to do the talking for Lenkov. That’s what she was doing that night.”
“And?” Klein prods.
“He also told me that Nikolai Lenkov isn’t involved in the trafficking operation. It’s Viktor’s project.” I shake my head to rid my thoughts of the disgust clouding my vision.
Growing impatient with my delay, Mia connects the dots. “If Katia is beholden to Nikolai and carrying his baby, why is she running errands for Viktor or getting her hand in the trafficking ring?”
I point at her. “Bingo. That’s what I want to know.”
Klein uncaps his marker. “Need to talk to Savin,” he mutters as he writes it on the board.
“Good fucking luck with that,” I quip.
Mia shimmies her shoulders. “I do love a good challenge.”