“Yup.”
“Tell him Catrina clawed Moishe on the nose. I broke them up, but she demanded they duel to the death. Does his cat have a second?”
Imagining the two fierce felines sharing the same room, I grimace. “Perhaps Rabbi Goldman would stand in for me?”
“Excellent. Thirty paces at dawn.” She snickers, then adds, “Talk soon. And Dash? You stay safe and don’t worry. Landy’s a lot tougher than you give her credit for.”
“Copy that.” While I pray she’s right, the two say their goodbyes.
Then, the interior quiets and I call the office of Patten Securities. “Put me through to Slate.”
“Go.” Because the warrior spends words like hundred-dollar bills, I take no offense at his abrupt speech and try to do the same.
“Lanita’s in Reynosa. Suds and I are taking my dad’s jet there now.” The vehicle takes a sharp right, my body slams against the door, and the driver’s cursing makes it hard to hear.
“Say again?”
Slate’s voice grows tight. “Isaidthe area’s controlled by the Gulf Cartel. Get your geeks to investigate any connections to the Russians.”
“Understood. I’ll put them right on it.”Fuck. Another enemy. I can’t catch a bloody break.
“I’ll gather a team and meet you in McAllen. Stay in touch.” His generous offer catches me off guard.
“Wait. Don’t hang up. I’m looping in the FBI, just in case.”
As he pauses, the rain pounds and the wipers squeak twice. “Trencher’s still part of your team?”
“Yeah. He’s tasked with finding Cyber Vonya, and I’m his best lead.” At the crack of thunder, a light bulb goes off, and my mind clears. “Shit. What if my prey has gone on the offense and is using Landy to get me to back off?”
Nodding, Suds barges into our conversation. “It’s a distinct possibility. Y’all did put one of their assets in government hands.”
“Unfortunately, bagging him wasn’t enough to shut them down. We need to slice off the head of the snake.” My fists clench at my side. It’s no longer about the multi-million-dollar bounty. Whenever hackers take over companies, innocent people get hurt.
“I’ll see what I can find out and send you a secure chat link from the air.” As Slate disconnects, I wonder if the storm will delay our departure.
Near the airport, I text the pilot who says we should be able to take off when refueling is done.
Then, my dad calls from London, and I let it go to voicemail. It might not be fair, but I blame him. If I hadn’t been in the UK, none of this would’ve happened. These and other negative thoughts thrash around in my brain, but I refuse to let them take root.
I’m coming firefly, hang on a little longer.
Soon, I’m buckled in the jet’s leather lounge chairs. After my ears pop, the pilot gives the go ahead to turn on our laptops. The private chat open, I share my screen with Suds, sitting to my right.
Hackzilla: The Renegades are working for Vladislav Egonov, a member of Russian intelligence, otherwise known as the GRU.
The former SEAL sips on his coffee deep in thought, then grabs my keyboard.
Suds: Can we prove they’re affiliated with Cyber Vonya?
Hackzilla: I found a picture of him, and the scar-faced dude your cat bit last month.
Fuck.I’ve been looking at this situation all wrong. Kade’s club didn’t need a pilot. The Russian hackers are sending me a message.
She’s not the shit magnet. I am.
As I ponder the implications, Slate joins the private chat and informs us he’s jetting his way to Mexico. Minutes later, I learn that Oliver Smith wants in, too. In that my dad is at odds with British Intelligence, I take a beat before I agree. I’ll manage the fallout later.
Because there’s nothing more to be done, I catch a little shuteye and wake to the wheels dropping.
