“Have you spoken to Maddox?”
Iona flinched. “Oh, yes. He wasn’t in a good mood.”
“The feds are pressuring him for results. They don’t think your team is moving fast enough.”
“They’re not wrong. Although we’re making progress, it feels as though the pace is dragging.”
“Can you speed it up?”
“That’s what we hope is happening tomorrow night.”
“Explain.”
They updated Zane, ending with, “We were scheduled to run security at the sale tomorrow night. Now, we don’t know,” Iona said.
Elias frowned. “Something is wrong, Z, and I can’t figure out what’s off. I’m afraid we’re walking into a trap I can’t see. Dutch isn’t in charge of this operation. Someone else is, and that someone wants Echo and Artemis involved in the sale. I’m afraid we’re being set up to take the fall for something.”
Zane was silent for a moment. “Is it possible your father is controlling Dutch?”
He stared at the phone.
“Hear me out, buddy. What if Eddie had one of his cronies shoot you?”
“That I can buy. My father has made no secret of his displeasure with my career choices. If this is true, his crony is a terrible shot.”
Iona shook her head. Even a terrible shot couldn’t miss when standing over Elias with a gun in his hand. “It’s been twenty years, Zane, and there are better methods of manipulating someone into doing what you want than to shoot them.”
“What would happen if Elias had no option but to return to his father’s world?”
Elias scowled. “No way. I would never willingly go back.”
“Consider this scenario. What if the feds mysteriously heard about the sale of weapons and cop-killing bullets in the MC world? What if someone suggested Fortress may have the perfect person for an undercover op?”
He looked skeptical. “And he works with two teams of operatives who would refuse to let him go undercover alone?” Elias shook his head. “Nope. Doesn’t work for me.”
But Iona could see where Zane was going with this. “Can you think of a better way to control you if you refuse to cooperate?”
Elias’ face went pale. “Are you crazy? I haven’t seen or talked to my father in over two decades. You believe Dad wants me back under his thumb so badly that he’ll use my friends to force me to comply?” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t cooperate with thatplan, and neither would any of my teammates. We’d fight tooth and nail to get out from underneath my father’s control, so how would that help his cause?”
“You said it yourself. He’s out to control you.”
He snorted. “That’s not news, Z. He’s been….” Elias froze, an expression of horror forming on his face.
“Exactly.”
Elias stood and paced the length of the room. “This is all still speculation. You have no proof.”
“Working on it.”
Iona blew out a breath, her gaze locked on Elias. Unfortunately, Zane’s scenario wasn’t as off the rails as Elias wanted it to be. By his own admission, Eddie was all about control. What was the one thing out of his control for over twenty years? Elias. “Is it possible your father persuaded Dutch to set you up?”
He scowled. “Maybe. He has that capacity. What I can’t see is why this would be a possibility? He calls me the family black sheep or traitor. Why would he want me in the fold? If anything, I would have expected him to have someone kill me to erase the black mark on the family name. If he was behind the shooting, why didn’t he kill me?”
Iona stepped into his path. “You’re not listening, Elias. He doesn’t want you dead. He wants to control you.”
“What’s the point if I’ll never choose his way of life? I’m a police officer and a soldier at heart. I’m a rescuer. That’s what I’m trained to do, not kill people unless they give me no choice.”
Zane broke in. “What would you do to save Iona’s life?”
