Page 29 of Shadow Man
“Full disclosure, but answer me one thing before you open it up.”
“What?”
“Do you feel her in your fucking bones?”
It takes a beat for his words to register.That’s twice he’s caught me off guard.
“Do you feel her in your fucking bones?” he repeats, his face as serious as I’ve ever seen it. “When you bleed, does she heal? When you kill, does she save? Do all the shattered, fucked-up parts of you want to fix for her, even all the jagged, serrated shit?”
“The jagged, serrated shit’s unfixable,” I say automatically.
“Everything’s fixable if you’re willing to pay the price.” There’s a pause. “Anna took a flight to Cartagena from Miami International at 4:30 a.m. this morning.”
“Impossible,” I roar. “I checked every manifesto that left before 9 a.m. There was no Anna Williams onboard.”
“Anna Jackson,” he corrects smoothly. “According to Eve, she changed her name a few years ago, but never updated the paperwork.”
“What the fuck!”How the hell did I not know this?“Why Colombia?” Is it relief I’m feeling? Anger?Fear?That country is a lawless land since Dante abdicated. She’ll need me more than ever down there.
“It was the first flight out. She must have been in a hurry… Gomez’s people have already located her. Small village a couple of hours drive from the city. The address is on that piece of paper, but there’s a complication—”
“Why are you telling me all this? I haven’t answered your question.”
His mouth starts twitching again. “Yes, you have.”
What?
“You get one warning, Grayson,” he says, losing all traces of humor suddenly. “Which, to be fair, is more than I give most people… I don't care if you fuck her, leave her, marry her, divorce her. Whatever happens, you keep your mouth shut about what happened last year. The truth will hurt her and it will hurt Eve. Understood?”
Yeah, I understand. His wife is his life. Any wrong done to her is a certain death sentence. Two decades of friendship, history and loyalty will vanish sideways up my ass.
“I'll call you when I land.” I turn to leave.
“Hang on; there’s a caveat.” The tone of his voice is another warning. “I need you mixing business and pleasure down there.”
“How so?”
Dante rams his hands into his jeans pockets and re-crosses his ankles. He’s as irritated by what he’s about to share as I am for the holdup. “Gomez is feeling the heat fromLos Cinco Grandes, mostly lit by that irritating fuck, Fernandez. Twenty dead yesterday. Shot up in a local bar. And the main processing plant in Leticia was raided the day before. We must protect the supply chain for Rick Sanders because, asshole or not, we owe him.”
“So, what do you need me to do?”
“Deliver a message toLos Cinco Grandesin my absence. I may not reside in Colombia anymore, but I’m still their fucking king. It’s stillmyfucking country. Anyone not willing to play by my rules suffers the consequences. Gomez has an army at your disposal, should you require it. You know what to do.”
I nod. “Anything else?”
“Anna’s found herself a new friend. One who’s knee-deep in this cartel shit.” I go very still. “Shoot up the whole of Colombia if you must; kill every drug cunt you come across, but not the girl. Protect her. Protect them both. But don't trust her an inch.”
“Who is she?”
“A big fucking problem,” he says, scowling at me. “I’ll deal with her in due course, but first I need some time with Eve. I need to act like a husband for once, and then I’ll be flying out to Colombia myself. ETA by the end of the week.”
Color me intrigued.There’s no way I’m walking out of here without knowing more.
“What’s so special about her?”
“Like I said, it’s complicated.” He picks up his cell and keys and moves to follow me out of the apartment. “I need your word on this as well, Joseph.”
“Then give me a hint, and I’ll back off.”