Dakota drew a blank. “Who is he?”
“Maddox had been a Marine for a decade and was ready for a change. He came highly recommended, so your dad brought him in as an operative. After Maddox completed his training, your dad and I took him with us on several missions. He progressed well, so he began leading his own. Fast-forward two years. Your dad confided he thought Randy had turned.”
“Against ALPHA?”
Luther nodded. “As you know, a lot of prep work goes into an assignment. We had several jobs where the target never showed. That happened, but it was rare. I tailed Randy to find out what was going on. Turns out, he was alerting the wealthy criminals of their pending arrest in exchange for a payoff.”
“Jesus.”
“Back then, protocol required your dad to discuss his concerns with the operative, so he talked to Randy, who denied everything. On your dad’s next mission, he was killed. I was certain Randy had murdered him, but the evidence was circumstantial. Randy was cunning. Very cunning.”
Anger slithered into his marrow, and he pushed out of the chair. He wanted to hunt Randy down and kill him. Take his life in exchange for killing his beloved dad. But he needed information, so he shoved down the hatred. “I don’t remember the name Maddox.”
“He used his ALPHA alias, Scott Sanders.”
“Didn’t he go to prison?”
Luther nodded. “For extortion. But he got out early on good behavior and was released three months ago.”
“And he’s back for revenge.”
“Exactly.” Luther rose. “You caught him once. You’ve got to do it again.”
“I want to kill the SOB.”
“I sent you his profile. When you strategize, include Providence. She’s very smart and needs to be kept in the loop on this. She’ll be instrumental in catching him.” He eyed Dakota with a hard stare. “Keep your anger in check.”
“I’ll do my best.” Dakota walked Luther to his car.
“Watch your back and donotkill him. He’s cunning and manipulative.”
“He won’t win,” Dakota said. “I can promise you that.” Dakota went inside and spent the next thirty minutes beating the hell out of the punching bag in his home gym.
Covered in perspiration, he returned to his office and read Randy’s profile. He’d met the guy briefly years ago and hadn’t thought of him since. When he got to the bottom of the page, every muscle in his body stiffened.
Spouse: Lizbeth Maddox
Parents: Father, Ralph Maddox, deceased. Mother, Heather Sharpe
Siblings: Providence Sharpe Reynolds, Megan Sharpe
Dakota stared at Providence’s name.What the fuck.They’re siblings?This had to be a mistake. Was she in on this? Had she been playing him from the beginning? Dakota checked his phone. Providence had texted him while he’d been working out.
“Lots to tell you. On my way.”
Dakota had moved past her deception because she’d been doing her job as an FBI agent. But this…this was unforgivable. He’d invited her into his home. He’d introduced her to his child. He’d brought her into his bed and he’d fallen in love with her.
Who the fuck is she…really?
He showered and dressed, then paced in the family room. The relief he’d gotten from boxing the punching bag had been short lived. Had he made the biggest mistake of his life?
The front door chimed. “Dakota,” Providence called out.
He stopped pacing. “Family room.”
Looking relieved, she rushed into his arms and hugged him. He couldn’t touch her. Backing away, she stared into his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“What did you want to tell me?” Dakota asked.
