Page 69 of Maddox

The man wasn’t lying about how he knew them. I nodded a couple of times before rubbing my eyes. “Let me guess. The FBI had no intention of finding a way to bring her to safety otherwise. Right?”

By the fact he looked away, I had my answer. “They had no official jurisdiction and DEA were none too eager to provide assistance.”

“When was it determined she might have valuable information?”

“From what I was told, they hacked her phone and found a text from an unknown source. Honestly? I think they took a stab in the dark as to what the unknown source wanted to discuss with her.”

Well, fucking great. She’d been on the radar since she’d written the article. “That’s against the law, Gray.”

“Don’t get me started.”

I allowed a moment of silence to settle between us. “Do they really believe there’s a traitor inside the government or maybe the military?”

He glanced toward the door. “That’s a level of clearance I don’t have at this point, but that’s the way it seems. Illegal drugs are still big business. With various congressional outcries to eliminate every possibility of dealers crossing our borders, hints of corruption have been rampant. Unproven, but increasing.”

“So Alfaro could be working directly with someone.”

“Exactly. With Charmaine putting the heat on the man, the subject will be hot news once again.”

“Someone lured her down there, Gray. She doesn’t know who. There’s a possibility it’s someone wanting to shed light on a coverup.”

“If I had to guess, I’d say yes. But you didn’t hear that from me. I don’t need to tell you this, Maddox, but Alfaro is a bad man capable of performing heinous deeds. He will not allow anyone to get in his way, including the people who think the man will help them pad their bank accounts.”

“Understood. I knew that going in, but I did as you asked. As a goddamn favor. It wasn’t about the money.”

He turned toward me, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. “That would never be the case with you. You rescued Charmaine, which is what I asked you to do and the odds were horrendous. I appreciate what you endured in the process.”

“I’m used to it, but Charmaine isn’t and doesn’t deserve this bullshit.”

Gray clapped me on the arm. “You care about her. I knew you would.”

Now I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make something out of nothing. You didn’t know you were being forced into a dangerous game. Did you?”

His eyes reflected anger. “I was told there was a possibility Charmaine would be able to provide vital information on Alfaro to the US government after I pressed Agent Wilshire more than once. The FBI seem to think Alfaro has taken a liking to Charmaine because of the article she wrote. She has balls.”

“Yes, she does, enough that she almost got herself killed.”

“Do you know if any information was provided?”

“Why do I get the feeling they were less concerned about her safety and more about this mysterious information?”

As he studied me, I knew instinctively he was attempting to ascertain whether or not I was lying. “You must have gotten fairly close to Charmaine during the extraction.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’m not suggesting anything other than she had to place her trust in you.”

My hand was itching to touch the jump drive. I didn’t. However, it was apparent that Gray was under duress.

“Alfaro uses people then eliminates them when he’s finished. In my opinion, everyone should continue to be concerned about her safety. She has a target on her back and crossing the borders of the United States doesn’t change that. Whatever information she has is limited since she was tossed into his savage prison world. She was in the country for a reason that had nothing to do with enticing an El Salvadoran drug lord.”

“I hope you’re right about that. You did your job. It’s time for you to live your life. The remaining fee will be transferred to your account.”

“Who are you working for, Gray? Level with me.”

His face grew ashen. “Some people who are fearful Alfaro is prepared to move into the country. And who are concerned he has friends.”

“You have help from some unknown American sources. Right?” While his expression didn’t change, his jaw was instantly clenched.

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