Page 12 of Escape You

I followed her deeper into the gardens of my brother Derek’s lavish estate in Atlanta. The English gardens were a maze, with two different levels and entry points to the house. From the lower level, a set of stairs led up to the upper deck and the living areas of the house. I’d spent pretty much every summer here when we were growing up. Back then, this place was almost in ruins, but Derek saved it.

How did she manage an invitation to my brother’s engagement party if Derek and Valentina didn’t know who she was? I was sure they didn’t know Rebecca because I was the one who flew her into the States at the beginning of the year.

I rubbed my eyes. When was the last time I had a good night’s sleep? The answer flashed in my mind in the form of Mia Torrelli. Her green eyes had haunted me since I left her at the dive bar in New Jersey. Where was she now? After I’d found out she was being set up, I tried to reach out to her, but Mavell cut me off. I was getting tired of the powers that be using the rest of us to further their own agendas.

They wanted her plan to play out so they could have something to pin on her. They’d promised to let me know when it was done. I glanced at my watch. Did I still have time to warn her? I didn’t want her to go to jail, but she sealed her fate when she pulled the trigger on one of the biggest arms deals we’d seen in a long while. Why did she do that? To prove herself? Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. One of her own had already betrayed her. The ATF tolerated a certain level of organized crime. Ironically, it was how we kept the peace on the streets. Mia’s rise to power came to upset that delicate balance. Change always came at a price, and the ATF was certainly not willing to pay.

One problem at a time. First, I had to figure out why Rebecca left New York and what we could do now to keep her safe. We owed her that much. When the gravel path veered off, I went left and reached a dead end, a cozy spot with a bench and a water feature. Rebecca stood there waiting for me.

“Why did you run away?”

“I didn’t run away. He found me. I couldn’t stay in New York.” She sat on the bench and braced her arms on her thighs. She had gone to hell and back to leave Maracaibo. Through it all, she kept a cool head. But now, she was scared out of her mind.

“No one’s after you. Smith is dead. We both saw.” I sat next to her. “He can no longer control you.”

“His son Marcel took over the family business. He wants me to go back with him. Tyler, I can’t do that.”

“And you won’t. Tell me what happened.”

“The day you went to talk to the FBI, I went out for a walk, like you suggested. They must’ve been waiting for me to go out alone. A few blocks away from your place, two men grabbed me and threw me in the back of a van. They took me to Marcel.” She wiped her wet cheeks before she continued. “He’s mad at me for leaving Maracaibo. I don’t think he knows his dad is dead because of me. He doesn’t know I helped you and your brothers.”

“How did you get here?”

“I managed to get away from him. You mentioned Matt was in New Orleans. I didn’t know where you were, so I went to see him and ask for help, but when I got there, he was in the middle of something big. I came to Atlanta instead to get Wesley to make good on his promise.” She met my gaze. “You said you would stop Smith and his operations. What did the FBI say?”

I shook my head. She was right to be angry and scared. “They’re not going to intervene. Your testimony wasn’t enough. They need concrete evidence.”

“I did it all for nothing. My brother’s dead, and I have nowhere to go. It’s like Smith said it would be. It doesn’t matter what we do to him. The New York faction will help them with their fucked-up plan anyway. And now Marcel is here to continue his dad’s work.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? What about me? What about all those women and children who don’t get to run away.”

“It isn’t over yet. I will keep at it until the FBI listens to me.”

“You can’t let them win. I know Marcel didn’t come to New York just for me. When I was in his apartment, I heard him talking to other men. I think he was there to supervise a shipment. I fear Smith’s plans are well underway already. Marcel is selling people to Rossi like they’re cattle.”

“Were you able to get any evidence this time? More than a few receipts?”

“No. I was chained to the radiator.” Her eyes watered.

“I’m sorry. I will figure out a way to get to Rossi. We can’t touch Marcel, but if we can prove Jac Rossi is backing the Venezuelan cartel in this, we can put them away.”

Rebecca jerked to her feet, cheeks red. Stopping Rossi didn’t change much back in Maracaibo. People were still being duped into coming to the States for a better a life. Only to get here and find out they were being sold to work in sweatshops and clandestine brothels. Rebecca wanted us to help her bring down her old boss. Rossi didn’t mean much to her.

“You know that’s not enough. If Rossi isn’t paying, Marcel will find another buyer. You need to kill him too.” Her voice quavered.

“Revenge won’t bring your brother back.”

“No, nothing will. But someone has to stop them. If the FBI won’t do it, then it’s up to me.”

“You mean us.”

I meant it when I told her I would help her stop her old boss’s new business venture. Maracaibo was outside of my jurisdiction, but the New York faction operated under the gaze of the ATF. I had to reach out to Mavell and beg him to find me a case that would keep me in New York. He didn’t want me anywhere near Mia, but there had to be an assignment I could do in New York.

My heart raced at the thought of her. In a flash, her smile and her hands on me filled my senses. It was always like that. Every time I thought of her, the night we spent together played in my head like a movie. How could I have been so wrong about her? How could we be so perfect together and so wrong for each other? Jesus, I had to get her out of my mind and focus.

“What can you do now?” Rebecca’s voice brought me back.

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