“Heath could have been keeping my dad from getting arrested so he didn’t talk.He had to know that if Dad got arrested, the cartel would assume he’d roll over, and then they’d take him out.Maybe your brother was protecting him by not closingthecase.”
I wanted to believe it.It could make sense.Maybe this was Heath’s way of trying to protect a man he considered a secondfather.
Ari turned around, hope lighting her gray eyes.“I hope that’s true.I really, really hopeitis.”
My phone vibrated in mypocket.
“Keep digging,” I told her.With a kiss to the top of her head, I stepped away.“I’m going totakethis.”
“Okay.”
I fished my phone from my pocket to find it was my brother Rome calling.“Hey,what’sup?”
“Why the fuck am I seeing the name Hennessy coming up in cartel chatter?I just got off the phone with my computer geeks, and they said they caught a couple mentions of the family name.It sure as hell isn’t because of methistime.”
“What chatter?”I’d stayed out of Rome’s business before because I didn’t want to know what he was doing down in Central and South America, but if he could help me in any way now, I neededtoknow.
“We listen.We monitor.We gather intel.After walking into enough situations blind, we decided we had to step it up.Now we watch for key phrases and all identifiablenames.”
“Got it.So, what the fuck was the chatterabout?”
“You’re on the radar, and I want toknowwhy.”
“We’ve got asituationhere.”
Ari’s gaze searched my face as I turnedaround.
“Does it have something to do with Dad?”Romeasked.
“Maybe.We’re still piecing it together.But we do know that Carlos Alberto Moreno Herrera is involvedsomehow.”
Rome went quiet.“Do you have any clue who the fuck you’re dealing with?That family is way above your pay grade,brother.”
“I don’t have a pay grade anymore,brother.”
Rome made a sound of disgust.“You know what I mean.That family is bad news.Brutal.Ruthless.They’ll send you a friggin’ head inabox—”
“Yeah, got one of those thismorning.”
Ari turned away, and I reached out to graspherhand.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”Romeshouted.
“I wishIwere.”
“And you didn’t call me?You think you’re equipped to handle this shit byyourself?”
“Heath was supposed to be handling it.He was working with the Feds to take Carlos out.Now he’s in the wind, and two of Ari’s employeesaredead.”
“Shit.They’ve upped their ante.Let me start working on my end to see if I can tell what’s going on.You need to lay low.I’m not ready to come home for another fucking funeral.Tell me everything you know, and I’ll get my peopleonit.”
I laid it out.Every detail we knew and suspected, from the beginning.When I was done, my brother was quiet for a longmoment.
“This shit is fucked.My world makes a lot more sense, if you ask me.None of us pretend to be good.We’re all in it for the money, which is what I’m guessing both Sampson and Dad were initfor.”
“You don’t know that.”The protest was automatic, even though from what Mom said, he was right about Dad’smotives.
“You might be older than me, but that doesn’t make you smarter.You’ve always believed that everyone should have a code of honor like you.News flash—they don’t.Everyone’s in it for themselves.That’s how the world works.I’ll get back to you when I have something.Try not togetdead.”