“That’s a huge group of influence and wealth.” She rattled off the names of the ten families she’d memorized from his list. “Right now, the Duvalls, Coatneys, and Strands are no longer. So is he whittling them down for some reason? Or is someone else attacking them? Aiming at him maybe?”
“It’s not us,” Uncle Chris said. “I’m busy overseas. None of my contacts have been screwing with Kaminski. I’ve been keeping close tabs on him since Jane’s involvement.”
Or rather, Hal kept tabs on Kaminski.
“It’s not us either,” Lionel said. “Trust me. If I could find the bastard, I’d eliminate the threat. But he’s a ghost. Rook is too. The fact that these families are dying has me worried. Because that tells me August isn’t as in charge as he thinks he is.”
“He could be the one killing them.” Jane changed her mind and said, “But he’s not. You think it’s an internal power struggle, maybe?”
“If I knew their endgame, I could tell you. August is slippery. And he’s smart. I don’t know what his ultimate goal is, and not for lack of trying.” Lionel frowned at Jane. “I’m thinking about starting up the task force again.”
Her pulse quickened. “And you want me on it?”
Lionel nodded.
As did her uncle. “You need to be careful, Jane. You’re on Kaminski’s radar.”
“And have been since the Mazzuca case,” Lionel added. “He knows who you are.”
“I don’t care.” She truly didn’t. That only made Kaminski more challenging prey.
Uncle Chris smiled. “That’s my girl. You’ll get him.”
“I will. But first I’ll find out what his exact tie to the Collective is and what they want. Do you have any idea?” she asked Lionel.
“I wish I did. They’ve got businesses with government contracts. Intelligence players, tech giants, and a lot of money in secret accounts.”
“But it’s more than the money. I think he’s after whatever is stored on those hard drives. It’s about data.” Jane couldn’t have said why, but that felt right. Kaminksi had always been about power. Yes, he’d amassed wealth by stealing from his many victims over the years. But this felt different.
“I can tell you one thing,” Uncle Chris said. “He’s not killing the families. That’s someone else.”
“One of his goons?” Jane offered.
Lionel shrugged. “Maybe. But the killings are too loud and public. That’s not August’s style. Which leads me to think he’s got some housecleaning to do. Someone in his organization is making a mess.” Lional smiled. “Which is bad for him but good for us.”
Jane wondered if she should mention Matthew hearing about Rook and Kaminski and decided not to. Not yet. She needed to talkto him again. He might be a lot of things, but he was loyal. And he’d intentionally kept quiet about Rook and Kaminski for a reason.
“Does Haversham know anything about this? Aside from already working the case when he was in Vegas?” she asked, wondering how much Lionel knew.
He nodded. “Like me, he’s paying attention. But he’s just monitoring and keeping me apprised. We keep hearing Kaminski’s name, but nothing’s solid yet.”
“I figured because Haversham was so involved in the Mazzuca case he’d still be poking around.”
Lionel pointed at her. “And that’s why I want you back on the task force. You make the connections I’d have to spend unnecessary time explaining to others.” He turned to Chris. “She’s a sharp one.”
“Of course she is. She’s my niece.”
Jane wryly said, “So Lionel wants me because of you and not my amazing detective skills.”
“Well, you did inherit them from me.”
Not through any genetic legacy. Jane loved the man like a father, as her official uncle and legal guardian. But they both knew she wasn’t related to him through blood, not like Raine.
Uncle Chris had never cared. Neither did Jane. To him, family was made by bonds of solidarity and loyalty. Love and affection mattered more than genetics. Hence the crazy band of Team Ten, Raine, and Jane, who would always have his back—as he’d have theirs.
He winked at her, and she winked back and stood. “Well, this has been fun. But I’d better get home. I have a lot to do tomorrow. Starting with a visit to our cyber expert. I have more questions now that I know what to look for.”
“Sounds good.” Chris wrapped an arm around Jane, and they watched the people who’d arrived leave quietly past them through the front door.
