Page 86 of No Mistake

“Mmmm. Maybe.” Alejandro took another puff and then focused his gaze on Tracer. “Or maybe someone tipped off the authorities.”

Tracer kept his face neutral. “Who would do that?” he asked.

“You’re a former Navy SEAL. I like that about you. Highly skilled, lots of connections. I was speaking to Ricardo yesterday, he had some”—he waved his hand—“concerns about you.”

“Your son got shot on his watch. He was partying all over LA getting seen, getting high. And he had concerns about me?” Tracer challenged.

“You stopped him from eliminating a witness. Sophie Summers. Juan and Diego were killed, the other doctor got away, as did you, without a scratch. Seems a little... convenient... wouldn't you say?”

“I stopped him, yes. There was already way too much heat on him and your son after he killed a police officer and an FBI agent. I know they will never let that go. Killing a doctor, an innocent woman, would bring even more heat. We discussed he was a liability and you agreed. We needed to keep our heads down, not attract more attention.”

“And at the house? It is my understanding a skilled team raided the house and now have this... Chloe Summers... who heard way too much about us. Why didn’t you kill her?”

Tracer sensed this conversation would not end well. Apparently, Perez had put enough doubt in Alejandro’s head to keep himself alive. Where was the man? Why hadn’t he been invited to this little party? Alejandro had insisted Perez report to him the moment they returned, essentially holding him prisoner while his fate was decided. Tracer half expected he had been summoned here to take care of Perez.

“The lights went out. It all happened fast. My job was to get the deal done and your son back to Mexico. To do that, I had to get out of that house. I did that. The doctor didn't know enough of anything to do any real damage. And it wasn’t my job to protect Juan and Diego.”

Alejandro turned to his son.

“This all happened under your nose. You were meant to be in charge. Perhaps I was wrong to let you handle such an important deal. My reputation is now at stake.”

Tracer saw the rage on Luis’s face. Interesting. He’d never seen the two men together before and never witnessed this dynamic. There was not as much love between the two as he had thought.

Luis spoke through gritted teeth. “The deal was successful, even though I got shot. I did not let you down.”

Alejandro stood up, reached into his desk drawer and drew out a pistol, laying it on the desk before he turned his attention back to Tracer.

He needed to make a move, and soon. If this was where he died, then so be it. So long as Alejandro Vitelli died first.

“You see, I think Navy SEALs have this kind of solidarity thing. A bond that is very difficult to break. I can’t help but wonder if perhaps you have been helping them.”

“My loyalty to the Navy ended when they told me I was no longer of any use after getting injured.”

“My son tells me one of the doctors is head of the emergency room at a naval base. The same base you were stationed at. Where you were treated.”

“You’ve been looking in to me.”

Alejandro smiled. “Yes. One can never be too careful. This doctor has a lot of military friends.” Another puff on the cigar. “When I spoke to Zaid Ali, my Reborn contact, he was telling me about a highly skilled team from San Diego that had captured their former leader and brothers. So I did a little more digging. You are not the only one to have some contacts in the great US of A. Zaid does, too. This team knows the doctor, and I believe they know you, too.”

As Alejandro reached for the gun, Tracer grabbed Luis, took the man’s gun from his holster, and placed the muzzle at his temple, using Luis’s body as a shield for his own.

Tracer had three guns aimed at him, but no one fired.

“You are not leaving here alive, Tracer,” Alejandro said, his hand steady.

“Neither are you,” Tracer said calmly.

“Why? Two years. What did they offer you to stay under this long to get to me?”

“This has nothing to do with the Navy or any team,” Tracer hissed. Luis struggled in his grip, but Tracer held him easily. “This is about me and you, and what you did to my sister.”

Alejandro’s brows furrowed. “Sister? Who is your sister?”

“Sara Blakeman.”

Silence. Then Alejandro sneered. “Ahh, the delightful Miss Blakeman. Such a shame what happened to her.”

Tracer was ready to rip this guy apart, one limb at a time.

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