hire, but I can’t find them.”
“Because there was no clear money trail, and they couldn’t make a clear connection using other factors. They’re still looking into those cases, but they didn’t want to give his defense attorney a reason to confuse the jury. These were the two they had proof of payment and physical evidence plus a witness or security camera tying him to the scene of the crime.”
“I need that list.”
Megan frowned, but picked up her phone and sent a text message. “Okay, I asked Barnes for it. What are you thinking, Lucy?”
“I don’t know yet, I’m hoping that more information will help.”
Megan looked at her phone, then said, “I’m forwarding you the memo.”
Lucy downloaded the names and started looking at the victims. “How did authorities connect these other victims to Thompson?”
“Finances, though they weren’t in the big dollar amounts that Davidson and Gomez were, and travel history. Thompson was in the same city as each of those victims when they were killed. All the crimes are unsolved, not all were shootings. Confidence and proof are two different things.”
Lucy started looking closely into the other victims. A doctor. A teacher. A low-level county employee in Washington State. A twenty-four-year-old grad student? Why would a grad student be the target of a cartel hit man?
She rubbed her eyes, then picked up the Michael Thompson background file again. She was about to read it again when Megan said, “Here’s the list of everyone in Thompson’s unit when he was overseas.” She turned her computer to face Lucy.
The name jumped out at her immediately.
Sergio Russo.
She jumped up. “I have to talk to Rick. And Kate. Right now. I know why these people were killed, and I know who hired Michael Thompson. It wasn’t Jimmy Hunt.”
Chapter Thirty-nine
SATURDAY EVENING
MONTGOMERY, TEXAS
After they left the yacht, Sean was moved to a small bus, but they weren’t on it long. Ten minutes later, in the middle of seemingly nowhere, they left the bus for a twelvepassenger van. One of the guys that Sean thought of as Colton’s right hand was driving. Whoever had brought the van to the location was in the passenger seat. Jimmy and his two guys were in the seat behind them. Sean was tied to the third bench seat in such a way that he could barely move, his back against the van wall. Colton and his other goon were sitting in the last bench seat.
He was still trying to wrap his head around why Colton Thayer was part of Jimmy Hunt’s escape plan. It wasn’t making any sense, so Sean decided to keep his mouth shut and watch for a while.
But Colton kept staring at him, and the way that Sean was forced to sit, he couldn’t avoid his glare. The hate that rolled off him was real, it had been festering for two and a half years. Sean felt it that day in the hospital, and it was worse now. Colder. Vicious.
Too calm.
“C, what’s going on?” he asked. “Why are you doing this?”
“Do not call me that. You betrayed me, Sean. Betrayed everything we ever believed in.”
“I told you—”
“You put your security ahead of what’s right. I should have seen it from the beginning.”
“Do you know who this man is? What he’s done? He killed a cop! Shot him in the back of the head! You’re not like him, Colton. You don’t—”
Jimmy turned around and slapped Sean across the face. “Shut the fuck up, Rogan.”
Sean swallowed blood.
“Do not touch him again,” Colton told Jimmy. His voice was … cold. Hard. This wasn’t the man Sean had known, this wasn’t his best friend from college. Something had happened over the last two and a half years that had hardened him.
Maybe it was you, Sean. You lied to him, betrayed him. Your reasons don’t matter, not to Colton.
He watched the silent exchange between Jimmy and Colton. Jimmy scowled, but turned away under Colton’s glare.
Colton wasn’t working for Jimmy. He wasn’t a guy for hire. He acted like he was in charge.
Very odd. Why would Jimmy Hunt be scared of Colton? His old friend was of average size and build, he wasn’t a fighter—maybe he’d learned over the last few years, but Colton’s strength had always been his brain power. His ability to analyze complex systems. He was as good—maybe better—than Sean in computer hacking.
But clearly, Colton was the top of the pyramid, at least in this vehicle.
What did that mean? Was this all retribution for what Sean did back in New York nearly