Page 73 of Betrayal In Calusa Cove
“Keaton said it made Massey’s operation look like a five-and-dime shop in comparison,” Trinity said.
“Speaking of Massey,” Audra added. “Dawson went to see him yesterday with Agent Pope and Buddy.”
“I heard Massey’s still not talking much.” Baily reached across the counter and snagged a piece of cheese. She wasn’t hungry but knew her body needed fuel. “His lawyer is pushing hard for an immunity deal and federal protection. He’s worried about other cartels.”
“It’s not the cartel he’s worried about.” Audra waved a finger. “It’s the Barbaros, and he admitted that to Dawson. Pope told Massey that they can give him the same deal as Trevor, but he’s got to roll over and give them everything. Turns out, Massey and his son Benson did what they could to keep the Barbaros out of Calusa Cove.”
“That’s interesting. Why would he do that?” Trinity asked. “I’d think the cartel is way scarier.”
“Maybe in some ways.” Baily nodded. “But Fletcher told me that Massey said he’d rather deal with the devil he knew. And that the bigger the operation, the more likely it was that he’d get caught.”
“This might be a dumb question, but how’d he manage to help keep the Barbaros out?” Trinity asked.
“I guess there was this weird honor among thieves between the Mendoza Cartel and the Barbaros regarding certain territories.” Audra leaned back and placed a hand on her growing belly. “The Barbaros respected the small towns that Mendoza’s had a strong foothold in, but if property came up for sale, and the Mendoza’s or their people didn’t buy it, the Barbaros could.”
“Did Paul know about the loan?” Trinity crinkled her forehead.
Audra nodded. “But not until after Ray signed it, which meant it was too late to do anything except make sure the marina stayed open and in business under its current ownership. Paul dumped as much money into the marina as he could.”
“But his son didn’t,” Trinity added.
“His son had a side deal with the Barbaros.” Audra let out a long breath. “One Paul didn’t know about until just the other day.”
“This is worse than a bad mafia movie.” Trinity lifted her tea and sipped. “I can’t wait for it to be over so we can go back to planning baby showers.”
Baily glanced toward Audra. “How are you feeling? Still dealing with the morning sickness?”
Audra rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah. This kid is a relentless little sucker. I swear, I throw up more now than I did after the night we all did tequila shots.”
“Oh, that night was the worst.” Trinity groaned. “But I can’t wait until I can have tequila again. I kind of miss it.”
“I miss my independence. Dawson keeps fussing over me like I’m made of glass. And now, with this whole thing about Ken and the Barbaros, I swear he’s about to duct-tape me to the couch.”
Baily smirked. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Like you don’t want daddy to tie you up.”
Everyone burst out laughing—full on belly laughs—and it felt damn good, even though they all knew the lightness of it wouldn’t last.
And seconds later, their giggle fit was cut short.
The front door creaked open, followed by the sound of boots scuffing the new wood floor, and a second later, Dawson, Fletcher, Keaton, Hayes, and Chloe filed into the room. One look at their expressions and Baily felt her stomach knot.
“You’re all wearing that look,” Trinity said. “The one that says you’ve got news and we’re not gonna like it.”
Dawson nodded. “We do, and it’s both good and bad.”
Baily stiffened. “Well, don’t leave us hanging.”
Hayes leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “We’ll start with the good. The FBI, DEA, ATF, and Homeland Security raided Barbaro Manufacturing in every city. It was a clean raid, well thought out. All the warrants were perfectly executed. It’s done. Shut down.”
“They found more than enough to put them away for life,” Chloe added. “Drugs, weapons, illegal offshore accounts. And yes—evidence of human trafficking.”
Audra choked on a gasp. “Good. I hope those fucking assholes rot in hell.”
“The charges are massive,” Dawson said. “It’ll be a while before the case comes to trial, or even a possible plea deal, but there will be a reckoning, and there is no way out for them.”
“And the bad news?” Baily asked. “Because that part sounded like it’s all wrapped up in a nice, neat bow.”
Keaton stepped forward. “Julie, Damen, and Valenia Barbaro have vanished. No one knows where they are. They weren’t at any of the plants, offices, or their homes. It’s like they saw this coming, and they ran.”
