"Talk to me."
"The plate traces to a shell company called Westbrook Holdings. Westbrook is owned by another shell called Pacific Rim Ventures. Pacific Rim is funded by a PAC that's—"More clicking."—exclusively dedicated to supporting a heavy hitter in the Sacramento capital."
The air leaves my lungs as CJ’s briefing in the office flashes back to me.The Consortium has friends in high places. Interests in Sacramento reaching into the Bureau.Then I look at Evie, and she's already ahead of me. Her face is bone-white.
"The news alert," she whispers, her eyes wide with the realization. "On Derek’s laptop in the cabin. He swiped it away before I could read the article, but the name was right there in the headline. The latest polls."
"Mitzy," I say, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. "Tell me it's not David Harmon."
A beat of silence, then the sound of a final, definitive key strike."Bingo. Senator David Harmon. The money trail leads straight to his front door."
The name lands like a grenade.
"Senator Harmon." I've seen him on the news. Clean-cut, family-values type, always talking about border security and law and order. "You're telling me a state senator is connected to a cartel hit on a federal judge?"
"I'm telling you the money trail leads to his door. Whether he ordered it, knew about it, or just took dirty money without asking questions—that's above my pay grade."Mitzy's voice is grim."But it explains why the FBI field office is compromised. Harmon has friends everywhere. The kind of friends who can make witnesses disappear."
Evie's hand finds my arm. Her grip is tight.
"There's more."Mitzy hesitates."The cartel knows they lost the witness. They're pivoting."
"Pivoting how?"
"Leverage. If they can't get to Evie directly, they're going to try to draw her out."Another pause, longer this time."I intercepted chatter about ten minutes ago. They're moving on her known associates. Best friend and goddaughter. Sacramento."
The words don't register at first. Then they do, and the blood drains from my face.
"Seraphina." Evie's voice is barely a whisper. "Rosie."
"How long?" I demand. "How long before they reach them?"
"Hard to say. The chatter suggested they're still gathering intel, figuring out the address. But once they have it—"Mitzy doesn't finish the sentence. She doesn't have to.
"We have to go." Evie is on her feet, swaying slightly, her face pale beneath the flush of exertion. "We have to go right now."
"Evie—"
"They're going to kill them." Her voice cracks. "Sera and Rosie. They're going to kill them because of me, because I came forward, because I did the right thing?—"
"Hey." I catch her arms, steady her. "Look at me."
She does. Her eyes are wild, terrified, the calm competence of the climb shattered by this new threat.
"We're going to help them," I tell her. "But I need you to breathe first. Can you do that?"
She nods. Takes a shaky breath. Then another.
"Good." I turn back to the earpiece. "Mitzy, what's the fastest route to Sacramento?"
"Through the mountains, you're looking at three hours minimum. The roads are?—"
"Not the roads. Overland. We hoof it to the extraction point, take the bird to Sacramento instead of HQ."
Silence. Then:"That's... possible. But Riot, if you go to Sacramento, you're going in without backup. Echo team is four hours out minimum. You'd be on your own."
"Wouldn't be the first time."
"Against an unknown number of cartel soldiers who are specifically trying to draw you into a trap."
