Page 23 of Digital Desire

“Headed towards East Cali in the Aguablanca district.”

“Oh, this is not good news,” said Alex. “Aguablanca is a no-go for foreigners and not safe at all. It is run by the Rojas Cartel. We need to locate Will and extract him as soon as possible.”

“I agree. The chances that this is a regular arrest just flew out the window,” Jack replied. “Forget the lawyer, we won’t need one. Drew, see if you can pick up any sign of Will on any cameras and monitor the watch. What was his health like when it went off?”

“Health? What the hell do you mean?” Aubrey asked confused.

“The watches Will designed monitor vital signs like BP, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation. It can give us a picture of his health based on the readings,” Jack said, and Aubrey wondered if he could hear the pride in his voice as clearly as the rest of them could. The relationship between the brothers was damaged, but it wasn’t dead. She was still simmering over Jack’s accusation of her selling Will out, but she would let it go for now.

“Wow, that’s very clever. So, what was his health reading?” she asked Drew.

“He was stable when it last pinged which is good news.”

“I have an appointment with a woman at the embassy in thirty minutes,” said Blake who had just walked in with Will’s phone. He handed the phone to Jack who accessed it in seconds and checked the call log.

“He had a call from inside the embassy at twenty-one fifty-five and it lasted maybe two minutes,” he said out loud.

“That must be it,” Liam agreed.

“Blake, take Drew and Liam with you. I want Drew to hack the embassy and find out which terminal this came from. It’s more than likely Pierre Aubin but let’s check and then interview the head of security and find out if they’ve had any new hires lately. If someone is setting my brother up for murder, then we start there. Reid and Alex, I want you to continue with the mission to bring Madison Herbert home safely,” he stated, and Aubrey felt relief flood her.

“What about me? Shouldn’t I help Alex and Reid?” Aubrey asked almost daring him to accuse her again.

Jack looked at her with a tilt of his head. “We’re headed to East Cali, so if you aren’t up for this then say so. I won’t have you dragging me back on this.”

“I can handle myself but why take me?” she deadpanned not rising to his bait.

“Because I don’t trust you and I want you where I can keep an eye on you.”

“You know, we are very similar,” she said.

Jack quirked an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything. “Let’s go,” he replied.

Aubrey was silent as she followed him to the vehicles in the parking lot behind the hotel.

* * *

Will fell to his knees as they pushed him into a damp, dirty room that contained a small metal table that was bolted to the ground and three chairs. There were no windows, and the walls were made of thick concrete.

“Take it easy, asshole,” he growled at the policeman who had led him inside. That got him a kick to the guts that stole the breath from his lungs. He let out a chuckle knowing that it would do him no good to show the fear he felt inside.

He had dealt with bullies in juvie and to show any fear or weakness was to put a target on his back. Well, in this case, a bigger target. Someone was already setting him up, and he just needed to figure out a way to find out who.

He watched as the policeman left and locked the door before he got to his feet then sat in the chair with his back to the wall. He would not show these people his back, or they would more than likely put a knife in it.

They had taken off his watch when they had stopped off at a barrio on the way to the East Cali police station. The man who had arrested him had gone in when a woman who looked suspiciously like Camila had opened the door. He hadn’t been able to see clearly from where he sat in the back of the car, but as she looked at the vehicle surreptitiously, he had thought it was her.

The door to the room opened, and Will looked up, letting his face go blank.

“Mr Granger, you will shortly be charged with the murder of Pierre Aubin, but before that, we have someone who would like to meet you.”

“What evidence do you have against me?” he asked needing to know how flimsy this was or how much effort had been put into setting him up. It would give him a better idea of who he was dealing with. He knew Jack and the team would be coming for him. It didn’t matter how they fell out Jack would not walk away and leave him here, it just wasn’t in him.

“Ah, Mr Granger, what makes you think you are in a position to ask questions? You foreigners are all the same, thinking it is your right when all you do is interfere with things you don’t understand.”

Will said nothing knowing that silence was more likely to rattle him than arguing would. He was right and a beat later he started getting the answers he sought.

“We have CCTV that captures you putting a bullet in the head of poor Mr Aubin. Unfortunately, this has already been leaked to the internet,” he said with mock regret.