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Chapter Sixteen
Eveline wanted to leave the room. She wanted to walk away and go somewhere where no one knew her and she didn’t have anyone after her.
Because that was her current unwanted reality. Not for one minute did she believe Randall Maxwell was the one responsible for her attack and the trashing of her apartment.
Neither did anyone in the room.
She’d been watching them as Kyle had given them a rundown and they might not have said it out loud, but it was plain they questioned the validity of the police’s reasoning.
Now the Ramirez Cartel or another Cartel could be involved and were using her as the bait to draw Gerald in?
“I don’t know.” Eveline shook her head and wished she hadn’t overheard that conversation. “Gerald walked away so I’m not sure what was said after that. If it is a cartel that’s got me in their sights, why? I’ve had nothing to do with them.”
“But you uncovered what Gerald and Triple Z were doing. It’s possible that some of the people employed to do the roughing up could have connections to a cartel and don’t want their people caught up in this. They want Gerald to take the fall, so they’re sending a message by hurting you.” This came from the one called Angel. His dark hair and close-cropped beard had him looking more like a model than a security specialist.
A warm hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed it. She didn’t need to look up to know Kyle standing behind her. The fine hairs on her arms were standing, and a warmth seeped into her veins from where his hand rested.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this. I’m pretty confident that the Ramirez Cartel isn’t involved along with any other one. But there’s a possibility that it could be a gang—which would make more sense to me. We need to look into every possibility and then tick them off the list.”
Were Kyle’s words supposed to comfort her?
They did a little, but not entirely. “What do you need me to do?” Eveline asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction.
“What do you mean?” This came from Cass, the black-haired woman who peered at Eveline over her glasses.
“I mean, is there anything I can do to help you research? Look into the people who are on the list.”
“What about your job?” Kyle said. Unfortunately, he’d removed his hand from her shoulder and had returned to the head of the table. She wanted that comforting touch back.
Her job.
After everything that’d happened over the last week and suspecting that perhaps Gerald, or his business associates, were responsible for what’d happened to her, that was the last place she wanted to be.
Prior to everything, she’d been thinking about changing her jobs because of the atmosphere of Triple Z. Now was her chance to make that happen. It might take her a while to find another job, but Eveline had some savings and there could be fallout from her breaking her lease—because there was no way she was going back to her apartment. It would be tight, but she’d been in tighter situations before and had survived. She’d survive this.
“I’m going to quit. I need to get as far away from Gerald and Triple Z as I possibly can.”
“Is that wise?” Angel asked leaning forward.
Whoa, where does he get off saying that to me?
Anger sparked to life within her. “Why wouldn’t it be? It’s not your life that’s being threatened, it’s mine. Pretty sure I don’t answer to you or anyone else here.” She waved her arm to make her point.
“I don’t think that’s what Angel meant.” This came from the man Kyle had introduced as Irish. He’d been quiet the whole time they’d been in the room—until now. His piercing blue eyes studied her intently.
“And what did he mean?” Eveline snapped, slowly losing the battle to keep her temper under control.
“I meant that if you left, it could raise the suspicions of Gerald and Triple Z, increasing their attempts to get you to be quiet. By still going to your job, you could be our eyes and ears and do a little more digging.” Angel sat back, a small smile on his face.
“What the fuck, Angel? You want to put her in more danger? Make her bait? No way. No fucking way,” Kyle thundered at his employee.
His fists were clenched, and Eveline was shocked that he’d speak to one of his men that way.
Angel met his boss’s gaze, the smile still in place. “So that’s how it is,” he murmured as a silent battle ensued between the two men.
What the heck was going on here?
Eveline glanced around the table, expecting to see surprise at Kyle’s outburst on Cass’s and Irish’s faces.
