Page 103 of Double the Redemption

“I heard Scarlett say that they’ll be out of the garage apartment by tomorrow, which means he’ll have his own room and you two can get freaky in a bed,” Glitch reminded her, wiggling her eyebrows. “And if you need some ideas, I’m sure I can give you a few ideas.”

Naomi let out a small laugh. “I … I don’t think we need help with that. Ink’s … creative all on his own.”

“Get it, girl. You deserve this. And other than the great sex, which can’t be underrated, by the way, how are things? How are you feeling? I got the details you gave me sent off to the prosecutor’s office. Raids are scheduled for next week.”

It was like an ice-cold shower, a reminder of why she was here. She’d been so wrapped up in Ink the last couple of weeks and finding a new normal routine, she’d barely thought about the trial. It was still so far away, but it was getting closer.

Damn it, she needed to get her head back in the game. Asher relied on her.

“I’m all right,” she stated. “Have you heard if they’ve been successful with anything?”

“As far as I know, most of it has gone well, and they’ve taken out large chunks of Diego’s territory, but he’s gone underground. The locations you gave have been cleaned out.”

Fear slithered down her spine. “He probably has a few places he was careful to never write down or mention. What if he’s never found?”

“He’ll be found. Don’t panic, babe. I don’t have a lot of faith in the Feds, or any law enforcement, actually, but I have feelers out everywhere to see if I can find him. He’s going to surface eventually.”

“He’s probably gone to Mexico. He won’t want to risk being arrested.”

“Even if he has, we can still find him. There are agents in every country, including Mexico, that will bring him back. More people are looking for him than you and Asher, Naomi.”

That didn’t make her feel any better. All it took was one. “What about my father? Has he been found?”

“No, but we suspect he’s with Diego. He’s also being hunted, but not as hard as Diego. They want the big dog.”

Naomi gave a wry smile. “That’s always the mistake. They want the figurehead, but they forget the ones under him that run the show. That runs the nitty-gritty stuff. My father knows Diego better than I ever will. And that’s if Diego hasn’t killed him for letting me and Asher get away.”

She didn’t have a single shred of remorse if he was dead. She’d stopped thinking of him as her father long ago. It was a title only.

“Do you know anything else you want me to send through?”

She hesitated. There was so much; how could she pick through it all? “I’ll think on it and write more down for you.”

Glitch nodded. “I’ve also been keeping tabs on the trial prep. They’re methodical, and a few others who have turned on Diego are on their side. They want to take him down and have no mistakes.”

“Diego isn’t going to risk going to prison. Or the death penalty, depending on where they do the trial.” She knew that. It was something he’d said plenty over the years. He’d kill himself before he ever ended up in a cage. “What about any of the other cartel groups? Even the ones in Mexico? Are they looking for me too?”

“They’ve put out feelers, but most of them are too busy with wars among themselves and other groups to give it much attention right now. Mexico is a battleground of who can take over what and how much.”

That didn’t make her feel any better. The crushing reality of what was coming had fear slicing her gut. Thick and sharp. “Don’t underestimate them, Glitch. They might not appear to be looking, but they are very good at using smoke and mirrors. Diego took out groups with little effort because he was good at distracting them with something else. He was good at finding the weak points.”

“We’ve dealt with many like him, and we don’t allow ourselves to get distracted. My team is the best out there. I don’t say that lightly. We’ve worked together long enough, seen enough that we’ve honed our skills to expect everything. And we’ve taken down cartels before. We can’t stop the cycle, but we can break it just long enough to make an impact.”

She wanted to believe her, but something was niggling at the back of her mind. Everyone was so confident no one would find her. Find them. But she’d been in this life for long enough that she knew things weren’t always as they seemed.

Diego was coming for her and Asher, but he wouldn’t do it in a way they would prepare for. No big explosion. Quiet and methodical.

Which meant it was time for her to get her head back in the game. She knew Diego better than anyone. Knew his habits, his routines. It was time to put her talents to use and stop avoiding them.

She hoped Ink would have the apartment cleaned soon, because it was time for her to get back to work.

38

INK

THREE DAYS LATER

He tried not to wince at the papers streaming around the apartment the moment he walked in. It didn’t matter that the apartment over the garage was much bigger than the one over the warehouse; it seemed Naomi had figured out how to use every square inch of it.