18. Dominic
Dominic
Iscour the spreadsheets laid across my desk.
List after list, linking shell companies with names like Maksim and Ilia Petrov, cousins of Anatoliy Kozlova.
Due to the family tree Lucas found online, our list of known Kozlova associates has doubled.
In our research, we’ve found that the younger members have a connection to Jesus Perez, a twenty-year-old we recently discovered to be the the bastard son of one Esteban Perez.
“Rostov Trading transferred one and a half million rubles into a Bahamian bank account yesterday. That’s about twenty grand US.” Leo loosens his tie while he studies the account reports on his computer.
Lucas leans from his chair to peer over Leo’s shoulder. “That’s the third week in a row.”
“A kickback?” I ask.
“Probably.” Leo’s fingers dance over his keyboard as he continues his search. “But from what?”
“Drugs?” Marco snorts, lounging on the couch on the side of the room.
“Or something more sinister.” Leo grimaces.
I rock back in my chair, resting my elbows on the arms and steepling my fingers. “Have we caught any movement from the Kozlovas or Medina members recently?”
“As in, is anyone else headed to Vegas for another attack?” Leo asks.
I tilt my head side to side. “That’s what I’d like to know.”
He sighs and clicks his mouse a few times.
“So far, I don’t see anything. The men who showed up the night of the gala flew into Reno and drove down.
Lucas and I are keeping track of all flight logs in the Southwest. Nico’s team is helping watch for anyone coming in from South America and Mexico, and I have a couple more associates watching Russia.
There’s still a lot of movement to and from Puerto Rico, but nothing to the States in the last couple of weeks. ”
“I’m starting to feel like a sitting duck,” Lucas mutters, then looks around wide-eyed. “Not that we aren’t doing everything we can.”
I drop my hands to my lap. “No, I get it. There are too many angles where they can come at us. I have a contact watching the southern border, but he says it’s pretty locked down at the moment.
” I pause, my lips twisting. “Although I’m sure Esteban Perez knows how to get through a checkpoint without getting flagged. ”
“A contact?” Leo peers at me over the rim of his glasses. “Any chance I might be able to have access to this contact?”
I glare at him.
He shakes his head and returns to his computer. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I don’t like that we’re on defense instead of offense,” I say. “Have we gathered any intel from Puerto Rico?”
“I had our guys pose as Santos’s cleaning crew so they could get in the condo and plant wires. The real cleaning service was pretty pleased with the ten grand we handed over.”
“They won’t talk?” I ask.
“We made it clear that talking would be a very bad idea.” Leo smirks and types some more.
“Kozlova and Perez usually meet once a month in San Juan,” Lucas says. “That means they should be headed there in the next few days.”
“And we’ll be listening to every word they say when they do.” Leo closes his laptop with a sigh.
“I want to be there when they meet,” I decide, tapping my fingertips on my desk. “It gives us the ability to take action immediately if needed.”
Lucas shifts in his seat, fiddling with his pen.
“Is that an issue?” I cock a brow at his tells.
“No, of course not.” He fists the pen to stop the movement. “It’s just that Sadie’s shower is in two days. But that’s not a big deal; I’m not even supposed to be there.”
“But she wants to show you everything she got afterward?” Marco infers. “Amanda was the same way with her bridal shower.”
“Ugh,” I groan and shake my head. “Okay, Lucas, you keep an eye on things here. Leo, call Nico and see if he wants to take another trip to the island.”
“Got it.” Leo scratches a note on his ever-present legal pad.
“Get the jet ready to leave the moment we know when they’re meeting. We’ll fly into the Dominican so we can get to Puerto Rico quickly by boat.”
“Right,” Leo drawls. “Because we wouldn’t want to go directly to San Juan. Or God forbid the Virgin Islands, which are closer to San Juan.”
I grit my teeth and level my adviser with a glare. “You never know who’s watching.”
“Mm-hmm.” He doesn’t even look up from his notes.
“Okay.” Marco slaps his knees before standing. “I’m hungry. Anyone up for a stop at Trattoria Palermo? I’m craving a calzone.”
“Me too.” Lucas joins him, dropping his pen on my desk.
“Leo, Dominic?” Marco asks.
“We’ll meet you there,” Leo says. “I’ve got an issue I need Dominic’s take on.”
“Yep. Got it.” Marco is quick to escape as the tension between Leo and me builds. “We’re not waiting for you two to order, though.” With his warning, he’s through the door.
“Uh, you can text us your order if you want,” Lucas stammers as he pauses in the doorway, but neither Leo nor I answer. “Or Uncle Sal can just make you whatever. It’s cool. See ya.” He disappears and lets the door close behind him.
Giving me a disapproving look, Leo stands and crosses to the door, locking it.
I raise my brows as he returns to his chair and narrows his eyes.
“Well?” I snap.
“Who the hell is this ‘contact’?” he asks, suspicion lacing his tone.
“None of your business.” I rock backward and glance out the window.
“Bullshit, Dominic.” Leo throws his notepad on the desk. “I have been working with you since before our fathers retired. I know something’s up. I get that you’re in charge, so that’s why I haven’t pushed, but it’s obvious that you’re hiding something. Who the hell are you talking to?”
I take a deep breath and catch the tip of my tongue between my teeth.
“Please.” Leo’s tone softens. “I can’t advise you if I don’t know all the pieces on the board. If your contact has the potential to cause harm to the family, I need to know.”
I shut my eyes, debating. Leo isn’t wrong.
If the shit hits the fan, I’ll need his help, but I gave my word to the man I’m sharing information with.
And if it gets out that we’re talking to each other, it’s not just the two of us that will be in trouble.
Cassandra will end up with a target on her back, too.
“Dominic.”
“I know,” I grunt. “You’re right, but if this information gets out, the repercussions could be dire.”
“Who the hell do you think I’m going to tell?” Leo scoffs, clearly offended.
I turn back to him and sigh.
“If there were one person in the world I would be willing to share information with, who do you think it would be?”
“Outside the family?”
I rock my head side to side. “Sort of.”
Leo stares, unfocused, out the window as he thinks. He blinks as he runs through a list of names and faces he knows. Suddenly, he freezes, his lips twitch, and his brows raise.
Without warning, he bursts into laughter. Leo slams his palm down on my desk and throws his head back. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I cock my head. “What?”
“The only person who is ‘sort of’ outside the family, who you would be willing to share information with? Jesus Christ, Dominic. By any chance, does this person happen to be in a department of the government that could cause us a lot of problems?”
“All our conversations are off record,” I explain. “We’re using cold phones being fed through scrambling services. No one can trace our calls.”
“And what about your conversations at family gatherings? Can those be traced?” Leo grins.
“We’re not talking shop around anyone else.” I roll my eyes.
Leo chuckles. “Are you the only one giving information, or is he sharing with you?”
“He doesn’t have anything to share.” I shrug. “For the most part, their investigations lag behind ours. Too much red tape on their side.”
“So, what’s up with refusing to fly directly into Puerto Rico?”
“He’s watching my flight logs.” I grimace. “I told him Kozlova and Perez are meeting in the Caribbean, but I won’t tell him where.”
“So, we fly to one island and take a boat to another,” Leo summarizes.
“Exactly.”
He sighs and closes his laptop. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, and I think you already know you need to be careful, but to be honest, I get why you’re doing what you’re doing.”
“It’s the best way to keep the peace,” I say.
Leo stands. “Well, tell Agent Bain I say hi next time you talk. Now, how about lunch? Marco’s right, a calzone sounds great.”
I laugh and rise to my feet. “Let’s go. I’m sure Uncle Sal is waiting for us.”