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Ace was silent for a beat as he tried to wrap his mind around his boss’s tone. He knew someone was after him, but to have it confirmed nearly made his throat close. He was responsible for the threat against Dakota . . . and his family.
“Tell me,” Ace said through his tight jaw.
“We know who it is,” Bill said.
Ace’s blood ran cold.
“Where did you get the information?” Ace asked.
“Isn’t it more important to find out who it is?” Bill asked.
“Don’t mess with me, Bill. Where did the information come from? I want to know that first before a name is thrown at me. I need to know if I even trust it,” Ace said.
“This came from ops. It’s legitimate,” Bill told him.
His gut told him Bill was speaking the truth. “Who is it, Bill?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line that made Ace ground his back teeth together as he waited. The only thing that kept him from yelling at the man was the fact that Dakota was sitting next to him. He couldn’t even look at her, didn’t want to see the accusation in her eyes.
“It’s Nestor Pavlov,” Bill finally said.
“Pavlov?” Ace was now confused. “Explain.”
Bill sighed. “We’ve found out that Anton has a brother. Obviously, he’s seeking revenge.”
“Why in the hell didn’t we have this information before? We were on this case for years!” Ace thundered, forgetting about Dakota next to him. The fury in his voice echoed through the car and made her jump in her seat. Her eyes were huge as she stared at him, her fingers wrapping around the door handle. It was a good thing it was locked or he feared she might try to jump out.
“Sorry,” he muttered at her, but he couldn’t cover up the rage boiling within him.
She didn’t say a word as her hand lifted to her chest. She rested it over her heart, which had to be thundering. This night wasn’t going well for her—hell, the past couple of weeks hadn’t gone too well. She’d not been safe since he’d stepped into her life. He was sure she was regretting the moment the two of them had met.
“He apparently is a half brother and was disowned by their father. Now that he’s the last living relative, he’s coming after you for revenge. I don’t know why, though, as it doesn’t appear there’s any love in this damn family,” Bill told him.
“I guess it doesn’t matter at the end of the day,” Ace said with a sigh. “Even when I gave my brothers every reason in the world to hate me, they never let me go.”
Ace realized he was showing far too much vulnerability, in both his voice and his words. He instantly pushed his emotions back down to where they belonged and focused on the conversation at hand.
“We need a team on this, Ace,” Bill told him.
“I have a team. I’ll take care of it,” he replied.
“You can’t go rogue after this man,” Bill warned.
“You told me my vacation is over. I’m officially back on duty,” Ace informed his boss.
“You know what I mean,” Bill said.
“I don’t trust anyone, Bill. Don’t ask me to fight you on this,” Ace said.
Ace could practically see the steam spiraling off Bill’s head the longer the conversation lasted. He also knew he’d won this round, which wasn’t an easy feat on a normal day, not that this was a normal situation.
“Okay, then. Come to the office tomorrow and we’ll strategize,” Bill finally said.
“I will,” Ace told him.
He hung up the phone and then slightly decreased his pressure on the gas pedal. He didn’t need to get pulled over for speeding. The Pavlov family had ties in places that were unimaginable. He wondered if Nestor was as influential as his brother had been.
That’s why his last mission had taken them so damn long. Ace had thought it was all over, had thought his life could return to some semblance of normalcy. He’d been wrong—so very wrong.
