Page 44 of Liaising Kai

“Mr. Hazard.” No surprise there weren’t any first names. “I hope you’re wearing Teflon under that suit. Leigh shoots from the hip.”

“No, just Hazard, ma’am” he said with a chuckle as he corrected her. “She is a pistol.”

Austin looked up eagerly from his monitor, gesturing her over. She pushed back all her emotions, knowing that they were close to getting the information they needed to wrap up this grueling, brutal case.

She nodded to him as he raised his cup in thanks, and she walked briskly over to Austin. “What do you have?”

“This woman.” Austin scooted his chair so Kai could get a good look. “She crops up in dozens of photos involving the senator.”

“Who is she?”

“Fernanda Delgato.”

“Record?”

“None, but there’s speculation from the San Diego gang squad that she’s involved in gang activity. They haven’t been able to prove it. She goes by Freddy, and they think she’s getting inside information, but again don’t have any idea who the dirty cop is.” He pulled up a video feed. “There were a lot of stills from a fundraiser last week. I looked up the venue and got this off their security feed.” He pointed to the screen, then pressed play. Fernanda was talking to Finch, and he appeared very angry. “Looks like they might have had a falling out. It was clear they were arguing.”

“Probably what got him killed. Cartels don’t play around and don’t care about anything but their product. He served his purpose and now that we were digging deeper, they panicked and decided to burn everything.”

“Yeah, that’s what it looks like.”

“What is her address?”

Austin rattled it off and Kai looked at Amber. “You’re with me.”

Angel Alzate walked toward the bridge of his yacht. The engines rumbled under his boots as he stepped inside. “How much longer to San Diego?”

“An hour, jefe.”

Angel nodded, then left the bridge. One of his men came up to him with a satellite phone.

“Delgato, jefe.”

Angel waved him away. He didn’t want to speak to her, not now, but she was waiting. Impatiently, he knew. He went to the stern, sat down in one of the comfy deck chairs, and accepted the drink his waiter handed him—top-shelf tequila with a twist of lime. Then he took the satellite phone.

“Speak,” he said.

“Everything is on track, jefe.”

“Our loose ends?”

“There was a problem there?—”

He sighed heavily. “Freddy?—”

“I’ll work it until I achieve your required outcome,” she said in a heated rush. She was scared. Well as much as a hard-assed bitch like Freddy could be scared.

“Everything is going as planned, and we’ll store?—”

“Don’t tell me the details right now. See to the shipment.” It was everything to him. He’d taken over Nacho’s routes, buildings, and production. His yacht was damn sweet. “You’d better. If my shipment is compromised, I will kill you with my own hands. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I understand,” she said, her voice strained.

He smiled, slow and thin. He wasn’t yet strong enough to deal with law enforcement, but he was determined not to go out like his predecessor with the ridiculous name. His was anything but—Angel of Death Alzate, a name that would strike fear into the hearts of anyone who got in his way. The US government could kiss his Latino ass, and they would never find him. Colombia was a big, inhospitable, and hostile country. If they wanted a war, they were going to get one.

And he intended to win.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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