“It’s no different than what you planned to do to him. Using him to get intel on El Sombro,” Eddie said. “To make sure no one found out about the shipment of guns into Haiti, we had to sacrifice a drug shipment through the Dajabon clinic. Make it look like Rocco was involved.”
Jemma frowned.
“Don’t look at me like that. It didn’t work. DNCD realized the evidence was fake and let him go. He’s disappeared, not surprisingly. A good guy getting his first taste of the downside of being involved in the drug game. Of course, he ran off and didn’t look back.”
If that was true, then she knew Rocco was safe and … looking for her with Proteus.
Eddie continued, “The New Ortiz Cartel has emerged like a Phoenix from the ashes to rule over Puerto Rico once again. But we can’t risk you doing to our organization what you did to my grandfather’s.”
“All of this was to put your father back in power?” Jemma asked.
“My father? Fuck no!” Eddie said, jabbing a finger at his chest. “I’m running the show.”
“You’re in charge?”
“Don’t look so surprised. Papi loves me. He hated having to leave me behind with my abuela. He had to stay away and bide his time until he could help me regain my rightful position.”
“And you needed El Sombro to do that.”
“El Sombro was desperate to establish a track record of trafficking guns to get the big players in that market to take himseriously. Papi brokered deals with Haitian, Jamaican and prison gangs across Central America to help him do that. In return, El Sombro vouched for me with the South American cartels. I have my own arrangements with them now. Our plan worked perfectly,” Eddie said.
“So, why are you telling me all of this?”
“As a warning,” Eddie said, his smile fading and his eyes turned to stone. “My father doesn’t have it in him to kill you. But I do. If you become a problem for us, I will slit your throat. I’m the only one who could do it and be forgiven by my father. Be good, Jemma.”
A chill shuddered through her body at Eddie’s words as he walked away. She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to escape this damn island one way or another.
Chapter 53
Eight days, seven hours and fifty-two minutes since Rocco had last seen Jemma. Her limp body being carried away by Nomar Ortiz’s thugs as he’d screamed her name over and over.
That wasn’t how he liked to think of her.
He preferred the feisty Jemma who loved debating with him, arguing her points and trying to get him to come to her way of thinking, knowing he never would. The energized, passionate woman with the captivating smile. He’d give anything to see her smile again.
Rocco swiveled his chair to face the scribbled notes written across the whiteboard on the wall of the command center at the Stingray Security compound. All leads had led to nowhere but maybe they’d missed an angle that could be explored. He would never stop searching for Jemma and he wasn’t alone.
The men of Stingray Security had been right by his side, spending endless hours researching the dark web, reaching out to contacts and chasing down leads. They worked around the clock in shifts, with at least two men focused on the search with Rocco at all times.
The room was unusually quiet. Sebastian, Bobby, Lachlan and Everett were each working on their own angle to find Nomar. Kane and Adonis hadn’t been around since yesterday.
Most nights, Rocco barely slept, spending his time in the command center. He’d had his choice of the bedrooms in the compound, all of them decorated like a five-star hotel. Every time he laid down, sleep eluded him. He gave up and spent his time hunting down the next lead. His last check-in with Proteus revealed that they were no closer than Stingray in locating Jemma or Nomar. They had men watching Eddie but he was keeping a low profile.
Rocco dragged a hand down his face as his stomach growled.
A brown bag was thrust against his chest.
Rocco looked up to see Everett.
“Sounds like you need this,” Everett said, sitting in the chair next to him. “Goat burger with fries. I’m amazed you haven’t passed out by now from lack of sleep.”
“You and me both,” Rocco said, taking a bite of the burger.
Everett sat next to him, opening his brown bag. “Sorry I doubted you.” Everett tossed two onion rings in his mouth. “It never made sense to me that you’d lose your way and work for the cartel. But you played your role well and I came down on you hard.”
“Don’t be sorry. I hated lying to you but it’s what I had to do. I’m glad the truth is out and I can be myself again,” Rocco said.
“Not quite.”
