“I know you wouldn’t,” her response was breathy as she struggled to contain her emotions.
“You’re the Proteus Group Supervisor. I’m trying to become a part of your team. As much as I want to indulge in every part of you, I can’t,” Rocco stated, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m going to take you to the hotel … now.”
Her heart sank at his words. He was right. She had never experienced an attraction this strong. The thought of stopping now was almost unbearable.
But it was what they needed to do?—
“Jemma, you ready to get started?” Tank asked, interrupting the replay of the weekend with Rocco from her mind.
Jemma nodded, then walked to the front of the conference room within the San Juan office of the DEA. Her leadership team, Fallon, Lenny, and Tank, sat at a table near the front of the room. The rest of the Proteus support team were crammed at tables in the back. Behind her, a screen displayed vital elements of the operation slated to begin in less than two months.
“We are on the brink of something significant,” Jemma said, her voice steady and clear. The operation had the potential to topple a lucrative Dominican cartel. After being ambushed by Nomar last weekend, she was more certain than ever that he knew why she’d returned to San Juan. He was connected in some way to the Sombro Cartel. While the team focused on taking down El Sombro, she’d monitor all intel for details that could lead her to Nomar. No part of her believed the bastard was dead after being injected with thesyringe by Rocco. She would find him and make him pay for murdering Aurelia and for what he’d tried to do to her last night.
He would not catch her off guard again.
And she wouldn’t need a rescue from Rocco or anyone.
Next time, she would be ready.
She clicked a remote, and the screen lit up with a web of connections, central to which was a shadowy figure labeled El Sombro.
“The first phase of the operation is uncovering the leadership structure of the cartel and determining the identity of the man known as El Sombro or The Shadow. We’ve recently determined that many involved in this criminal organization are castoffs from major cartels around the world, from Mexico to Columbia to Venezuela to right here in Puerto Rico, who were presumed dead. They are not,” said Jemma, advancing to the next slide. “These shadows are hiding in plain sight. It’s our job to find El Sombro and his castoffs and prove that they are very much alive to pay for their crimes.”
Jemma clicked through several more screens, highlighting members of various cartels who’d been presumed dead or missing and who had now been connected to the cartel.
“The identity of El Sombro, the man in charge, could be any of these men or none of them,” Jemma said, thinking about Nomar Ortiz. She’d purposely excluded him from the information being provided to her team. If Nomar was El Sombro, she’d take care of him herself.
She continued, “Our primary goal with this operation is to successfully identify the leader. If that’s all we accomplish, the operation will be a success.” She scanned the crowd, registering their nods of understanding and commitment.
“The second phase of the operation is extracting evidence for a Continuing Criminal Enterprise case against El Sombro or anyhigh-ranking member of the cartel,” Jemma continued. “We will deviate from normal protocols in one significant way. This is a stealth operation, which means we are working alone. The Dominican Republic’s Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas, the DNCD, or our own Santo Domingo DEA office will be alerted to our operation. Excluding the DNCD and the local office is risky. But, there are concerns about moles within both organizations who could undermine our attempts to infiltrate the Sombro Cartel. Are there any questions?”
Several hands shot up into the air. Jemma reached for her water bottle and took a sip as Fallon, Tank, and Lenny took the lead on answering the team’s questions. After an hour of rapid-fire Q&A, she returned to the front of the room.
“This operation hinges on precision, effective communication, and coordination. We’re not just going after a criminal. We’re dismantling an empire. Erasing it from existence. I need you all to perform at a level beyond your best. Thank you,” Jemma said.
As the meeting ended and the broader Proteus Team filed out of the room, Jemma was left alone in the windowless space with her core leadership team.
“Want to explain why Rocco’s been sitting in that conference room all morning waiting to find out he’s the UC on this op?” Tank asked.
A knock on the door interrupted them before Jemma could respond. She hadn’t delivered the message because she didn’t trust herself to be alone with Rocco again. At the last minute, she’d decided Tank would complete that task after the Proteus Team briefing.
A courier walked in and handed a brown envelope to Fallon, then exited the room.
“What’s that?” Jemma asked.
Fallon removed the contents and read them, then shoved themat Jemma. “What I was afraid of. A strong reason to not allow Forrester to be the UC on this op.”
Heat flushed against her skin as Jemma grabbed the papers from Fallon. She prayed the contents had nothing to do with the time she’d spent with Rocco.
Skimming the documents, Jemma almost wished the intel was about her, not what she’d read. “Damn it.”
She handed the papers to Tank. Lenny leaned over Tank’s shoulder to read them, then cursed under his breath.
“This changes nothing for me,” Tank said, throwing the papers back at Fallon. The psychologist let them fall to the floor as she glared at him.
“He has an ulterior motive. One that he successfully hid from all of us. He can’t be trusted,” Fallon said, her words laced with righteous conviction.
The information on the reports was damaging, but Jemma wasn’t sure it ruled Rocco out.
