Page 31 of Kyle

“Corella,” she told him.

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m positive. I remember thinking it was funny that I’d been to Australia the year before and a Corella bird had been driving me crazy squawking nonstop outside my hotel room.”

“Would you recognize him if you saw a picture?”

“I think so. It was years ago, but I’m pretty good with faces and I did speak to the man that night. But it really can’t be the same person. Harry Landry wants to help stop the exploitation of children. It sounds like the man you know sells them.”

“I’ll send a picture over for you to look at, Anaya. If Harry Landry owns Corella Industries, shit just got even worse. I’ll be in touch.”

That was an understatement. Corella manufactured smart chips. Most of their business was government contracts. God knows what kind of intel they could be stealing.

Zane disconnected and I could feel Declan fidgeting next to me. We had no idea Landry had any involvement with Corella. How the hell was that missed?

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Anaya started. “It really can’t be the same person.”

“It’s the same person,” I sighed.

“There’s—”

“What I’m going to tell you is never to be repeated. Not to anyone, ever. But for you to understand what’s going on, and how deep this runs you need to know a few things.” Declan was being weirdly delicate and frankly I was shocked he was going to share.

“Okay. I won’t ever repeat it. But please don’t sugarcoat it for me. You sound like you’re speaking to a toddler.”

“Harry Landry put together a network of former CIA, FBI, and other three-letter agency personnel to form a group he called The Company. He propositioned these highly intelligent individuals and convinced them The Company was a black ops group working under the CIA. Of course the very nature of being off the books meant no one could check. This was a front for him to work military style operations using operatives the government had trained. The agents thought they were working for the good guys, taking out drug smugglers, human traffickers, and all sorts of scumbags that the government couldn’t officially touch. What they were really doing was eliminating the competition. Landry is a part of a much larger group called Omni. It’s an organization that infiltrates governments and uses their leverage to ensure their wealth continues to grow. Think of them as the ultimate special interest lobbyists. They are worldwide and have their hands in a multitude of different financial sectors.”

“Well, that’s actually scary how smart of plan that is. But—”

“There’s more,” Declan continued. “Landry is one of the largest human traffickers in the world. He controls the majority of the women taken from the US. He’s smart. He works all angles. Him donating to NCMEC makes perfect sense. Those quarterly newsletters would keep him up to date on their progress and he’d be able to stay one step ahead. You said it also talks about future projects.”

Declan’s phone vibrated. He picked it up, tapped the screen, then turned it toward Anaya.

Her face paled and she looked like she was going to be sick.

“I take it that’s the Harry you know?” I asked.

Anaya nodded and closed her eyes. “I danced with him,” she whispered. “He had his sick hands on me. He crooned on about how happy he was his company’s financial donation would help stop the harm of children.”

“That’s what criminals do,” Dec reminded her. “They lie, Anaya. Ones who are sick fucks like him are smooth. The lie rolls off their tongues like silk.”

“Are you going to eat that?” I pointed to Anaya’s untouched breakfast.

“God, no. My stomach is in knots.”

“You gotta eat something,” Dec told her. “We have a long day today.”

“I will. Later.” Anaya covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “Maybe I just need some coffee to wake up first.”

Anaya stood and picked up her plate and started for the kitchen. When she was clear of earshot, Dec turned to me.

“Are you sure about this?”

I thought about his question and the answer was no. I wasn’t sure about anything I was doing. I had a riot of conflicting emotions. I wanted Anaya home in the US far away from this mess. Especially away from Preston Lockhart and Harry Landry. I didn’t want her near Amisha’s house and the horrors of what that woman was doing to those girls.

However, I didn’t want her out of my sight and it went beyond keeping her safe. I wanted more quiet nights with her. I wanted her comfortable with me. I wanted her to know she could trust me never to hurt her. I simply wanted more and I couldn’t explain why that was.

“Yeah. I’m positive.”