Sterling bristled. “Those fuckers aren’t innocent.” They’d killed Roni’s mother. Crippled her sister. God only knew what kind of damage they had done to her inside. He knew. Hell, he knew what it was like to lose everyone you loved.
“Do you think you can get the undoctored footage?”
“Why?”
“I want to see those plates.”
“On it.”
Ant spun away but stopped short when a soft voice said, “I have the undoctored footage.”
They all whipped around to see Roni standing in the doorway. God only knew how long she’d been listening. Sterling hoped to hell she hadn’t seen the video, but judging from her ashen face, she had.
Chrome’s eyes narrowed. “You do?”
“Yeah. And I had a friend at the FBI run the plates. The car was stolen, but the same plates were used on a car in a Santirios Cartel hit two days before.”
Sterling’s gut clenched. Her words were calm and clear, but he heard, felt, the wobble in them. He wanted to yank her against him, comfort her, hold her. But he couldn’t.
Steele crossed his arms and fixed her with a steady gaze. “You think the cartel killed your mother?”
She tipped up her chin. “I do. And I think Marcus asked them to.”
“Why would they?” Ant asked. “Why would they take a risk like that for him?”
Her features tightened. “He wanted access to her money. And they probably wanted to solidify a relationship with a major US sleaze publisher.”
“Why?”
Roni shook her head. “Because he has information. Loads of it. He has informants everywhere. FBI, CIA, ATF, NSA. Moles in all the top agencies. Probably even knows when raids are being planned.”
Chrome shot a sharp look around the group. “If he’s passing information to Escobar, he’s aiding and abetting every crime that bastard commits.” He turned to Ant. “Let’s see if we can find anything incriminating on that hard drive. Especially relative to Morrow’s relationship with Escobar.”
“Right.”
“I can help.” Again, they all turned their sharp gazes on Roni. Her features firmed. “I know Marcus. His quirks. His foibles. I can help you find what matters much quicker.”
Ant shrugged. “She’s probably right.”
“Of course she’s right. The question is, can we trust her?” Leave it to Chrome to dive right to the heart of the matter.
“They killed her mother,” Sterling said softly. He was aware of Roni’s attention on him, the warmth, the gratitude in her gaze, though he didn’t meet it.
“I do want to help,” she said.
Chrome studied her for a long while before he relented. “All right. But remember, we’re trusting you. The minute you betray that trust, it’s back to the cell. Possibly for good. Got it?”
Her chin wobbled, but she firmed it up and nodded. “I won’t. I won’t betray you. I want to get these fuckers.” The vehemence in her tone was undeniable; it even convinced Chrome.
He nodded curtly. “All right. Get on it. I’ll call in a report and see where…” He trailed off and glanced at Roni. “Where the Powers That Be want us to go with this. In the meantime, you”—he thrust a thumb at Sterling—“keep an eye on…our guest.”
“Yes, sir.” With pleasure. “And sir?”
“Yes?”
He had to ask. “Do you want us to keep her down here?” The command center had an emergency bunker, but it was hardly cozy. The only other place for her to sleep was that cell.
Chrome frowned and scrubbed his chin. He exchanged a glance with Steele. “The three of you can work down here. But she can stay at your place tonight. It’s more…comfortable.”
Ant barked a laugh. “Have you seen his place?”
Sterling nearly smacked him. Yeah, his place was kind of a mess—hardly the kind of place a guy would take a female visitor—but the last thing he needed right now was Ant’s shit about his poor housekeeping skills.
All that mattered was that the guys were coming to trust her. And if the information she helped them dig up proved helpful, then maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t have to use the nuclear option with her.
Chapter Seven
She worked all day with Ant, uncovering more and more shit on Morrow. There was evidence that he was paying personal expenses from the company account, had dirt on three congressmen and was in the middle of an extortion scheme with a high-placed Hollywood actor.
But that was the tip of the iceberg. The deeper they dug, the more they found.
It bugged Sterling to watch Roni with Ant. The two were far too much alike and they bounced ideas and terms off each other