“Yeah, we are.But this team keeps Ari safe and lets Rhett do the stuff that could be dangerous.If we’re talking about Mexican drug cartels, there’s nothing that’s safe about this, which means half our team is on the bench until I figure out exactly what the hell isgoingon.”
“But—”
“But nothing.This isn’t a game.”I met her gaze.“You have to promise me that you won’t go trying to hack into the cartel’s networks.Imagine the biggest, most lethal and ruthless corporation in the world, twist it up so it’s worse than even your nightmares can imagine, and then maybe you’ve come a tenth of the way toward understanding how friggin’ dangerous these people are.You don’t fuck with them.You donothing.I don’t want them knowing youexist.”
“But if I can find aconnection—”
I shook my head.“Absolutely fucking not.What they did to your dad would be nothing compared to what they’d do to you if you got caught snooping around.This isn’t a challenge, Ari.It would be a suicide mission, and I’m not letting you put yourself in danger like that.We’ll findanotherway.”
My seriousness finally sank in, and she nodded.“Okay, so no trying to hack the Mexican drug cartels.Gotit.”
“Promise me.”I needed to hear hersayit.
“I promise.”She paused.“But how are we going to find out who did thistoDad?”
I squeezed her shoulder.“You let me do what I’m good at—investigate.”
With the threatof a cartel connection, there was no way I wanted to leave Ari alone, and I wouldn’t have if Carver hadn’t beenthere.
Something was off in a big way, and my gut said things were going to get worse before I figured this out.I was determined not to let it touch Ari,though.
As I climbed in my Jeep and drove away, my mind spun withpossibilities.
First, I didn’t think my dad killed himself by wiring and blowing up their house.He loved my mom too much to be that stupid.That meant that someoneelsedid.
Who had the most to lose if Dad were formally arrested and possibly given the opportunity to make a deal?The cartel insiders he had information on, and possibly anyone else in the police department who wasdirty.
Any of those people could havedoneit.
I put myself into the mind of the sick fucks I was dealing with.If I were trying to keep someone on a leash, keep them from talking, I’d find some way to threaten them, and wiring their house with explosives was pretty damn effective.But why wouldn’t they have taken Dad out to begin with?Why let him live once the investigationstarted?
He must have had some sort of leverage on them.That was the only answer I could comeupwith.
So, how did any of this tie to the Sampsons?They lived next door.Heath was IA, but not on the case.The connections were tenuous, at best—unless I was missing something.Now I had to figureoutwhat.
I only knew one person who’d taken on a faction of the cartel successfully, so it made sense to start there.When Rix didn’t reply to my text, I turned my Jeep toward the French Quarter and someone he would alwaysanswer.
Fifteen minutes later, I parked my Jeep along the side street a block over and crossed the uneven sidewalks to Noble Art.A familiar face was wiping down the glass windows of the door where the sign was turned toClosed.She unlocked the door and helditopen.
“Well, well, Detective.Didn’t expect you to pop up around here.It’s been a while.You know my boss is thoroughly and completely taken by now, Iassume?”
“It’s not detective any more, but I got that.Trinity,right?”
Shenodded.
“Your bossaround?”
“Not yet.She should be here any minute.”Trinity’s eyes narrowed.“Thought you said you weren’t sniffingaround?”
“I’m not.I’m hoping she can tell me where tofindRix.”
“They had an appointment this morning.Should be hereanytime.”
Ten minutes later, Rix hadn’t replied to my text, and I saw why.He parked on the side of the street and hopped out to help Valentina fromherseat.
How the hell had I missed it before?Valentina wore a formfitting dress and she was clearlypregnant.
Neither of them saw me when they swept intotheshop.