Page 45 of Breached

“Continue to keep watch, and your life will be spared.” I dismissed him as if he were of no further interest to me.

He jumped to his feet in relief. “Gracias, señor!”

When he opened the door and hurried away, I saw Rafe Hunter speaking to one of my soldiers in the hall.

“Rafe!” I called, and he looked toward me then approached my office. “Why are the cameras from the main exit to the compound not up and running yet?”

Unlike the man who had just left, Rafe Hunter didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him. He was a hardened mercenary hired by my mother, like many of our security, and she did not tolerate fools. I knew she would have looked into every person she brought into this new project.

He rested his hand on the barrel of the rifle that he held across his chest. He wore his team’s signature sunglasses I didn’t like because I couldn’t see the man’s eyes and where he was looking. “The last I heard, there was a problem with the Wi-Fi connection,” he drawled. “They’re on it, and we’ll soon have the whole lot hard-wired.”

Armondo entered, and I nodded at him to stay. He glanced at Rafe and came to stand next to me.

Rafe’s unfazed demeanor was interesting to me. I studied him from where I sat behind the custom-made mahogany desk Mother had ordered. She had horrific taste in men after my father, but her taste in décor was excellent. I expected the man to say something more, that he’d get right on it, but he didn’t. I pursed my lips as I thought. Most men jumped at the chance to please me. He just stood there.

“That’s it?” I waited. His stance never wavered, and again I wished I could see his eyes.

“He asked you a question,” Armondo bit out.

Rafe didn’t even tilt his head when he directed his comment to Armondo. “And I answered it.”

I smiled. That was it. He reminded me a lot of Grim Gates. I respected a man who had some balls, not that I’d ever let him know it. “You left your country’s military, but you still must have some connections, yes?”

“Some,” he grunted.

“Use them. I want to know what just happened on my property,” I ordered curtly. He stood there a moment longer then swiveled on his heel and left.

Armondo closed the door behind him and rubbed his chin. “I don’t like that guy.”

“Yes, but he has connections we need.”

“Why don’t you call Eric Noah? He always seems to know what’s going on.” His tone told me he was still jealous of being left out of the last conversation. “I also don’t understand why we are not heading to Montana and attacking their safehouse. They are clearly looking here, so why not keep their attention here while we tear down their home? It is the perfect opportunity. No?”

He was right. There was something for the old ‘look at the shiny penny while we attack over here’ method, but he didn’t know the whole plan.

I debated letting him in a little. I pushed back my mistrust of him. I needed Armondo on my side, watching my back, at least for now.

“Eric is gathering resources, getting his people in place.” I smiled at him. “We have to come at this with everything we’ve got. We cannot make any mistakes. He has put some calls in to Grim Gates and the Devil’s Reach.”

“I agree they would be very good to have in our corner,” Armondo said, looking pleased with our conversation.

My phone buzzed, and I saw it was my informant. “Until we have everything set, we stay put and act as if we know nothing.”

J: I have something. Can you call?

I quickly tapped her number, and the call connected right away.

“Hello?”

“What do you have?” I asked. I had no time for small talk.

“I have made friends with a woman who recently began work at Camp Green. She places the food orders for the base. She told me she noticed a strange discrepancy. The delivery trucks that arrive every two weeks have way more food than she orders. Out of the ten trucks that arrive at the base, three of them are not offloaded with the others. They go on to another location. The shipments are labeled as RE. My guess is that means restock essentials.”

That got my attention. “Where do they go?”

“To a parking lot in Redstone.”

I grew impatient. “Speed the story up.”