34. Touché, pops （not a popsiclecandy）
Chapter 34
Touché, pops (not a popsicle or candy)
TOMER
C onsidering the late night dealing with the fallout from the mission, the mood in the conference room is downright cheery this morning.
However, the information on my laptop screen confuses me, which tinges my mood. I’m hopeful we can figure out what this shit means. Why did the architect give us a jump drive with a list of seemingly random names? If they really wanted to help, they’d fucking be up-front with us. It’s starting to feel like a wild goose chase.
To be honest, I have no idea where this entire case is going. It’s unsettling.
And yet... I’m still floating on a fluffy cloud. Metaphorically, of course.
It’s almost as if I’m in a prolonged quasi-subspace, but that’s unlikely. Although, it could be the Dom version, Domspace. Never experienced that before. I’ve heard it’s a thing.
However, the most probable cause for my mood is that I’m madly in love.
Topping it off, all the orgasms last night and this morning with my sugar bear have had a calming effect on me. Her insatiable hunger is addictive. Between her pregnancy hormones and hypersexuality, I’ll run out of fluids soon.
Hmm . I wonder if there’s a supplement I could take for that.
Oh, I’ve got it. I’ll give myself some IV fluids like we did in the Rangers when we got dehydrated.
I’ll consider that more later. For now, I’ve got more research to do on these names.
Before I have a chance to continue analyzing the list,Boss strides in with Lettie trailing two steps behind him. It shouldn’t surprise me to see her joining us for the debrief. Yet, here I am, slack-jawed and heart-eyed. We talked about it on the drive to HQ this morning. Last night was a lot for her. For us both. She knew she wasn’t expected to attend today’s meeting.
The last thing I want is for this shit to trigger her, especially because part of our discussion will include Viktor.
Rest in Hell. No fucking regrets over taking his life.
Not a one.
I’ll have to keep a close eye on her when his name comes up. Until then, I’m trusting her judgment.
Lettie knows what she can handle. Usually.
Like every other time, if she gets upset, I’ll be here to comfort her. At the end of the day, that’s what she needs from me in situations like this.
Perhaps I’ve finally learned my lesson. The way she bum-rushed the crime scene, not showing an ounce of fear at being that close to Viktor’s dead body, was a flashing sign that she’s able to decide for herself. She doesn’t need me or her father to cage her in.
Nothing can stop my butterfly from soaring.
Boss plops his notebook and tablet on the other side of my laptop, shaking me from my musings.
As usual, he sits on my right at the head of the conference table. “Good morning, children.”
Murmured greetings echo around the room. Everyone from last night’s op is scattered around the long table.
Seeing Lettie searching for a chair, Klein and Mia shuffle over a spot, leaving room for her on my left. I’ve trained them so well. Such good kids.
To me, Big Al whispers, “Your girl is as stubborn as an ox.”
A chuckle shakes my chest, and I quip, “I wonder where she gets that from.”
“If it’s genetic, then you’re fucked and about to be outnumbered by bullheaded people starting in about seven or eight months.”
Then he smiles, big and toothy. As if nothing’s ever been wrong between us. We still haven’t discussed the pregnancy or officially squashed our issues. Regardless, day by day, our wounds continue healing.
Lettie takes the newly vacated seat on my left, placing a notepad and two pens in front of her. One of those will be for writing, and the other will be for clicking.
Unable to be this close without touching her, I reach under the table to squeeze her thigh. She cups her hand over mine, holding it there.
I really fucking like her being at Redleg. Probably a little bit more than I should, considering it’s only temporary. I get why Leo loves Sue working here. And Klein and Mia. To some extent, Shep and Kri. There’s something so reassuring about knowing your partner is in the safest place.
When Peggy returns to work, I need to find Lettie another job at Redleg. Unless she doesn’t want to work here. Something tells me she’ll like that idea, though. And if she doesn’t, I can always make her reconsider with a few extra trips to the copy room.
Boss clears his throat, capturing everyone’s attention. “The first order of business will be a quick sitrep on the events from last night. I spoke with the chief on the way in this morning.” He shifts his gaze between Mia and me, raising his brows in question. “After that, I’d like one of you to update us on the information Katia provided.”
I tip my head and lift one finger, silently communicating I’ll be handling it.
He taps his knuckle on the polished mahogany table. “Next, we’ll talk through how to handle Katia and the architect. And finally, we can discuss our theories on what the fuck happened, hopefully figuring out where we go from here.” He looks around the table, making eye contact with us one by one. “Sound good? Anything to add?”
Klein raises his hand. Boss nods at him, encouraging him to speak.
“Got an email from Detective Salgado this morning informing me that Vanessa Eldridge has been arrested. The State Attorney is pressing charges for her role in Lettie’s abduction. She’ll most likely end up with a plea deal to lessen her sentence by providing testimony about the people she was working with. But they assured me she’ll serve time for this.”
Lettie releases a shaky exhale. When I look at her, she’s overcome with emotions—most of them happy. Tears pool in her eyes, but she’s shining like the sun.
Another one taken down.
“Thank you, Klein,” I tell him softly.
“Excellent.” Big Al trains his warm gaze on his daughter before moving on. “Anything else before we dig in?”
Head shakes all around.
Right as he opens his mouth to continue, the door swings open, drawing everyone’s attention. My mouth quirks on one side at Sue’s terrified expression. It’s a mix of mortification and nausea, complete with caved-in shoulders and pinched lips. She fucking hates meetings.
“Come on in, Sue.” Boss waves her over to the table, offering a semblance of a smile.
Eyes downcast, she mutters, “Sorry I’m late.”
“We’re just about to start,” Mia tosses casually. “You’re right on time.”
Lionheart bolts to his feet, grabs a chair from the other end of the room like it weighs nothing, and hauls it to our end of the table for his wife. He squeezes her in between him and Sawyer. Leo should have trained his little buddy better. Sawyer should have shuffled down like Klein did. A wry smile plucks at my cheeks at the thought. Sawyer’s a lot like a big kid, anyhow.
“Here we go. Debrief.” Boss scratches his beard. “The chief confirmed they’ve cleared Tomer in Viktor’s death, thanks to the drone footage proving he was about to shoot Katia. No charges will be filed.”
Lettie pulses her hand over mine, canting her head to flash me a relieved smile. Muscles all over my body relax at once, causing my spine to soften.
He continues, mostly addressing me. “It’s possible they may show up to ask more questions. As of this morning, they felt they had enough to wrap it up.” He pops his lips, making a smacking sound. “But...”
Shit.
The skin between his brows crumples, and he addresses everyone. “They said they would be contacting Nikolai Lenkov this morning. Next of kin notification of Viktor’s death. Which means?—”
Leo finishes his sentence. “ Everyone is on fucking turbo high alert starting now.”
“Correct.” Boss glances at me. “Hope you enjoyed your last free night.I don’t want you leaving HQ for a while.” He shifts his gaze to his daughter. “You either.”
“That’s fine,” she answers, entirely nonplussed in her tone and body language.
Huh . While I’d anticipated he’d ask us to stay here, I didn’t expect Lettie to be so compliant. Wonders never cease.
Lettie follows up her agreement with something more aligned with her patented bratty charm. “Boss Dad, I presume you’ll be staying here as well, right? After all, Lenkov took a hit out on you once before. I’m sure he’s about to be spittin’ mad. I’d hate for you to be at risk out there. And dear, sweet Madeline.”
Big Al’s palm hits his forehead, and his fingers punishingly dig into his hair. A groan vibrates in the back of his throat. “Fine.”
Sue whispers in Leo’s ear. His expression brightens as he processes her words.
When he pulls away, he meets Big Al’s inquisitive stare. “Sue would also feel safer sleeping here. Guess it’s a Redleg sleepover.”
Looks like the bunk rooms will be full for a while.
“Yay,” Lettie squeals, clapping her hands to sell her put-on.
Unless she’s truly happy about this development. Who the fuck knows?
Leo shifts his large frame, placing his forearm on the table. “So we’re all in agreement that Katia was the contact the architect sent, and Viktor must have found out about the drop and showed up to stop her. Right?”
We all nod.
“Don’t forget that the architect said he was sending someone special to deliver us the proof,” Mia adds, craning her neck to look down at Boss. “Therefore, it’s possible the architect is her father.”
Sawyer chimes in. “That would also make him Savin and Yev’s father.”
Klein throws out another question. “What do we think about some of the shit she said to Viktor? Was that an act, or is she working for Lenkov and the architect?”
“An honest-to-goodness double agent.” Shep leans back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head. “It’s possible, which means we have no clue where her allegiance lies.”
“I don’t trust her. Not one fucking bit,” I state with certainty, puffing my chest. “There was something sinister in her eyes. Plus, if she was on our side, why all the shit-talking with Viktor? Like how she said he failed Nikolai and that she was sent to watch him. What was the point?”
Mia taps her fingernails on the table in a rhythmic pattern and offers her thoughts. “Because she didn’t know what was going to happen with him. She could have been protecting her cover in case they both walked away.”
“Wouldn’t that be equally as dangerous for her, though?” Shep asks, bringing his arms down to the table with a soft thud. “If she and Viktor went back to life as usual last night, how would that have played out for her? He would’ve still wanted her dead for giving us intel. Regardless, she was fucked once he found out she was meeting us. So why make it seem like she was doing Nikolai’s bidding?”
Big Al finally jumps in. “The only thing that could have saved her would be Nikolai’s protection. I doubt Viktor would go against his father. Therefore, if Viktor were to leave last night while believing she was doing what his father asked, then she’d have been safe.” He leans his head to one side. “To some extent.”
Maybe I’m still pissed off for the shit she said about Lettie, but I don’t buy it. She might have started out on the right side of this war, but just like her half-brother Yev, she flew too close to the sun. Katia got swept up in it and turned.
Stifling my groan of frustration, I say, “Unless we can bring her to Jonesy’s farm for some complimentary dental work, we won’t know. And I’m not suggesting we rough up a pregnant female, so that’s out as far as I’m concerned. However, I don’t want to let her go either.”
Boss rolls out his shoulders, his gaze darting from face to face. “For the time being, CPD is letting her slide off their radar. They’re considering her an unidentifiable witness. Anyone want to make an argument for or against hunting her down? Or should I decide? ”
Klein’s the first to respond. “For now, I say we put her on the board with the others we’re tracking. We’ve got more important things to worry about than Katia’sallegiance.”
I point at my open laptop. “Like finding out what the fuck is up with this list she gave us.”
“What kind of list is it?” Sawyer asks.
Big Al holds out his palm. “Hang on, children. One thing at a time. Katia.” He lowers his hand. “Put her on the whiteboard, and we’ll find her when we have time. Ideally, I’d like to get a tracker on her or implant some bugs. And I’d love to get a look at her phone.”
“Me too,” Mia says, her fingers tapping across the keys.
The rest of us nod in silent agreement.
“As for the architect,” Boss starts. His head wobbles subtly as if he’s searching for the words.
Since he doesn’t finish his sentence, I offer my opinion. “We need to email him again, asking for direction on this list. And maybe we can ask him about Katia. Or who the fuck he is other than Alexei Bugrov, which is obviously an alias. Maybe he’d be willing to meet us if we arranged something secure.”
Boss points two fingers at me, then sweeps them toward Mia and Klein. “Did you three discover anything useful about his emails in terms of forensics? Something we can use to identify him, perhaps?”
Mia’s been on that. I crook my head, facing her. She’s engrossed in whatever’s on her laptop.
“Mia?” Klein whispers, squeezing her forearm gently to get her attention.
“Huh?” She finally looks away from the screen, her face slack. “What’s up?”
I catch her focus with a wiggle of my hand. “Did you find any useful data in the emails from the architect?”
Her mouth rounds, and she flits her eyes to the ceiling. “Only that it was sent through a VPN. It’s likely a dead end. Alexei’s good at covering his digital tracks.”
Shit .
Immediately, she returns her focus to her laptop. Unfortunately, she’s down too many seats for me to see what’s captivated her attention to this extreme.
“Can we discuss the list yet?” Sawyer asks after two seconds of silence, which is the maximum amount he’s comfortable with.
So I assume, considering he’s always talking.
With a roll of his eyes, Boss waves his hand in a circle, yielding the floor to me.
“Right. The list.” I drag my finger over the trackpad to wake my screen. “It’s a list of seventy-two names. Mostly male.”
“That’s it?” Leo’s brows pull in tight.
I nod. “Just names. Nothing else.”
“Who’s on the list?” Lettie asks, leaning to peek at my screen.
Turning my laptop slightly, I give her a better view. “Still pulling them up one by one. I’m about halfway through. For the most part, they’re wealthy and powerful. CEOs. A few politicians. Some law enforcement.”
“Interesting.” Boss narrows his eyes. “Any average Joes on there?”
“About ten so far. Middle class, for the most part. Some married. Blue collar. It’s a mix. But of the thirty-four I’ve looked up, the vast majority are rolling in the dough.”
Shep groans. “I’m going to regret suggesting this, but do I need to take the names to Yuri?”
“Possibly,” Boss answers, quickly adding, “Not yet. Let’s see what the team can dig up first.”
Still studying the screen, Lettie reaches over the keyboard and scrolls lower.
“Send me the list, T,” Klein says. “I’ll start at the bottom and work up.”
With three clicks, I send him a link to the file. “Done.”
Lettie grabs my hand suddenly. “Babe.”
“What, sugar?”
Letting my hand go, she points at the screen. “I might know who these people are and why Alexei wanted us to have this list.”
My windpipe constricts as I wait for her to explain. As if she can sense my apprehension, she gives me a comforting half-smile and caresses my hand.
“Which name do you recognize, Lettie?” Big Al asks, his tone woven with tendrils of warmth.
“In the house, I heard an unusual name mentioned a couple of times.”Her throat bobs, and her jaw clicks. “They said they had to save the virgins for him. He pays top dollar for them.”
“This one?” I ask her, my finger hovering over the screen.
She nods. “Yeah. They saved the virgins for someone named Huxley .”
“Full name is Huxley Bowen,” I inform the others since they can’t see where I’m pointing.
Big Al clicks his tongue and sighs audibly. “Doesn’t ring a bell. Did you look him up yet, T?”
“Doing it now.”
Starting with a simple web search, I get a hit. A big fat one.
After a shaky exhale, I announce, “Huxley Bowen is a government official. Director at the Miami Port Authority.”
Shep whistles. “Nice friend for Lenkov to have in his pocket. Especially if he’s supplying this Huxley fucker with his preferred kink.”
Turning to Lettie, I ask, “Do you recognize any other names?”
She screws her mouth to one side. “There was a guy named Jameson who paid us a visit one night, and there’s a Jameson on the list.” She shrugs. “Not sure if it’s the same man, though. I don’t know his last name.”
My nostrils flare. “He was a . . . customer?”
“Yes. There were a few who went slumming , as they called it.” Her eyes fall to the table, voice lowering. “They wanted girls who fought back, so coming to the prep house gave them that rush.” She grinds her teeth, anger replacing her earlier sadness. “Sick fucks.”
I reach out to comfort her, lacing our fingers together.
After a beat, she looks at me from under her long lashes and whispers, “I’m okay, babe.”
“Are we all thinking the same thing?” Sawyer asks after two seconds of silence, thus proving my earlier theory.
Boss balls both hands into fists, softly pounding the table. He’s doing his best to restrain his anger, but it’s there. Simmering under the surface. Just like the rest of us.
Gruffly, he says, “I’d bet my boat that this a list of customers or people who are keeping the Lenkov Bratva in business. Possibly both.”
Leo muses, “If so, it’s a hell of a start to pulling down the sun so the architect can fly free.”
“Well, you guys have your work cut out for you. Need you to uncover everything you can about the people on the list. Find out if there’s anything else they have in common that?—”
“Holy shit,” Klein interjects, excitement making his volume louder than needed.
All heads pivot toward him.
Except Mia’s. She’s still buried in her laptop. What the fuck is she up to?
Without preamble, Klein says, “The fucking Undersheriff is on the list.”
Boss’s eyes shoot wide, and his forehead creases deepen.“Dempsey?”
Klein nods. “This has to be people protecting them.”
Lettie tuts. “Not necessarily. We already know Huxley is a customer. Maybe Dempsey is too.”
Leo seems to agree, piling on. “Exactly. Why would the architect mingle the two groups? Customers and power players in Lenkov’s pocket? Those would be on different lists.”
“Unless they’re both,” Boss says, tipping his head to one side.
Mia bangs her fist on the table, making everyone flinch. “Yes!”
“ Man alive , Mia,” Lettie yelps, her hand flying to her chest.
Mia flattens her lips, turning them into a slight pout. “Sorry, Lettie. But I just found something else on the jump drive Katia gave us last night.”
My chin juts out. “What? There was only the list.”
“That’s all that was supposed to be on there,” she starts. “But whoever saved the file didn’t use a brand new drive. It has deleted files on it. Several of them.”
Shit . In my rush, I didn’t even think about attempting that.
“Ghost does it again,” Shep crows like a proud papa.
Suppose that’s deserved since he’s the one who brought Mia to us.
“What kind of files?” Leo asks.
Always trying to learn from her, Klein leans closer to her screen. “How did you restore them?”
“I’ll show you later,” she tells him, then looks across the table to Lionheart. “I need a minute to figure them out. They look like...”
No one speaks. Not even Sawyer.
It’s a Christmas miracle in August.
“Huh.” Mia’s head kicks back, and she blinks a few times before putting us out of our misery. “I think they’re cargo ship routes.”
“From Miami?” Boss asks, his thoughts likely mirroring mine.
She clicks her mouse twice, then nods slowly. “Yep. From South America and Europe. Even Africa. All going through Miami.”
Lettie brushes her shoulder against mine and whispers, “What does that have to do with this?”
“Somebody in the bratva is moving merchandise of some sort through Miami. Could be weapons. Drugs.”
“People,” Boss adds, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Does this mean the jump drive came from someone who works at the port?” she asks.
“Maybe or maybe not,” Mia answers. “I’ll need more time to find out.”
“Well, this was a helluva first debrief for me,” Lettie quips, her voice cheery. “Crooked politicians, names of potential trafficking customers, a dirty dog Undersheriff, mystery files, and cargo ship routes.” She beams at her father. “Are all your meetings this exciting?”
“Only those that don’t end with someone barging in, claiming to be my long lost daughter.”
She winks at him. “Touché, pops. Touché.”