Page 83 of The Don's Tequila Queen

She takes a breath. "We tracked Conti from the moment he landed at the airport. He met Juan at a party last night."

My breath catches. Conti and Juan together at a party?Not that unusual.

"They know each other better than you think they do," she continues. "Conti bragged about executing the men involved in your father's murder."

The words hit me like a blow. "He should have left those men for me to deal with," ice filters through my voice, and rage through my blood. "Who were they and how did you find all this out?"

"Straight to business, I see." Excitement edges her voice. "So, we had our girls infiltrate the party as high-end escorts. They cozied right up to Conti and Juan."

My pulse jumps. "And?"

"We picked up some interesting intel. They were chatting about how the men they strung up worked for your father."

"What?" I gasp. "Who were they?"

"We haven't identified them yet. But Conti was bragging about sending a message, taking care of a problem. Sounded like a power play."

I nod slowly, my anger simmering. "Anything on how my father was involved in this?"

Clara pauses. "No, nothing solid yet. But Isabella, the way that Conti and Juan interacted at this party... it changes things. Whatever they're involved in, it goes deep."

“So dig deep,” I command.

“We did,” I can hear her smile on the other end.

"We began with Juan last night. It's easier to access him than Don Conti. Our girl, Shay, gave him a lap dance, got him all riled up. The guys were cheering him on, telling him to take her home."

I snort. "Let me guess, he did?"

Clara laughs. "Of course. Men are so easy. Anyway, Shay went back to his place, worked her magic with her little sleeping pills.”

My stomach knots. "And?"

"While lover was snoring, she hacked his phone. Jackpot." Clara pauses. "Isa, we believe that the men executed weren’t actually responsible for your father’s murder. Juan and Conti had them killed to cover up something else, and we’re thinking it helped them kill two birds with one stone. As long as people believe your father’s murderers are now dead, there would be no more reason for the police to keep on investigating.”

“What are you saying?” I gasp.

“I’m saying Juan and Conti are hiding a secret and they know who is responsible for killing your father and they’re trying to protect the murderer.”

Rage coils through me, white-hot. "Proof?"

"Shay found messages planning to make sure the secret never comes out. And others since then, talking about 'loose ends.' Juan’s been following up anything that could expose them and making it disappear. Watching how close Conti and he were at the party last night, instinct tells me Conti’s running the show from behind the scenes."

My nails dig into my palms. "Expose what?"

"Not sure yet. But we're getting close. I'll keep you updated."

I take a shaky breath. "Good work. Stay on them."

"We will. Be careful, Isa. I’m sending all the evidence we downloaded from Juan’s phone to yours. There’s an encrypted email on your home screen. Use it and make sure the device never lands in the wrong hands."

Clara ends the call.

The screen glows in the dim room, curtains still closed, as I open the encrypted files. News articles, police reports, photos - all the intel Clara's Illuminati hackers have gathered so far.

My eyes scan for connections, anything linking Conti and Juan to suspicious activity.

I click through photos from the party, zooming in on faces. Conti's sharp features are unmistakable. And there's Juan, grinning as he leans toward a woman. His arm snakes around her waist.

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