Page 46 of Fast Vengeance

“No. Damn it, no!” Why was he doing this? She spun to face the officials at the far end of the room just as Taggart’s face appeared on the large screen mounted on the wall.

“Commander,” one of the DEA agents said. “We’re all here, including Miss Nieto and Miss Gomez.”

Oceane scowled. She couldn’t wait until WITSEC gave her a new surname. She hated being affiliated with her father even on that level.

Needing the support of a friend, she rounded the table and sat beside Victoria. The other woman reached for her hand, held on tight as the meeting began. Oceane fought tears of rage and frustration as she listened to what had happened, and how her father had claimed responsibility before making his outrageous demand. The threat was clear: bring her to him, or Hamilton would die.

Although he would likely die no matter what they did. That was how monsters like her father operated.

As she listened to the possible responses and actions being discussed in the room, all the betrayal rushed back. All the pain and despair. The grief she was still trying to figure out how to deal with.

She had been chased from her home by her father’s rivals because he had wanted to take over Ruiz’s territory and claim his place within the cartel. When she had fled as she had been taught, choosing to come to the U.S., he had done everything in his power to drag her back to Mexico—even going so far as to have the tracker planted on her.

Then the worst of all. After his attempts to locate and bring them home failed, her mother had been brutally raped and murdered.

Oceane couldn’t grasp it. Still refused to believe that her father had ordered the murder. He was an accomplished liar, yes. But he had loved her mother. No matter what other lies he had told her or hidden by omission, Oceane was sure of that much.

She had seen them together many times, though not often as an adult. After she graduated high school he had become an absentee parent, seeing her only rarely, maybe once or twice a year. But without a doubt, her parents had loved each other, no matter how screwed up or unconventional their relationship was.

Evil as her father was, she couldn’t accept that he would order the murder of the woman he’d loved for nearly three decades.

But now this. Taking the FAST Bravo team leader hostage to force the American government to turn her over to him. He was clearly desperate or crazy. Or both.

She struggled to get out of her head and listen to what was being said now. They were talking about flying her down to Mexico tonight, to assist in the case going forward. The thought of stepping foot on Mexican soil again scared the hell out of her.

The U.S. government had kept her here under 24/7 protection because of the reward her father had offered for her capture and safe return to him, and in case they needed her help with the investigation on her father or Montoya. Now the time had come.

She wasn’t stupid. They wanted to use her as a lure to draw her father out. This wasn’t even about saving Hamilton. For Commander Taggart and Victoria it was, but for the DEA and FBI, involving Oceane was part of the bigger picture. To get her father.

In a lull between suggestions that ranged from the ridiculous to the impossible, Commander Taggart stopped and spoke to her directly. “Do you have anything to add, Miss Nieto?”

“Oceane,” she corrected, hating that damn name. “I’ve been in the U.S. for too long. He’d never trust me now, even if I showed up on his doorstep pretending I wanted to reconcile.” Which she didn’t. She would sooner shoot him in his lying face, spit on him, then tell him what she truly thought of him before walking away and leaving him to die on the floor.

“We’re not suggesting you actually meet him.”

She didn’t see any other way to pull this off. “He won’t hurt me.” Not physically. He might be crazy and evil, but no, he wouldn’t harm her. The lengths he had gone to in order to recover her showed that.

“Regardless, we’re not going to hand you over to anyone. We can work out the logistics of our next step once I get the green light, but to make this work your call to your father’s contact has to come from within Mexico, in case they trace it. They need to know we’re serious and not playing games. And we don’t have much time to give you to think this over. Brock Hamilton’s life is hanging in the balance, and this also might be our only shot at arresting your father.”

He paused, his pale aqua eyes holding hers. “Will you help us?”

Oceane looked over at Victoria. Her friend’s dark eyes searched hers. Full of pain. Fear. Because Brock’s life was in danger. Because Oceane’s father was a raging psychopath who thought he could get away with anything simply because he was rich and powerful.

“Gabe called me earlier,” Victoria said to her. “He asked me to tell you that you don’t have to do this.”

Oceane absorbed the words for a moment, warmth spreading inside her to know that Gabe would try to protect her, attempt to ease her conscience if she said no. Victoria had done her duty in passing on the message. But beneath the words, Oceane heard the plea in her friend’s voice.

And she understood. Because if their positions were reversed and it was Gabe’s life in danger, Oceane would want Victoria to do everything in her power to free him.

Oceane’s choice was clear. Brock was Gabe’s team leader. He meant a great deal to Victoria. And to Oceane as well. She considered him a friend. She couldn’t be a coward, sit here at the WITSEC site where it was safe and just let him die simply because she was afraid.

“Yes I do,” she murmured, and squeezed her friend’s hand as she turned her attention to the front of the room. “Commander Taggart.”

All eyes swung to her, the room going quiet. Brock didn’t have much time, if he was still alive. Oceane wanted to save him. She wanted justice for her and her mother. She wanted all of this to be over with and behind her so she could move forward. Or at least try to.

The only way that would ever happen was if she helped them catch her father. Because she was the only bait that could lure this particular shark.

“I’ll do it,” she said, her voice clear and steady in spite of the way she shook inside. She’d come a long way in terms of being able to mask her fear during her time here. Maybe she’d even managed to fool everyone in the room just now.

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