Page 56 of Laura's Truth

“No.” He looked up and she leaned back from the sharp awareness in his blue gaze. “Aziz is in perfect health. The heart attack is a ruse. Has to be.”

She knew there were drugs that could simulate a cardiac incident. “Why?”

“Who knows?” He shrugged and pushed to his feet. “We made a mistake tonight inviting Hackett to the hit.”

“But you wanted to bring him out.”

“Yes, but the mistake was sending you to the lobby alone.”

“Ross and his team had the bases covered.” She shifted from the bed to the chair he’d vacated, catching her dress when it slipped from her shoulders. Tucking her feet under her, she watched him stare out into the darkness beyond the sliding door.

“Not nearly.” He pulled open the door and the sound of the ocean, the cool night air flooded the room. “You’re a loose end. I’m an idiot, putting you right in his path.”

“Then we’re all idiots. We all agreed to take this route.”

He turned, temper and frustration rolling off him in waves as endless as the ocean outside. “I knew his routine. I could’ve acted days ago.”

“Why didn’t you?”

His shoulders hitched and his eyebrows snapped together. “Damned if I know.”

She pressed her lips together, refusing to blurt out her theory. Oh, she was sure he wanted Hackett dead, but she had a sneaking suspicion Drew wanted more. Having seen him in action, she knew it would’ve been relatively easy for Drew to kill and walk away. But she thought he wanted to see Hackett behind bars, exposed and punished as a traitor as much as she did.

She suspected that end goal had become more important with every hour Drew spent on American soil. She believed he intended to clear his name, but if Hackett didn’t survive the process, he wouldn’t have felt a moment’s regret.

“Tell me about Aziz.”

“Why?”

“Humor me.”

“I’d rather do more than humor you when your dress is sliding off your body.”

“You had your chance at me and decided to talk.”

“I’m not going to have another chance?” His lips twitched and he tapped his chest with a finger. “Makes me an idiot.”

“You’ll get no argument from me,” she said, laughing just a little. “What’s different about Aziz?”

“Was I supposed to let Hackett just drop him the way he’s taken out everyone else who stood up to him?”

“No. Which I suspect is one reason you didn’t kill Hackett days ago.”

“One reason?”

She nodded. “Now quit dodging the question. What is Aziz to you?”

“He’s the eldest son of the man who saved my life. The man who was later identified as me during the investigation. His family nursed me back to health. He took over when the Americans left the area. He used the business model we gave them to keep his family out of trouble, away from the illegal operations. That isn’t easy.”

“Not at all.” Corruption was an ever-present problem in the world, but in certain areas it was simply the way life worked. She started to piece it all together, recalling the information from the old file in the new context of what she was learning about Drew. “You became a son.”

Drew shrugged that off. “I did what needed to be done.”

“With the end goal of finding and stopping Hackett. You’re working with Aziz. The two of you created an opportunity and gave Hackett the target he couldn’t refuse. You’re in it together.”

“Yes,” he admitted.

His gaze locked with hers, and she knew he waited for her disapproval. He’d have to wait a long time. “That was really smart.”