Chapter 36
Hailey’s nerves were a mess. Everything depended on this meeting. If something went wrong, she was as good as dead. Her family too.
Upset. She silently reminded herself of the code word they’d agreed on. “You say that word, we’ll move in immediately, no questions asked,” Special Agent Sanchez had assured her. But she wasn’t na?ve. She knew what she was doing was risky.
The feds had promised to be close—some in a vehicle parked at a nearby grocery store, a few hidden in the wooded area by the side parking lot. Miguel and Boris were out there too. Peter was the closest to her, having somehow managed to pick up a shift in the security office.
But none of them were near enough to protect her from a bullet.
If things went south, she could very possibly be dead before anyone could reach her.
Her only consolation was that her parents and Jenna were safe for now.
If Hailey died before this meeting ended, the FBI should be able to swoop in and catch these guys.
And hopefully, Alessandro Luque wouldn’t go after her family after her death.
But she also knew that even if she did everything right, there was no guarantee Eukaria’s CFO wouldn’t slip through the FBI’s net. And even if they arrested him, how far did his influence reach? Would he be able to order a hit from his jail cell? Come after her himself if he made bail?
She couldn’t think about all the things that could go wrong. If she did, she might back out—and that she simply could not do. They had to bring this man down, or her family would never be truly safe.
Her phone buzzed. She had a message from Peter.
An orange heart emoji. The message brought anything but warm feelings.
It was their agreed-upon signal that he’d seen the CFO’s car arrive.
As she sent up one last prayer, she heard the hum of the rising elevator.
Legs shaking, she moved to stand in front of the elevator doors. It was showtime.
She schooled her features. She wasn’t worried about showing her discomfort, only about tamping down her disgust for this man.
Alessandro Luque would expect her to be nervous, which was good.
She didn’t think she could completely hide her apprehension if her life depended on it.
In fact, if she appeared confident at this meeting, he’d know something was off.
No, she just needed to make sure he believed her nerves were a sign that he thoroughly intimidated her and that she would do whatever he demanded.
The first part of that was close enough to the truth that she shouldn’t have any trouble.
The doors whooshed open. As at both their previous meetings, Mr. Luque was flanked by two expressionless guards. He stepped out first, a smirk on his handsome face.
“Mrs. Nieland, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again.
” The man’s greeting was almost cordial.
But why wouldn’t he be amicable? He thought he held all the cards.
The three-day period to think about her choice had been a formality on his part, merely offering her the illusion of choice wrapped in a chance to recognize she really had none.
His return wasn’t to negotiate, it was to accept his victory.
“Good morning.” She forced herself to accept his handshake. The feel of his skin against hers sent a tingle skittering up her arm like a clutch of newly hatched spiders. She barely suppressed a shudder. “Shall we continue to the conference room?”
“Yes.”
Turning before she gave herself away, she led the way through the empty office and into the conference room. “Sit wherever you like. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, water, soda?”
“No, thank you.”
She pulled a bottled water from the room’s mini fridge for herself—more to buy another moment to compose herself than because she was actually thirsty.
As she circled the table to take her seat, she tried not to think about the danger she was in.
Or the listening device and miniature camera she wore.
The FBI had considered bugging the conference room, but they’d ultimately decided it was too risky to send an agent inside to plant it.
If Mr. Luque had people watching, it would raise his suspicions.
Besides, they didn’t want to miss anything he said on the way to or from the room.
Instead, the agents had presented her with a special necklace that concealed the devices.
It was professional but not flashy—intended to blend in with her outfit.
No sooner had she settled into the comfortable executive-style chair than Mr. Luque fixed his gaze on her. “Well, what have you decided?”
She swallowed hard. “I’ll do it.”
A triumphant smile lit his face. “Good! I could tell from the first moment we met that you were an intelligent woman. As long as you do as you are told, you won’t regret your decision. I take care of my own.”
She suppressed a new wave of revulsion. She did not belong to him in any way, shape, or form.
Either she managed to hide her reaction, or he chose to ignore it. Instead, he tapped his index finger on the table. “In fact, I’ve already taken care of the person responsible for your injuries. She won’t cause problems for either of us again.”
She? Hailey’s mouth went dry. He was talking about Stefania.
Though Agent Sanchez had told them Mr. Luque was probably responsible, hearing him so casually take credit for her murder was revolting.
Had she been executed because she’d gone after Hailey?
Did he really take it so personally when one of “his” people was targeted?
But he’d said Stefania wouldn’t cause any more problems for either of them.
Could he be referring to the hacking of Hailey’s computer?
Eukaria’s accounts had been among the files affected.
But she doubted it. The FBI had indicated Mr. Luque had another connection to her former coworker besides through Pendleton Accounting.
Could she have offended him in some other way?
That would be a matter for the FBI to figure out.
The more immediate implication of his words was a horrifying reminder of the danger she was in.
If he’d killed both Peter’s client and Stefania in such a horrific way, he might use the same method on Hailey if he realized she was double-crossing him.
Terror rippled up her spine. She couldn’t let that happen.
Mr. Luque watched, a smirk forming as the dots connected in her brain. He seemed to be taking pleasure in her reaction, her fear. She lowered her eyes, not wanting him to also see her utter contempt for him. This man was evil.
And she needed to keep things moving. This would be the hard part.
“Can—” She paused, not having to fake her hesitancy.
If she sounded too nosy or too confident, she’d tip him off for sure.
He waited, studying her with a far-too-perceptive gaze.
She forced herself to say the words. “Can you go over a few things with me?”
“Why?” He eyed her with suspicion, all hint of a smile gone.
“I need to know exactly what you expect of me. I don’t want to make any stupid mistakes like Frank did.” Sweat trickled down her back as he continued to study her. Would he buy her explanation?
“Why would you be concerned with anything more than the minimum asked of you?” He sat back and crossed one leg over his opposite knee.
But there was nothing casual about his stare.
“Don’t misunderstand me, I appreciate and reward loyalty.
But your change of heart from all out to all in is baffling. ”
She took a deep breath. This was where she had to really sell it.
If she didn’t, this was the end. “I’ll be honest, I’m not really okay with any of this.
But you know that already.” She paused for effect.
“But my daughter is the most important thing in my world.” She let her voice break on the last word.
It wasn’t hard. “I’d do anything for her. ”
“Admirable. But that doesn’t answer my question.”
She drew in another deep breath, this one shaky.
“I’m not so sure Frank would have survived long enough to have his heart attack if you’d discovered he failed to report the embezzlement going on.
” Mr. Luque didn’t refute her words, so she continued.
“I also know that if I do something wrong and an audit is triggered, I’ll go to prison on money laundering charges just as quickly as anyone else—again, if you don’t have me killed first. Either scenario would take me away from my daughter.
If I’m going to do this, I want to minimize every risk I can. ”
The minutes stretched long as he continued to study her. Just when Hailey thought he was going to call her charade, he nodded.
“I can respect that.” He motioned to her laptop. “What do you need to know?”
PETER RELEASED A SLOW brEATH, grateful the FBI had equipped him with an earpiece so he could also listen in on the meeting.
For a moment there, he’d thought Hailey had been made.
Despite all the FBI’s assurances, they all knew help would take minutes, not seconds, to arrive if needed.
Minutes Hailey wouldn’t have if things went down.
Remnants of fear tried to take hold, but he pushed them back.
He couldn’t let them take over, couldn’t let himself become paralyzed by the what-ifs.
Eukaria Investments’ CFO was a snake, and the possessive way he’d talked about Hailey had ignited a fury in Peter.
Even worse, he knew it was an act. The man might talk about protecting his people, but Peter knew his type.
The only thing men like him really cared about was themselves.
If Alessandro Luque retaliated on behalf of someone under his protection, it was ultimately because he saw it as a personal affront, not because he cared about anyone else.
Peter really, really hoped the FBI got all they needed from this meeting. Alessandro Luque needed to go away for a long time.
He’d been praying nonstop that would be the case and that Hailey would come out of this unharmed. “Please let it be so,” he whispered.
He continued to pray as Hailey moved through various facets of Eukaria’s accounts. Despite the knot of unease in his gut, Peter’s admiration for her grew. She was doing great. If she could just keep up the charade a little bit longer—
Movement on one of the screens caught his attention.
He focused on the edge of the trees separating the front parking lot from the road.
Someone was trying, and failing, to stay out of sight.
Was that one of the FBI agents? As the man aimed a camera at Alessandro Luque’s waiting car, Peter’s fists clenched.
He grabbed his phone and sent a message to Special Agent Sanchez.
If the driver of that car spotted the man, Hailey’s cover would be blown to bits.