Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Hello, Carter. I’ve been expecting a call from you.”
Of course he had. “You’re on speaker with Miles, Ford, and Worth. We need some help. The cartel we got involved with needs to be completely eliminated.”
“I don’t disagree with that, but considering Matteo just called Leo for help because his handler cut him off, I think you need to sit down with him and make a plan together.”
“You trust him?” Seconds of silence had my heart racing. “X?”
“For now. There’s a layer to this we don’t understand yet. That’s what Emilio is currently working on.”
“What kind of layer?”
“Matteo can explain that better than I can.”
I was fucking tired of getting the run around. “Bullshit.”
“It’s his story. We can’t do this if we don’t even know what we’re fighting, and right now we don’t.”
“Matteo doesn’t or—”
“None of us know, not even the top assholes at the CIA, but I think Matteo has more information than he’s offering anyone.”
That was scary as shit. “So this is way worse than we thought?”
“Yes. If you thought this was about one man betraying his unit for a better payoff—”
“I know that’s not it.”
“Or if you thought it was about the CIA seeking someone they thought they could use, then fucking over Matteo, you, and your whole unit….”
“Maybe.”
“It’s not that either. Someone is behind all of it.”
Miles broke in. “What kind of someone?”
“That’s what we have to find out.”
“And Emilio can do that?” I asked.
“Eventually.”
“You’re sure of it?” Miles asked.
When X loudly cleared his throat, Miles grimaced. He knew better than to question this man or worse, his boyfriend. “If he can’t, then no one can.”
The look I gave Miles told him to let me do the talking. “And then….”
“We take out the cartel and wait for the rats to come out and show themselves.”
“I’ll go get Matteo now,” I said. “Will you join us all on a call?”
“Not yet. Give me time to gather info and resources. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“So what should we be doing?”
“Making Matteo talk.”
Once I’d ended that call, I let my head drop into my hands. Making that man talk was easier said than done, at least if I didn’t want to actually damage him. Even if I did, he’d trained with the best. There was no guarantee any amount of torture would do the trick.
13
MATTEO
When the crunch of gravel indicated Carter had returned, I carefully put back the photos I’d been looking through. I glanced around the room that served as an office for him and made sure everything was back in place. Then I slipped off the gloves I’d grabbed from his go bag and tossed them in the trash. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t know I’d been going through his things. It’s what any of us would do when left alone in an enemy’s house, but I didn’t have to be blatant about it.
He would never have left me alone here if there was anything serious for me to find. I hadn’t expected to find anything that would tell me more than I already knew. There were pictures of him with his friends and a few older ones of his family, but nothing recent, nothing since he’d cut off almost all contact with them at eighteen. I looked through his books and a collection of old records. As expected, I didn’t learn a damn thing, but I had to try. What kind of spy would I be if I didn’t?
I ran a hand over my hair. I’d never meant to be a spy, and I sure as hell never meant to hurt Carter the way I had.
I glanced out the window and saw Carter had returned alone. That was good. If he and his friends had decided they were going to kill me, they would have all come back together. At least they would if they had any sense. They should know by now Carter was never going to end my life, not unless I betrayed him again. Even then, it wasn’t a sure thing. He was a good man. Far better than I was.
Carter entered the cabin, and I saw the relief on his face when he saw me. He covered it quickly, but not quickly enough. He’d been worried I would run. At least I’d proven to him that I could keep my word.
He probably thought I’d only keep it when I really didn’t have any better options, but the real truth was that I was so fucking lovesick for him, I couldn’t do anything but what he said.
He’d thought I was the one in charge all that time we’d been together in Columbia, but from the first night, it was never me. It was him. I would do anything for him.
He glanced around, and I was sure even though he saw nothing out of place he knew what I’d been up to.