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Guy nodded, and I heard the sound of the drone hovering over us. They must have seen the whole thing.
“We didn’t see what you did in the alley, but we saw the woman run to safety. Did you neutralize them?” Wells asked.
“I knocked one out and tied them both up. I left them with a warning. They weren’t Reapers but blackmailed by them into doing their dirty work.”
“Wow, how much of the island is wrapped up in this?” Christine asked.
“Much more than we originally thought,” I answered. We were unraveling the threads of a very large secret. One that could stain the reputation of the island forever, crippling its economy overnight if it went public.
“What’s with the backpack? Did you learn anything while you were out?” Adam asked.
I could see he wasn’t big into public apologies. Fine then, me neither.
“I did, and this backpack has the employer’s research,” I answered with a cold tone. I wanted to remind him I was still pissed, but I wouldn’t be petty enough to avoid him completely. Our mission had to be prioritized over everything else, even feelings. That was the message I was trying to convey to him. Mission first, feelings second.
We made our way back toward the resort and back to Guy’s room. I made a pit stop to change into something more comfortable, which ended up being soft cotton shorts and a soft t-shirt. While I was eager to get started on trying to locate and investigate the manager who we had on our suspects list, I needed to know what was in the employer’s research first. It would be incredibly stupid to not read it front to back before proceeding any further.
I made it to Guy’s room and found a seat between Jasmine and Christine on the bed. I opened up the backpack and pulled out a manila folder. I could tell the folder and research had been well loved. The dirt and coffee stains on the folder showed me how oftenthe employercame back to this research. I was honored she trusted me to do something with it.
I pulled a stack of papers out and began to read through them. When I was done with the first sheet, I passed it to Jasmine, who skimmed it and passed it to Christine. From there it went down the line of guys.
By the time we got through the stack, it was well into the night and possibly very early morning, but it was worth it. I might have been wired and jittery due the espresso shots I threw back like water, but I felt a lot more prepared to bring down the Reapers.
“Did anyone else pick up the fact that Ricketts hasn’t been seen on the island for four months?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes.
“Yes, or that the trafficking is running without a hitch and might be considered even more aggressive. It means he has a number two who takes his role seriously,” Christine said as she looked down at the notes she had started taking after reading page three. She was the second in command of her family business, and I was sure she had experience in earning respect and results.
“Don’t forget thatthe employeridentified a man who is either Ricketts’ brother or his second,” Jasmine added as she held up a picture of both men. Ricketts and the other man did have some similar features that led me to believe that they were brothers.Trafficking, the family business. How cute.
“There’s nothing specifically on the managers on our suspect list, but she does suspect that there are multiple people working at the resorts on this part of the island who are involved, which is good because it solidifies that we are on the right track,” Wells added.
“Exactly, so I think we need to proceed as we planned. I think we need to flush the managers out, find out what they know, and go from there,” I said. I hoped that my plan wouldn’t be objected to this time.
“What exactly would that entail?” Garcia asked.
“One of the suspects is the man I distracted when Adam broke into the office. He’s familiar with my face, and I’ve seen him around several times since. I’ve caught his attention. If he’s with the Reapers, then he knows by now that they want me. I say we play that angle up. Let’s make a situation that’s too good for him to refuse,” I suggested.
“So prey on his weaknesses like he probably does on others?” Jasmine asked with a smug smile.
“Exactly,” I said.
“It’s about time the prey becomes the predator, again,” Christine said with a smug smile of her own.
Iknew I liked these girls.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
abby
When I got to the bar, I engaged the bartender in some casual conversation. I quickly realized that he was the manager for food and beverage for all three properties. I found it unusual that someone in a management position was working at the bar by himself. He didn’t seem annoyed to be working in a position below him. In fact, he gave off the impression that he was exactly where he wanted to be. His smile was too charming, and he was way too observant for my liking. I knew bartenders were supposed to keep their guard up, but I was the only person on my half of the bar. Still, he could barely keep his eyes off me. That could be due to Jasmine and Christine’s handiwork. They had really done a number on me in the makeup and hair department. I wasn’t unskilled with a makeup brush, I had to change my appearance for my undercover work, but they blew any talent I had out of the water. Yet I didn’t think that it was my appearance that brought the man’s attention. After all, he was one of the three on our suspects list—possibly a Reaper.
I sat at the bar in the tightest red dress the world had ever known. It was a wonder I was able to drink anything at all, because I didn’t have room to breathe. It pushed my cleavage so high that it almost spilled out of the low-cut top. The bottom hem of the dress barely covered my ass. I might as well have been on a silver platter spread eagle. My blond hair was curled into long, loose spirals, and my makeup was runway worthy.
“It’s a shame that your date stood you up,” Julio, the manager-slash-bartender, said as he dropped another gin and tonic in front of me.
“Yeah, it happens I guess,” I said.
Five minutes prior, I’d spun a tale that I was there to meet a date and they had just texted to cancel. I sprinkled the seeds of opportunity—vulnerability—for him. Since then, he looked at his phone no less than four times, choosing to send off two different texts and receive a couple of replies. I couldn’t see who the exchanges involved, but I suspected it was someone within the Reapers.
