Page 74 of Ignacio

“How did you get this?” she whispered. “Wheredid you get it?”

Ignacio didn’t want to lie, but he had promised The Cordoba Agency team that he would not divulge his connection to them. This would be the last time he kept vital information from Delta.

“I hired some people to retrieve the video for me, and they confirmed there are no other copies.”

“Youhiredpeople?” Delta asked, suspicion heavy in her voice. “When you said you’d do whatever you had to do…”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Who are these people, Ignacio?” She dropped her voice lower than before. “Did you have him killed?”

“No, although I did want him dead for what he did to you sixteen years ago and for what he put you through by sending those images and threatening to release the video. I would have gladly killed him myself if I could figure out a way to get away with it, but when I received the drive, Leo was alive. I don’t know if the men I hired had anything to do with his death. It could be a coincidence that he happened to die now.”

What he said was true. He didn’t know anything for certain about whether the agency he hired had anything to do with Leo’s death. Maybe he really did just fall into the pool and drown.

“Coincidence,” Delta murmured, scrutinizing the drive in her palm. She seemed shocked, as if she couldn’t believe she was holding the evidence in her hand. “You’re certain this is the last and only copy left?”

“I trust these guys,” Ignacio said.

“Who are they?”

“Their identity isn’t important. They’re professionals and good at what they do.” He paused. “They found other videos, Delta. There were other victims.”

Her eyes widened in alarm. “No,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“He got what he deserved.”

“Maybe his death is karma for all the evil he committed. Bastard.”

Ignacio placed an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against him. He kissed the top of her head.

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” Delta said.

“I would do anything for you.”

She didn’t speak for a while, continuing to stare at the drive in her hand. “Did you look at the video?” she asked in a small voice.

“No.”

“I don’t want to look at it, either. I want to destroy it.”

“We can do that.”

Delta lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “Let’s build a fire.”

She rose from the bed, and he followed her downstairs and into the backyard, where they built a fire in the fire pit. Ignacio stood back while she stood over the flames.

“Is it really over?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes,” he answered.

He wished he could have helped her sooner. If he had known, he would have, and he could have saved her all the years of doubting her talents and avoiding that pig for the sake of her own sanity.

Delta tossed the drive into the fire. It landed with a softthunkon the glowing embers, and the flames popped and hissed. Slowly, the drive blistered under the intense heat, and the casing warped as the flames consumed the evidence.

Head bent, she turned to Ignacio with jerky movements.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

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