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“Our tech staff picked up someone running facial recognition software on members of our team. That isn’t a problem because we have things in place to prevent these intrusions.” Glancing at Miami, Kyle’s stern expression sent a cold chill up her spine.
He’s Kyle, right? Damn, how does anyone tell them apart?
“Unfortunately, whoever was making inquiries grabbed a shot of Miami getting into the car behind the house. Since we’re virtually certain they would have run similar checks on her, we ran it ourselves, so we’d be heads up about what they learned.”
Miami felt her heart sink to her stomach. She wasn’t particularly active on social media, but she’d done numerous commercials for the dive company. Anytime she’d accompanied either of her parents to their performances, photographers were always snapping her picture. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell they hadn’t found a match.
“I can tell by your expression you know what we found.” Assuming the two men were playing off each other, Miami simply nodded. “Now that they’ve confirmed your identity and know you are still alive, your security needs have increased exponentially. You are safe here, Miami. This compound is more secure than most military installations.”
“Do we have a plan to flush them out? Sitting around waiting for them to make a move ties everyone up.” Giles’s comment was met with soft laughter. The double meaning hadn’t been lost on anyone.
“You won’t have to wait.” Miami wasn’t sure why she’d blurted out the words, but there was no backing out now. “Victor Cruz is running for President. The campaign is in full swing, so he’ll want to take care of any loose ends as quickly as possible.” And wasn’t that the understatement of the year? Victor had to be getting damned tired of cleaning up his son’s messes. Miami wondered how much longer the man would run interference for his loser son.
“Talk to us, Miami. We’ll move heaven and earth to protect you, but we need to know everything.” Essex’s warm hand massaged the back of her neck.
Miami wondered what he thought she was holding back.
“I met Alonzo in Belize. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised he didn’t recognize me on the yacht. He was higher than a kite when we met. When I refused to take him on a diving expedition because he could barely walk, he raised seven kinds of hell before going to our competitor. My bosses hated losing the fees, but they’d also understood the liability involved.” The incident had been so ugly, Miami almost returned to the United States. In retrospect, she often wished she had—maybe she could have gotten her mom to seek medical treatment sooner. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Miami shrugged.
“Alonzo’s reputation is well-earned. He beats and rapes women without thinking twice about the consequences. His father has spent a small fortune cleaning up after him.” Taking a sip of water, Miami recalled hearing story after story about the younger man’s antics. Alonzo was an asshat of the first order. Spoiled, entitled, and yet, somehow, charming enough to lure women into his lair. After her initial encounter with him, she’d started asking around. The stories were plentiful and remarkably similar.
“The agency has been tracking Victor for several years. The son has only recently come to their attention.” Cam leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees—every ounce of his intensity focused on Miami. “You and Saraya are the first victims who have been willing to speak out.”
“Have the others been intimidated into silence or bought off?” Miami wasn’t sure why it made a difference, but she kept that part of the question to herself.
“It’s a mixed bag. Two women didn’t take Victor’s generous financial offer. Both were from wealthy families who had no need for what they considered tainted money. The first found her roommate beaten in their apartment. The men who broke in made it clear who they worked for and promised to return if the victim didn’t withdraw her complaint.” Miami felt her face heat in anger. No wonder the victims were hesitant to testify. She didn’t bother asking if there were laws against witness intimidation. She’d lived in Central America long enough to know their legal systems were vastly different. It wouldn’t matter, anyway—the people with money didn’t feel the laws applied to them.
“Saraya is planning to testify. Warrants have been issued for Alonzo’s arrest, but he’s in the wind.” Essex’s comment was both a relief and worrisome. “The other victims have been rescued. They were recovered from the warehouse before Cruz’s men could transport them out of the country.”
Cam nodded before adding, “All the victims are in good health, with a notable exception. They had been dosed with an experimental memory sweep drug. There have been rumors for months this drug was being used in human subjects with no documented controlled trials. Unfortunately, the developers are far more interested in money than the safety of their subjects.”
Miami grew up surrounded by adults who openly questioned anything and everything remotely associated with the establishment, so it was easy for her to believe a company would prioritize profits over safety. As a young teen, Miami often rolled her eyes at her parents’ anti-government stance. As she grew older, she understood their distrust.
“The drug is so new, we don’t have any information about the long-term effects. What we do have are skilled contacts in the pharmaceutical industry who are heading to Galveston as we speak. The hope is they’ll have some suggestions about how to reverse or minimize the damage.”
Miami knew nothing about the pharmaceutical industry but was relieved there were people willing to drop everything to help others.
“We aren’t sharing this information to scare you, but it’s important you remember who you’re dealing with. Victor Cruz will be desperate to cover this up.”
Miami sensed the urgency in Kyle West’s voice—the man had obviously been well briefed since they’d arrived at Prairie Winds. She didn’t think it would take anyone long to figure out the dynamic between Victor and Alonzo. Both men were driven by money and power.
Victor’s moral compass must have been shattered when he got into politics, and Alonzo’s is missing altogether. Asshats.
*
Tobi leaned closeto Lilly as they huddled behind the bar so they could eavesdrop on the informal meeting taking place a few feet away. Most of the women were still outside, enjoying a game of strip poker by the pool. As much as she hated to miss the fun, Tobi wanted to hear what was being discussed inside. She’d seen the Prairie Winds team in action, and they were never thispolite. Tact didn’t seem to be a trait any of the operatives put much stock in. When Lilly and CeCe saw her making her way inside, they’d been hot on her heels.
Cam’s mention of a drug to wipe out memories made her suck in a breath. Tobi’s surprise earned her a nudge and glare from CeCe. Her friend’s expression was the quintessentialMom look… unfortunately, the scowl had the opposite effect. Tobi slapped her hand over her mouth in a doomed attempt to stifle her laughter. The only thing that kept her from giving away their position was a sudden outburst of chatter among the team members. Tobi sent up a silent thank you and asked the Universe to give her guardian angel a raise… again.
