Chapter 14 #2
“And Christina,” she adds, lowering her voice, “Slate needs you too, even if he is pretending that he doesn’t. That boy feels everything with his whole damn heart. You two will get there because there is genuine love between you.”
Before I can respond, Queenie steps out of her door and turns towards our suite without hesitation.
I watch the door close behind her and feel some of my anxiety melt away. Katie will be safe in her keeping, no matter what happens today. Knowing that makes me far braver than I’ve ever been before. I head downstairs to talk with Rivera.
I turn the notebook sideways and study the notes as I walk downstairs.
The company is only a short drive away, around an hour away.
I have a lead right here in my own backyard, not across the country or on the other side of the world.
It’s right here, within my reach and I mean to make a good faith effort to take advantage of it.
***
Rivera is sitting at a table near the front door.
He’s got a clear view of the steps I use to access the rest of the clubhouse.
He comes to his feet the second he sees me, open and alert.
Even though today he’s wearing a prospect’s vest, he has the attitude of a brother on an assignment.
Slate chose him for a reason. Rivera is the sort of man who notices details and can be trusted to protect what’s important. Today, that’s me, I think wryly.
I walk towards him with my notebook held tight under my arm. He steps out to meet me.
“Morning,” he says, respectfully. “Everything alright?”
“Not exactly.” I stop in front of him, close enough that the faint scar under his jaw is clearly visible. “I need your help.”
His gaze flicks to the notebook before coming back to my face. “Slate said you aren’t to leave the property.”
“Yeah, he’s not my keeper though,” I tell him, keeping my voice calm. “I’m a grown woman who makes decisions for herself. Surely, you can respect that.”
Rivera looks all kinds of uncomfortable but responds, “Yeah, I understand.”
“I also have some personal business I need to take care of. It’s actually a lead I want to follow up on. One that might be something or nothing, but I’ve got to know.”
His brows fly up. He crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. “You know, after getting the everlovin’ shit kicked out of me by your stalker, I can’t say I’m wild about you running down leads on your own.”
“I won’t be alone. You’re going to be with me.”
“You’re damn right I am. I ain’t lettin’ you out of my sight.”
“Look on the bright side, Neal can’t pose much of a danger to me if Slate is on his tail.”
Rivera grunts an unhappy response I can’t quite make out.
I open my notebook to the page with the circled company name.
“I’ve spent a lot of time investigating this organization.
The company has dozens of subsidiaries. They’re a huge multinational with branches all over the place, including one in our own backyard. ”
He stays silent, but I can see the interest in his eyes when he glances down at my notebook.
“This is my fight,” I say. “Slate is tracking the man who’s been chasing me.
While he’s doing that, the least I can do is try to dig up more information on how far this whole thing goes.
Was it just the boots on the ground in conflict zones that were grifting or is it a top-down systemic problem? That’s what I want to know.”
Rivera exhales, it’s slow and controlled. “I get that you want this problem to go away once and for all, but Slate’s gonna be pissed if I let you run off chasing down leads.”
“You don’t let me or not let me do things. Like I said before, I make decisions for myself. I’ve already made up my mind that I’m doing this.”
People who have good instincts know the difference between a person being foolish and a person being determined. Rivera clearly sees which one I am right now.
“You really believe this is connected?” he says grudgingly.
“I don’t have a crystal ball. If there is one thing being an investigative reporter has taught me it’s that most leads don’t pan out but you’ll never find the ones that do unless you run them all down.
” I meet his gaze, letting him see that I’m not backing down.
“Hydro Relief Inc. has an office a couple of hours from here. If they are tied to REACH’s shipments, then we might be able to find answers there.
Someone stateside might have ties to the man Slate is hunting.
This is the first real chance I’ve had to get answers in a long damn time.
Before, I was running for my life with a baby on my hip.
Now, my daughter is safe, and I can get back to doing what I do best.”
He shifts his weight and looks towards the gate where the prospects are posted. His fingers drum once on his bicep. “You really want to get back into investigative reporting?”
“It’s my career. I have a degree in journalism,” I tell him, point blank. “The only reason I ever stopped was because I was being stalked.”
Rivera curses under his breath, resigning himself to the fact that I’m doing this whether he likes it or not. He looks down at the notebook again. “We’d best get movin’, then.”
“Thank you for this. I won’t forget it.”
“Yeah, ‘cause I’ll be reminding you regularly. Now, there are some ground rules. No detours or stopping unless I say so. And if anything looks off, we turn around.”
Relief pulses through me, quick and sharp. “I agree to your terms.”
He pushes the front door open, checking the yard before gesturing for me to follow. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
We step into the cool morning air. Prospects are patrolling the perimeter. A few brothers are near the garage, chatting while they check over their bikes. Although the compound feels guarded, safe, leaving my daughter behind still causes a twinge of anxiety.
Rivera leads me towards a dark SUV parked near the side gate. “We take the cage,” he says. “There is no way in hell Slate would want you on the back of another man’s bike.”
“I don’t mind how we get there,” I say quietly.
I glance back at the clubhouse as Rivera pulls out towards the gate. Another prospect swings it open and gives us a questioning look, but Rivera lifts his hand and shoos them away. The gate slides wider, letting the vehicle roll forward.
I grip the notebook tighter, steeling myself for whatever is to come. The old excitement begins to build in my chest. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t an adrenaline junkie. You have to be in my line of work. I find that I’m feeling more like my old self by the minute.