“And the bullshit charges against Elise?”
“We’ll do what we can. Shedoeshave a warrant out for her arrest in Antwerp, and we can confirm that the Antwerp police have notified the Budapest police. Zajac owns Antwerp and Budapest, so staying low is the best course of action at this time,” Anubis concluded. “Any more questions for me?”
“No, if there are, I’ll reach out to you.” Blake’s mind was processing the information and was stuck on the size of theballs Zajac had to have to frame Elise. The fucker wasn’t just killing thousands with his drug imports; he was playing God with people’s lives. All with the billionaire title and zero accountability because his money took care of everything. The file on the man was thick. He was a monster who peddled drugs and arms to gain wealth. Zajac thought that money made him untouchable. Not in this lifetime.
“I’m back on that deepfake,” Con said. “Toodles.”
“How you doing, B?” Jewell asked.
“Tired, but that’s nothing new.” Blake brushed his hair from his face, but the wind promptly blew it back into his eyes.
“What’s she like? Nice?”
“Nice? No and yes.” Blake smiled at the dancing reeds. “She’s smart, Aunt Jewell. Real smart.”
“I know that. She was doing great with that computer search. Each time she hit a dead end, she regrouped and tried a new angle. She’s got common sense, and she was tenacious going after that story.”
“Which could all be for naught now. If she’s wanted for murder.”
“That she didn’t commit,” Jewell reminded him. “When she releases this story, the proof should set her free.”
“Should.” Blake shook his head. “But with his resources, he could make it stick.”
Jewell sighed. “True. He could buy a jury or a judge, or his family could, after you do your job. We can’t erase the reports we find in their system. We’re not actually supposed to be in those systems.”
“Right. But you are.”
“We are, and nobody asks how or why until we leave a trace that we are or were there. Then, we can be in trouble.”
“How many times have you changed documents in systems, Aunt Jewell?”
“Oh, probably too many, but never in a police database. Granted, I’ve made evidence available, given a gentle nudge to honest cops, but I’ve never made anything in the system disappear.” She sighed. “I may have hidden a thing or two, but it is there if anyone really looked for it.”
“The evidence they have isn’t in the system.”
“I know, we’re working it, and I’ll go as far as I can. I can backtrack and get the information on when the report was deleted, not amended. I’m using every trick I know and letting Con work it, too, so you know we’ll exhaust every avenue.”
“I know, and honestly, did you have to bring him in on this?”
“You don’t hate him.” Jewell laughed quietly.
“He’sextremelyannoying,” Blake groaned. “But yeah, he kicked ass last night. I might thank him for it, like in the next decade or something.”
Jewell laughed harder. “You and your dad are carbon copies of each other.” Pausing, she shifted topics. “So … You like this woman, don’t you?”
He sighed. He’d thought about the attraction between them when he was listening to her sleep but starting something with her wasn’t fair. “I’m not allowed to like this woman.”
“Says who?” Jewell scoffed. “I bet you never heard that from your mom or your dad. Ember would pop Joseph if he ever told you that.”
Blake smiled, which he was sure was his aunt’s intent. “She’s an investigative reporter. You just told me she’s sharp and tenacious. So, tell me, how would that end? What would I tell her about who I am and what I do?”
“Oh, sweetheart, if she’s the right one, nothing you tell her will stop her from loving you. Look at Eve and Thanatos. She couldn’t handle his truth but worked with him to accept what he does. Does she like it? Not a bit, but she’s learned to live withwhat he is. Did he have to pause his career while they worked through her issues? Yes, but if you ask him, it was worth it.”
“I have asked him.” Blake had grown up in the same facility where Eve and Thanatos lived and worked. He knew the story of how they met and the reasons that Eve had freaked out, and he knew how much they loved each other.
“And your mom. An ER doc. Saving lives, dude, and your dad, well, he was and is on the other side of that line. They still made it work, and they love each other.”
Blake nodded silently. “I know.”
