the lot. This evening, I managed to slip into that building while David and Eddie Bozic were having a conversation."
"What did they talk about?"
"Eddie had just learned that David was trying to blackmail Ryland Jagger."
Caitlyn smiled. "The wedge worked."
"I planted the evidence in Jagger's car earlier today."
"Nicely done."
"I actually overheard Ryland tell Sylvia that her son was blackmailing him. She was shocked. Ryland told her to take care of it or else. She didn't take nicely to his threat. She said she knew a lot of his secrets."
"That's juicy."
"But she didn't say what those secrets were. After that, she must have run to Bozic with the information. He then accused David of blackmail and told him if he crossed him, he'd end up like Yuri. Bozic talked about the blackmail as being a side deal, so David is clearly involved in Bozic’s operation. They were standing by a black Corvette when they were having this discussion. I got the license plate number." He pulled out his phone.
She pulled up another screen on her computer. "What is it?"
He read off the letters and numbers.
"Got it," she said a moment later. "The car belongs to Lindsay Bragin. She's forty-nine years old and lives in Pacific Palisades."
"Bragin's daughter."
Caitlyn's fingers flew over the keyboard. "Lindsay Bragin is the CEO of the BLN Technology Group. They own several companies, including an AI firm and a weapons defense contractor." She flung him a quick look. "Good targets for Russian spies."
He nodded, thinking the same thing. "I need to get into one of those cars, but they don't stay in the garage for long." He paused. "Bragin said I looked familiar, and he never forgets a face. I didn't have any sense that I'd seen him before. Maybe I ran into him on a former case."
"What about when you were getting to know Yuri?"
"Yuri and I spent all our time at the actors' workshop." He frowned. "I have to admit it bothers me. I don't need people staring at me and thinking they've seen me somewhere else. Anyway, that's all I've got."
"We can dive deeper into the Bragins."
He smiled as she bit back a yawn at the end of her sentence. "I'll do that. You should go home."
"I should go home." As she got to her feet, she said, "What's the next play?"
"Turn David into an asset. But I may need another wedge."
"We can always make that happen. Even if it didn't happen, if you know what I mean." She gave him a sly look. "I'm really good at manipulating photos."
"I may need that skill very soon."
"No problem. It's a good idea to use David. We need someone who is really on the inside."
"We'll see how good the idea is. The last guy I tried to turn ended up dead in my car."
Chapter Twelve
Maya had no sooner parked her car in her sister's driveway, when Darcy came flying through the front door. She grabbed Maya's hand and led her down the side yard to what she considered her she shed. Once inside, she closed the door and let out a breath.
Maya stared at the strain and tension in her sister's eyes and felt a little bad that she'd put it there. But Darcy had always been more uptight, more rigid, more worried about everything. Maybe it came from being the oldest. Or she was just wired that way.
They had been opposites in personality and appearance since they were born. Darcy had her mom's blonde hair and blue eyes. She was tall and thin, while Maya was shorter and curvier. Darcy was quieter, too, less bold, but no less determined in going after her goals, which was why she was not only married to a wonderful man with a beautiful baby but had also won a teacher-of-the-year award three years into her career.
"Why aren't we in the house?" she asked her sister.
"Because I don't want to wake the baby."
"Is it the baby you don't want to hear us, or is it Matt?"
"Matt is already in bed. He's fighting a bug. I want him to rest."
She didn't completely believe her sister, but she sat down on the love seat, too tired to argue with her. "Well, I'm here. And it's closing in on midnight, so let's talk."
Darcy pulled the chair away from the table she used for her crafts and sat down. "Mom is hysterical. I called her back after I spoke to you, and she still hadn't calmed down. She also said Dad left the house, and she