In her periphery, she saw the pensive and worried looks from the other passengers sitting near her.
Swallowing hard, Jemma rubbed her eyes and sat up straight. Her face flushed hot with embarrassment. “Yes, I’m sorry. Could I get water?”
“Of course,” the flight attendant said. “Are you sure you’re okay?
“Yes, I’m good. Just the water, please.” Jemma covered her eyes and tried to calm her pounding heart.
The nightmares had stopped years ago.
She wasn’t surprised this one had reemerged.
After all, Aurelia was the reason she was heading back to Puerto Rico for the first time in over a decade.
Jemma reached for her phone and accessed the DEA’s Most Wanted Website. Swiping the screen, she stopped when his picture emerged.
Wanted for the following alleged federal violations: Continuing Criminal Enterprise, Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy, Possession of Machine Guns & Destructive Devices, and Money Laundering.
The list was missing a key one—the murder of Aurelia Vasquez.
Jemma was coming, and she would make Nomar Ortiz pay.
Chapter 2
Dr. Rocco Forrester slumped over the counter. The hum of the dense rainforest beyond the open window mingled with the sterile silence of the clinic. He stared at the medical chart, handwritten notes crowding every line. Why did he bother? He wasn’t the typical physician. He didn’t have typical patients visiting the clinic tucked away in the Vista Verde enclave.
The clientele making the trek to visit him wanted discretion. They demanded top-notch emergency care at a facility that operated outside the confines of a regulated medical system. There were no regular health and safety inspections, no concerns with privacy and HIPAA laws, and no plans to sue for malpractice.
He had the kind of patients who didn’t want anyone to know they visited him.
A bell chimed as the door to the clinic swung open.
Dropping his pen onto the counter, Rocco looked up into the fresh young face of Eddie Baez, grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s kinda slow in here, Doc. I need to wrestle you up some more patients,” Eddie announced, sauntering in wearing a Nike track suit and fresh-out-the-box Air Force Ones.
Rocco raised his hand. “I think the parade of GSWs from your crew last night was enough business for me. Let’s try not to have a repeat of that, okay?”
Eddie leaned against the counter, the light catching the gold chain around his neck. “Not many docs would stitch up a guy, no questions asked at 2 AM. Makes you wonder who's running the streets, doesn't it?” His grin was cheeky, but his eyes were sharp, missing nothing.
Rocco watched him, this kid who had navigated the treacherous waters of gang life with a cunning that belied his nineteen years. "Wish you were running in the right direction, Eddie."
His comment elicited a dramatic eye roll from the kid.
Eddie had the makings of a drug lord written all over him. The kind of kid Rocco hoped to influence, maybe change the trajectory of his life from dangerous to productive.
Slipping a hand in his jacket pocket, Eddie pulled out a stack of bills bound by a rubber band. “Something for your trouble.” The money landed with a loud thud on the counter.
Glancing at the two-inch stack of twenty-dollar bills, Rocco whistled. “Ten thousand dollars. What’s that for?”
“I told you,” Eddie said, grinning. “Buy yourself something nice.”
“I don’t believe you.” Rocco leaned forward and gave the kid a steely stare. Every criminal that came through his doors paid generously and in cash. Bonuses weren’t paid in money but in information. Information that gave Rocco an advantage to thwart their activities without them realizing it. “What do you want this time?”
“To use this place for a meeting tonight.” Eddie fiddled with the drawstring on his pants.
Rocco's gaze lingered on Eddie, reading the tension in his shoulders.
“This clinic heals. It doesn't deal,” Rocco said, his tone firm, leaving no room for negotiation. He may have deviated from the model set by his father, but this was one area where he stayed aligned. There was no way he’d let the clinic become part of any drug trafficking. “I don’t want cocaine near this place.”
