“Eddie,” Brie begins, “If you’re scared, have you considered witness protection?I’d bet we can get that set up for you.”
“And my family?”he asks.
She nods.
“You trust them?They’re good at their—” He stops, backing up.“No.Elena is the government.I’m not trusting them to keep me safe.But at least I know anyone coming after me isn’t legit.”
“At this stage in the investigation, other than an FBI agent knocking on your door, no, I don’t think anyone else would be a legitimate investigator,” Brie answers.
“I’m going to lay low then.”
“I can get you protection,” Brie says, trying again.
“No.Sorry.Don’t trust it.You two better be careful.It’s not just Elena.She’s connected.There are names that aren’t going to want to be exposed.And those names are going to back her up.”He steps back.“And Adrien, I am sorry.This whole thing was small scale before you bought in.Business shit that didn’t really matter.It’s all just snowballed.”
“I understand.”There’s not much more to say.
He looks down at his hand with the gun and it’s like he can’t quite believe he’s holding it.He’s not a gunman—just a man in free fall.
“Be careful, Eddie.Get some sleep.”I have half a mind to tell him to lay off the drugs, but I’m not risking confrontation, not when he has a gun and Brie is in the room.
“You two be careful.Don’t underestimate her.And ya know, Elena always said the best defense is making your enemies look like the real criminals.If I were you, I’d check what lies she’s been spreading.”
He turns to leave, and a thought hits me.“Wait.Do you know where she is?Where she might be?”
“You going to go after her?”
“Yes,” Brie confirms.“We don’t know where to look.”
“She has connections.Could be anywhere.But if I were to guess, she’s at a beach house.It’s not in her name.Used to be Magpie’s and somehow she got it in the divorce, if you want to call it that.I handled some of the transfer of ownership.It’s owned by a trust.Her name’s not on the deed.If you get on my computer, find the folder labeled MPV Trust… I kept a copy of what I had notarized for her.Address is on the paperwork.”
As Eddie disappears into the shadows of the hallway, his words echo in my mind.What lies has Elena already set in motion—and how quickly will they metastasize?And is she done with bombs or only beginning?
ChapterThirty-Five
Brie
The beach house sits like a fortress against the gray Atlantic horizon, its modern glass and steel structure incongruous among the weathered cedar cottages that dot this stretch of the Long Island coastline.Even in October’s fading light, I can see why Elena chose this place—isolated, defensible, with clear sight lines in every direction.
“Two vehicles in the drive,” I murmur into my comm unit, adjusting the tactical vest beneath my jacket.“Looks like a black SUV and what might be a sedan.”
Hudson’s voice crackles through my earpiece.“FBI is in position on the perimeter road.Her security team surrendered their guns.Claim no one else is with her.You’ve got fifteen minutes before they move in.Let’s see if you can get her to talk.”
Fifteen minutes.That’s not a lot of time for a productive confrontation, and I’m skeptical it will amount to anything.Elena Vasquez is unlikely to give up information freely, and she’s already proven she’s willing to kill.
Adrien shifts beside me in the passenger seat, his jaw tight with tension.We were told to hold until the perimeter units made contact with her team—if there was going to be a gunfight, it wouldn’t be ours.This is good news.It’s not entirely unexpected that her hired security team would step aside for the FBI, but it could’ve gone either way.Now, we’re up.
“You sure about this approach?”He’s understandably concerned, but he’s an important part of this plan, and I need him alert but confident.
“She’s cornered and desperate.She’s also a former intelligence operative who understands the value of information over violence.”I check my sidearm one final time.“Plus, she’s not going to want to fight murder charges.If that bomb had succeeded, she would have counted on it never tracing to her.All we have to do is tell her the FBI is outside her door, and she won’t shoot.”
What I don’t repeat is that Elena’s profile suggests she’ll want to gloat first—to explain how she’s outmaneuvered us even as everything crumbles around her.That psychological need might be our only advantage.That and our quick response time.We pulled this together within twenty-four hours of learning her location.Chances are any plan she’s developed isn’t fully loaded.
If the FBI brings her in, she’ll lawyer up.And worse, she’s got ins with the FBI, definitely with the DOJ.I’m not sure I trust them to bring their A game.
The house’s security lights flick on as we approach the front door, motion sensors tracking our movement.Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I can see into a sparsely furnished great room with a view from the glass front door straight through the back of the house to the ocean.Elena Vasquez stands with her back to us, phone pressed to her ear, gesturing animatedly at whoever is on the other end.
“She’s got to know we’re here,” Adrien observes.“Assuming her guards haven’t informed her, almost all security systems offer a view of the driveway.”
