Page 174 of Stains of Desire
"His daughter was missing. Malin and I ran a covert mission and rescued her."
"How did you know about it?"
Andre squeezes his biceps. "Axel, what aren't you asking me right now?"
I stare at him, grappling with not wanting to disclose something that Malin might not want anyone else to know. I don't know why he told us all he was an only child if Gustave is his brother. It makes no sense to me, either. Gustave is as French as they come. Malin speaks French, but he grew up in the States and was in the Marines with us.
"Axel, spit it out," Dirk snaps.
I sigh. "Malin told me something when I passed Millie off to him and Emilia."
"What?" Dirk says.
I focus on Andre, knowing that once I reveal this, I'll be able to tell right away if he knew or not. "Malin said he and Gustave are brothers?"
Andre's head snaps backward. "He's an only child."
The hairs on my arm stand up. "That's what I thought. I questioned him, and he said he didn't have time to explain. He knew William was on his way back to Panama. Gustave could have told him, but it's like he was with him. I saw it in his eyes and heard it in his voice."
"Why would Malin hide a brother all these years?" Ryker asks.
Andre's eyes furrow. "This doesn't make sense. When we rescued Gustave's daughter, Gustave met us on the runway. We delivered her straight to him. Malin acted as if he had never met Gustave."
"You dropped his daughter off to him? No one at Interpol did the routine medical check?" Hunter asks.
Andre shakes his head. "No. Malin and I were called into headquarters and briefed on the situation with his daughter. We were told where to deliver her, and when we got there, Gustave and his wife were there."
"You didn't think that was strange?" Dirk asks.
Andre scratches his cheek. "We had only been with Interpol a few months. I guess I assumed since Gustave has so much money, he got special treatment. There was a team of paramedics waiting, but his daughter wasn't physically injured, so they opted to take her straight home."
"And Malin never mentioned he knew him or was related?" Ryker asks.
Andre's face loses color. "No."
"Whose order were you under?" Blaise asks.
"Louis's. Besides the helicopter driver, no one else knew besides Malin and me. It was top secret."
I pace the deck. "This doesn't make sense. Louis helps save Gustave's daughter, but then Gustave sets Louis up to die?"
"Maybe Gustave only found out Louis was involved on the wrong side after his daughter was rescued?" Dirk suggests.
"Do you have the ability to contact Gustave?" I ask Andre.
"Sure."
"What about Malin?"
"Kalim was tracking him, and he told Julieta several times to tell me to get Kalim to back off," Andre replies.
"Why would Malin keep Emilia with him and not deliver her to safety?" Hunter asks.
Silence ensues, except for the waves washing on shore.
"Andre, how reliable is this Gustave guy? This recording he has of Axel..." Dirk clenches his jaw and shakes his head.
It could destroy me forever.
