Page 17 of Redeeming Violet

“Is Violet involved?” Zane asked, with a hopeful look on his face.

“Not unless she was in charge of putting the guidance chips out for contract to foreign companies,” Tex answered.

“How is that possible? All military hardware is made in the US,” Dude said.

“It’s supposed to be. All other parts of the mini drone, including the fabrication and assembly, were done in the US but some pencil pusher thought to save money and contract the electronics out, thinking the Chinese wouldn’t catch on,” Tex explained.

“Has no one looked at eBay lately? Those fuckers clone everything US companies produce there. Hell, most of the time the Chinese clone makes it to market before the real one does. So, what you’re saying is the Chinese manufactured proprietary hardware for the US government?” I asked.

“That’s what I’m saying. Without having the chip in front of me to test, I’d guess the Chinese bugged the chip. It’s what I would do. Anytime the drone is turned on, not only can the US track the device, the Chinese can too. One other thing, there has to be a virus embedded as well. That’s how Ortega was able to get classified intel on the team’s mission,” Tex informed us.

“I need to call the President.” Zane pulled the satellite phone out of his pack.

“Already done. I thought it was best to go to him directly. Given the situation with Violet, I’m not real trusting of anyone else at the moment. I don’t want to be one of those conspiracy theorists, but too many people are involved. I think the CIA has lost control of their agents.”

“Oh good, maybe I get to torture little Miss Lose Lips after all.” I didn’t like the smile that formed on Zane’s face when he talked about torturing information out of Violet, but now was not the time to voice my objections. “Jasmin ran into a problem at the hotel. I’ve got three stiffs I need you to run if you don’t mind. I’ll send their pictures to you when we’re done. Seems Manuel Ortega was impatient and tried to snatch Violet before she made contact.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Why would he take her before she verified she’d secured the chip? We’re missing something.” Tex looked away from the camera and to his left, his fingers pounding on the keyboard in front of him. “We have to go back to the beginning, forget what we know, and start over. Violet knows something. She may not realize it, but Manuel doesn’t want the chip. He just wants her.”

“That’s not gonna happen.” Before I could stop myself, I continued. “Over my dead body he’ll get his hands on her.”

“And another one bites the dust,” Zane chuckled. “Christ, you don’t make things easy on yourself, do you.”

“What the fuck does that mean? You know as well as I do what happens when a woman is trafficked. She’ll be drugged and raped within hours. They’ll break her as fast as they can. That is not going to happen to Violet. I don’t give a fuck what she’s done, but she doesn’t deserve that.”

Zane sighed, Jasmin shook her head, and Wolf’s eyebrows shot into his hairline as he looked over my shoulder.

Shit, Goddamn, I prayed Violet wasn’t standing behind me. When I turned to look, there she stood, her face paled, hands covering her mouth and her eyes closed.

“We won’t let anything happen to you,” I tried to assure her.

“Send me those pictures so I can get started.” I heard Tex’s voice but didn’t bother turning back to the screen. I only had eyes for the trembling woman in front of me.

“What do you mean trafficked?” she stammered.

The moment of truth was upon us. I watched as Zane explained to Violet that Manuel had put her out to bid. The trembling turned into a full body shake and she grabbed the seatback next to her to keep her balance. I wanted to go to her and comfort her, soothe her fears, but I couldn’t. We needed to see her reaction.

“Why?” she asked. The tears she was trying to hold back had begun to fall. “Do you think he knows what I did?”

“What did you do?” I didn’t have to look back at Zane to know he was grinding his teeth.

“That I left breadcrumbs in my hack so you could find Olivia, that I saved the conversations and call log from the prison I was supposed to delete, that I came to you with information about them.” Violet nodded toward Wolf. “How else was I supposed to get the fucking chip he wanted without help? I did everything he asked. I’m so stupid. I thought he’d give me the list back if I helped him. So goddamned stupid.”

“Yes, to all that. But that’s not why he wants you. He could care less about the conversations or how Olivia was found. At this point, I don’t believe he wanted the chip. It doesn’t make any sense. If I hadn’t been caught up in wanting to get to Wolf, I would’ve seen it. He doesn’t need the drone to get the guidance system. The Chinese have it and they’ll sell it, so there is no money to be made. One thing about the Chinese, they have no allegiance. That was the smoke screen. The real question is why he wants you,” Zane told her.

There was no faking her fear and confusion. She was scared to death, not that I could blame her. I hated to agree with her, but it was stupid thinking Manuel Ortega would keep his word. Anyone willing to stoop to blackmail was not someone you could trust. Unfortunately for her, she was learning the hard way.

She thought she’d sacrificed the few to save the many, but she had it backwards. The few were the undercover agents, the many were the American people.

She was fucked.

Her only hope was we could track Manuel and eliminate the threat.

Chapter Nine

Violet

After the bombshell I’d overheard, Jaxon escorted me back to my seat. Zane had dismissed me like an errant child and told me to think about the reasons Manuel would want to take me.