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“Maybe. I have the distinct feeling that the father of the woman I’ve brought into my household is someone of importance.” I studied all five men, still attempting to decipher what little I knew. The key was finding out who he was. Even still, my instinct told me that the man had gone to great efforts not to be identified. That led me to believe the man was either a criminal or a member of law enforcement. Either one could be detrimental to not only my organization but to the men standing in the room as well.
“What are you thinking?” Maxim growled.
“That we could have an issue we’ll need to work together to solve.” As I told them what little I knew, I could tell every one of them was as concerned as I was.
Brogan rubbed his jaw. “Get her DNA.”
“And compare it to what?” I asked. I’d already thought about it, but without her father’s DNA, it would be difficult to narrow down to an unknown person if not impossible. While there were systems designed to identify anyone, including family, I doubted a single person in the room had access to one so powerful. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, the time involved significant.
And I knew we had but so much time.
My instincts had never failed me. There was something brewing in the wind, the end a catastrophic situation. I’d bet all that I had on it.
“It’s worth a try,” Phoenix added.
Exhaling, I nodded, still unsure it was the best course of action. “Have any of you had any oddities in running your businesses?”
Diego laughed. “What do you mean by oddities? I’ve had two of my actors arrested for bogus drug charges.”
Gabriel snorted and walked closer. “I’ve had a similar situation.”
“Come to think of it, so has my Pops. He mentioned one of our select businesses was raided the other day out of the blue.”
“It would seem we could be dealing with a massive effort to create chaos from within,” Maxim suggested, his husky laughter filling the room.
“The Grassos have made no bones about the fact they want to become a major player in the arms business,” Phoenix mentioned.
“I’m not certain what they would have to do with the raids,” I said casually. No, there was something else going on.
“Have the Grassos invaded your territory?” Gabriel asked.
“They’ve made inquiries, attempting to poach one of my clients.”
Phoenix’s method of doing business was different than mine. He had no qualms about profiting from arms deals no matter the purchaser.
“Then we need to be careful and pay attention.” I swirled my drink. Why did I continue to believe this all boiled down to something that had started almost nine years ago? It made no sense, and we could all be jumping to conclusions. What had been described occurred every year. “However, we go about business as normal.” A thought popped into my mind about how to deal with the Grassos on a more permanent basis. The idea was the riskiest yet, but with so many unknowns, it might be worth losing millions of dollars.
“Agreed,” Diego said. “I have a business trip planned to Texas. I’ll ask some pointed questions while I’m there.”
“Are the Grassos attempting to take that territory as well?” Phoenix asked.
Diego shrugged. “They’ve made overtures regarding half the damn country. Until now, they haven’t had the manpower to make it happen.”
I glanced in his direction. “What changed?”
“They’re getting manpower from a Brazilian cartel. They formed an alliance that will allow them to bring in drugs.”
Gabriel huffed. “You’re kidding me?”
“I wish I were,” Diego answered. “I know their reputation well. They challenged my father and lost several years ago. They’re brutal and have no qualms about killing anyone who gets in their way.”
“Then we find out all we can about them. Brogan. Can you handle that?” I asked him.
“With pleasure. There are two men in our employ who are expert hackers.” He grinned, lifting his glass.
“Have them check the dark web as well,” I suggested.
“Absolutely.”
