“Hell,” he replied. “I saw hell.”
“How are we going to win?”
“By letting the devil think he has all the power.”
“Doesn’t he?”
“No,” Luciano replied, a sinister smile filling his face. “I do.”
Silence accompanied them the rest of the way, Simone reviewing every aspect of the case in her mind. She remembered the anonymous texts. The death threats she’d so brashly dismissed.
Once past the gates, he drove into his underground garage. Up the elevator they went and into the kitchen. There, he offered her an array of beverages. She picked his whisky. After pouring two glasses, they sat at the island. He opened his laptop. She tossed back a mouthful, then another. The subtle flavors ignited her taste buds. Warmth filled her belly.
“This is robust, yet delicate. So many tastes.”
“What did you experience?”
“Chocolate, then espresso. After I swallowed, it tasted creamy and a little sweet, like honey or vanilla.”
His smile soothed her. “That’s exactly what you should have tasted.”
She peered into his eyes for a beat.You gotta tell him.
“I haven’t been completely up front with you.”
His eyebrow arched, ever so slightly.
“I’m pretty independent and take a lot of pride in that. It was hard for me to open up to my therapist, but I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t burden my family or friends with what I was going through because I couldn’t talk about the mission. When I worked for Colton, my focus was on mergers, acquisitions, and helping him grow his business. As a watcher, I worked alone.”
“Simone, what do you want to tell me?”
She showed him the two text messages she’d received.
If you take that case, you’re a dead woman.
I warned you not to take the job. Now, I have to kill you. I will win. I always do. Mass destruction and chaos will be mine.
His expression didn’t change, except when he stared into her eyes. To her surprise, his were filled with love. “You don’t have to go through this alone.”
“I shouldn’t have dismissed them.”
“This is The Bomb Maker.”
She shuddered in a breath. “I’ve been in denial.”
“Let’s geolocate the burner phone.” He guided her to his office, logged into his computer. He was able to narrow the location to Northwest DC, but nothing closer.
Teddy called and Luciano put the call on speaker. “Go.”
“Hawk is with me,” Teddy said.
“Hawk, thanks for doing this,” Luciano said.
“Hey, Luciano. Simone, no worries, okay?”
“Thank you,” she replied.
“Hawk sent a robot around to clear the exterior,” Teddy said. “We found nothing. From what we can tell—the house hasn’t been breached. No entry points were disturbed.”
