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I text Zé: Need you in my office. Give me five minutes. Bring Tamar. “If we were in Porto, I’d say it was a distraction.”
“What about that asshole Bancroft?”
He seems to be first on everyone’s list. Too easy.
“No one else stands to lose as much as Bancroft, but I’m not convinced. I was exceedingly direct when I met with him. My knife and I were clear about the consequences if he caused any more trouble. The guy pissed his pants. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the first place we’re going to look, but I don’t see it.”
“If not one fucking thing, it’s another,” Antonio grouses.
“Did you know Valentina was taking antianxiety meds?”
He blanches.
I should have kept my fucking mouth shut.
“Did Lexie tell you that?”
I shake my head. “Valentina.”
“No. I didn’t know. And if her mother knew, I would know.”
I suspect that’s right.
“She said the meds make her foggy and she’s worried that she might have canceled the caterer by mistake.”
“Bullshit.”
“I agree.”
“Do you think the party planner is involved in this?”
“I think it’s suspicious as fuck that she can’t be reached. She was carefully vetted before we settled on her. But I’ve only talked with her once. We need to find her.”
“I can send Cristiano to look for her. Better to let Zé continue to focus on security here. Cristiano can take one of the local guys we’re using.”
“We have no idea what they’re going to find. We need to send people we can trust.”
“The man I’m thinking of was part of the team we had on Daniela when she was in the States.”
Perfect. “That would be great. Can I borrow Lucas?”
“Whatever you need.”
Tamar and Zé are in the doorway.
“We need to go to that cocktail party like nothing happened,” I tell Antonio, beckoning my team to enter. “Maybe you can spend a little time propping up Valentina.”
* * *
“At first glance, it appears the email originated with Valentina,” Tamar explains. “But it was easily traced back to Bancroft. Although—”
“How easily?” I demand before she finishes her thought.
“I would say much too easily, but it’s the first place I looked, and I knew how to get in because we just did it.”
I can’t believe he’d pull this shit again so soon. I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.
“Are you sure that the digital fingerprints are Bancroft’s?” Zé asks.
