He nodded, grinning wryly. “I glad you’re here with me, Kendra. It would be much worse learning about my father’s past while being completely alone.”
“We’re going to get through this.” She knew she was sounding all Pollyanna again.
His grin faded. “I’m trying to imagine how my dad got involved with a cartel in the first place. It sounds like something out of a movie.”
“Hopefully, Raine will be able to shed some light on that.” She briefly leaned her temple against his shoulder before reluctantly pulling away. “I should check out the food situation. We may not have much to eat for breakfast.”
“Okay.” He turned from the fire, following her into the kitchen. “We can always head to the store for a few things.”
She shrugged, thinking it would be best if they didn’t go anywhere until they knew more about Andrew Levy. She opened the fridge. It was empty except for a couple of water bottles. With a sigh, she moved on to the cupboards. There were some cans of soup and two large cans of beef stew. They were better than nothing.
When her phone rang, she and Dom jumped and stared at the device as if it were a snake that might bite them. Recognizing Raine’s number, she quickly answered. “Hey, Raine. Did you find something out for us?”
“I did. But you may want to put me on speaker so Dominic can hear this too.”
“Hold on.” She lowered the phone, put the call on speaker, then set the device in the center of the table. “Raine, Dominic is here. Dom, this is my sister-in-law Raine.”
“Nice to meet you, Dom,” Raine said. “Sorry it has to be during a time of trouble.”
“Nice to meet you too. I’m sorry to have to ask for such a big favor,” Dom admitted. “I’m still trying to assimilate what I’ve learned so far.”
“Thankfully, my boss wants me to come back, so he filled me in on your father’s case file. Normally, he wouldn’t have access, but after your father’s death, it wasn’t considered to be as confidential.”
“Okay.” Dom’s gaze seemed to cling to hers. Kendra reached over to take his hand. “What can you tell me?”
“Levy was right in that your father provided key information and testified against Gunther Volter,” Raine said. “Your father was an accountant. He kept the books for an organization called Randover Royals. They were well known to be involved in illegal mining, primarily diamonds and gold. And there were allegations of other criminal activities as well, specifically expanding into drugs.”
Dom swallowed hard. “My father knew they were criminals?”
“No, according to the file, he discovered they were running money through the company. He wanted to get out, but it was too late. He already knew too much.” Raine paused for a moment. “What do you know about your mother’s death?”
Dom’s fingers tightened around hers. “According to my dad, my mother died in a car crash when I was three years old. Is that the truth? Or another lie?”
“That is the truth,” Raine assured him. “But there’s more. Your mother’s crash was no accident. You were supposed to be in the car with her, but you had a fever, so your mom left you at home with a babysitter. The cartel assumed that once you and your mother were eliminated from the picture, your dad would keep quiet. Thankfully, you survived, and your father went straight to the authorities. He testified against Gunther Volter, and well, you know the rest.”
Dom looked shell-shocked at the news. Kendra couldn’t contain her surprise either. Bad enough that Dom’s father had been murdered, but to learn his mother had been killed, too, was worse. The young mother and Dom were innocent victims.
And if they weren’t careful, Dominic would end up dead too.
5
Murdered. Dom’s mother and father had both been murdered! The truth was a heavy burden to bear, especially since his father’s actions had ultimately killed Kendra’s parents. With the recent gunfire still fresh in his mind, he forced himself to focus his scattered thoughts. The current danger had to be their priority. “Raine, do you think we can trust Levy?”
“I don’t know.” He admired her honesty. “I don’t have a reason to distrust him, but based on the shooting at the hotel, you and Kendra should proceed with caution.”
That sounded like a good plan to him. As far as Dom was concerned, he’d wait to call Levy the following morning. Maybe they could meet at a café for breakfast. Choosing neutral territory would be the best way to keep their current location safe.
Kendra nodded at him, as if reading his mind. “Raine, what do you know about the Randover Royals? I assume someone else is running the organization now that Gunther is in prison.”
“Funny you should ask, because the organization allegedly disbanded after Gunther Volter’s arrest.” Raine’s tone was dry. “In my opinion, those who weren’t caught laid low just long enough to recreate themselves into something new and equally dangerous.”
Dom sighed. “I still don’t understand why anyone from the Randover Royals organization would come after me all these years later.”
“A man by the name of Theo Le Ruiz was believed to be the real leader of the Randover Royals,” Raine said. “From what I understand, Volter was the face of the company, but Le Ruiz pulled strings from South Africa.”
“Wait a minute, South Africa?” When Levy had mentioned a drug cartel, Dom had assumed they were Mexican. Not from South Africa.
“Yeah, believe it or not, cartels are even more active in South Africa.” Raine sighed. “Like I said, the cartels have their fingers in the gold and gemstone mining operations, along with adding drugs to the mix.”
