Page 15 of Deadly Target
“After you texted me about Olivia’s intel on the Kings, I called some of my contacts. FBI Agent Vasco Marin met me at headquarters first thing this morning. He’s working undercover with the Suarez Kings and agreed to update me on what they have in the works.”
Taz appeared in the doorway, ears up. Olivia must’ve also heard the concern in Victor’s voice. She appeared in the bathroom doorway with a frown on her face.
In the background, Victor heard sirens. “And?”
“And I should correct myself and say hewasworking undercover. He’s dead, sir.”
“What?” Victor’s guts turned to mud. “How?”
“You know I’ve been trying to sell my car? Well, Marin was interested. After we discussed the Kings, he asked if he could check it out. I had parked a block away, like I normally do, and it had started pouring. I lent him my FBI jacket and hat, and he went to take a look.” Thomas blew out a heavy sigh. “The car exploded a few seconds after he climbed inside. I felt the blast all the way in here.”
Now Victor’s stomach turned over as he wrapped his mind around the obvious. “Someone put a bomb on your car?”
“They must have thought he was me when he got inside.”
Victor lowered the phone for a second, trying to catch a mental breath. “Shit.”
“Victor?” Olivia asked earnestly, coming to lay on a hand on his arm. “What is it? Is Cooper okay?”
He held up a finger and brought the phone back to his mouth. “Are you all right?”
“Physically? Yeah, I’m fine. Mentally? Not so great. A good agent just died because someone thought he was me.”
Victor understood Thomas’s reaction, but his main concern at the moment had to be about the safety of his taskforce member. “Are you safe?”
“Relatively speaking, I guess. The bomber almost certainly believes I’m dead at this point, but the first responders are here, and I have to give a statement.”
“I’ll handle the police. You stay out of sight. I want Mitch there, ASAP, to keep you under wraps. I’m putting the whole team on high alert.” Victor believed in being prepared, and his team was trained for this possibility, but he’d never had to issue the directive until now. “Code Condor. I repeat, Code Condor.”
There was a slight pause. “Yes, sir.”
Victor checked the clock on the nightstand. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Go to ground and don’t come up until you hear from me.”
They disconnected.
Olivia was now gripping his arm. “How bad is it? Do I want to know?”
“I need coffee and…” he started to sayyou, but caught himself. She had a job to do, a career, just like he did. She couldn’t stay at his side 24/7. “Can you take care of Taz for a while longer?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about him. I’ll get you some coffee while you clean up.”
He could see the questions in her eyes she didn’t voice. He appreciated the fact she didn’t badger him, and then felt slightly guilty he wasn’t more forthcoming. “Someone tried to blow up Thomas in his car, except they killed a different agent. Not one of mine, but… Shit, it’s still a horrible thing.”
Her face clouded with consternation. “My God, that’s terrible. Is Thomas okay? Who was the other agent?”
“Vasco Marin. FBI.” Victor grabbed his overnight bag and headed for the bathroom. “Marin had information on the Kings and was meeting Thomas. Outside of tremendous guilt, Thomas is fine.” He stopped in the bathroom doorway. “I have a feeling this is going to get worse. I need you to watch your back.”
She patted the dog’s head. “I need you to do the same. Seems to me like someone is targeting your taskforce, not me.”
It was starting to seem that way. “I know you have work today, but…”
As if she could read his mind, she smiled. “I’ll catch up with you as soon as I can, okay? You need me sooner, I’ll cut work and run.”
He would feel better if he could keep an eye on her. “Whoever targeted Thomas waited for him to show up at the office where the taskforce meets. The place has always been a secret, since the agents are often undercover. We used it like a safe house.”
Understanding dawned. “Who knew about it outside of your group?”
“That’s what’s bothering me as much as anything. No one, especially a criminal, should’ve known the address.”
