she didn’t come to her senses and see the light, Chad would be forced to do the unthinkable.
He’d have to cleanse her.
Consume her soul so that they’d always be one and then lay her body to rest.
Chapter Seventeen
After Dutch had taken her cell phone to keep her from making any rash calls, Isabel had locked herself in the bedroom with McQueen while he dealt with the police and fire department. She’d spent all night looking through the file he’d given her, every page, every line. Twice. Then a third time, letting it sink in.
One undeniable fact struck her like a lightning bolt. Uncle Emilio was the biggest drug kingpin on the West Coast.
And he was now embroiled in a turf war that endangered her life.
The truth was sobering. Painful.
Even her art gallery was a ruse. The FBI suspected he was using it to launder money.
How would Isabel know? He owned it and she used his accountant.
To think she’d bought into his story of him wanting to be a generous, loving uncle who didn’t want her to touch her inheritance. So altruistic.
Dutch knocked on the door. “Are you ready to go? They’re expecting us soon.”
Fully dressed, Isabel rose from the bed, grabbed her handbag and the file. She opened the door, ready to go to the US Marshals office and unleash her indignation on his boss.
He stood with a badge and holstered gun hooked on his belt, offering her a cup of coffee in a travel mug. “I don’t have coconut milk. I used a splash of half-and-half.”
Two days with no real sleep, she would’ve slurped down a cup of hot sludge if it had caffeine in it. “No, thank you.” Her pride refused to let her take his coffee.
“We can stop for food on the way, if you want.”
She was starving. “I’m not hungry.” She shoved the file at his chest, and he took it.
“Isabel.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’d be nice to know if you’re going to help us before you meet my boss. I’d like to be prepared.”
How could she not help? Her beloved uncle was the head of a notorious drug cartel and had been lying to Isabel her entire life and using her. The same way Dutch wanted to use her.
But if she could help save lives and undo a fraction of the wrong caused by Uncle Emilio, then she would. Obviously. It only outraged her more that he doubted her, so she was going to let him stew.
“It’s a lot to think over,” she said. “I have questions.”
“What are they? I can answer them.”
“For your boss. Not you. You’re just following orders. It’s not your fault you lied, manipulated and used me. It’s your boss’s, right?” She crossed her arms. “I want to look him in the eye and hear it from him. Let’s go.”
Without talking, they swung by doggie day care to drop off McQueen and went to the LA US Marshals Service building located downtown across from city hall. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but not Dutch flashing a badge with ease, having her stun baton confiscated at the metal detectors, him signing her in like she was a visitor instead of a finagled informant.
In the elevator, she asked, “Are you trying to turn me into an informant? Is that the correct term?”
“Asset would be more accurate,” he said in a low voice.
Finagled asset. Lovely.
The doors opened with a chime. Dutch stepped off first and led her to a conference room where a man and woman were seated side by side, dark suits, hands clasped on the table.
The fit, middle-aged man with an affable face and a dusting of gray around his temples greeted them. “Hello, Ms. Vargas. I’m US Marshal Will Draper. Call me Will. Please have a seat,” he said, waiting until Isabel sat before taking a chair himself. “I’m in charge of the San Diego field office and this is one of my deputies, Allison Chen-Boyd.”
“Just Chen,” Allison said with a blank expression, giving off a no-nonsense vibe. She didn’t look older than early thirties and wore her dark hair in a braid. In front of her was a tall stack of folders.
“Sorry. I forget.” Will straightened his tie and folded his hands on the table, flashing a soft smile that said let’s be friends. “Ms. Vargas, Deputy Haas has updated me on the current status of things. How can we put you at ease with assisting us?”