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“No.” Viktor narrowed his gaze at her. He went to the desk, retrieved the keys, and opened the filing cabinet. “Slide out the bottom drawer and you should be able to reach it.”
She followed his instructions and retrieved the ring, acting as girly as possible. They seemed to like her to be weak and dependent. With Michael’s violent outbursts, it had taken every bit of her self-control to take his punishment and not fight back. If only he knew how easily she could hurt him and how many times she’d wanted to defend herself.
Standing, she slipped the ring back on her finger. “Now I can get a good night’s sleep. Thanks for your help.” She squeezed his arm and noticed his mood change at once. He’d believed her.
“This will be our little secret. Michael wouldn’t like to know you’ve been running around after dark alone.” Viktor gave her a nod. “Hurry back to bed.” He dismissed her like a child.
Two
Avril headed back to the house, her mind spinning. Everything she’d worked toward had come to fruition in one night, but getting the information to her contact in town wasn’t so easy. Her next scheduled meeting was four days away. Not a face-to-face meeting, but by means of a note written in code on a ten-dollar bill or a fake coin dropped into a busker’s hat. She had to use every bit of cunning she possessed because Michael Carlos refused to allow her to go anywhere alone. She’d become his very well-cared-for prisoner.
It had taken Avril almost two long years to infiltrate the inner sanctum of the cartel run by underworld kingpin Viktor Carlos. The DEA had suspected for some time that the Carlos family business was involved in the trafficking of billions of dollars’ worth of drugs, but assumed they were just the tip of the iceberg. Walls of secrecy surrounded the family and the DEA had not one shred of evidence against them. On face value, they appeared to be running a legitimate and very successful winery. Her assignment was to go in deep and get the proof they needed and the names of everyone involved. After living on the edge and lowering herself into the depths of depravity by marrying Viktor’s son, Michael, it was finally paying off. As Avril Carlos, she enjoyed the status of a trophy wife and lived on the family estate, free to move around. She now had evidence that the vast empire known as Carlos Vineyards acted as the cover for the manufacture and distribution of crystal meth, known on the streets as “ice.”
The sound of a vehicle rumbled to a stop outside the front of the house. Panic gripped Avril and, dragging off her coat and pushing her hat into the pocket, she slipped inside the back door. In the mudroom, she hung up her coat and removed her sweatpants and tossed them into the washer. Stowing her boots in their usual place, she pushed on the slippers she’d left by the door and smoothed down her nightgown. The grandfather clock in the hallway finished chiming, telling her it was two in the morning when light footsteps came from behind her. She didn’t turn around but casually reached to take a glass from the kitchen shelf and fill it at the sink. Sipping the cool water, she stood in the darkness, peering out the window into the moonlit garden.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Michael’s hands rested lightly on her shoulders but they might as well have been a noose around her neck.
Trying not to flinch under his touch, she continued to stare out of the window. “I couldn’t sleep. I like looking at the garden in the moonlight. I like to walk in the moonlight too—you know that. We used to do it together at one time.” She placed the glass on the bench. “You’re home late. You work too hard.”
“I had business to attend to with my father. It’s nothing for you to worry about.” He turned her around to face him. “In the morning, I’ll have a surprise for you. It will stop you moping around. Go up to bed.”
He’d dismissed her and she hurried away like the obedient wife he expected her to be. She would slip back down the moment he’d gone to sleep and retrieve the micro card from her camera. Michael had lost interest in her six months after their marriage because she hadn’t become pregnant. An impossibility due to a contraceptive implant. He now used her to welcome wealthy buyers, host parties, and be a spokesperson for the winery. She had her own room and it was a relief to be away from him—he made her skin crawl. Avril hoped the sham marriage and prostituting herself with Michael to gain the cartel’s trust had been worth it, not only to stop the distribution of illegal drugs but to see him in jail for the rest of his life. The fact he used the servants for his pleasure was actually a relief and to them it seemed being his mistress was a status symbol. Most had looked at her as if they felt sorry for her or became so arrogant at gaining her husband’s favors that she’d complained. Michael had just shrugged and she assumed he’d sent them to work somewhere else on the massive estate because she never saw them again. Although the moment one left, a new beautiful woman would be serving their meals or cleaning the house, but Michael never said a word in protest. Apart from the hiring and firing of staff, she controlled the day-to-day running of the house. It was her domain and was the only part of her life he didn’t control.
Before daylight, she snuck down to the mudroom to retrieve the camera and binoculars. She returned the binoculars to her nightstand; they’d been a purchase she’d made on the pretense of birdwatching. After removing the microcard from the camera and hiding it in the back of her watch, she flushed the tiny device down the toilet. Nerves on a knife edge, she paced her bedroom. The information she had was gold, but would Viktor tell Michael he’d found her in the office? If Michael gave her another beating, he’d keep her home until the bruises faded. She chewed on her bottom lip. Anything might happen before her next visit to town and she had to pass on the information—now. Avril usually contacted Steve Breuer on a regular shopping trip. She’d walk by him and drop a few bills into his hat as he sat in the park playing his guitar disguised as a homeless man. This time she’d add a fake one-dollar coin containing the microcard. DEA Agent Steve Breuer wasn’t only her contact with the outside world. He was a close friend and having him around even at a distance was comforting. But no plan was foolproof, and if everything went to hell, her failsafe was Nurse Jenkins. The woman worked at the local doctor’s office, where Avril could go or call in an emergency.
She’d met Steve at work and they’d started dating. The six months they’d had together had been like a wonderful dream and they’d made plans for the future. When the assignment came through, Steve hadn’t stood in her way but encouraged her to do the job she’d been trained to do. Not wanting her to be undercover alone, he’d volunteered to live on the streets and act as her contact. He was strong, reliable, and she loved him. They had a bond of trust between them, and if she got into trouble,
he’d be there watching her back. Meeting him was fast becoming a problem and she worried her bodyguard might notice her interest in the busker. After changing her routine, she’d sit in the park and drink coffee, making sure Steve had seen her. Avoiding him was the only way to keep him safe but now she had no choice. This time would be the last and the entire mission depended on passing on the information. She smiled, imagining the celebration they’d have when they walked back into the DEA office. She’d cracked the case, and her and Steve’s nightmare assignments would be over. She would have enough evidence to put the Carlos cartel behind bars, and life would hopefully return to some type of normal.
Three
The following morning, Michael ushered a young girl into her room. The Asian girl was small, perhaps eight years old or so, and kept her eyes fixed on the floor. She was wearing an ill-fitting shift and sandals. From what Avril could see, she looked miserable. “Who is this?”
“This is Mandy.” Michael stroked the girl’s hair as if she were a puppy. “Well, that’s as close as I can get to pronouncing her name. Her family was from Vietnam and she’s staying with us for a time.” He grinned. “This is your surprise. Isn’t she adorable? She’ll work very hard to please you.”
Avril stared at him in disbelief. Bringing a child into a drug cartel was fraught with danger. She had to object. “Really? I don’t really have the time to babysit a kid. She should be in school. Does she even speak English?”
“No, and we’ll work all that out. In the meantime, find her something to do.” He let out an exasperated sigh. “If you get bored with her, send her to her room. I’ve put her in the nursery and I’ll have toys and books sent up. It’s all arranged.”
Unconvinced, Avril pushed the breakfast tray a servant had brought her to one side and lifted her chin. “You’re in the wine business. Since when did you give a damn about orphans?”
“Well, you couldn’t give me a child, could you?” Michael’s eyes flashed. “Mandy stays until I decide otherwise. I’ll send a car around for you at ten. Take her into town and buy her some clothes, ribbons for her hair, those socks with lace on the top. All the pretty things. See if you can teach her some English. If you can settle her into being here, it will help other girls like her to understand our ways. She’ll be able to explain to them in her own language that they’ve come to a better place. I know wealthy families willing to take the pretty ones.”
Alarmed, Avril leaped out of bed. “What on earth are you saying, Michael? Where did she come from? If she’s a runaway, you need to call the cops. You can’t just keep her or give her to someone else. That’s crazy. She’s a person not a damn dog.”
“That’s none of your concern. Trust me, she’s not a runaway. She’s an illegal, okay? One of the workers came to me asking for my help. He told me he’d found kids like her separated from their families and left to fend for themselves.” He lifted his arms and dropped them. “What did you expect me to do, Avril? Turn her away? We have a big empty house and I’m prepared to adopt her if you agree. I want to help as many of them as possible. You should be encouraging me to help her, instead of looking at me like that.”
Unconvinced, Avril shook her head. “Is what you’re proposing even legal? Your father will be as mad as hell if you get into trouble with the law. Does he know about this?”
“Yeah, and he agrees with me about these girls—and yes, the legalities are already sorted.” He took her hand and stroked it as if it made everything right. “I spoke to Judge Arnold and he assures me he can make all the adoptions legal. He’ll handle everything. We’ll have the child we always wanted and maybe more, later on, if she works out.”
Oh, he was good. He could convince a snake to skin itself. She sighed, taking in the forlorn figure still staring at the floor. The DEA agent in her wanted to scream a protest from the rooftops. Judge Arnold would be spending a lifetime in jail for running an illegal adoptions racket when she’d finished with him, but right now, she had to go along with whatever Michael wanted. She had no choice as anything else would jeopardize her mission and likely cost her her life. At least she could offer the girl her protection and get her back to her family when she’d brought the cartel to justice. “Okay. If you’re sure it’s legal. I’ll help.” She gently pulled her hand from his and forced her lips into a smile.
“I knew you’d see it my way, if I explained things.” He tossed a credit card on the bed. “Go shopping but don’t take all day. There are tours of the vineyard to plan. I’ve a ton of important visitors due this month, so buy what you need for yourself to impress them. Now, I have a business to run. We’ll talk again later.” He headed out the door.
Avril picked up the phone and spoke to the housekeeper. “Do you have any old clothes, suitable for an eight-year-old?” She listened for a moment. “Just one set. I’ll have them back to you within the day.” She turned and looked at the girl. “Are you a companion or a spy?” She pointed to a chair and urged her to sit. “Wait here. I need to take a shower.”
Under the waterflow, Avril’s mind was moving at warp speed. If she went into town today, Michael would never expect her to go back in a few days. If she didn’t meet her contact, the agency would go on alert and the two years of her life she’d given trying to bring down the cartel would be ruined. She had to think fast. Getting the proof about the drug manufacturing to her contact was a priority. Now Michael had thrown her a curveball and given her a little girl to care for. She’d need to find out more about Mandy, and fast, but right now, her priority was an excuse to be in town in four days.
