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“Dee? You’re in danger,” I whispered in urgency. “They’re coming after your family.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Since Ethan’s call a couple of days before, I couldn’t sleep.
Right after we talked, I summoned a meeting with Mia and Ben, having Aaron on speaker with us. He promised to send some of his men to keep an eye on us, but it didn’t seem like enough.
In an attempt to keep them safer, we increased the security system in our homes and were coming up with ways to keep our families together. No one was supposed to go out alone. Even though they’d mentioned me and Lisa, they were clear about wanting to take down the whole company. We didn’t know if they’d try anything with someone else from our family.
If Ben, Mia, or I couldn’t be with them, Aaron’s men were supposed to be outside our place to keep them safe.
Ben and I studied the feeds Aaron had granted us, trying to find Matias and identify potential members of the cartel. If we could pinpoint their location, maybe we could anticipate when they were coming.
We still weren’t able to triangulate a precise area, but we managed to rule out some of their bases.
Mia and I were working on the messages hidden in the background of their songs, but there were a lot of those, so it wasn’t a fast task. Even though they weren’t recent—a lot had happened since we busted their space and she stole their hard drives—it gave us a better understanding of their dynamics after their kidnappings and where they made the transportation.
From what we gathered, if they wanted to take someone from our family, it wouldn’t be for a quick death. That meant—among other things—that Matias would need a safe place to run to. Better yet, a safe place to lure us into.
I stormed into Mia’s office. “Any news?”
She pulled back one side of her headphones so she could still listen to the audio while talking to me. “Our assessment is correct. He’s trying to rise in the ranks, but so far Gomes is pissed at Matias’s lack of accomplishment.” She raised her index finger, silently asking me to wait. She frowned and wrote down whatever she deemed important before pausing the audio. “They’re after all of us but figured they should try to eliminate us on their turf instead of trying an ambush like last time.”
“It didn’t work out well for them,” I muttered. “They want a place where they can control the area and what we do.” I peered outside at the hall, then lowered my voice so Ben or Haley couldn’t hear me. “Did you find anything in your extra activities?”
She checked the door from the corner of her eyes and leaned over her desk. “I don’t think I’m in the heat of things.”
“How come?”
She took her glasses off to rub her eyes. “They think...” She took in a deep breath. “They think Zee was The Bryant Prodigy—God, saying that nickname is so weird. Anyway, they figured with him...gone, they don’t have to worry that much. So far, I’ve only heard them talking about you and Benny. And Aaron. They seem to be after the company, but I don’t believe they know who I am.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “We should take advantage of that.”
“We are already. You’re getting into the eye of the storm and getting out so far unscathed because we’re taking advantage of them not knowing who you are.” I gripped my neck in distress. “And we’re abusing it. I think it’s time for you to end it. If they figure out who you are when you’re there alone...I can’t...you wouldn’t...this needs to stop.”
“More than ever, we need the information we only find with me being there,” Mia stressed.
“There’s got to be another way. This can only end badly.”
She was ready to retort when Ben stormed inside. “Matias was in Gratitude last night.”
Mia and I jumped from our seats and ran to his office. Ben had his phone pressed to his ear as he rewinded the recording on his computer. When he found what he was looking for, he pressed play, and I had to contain myself not to throw his computer against the wall.
Sure enough, there was Matias inside a black SUV—most likely stolen and with fake license plates.
“If this is from yesterday, and he’s so close to us, that means he’s planning something soon.” I hated that I agreed with Mia.
“Aaron?” Ben said on the phone. “We found Matias. We might need you around.” He paused, listening to whatever Aaron was saying. “Awesome. We’re waiting for you.” Ben ended the call and addressed us. “He’s on his way to us. He decided to come this morning, and he’s almost here. He might have some new information.”
“Let’s make a checklist,” Mia suggested, more to herself than to us. “My parents are at their place with all the kids, including Sofia, right?”
“Correct,” Ben confirmed. “They’ve just texted me, saying everything is fine, and the agent Aaron assigned to their security is still there.”
“Great. And Izzie?”
Ben nodded. “At Beans. With another agent.”
“Haley is with us, so she’s as safe as she could be.” Mia turned to me. “What about Lisa and your mom?”
“My mom is still traveling. Since Sofia is with your parents, Lisa said she’d be with her folks. I instructed her to call me or ask the agent to escort her if she needed anything.”
