Page 34 of Ranger's Justice

I angle the laptop so they can see the screen. “See these transactions? They look like routine shipping invoices—oil, gas,standard commodities. But if you adjust the exchange rates on certain dates and match them to known cartel activity, the numbers change. These aren’t business expenses. They’re people.”

Dalton’s jaw tightens. “You sure?”

I nod. “Positive. Hollister isn’t just laundering the money. He’s financing transport routes. He’s in deep.”

Gideon finally speaks. “How deep?”

I meet his gaze. “Enough that when this comes out, it won’t just be cartel retaliation he has to worry about. The entire federal government will be after his head.”

Gideon laughs. “He’ll be lucky if it’s just the cartel and the feds. Word on the street is Cerberus is after traffickers. One of their guys has a sister that’s missing.”

“Cerberus?” I ask. “The black ops group?”

Gideon nods.

Dalton lets out a low whistle. “Damn. And here I was thinking Hollister was just a regular old corrupt businessman.”

I shake my head, my stomach twisting with something cold. “No. This isn’t just greed. This is something else. Hollister doesn’t need the money. He’s worth billions already. He’s doing this for power. Influence. Leverage over the kind of people even the cartel fears.”

Dalton says nothing for a long moment, then finally mutters, “Rush is gonna lose his shit.”

Yeah. He is. And this time, I can’t blame him.

I take a steadying breath and lean back against the seat, staring at the information on my screen. It’s all here—proof, undeniable, devastating. This isn’t just about money laundering or business deals gone wrong. This is a full-blown criminal empire, one with a reach that extends far beyond what I ever imagined.

I should feel satisfied. I should feel like I finally have the evidence I need to take Hollister down, but all I feel is sick. Because if Hollister is willing to traffic human beings, if he’s willing to sell people like commodities, then he’s not just dangerous, he’s evil.

And men like that? They don’t just go down without a fight.

Dalton drums his fingers against the steering wheel, his usual easy-going nature stretched thin as he glances at my laptop screen again. Gideon, sitting silently in the passenger seat, hasn’t said a word in the last five minutes, which seems about right for him.

I know when people are hiding things. It’s part of my job—reading between the lines, picking up on subtle movements in body language, tracking inconsistencies. And right now? These two are holding back.

I sit back in my seat, crossing my arms. “Okay. Someone start talking. Now.”

Gideon finally speaks, his voice low, even. “It’s not just Hollister.”

I blink. “What?”

Dalton sighs, gripping the wheel tighter. “Hollister’s not the one calling the shots. He’s just a cog in a bigger machine.”

I glance between them, frustration climbing higher. “And you were planning to mention that when, exactly?”

Gideon turns to me, his icy blue gaze sharp, assessing. “We needed proof first.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, you needed proof. But when I brought this up before, Rush dismissed it, saying I didn’t have enough.”

Dalton shrugs. “He wasn’t wrong.”

My mouth drops open. “You—are you serious right now? I literally just proved Hollister is bankrolling human trafficking routes for the cartel, and you’re telling me I don’t have enough?”

Dalton holds up a hand, trying to placate me. “What you found is solid. But we knew there was more at play. This isn’t just about the cartel or Hollister. This goes higher than we thought.”

I shake my head. “Higher than a billionaire with government contracts and cartel connections? What the hell are we dealing with?”

Again, the look. The flicker of something between them, something unspoken.

I snap the laptop shut and set it aside. “Okay, that’s it. Someone needs to explain why the hell I feel like I’m being handled.”

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