Page 87 of Depths of Destruction
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Tinker rises. "I bet that's the passports." He leaves the room.
"Can you show me where the restroom is?" Naomi asks.
"Yeah." Julieta gets up and leads her out of the kitchen.
"Do you know what she's hiding?" I ask Ryker.
His jaw clenches. "No. But pressuring her isn't going to get you answers."
"She really didn't tell you?"
"I said to drop it, and I mean it," he growls.
"If Vanessa and Julieta are both hiding things, how are we supposed to help them?"
"Do you know everything about Naomi's situation?"
"Yeah. I..."
Do I?
Ryker raises his eyebrows. "Don't judge my lack of information when you don't know what's going on with your woman, either."
"What are you saying? Naomi hasn't tried to hide anything from me."
"You might want to ask her."
"What does that mean?" I bark.
"Maybe nothing. But Vanessa said something the other day and it's been nagging me."
"What did she say?"
"If Naomi has dirt on every cabinet member in the Belizean government, then what does she know about Vanessa's ex, Carlos Garcia?"
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "I haven't asked her. But what are you insinuating?"
Ryker crosses his arms. "I've just been thinking. Guerillas kidnapped Vanessa originally but then sold her to the Colombian cartel. The information Naomi's privy to is about cabinet members who are accepting donations from drug cartels. Don't you think something is connected there?"
"You think the guerillas and the Colombian cartel are working together?" I ask, surprised.
"I don't know. Ask your girl."
"Fine," I defensively reply. "I'll ask Naomi about it. She isn't intentionally hiding anything from me, and if she knows something, she'll tell me."
"Will she?"
"Yes, and stop suggesting otherwise," I bark, pissed he's questioning Naomi's disclosure with me.
He holds his hands in the air. "Okay. Sorry. I'm just frustrated with all these secrets these women have but won't tell us so we can figure this all out."
"Doesn't mean Naomi is keeping anything from me," I insist.
He holds his hands up. "You're right. I'm sorry."
We stare at each other, each trying to figure out why the women were all in the pit together. But we get no closer to the answer.
