and Moses’s wives, Julia and Tori.
“Well, shit. I’d hoped after what happened to his son, Antonio, Quintero would leave this area alone. Julia and Tori deserve normal lives, free of their father’s illegal activities.” Wrath scrubbed fingers over his forehead. “I’ll arrange a meeting with Drago. Maybe there’s a way the Brethren can assist his new venture.”
“I agree. Quintero is heavy into human trafficking. We also believe he’s increasing the cartel’s activities in arms smuggling. His oldest son, Diego, has taken over the illegal drug trafficking operation.”
“They’ve been busy since Antonio died.”
“There’s more, Commander.” Grayson hesitated, the sound of shuffling papers coming through the phone line. “Before Antonio died, he’d been forging a relationship with Abdul-Bari Zahir.”
“Unless I’ve missed something, his domestic terrorist cell hasn’t been active in a while.”
“You’re correct. Zahir has been recruiting. The FBI is certain he was behind the bombing at the casino. They identified several of his followers as those who set off the explosives. The Feds still haven’t discovered a motive. It seems Armando is still interested in forging a relationship with that piece of shit. Diego is against it. Be aware of this dissension, Commander.”
“Yes, sir. Is there anything else?”
“No. Let me know what comes of your meeting with Drago. And be careful. In his own way, the Demons Blood president is every bit as evil as Zeus.”
The call ended, Wrath leaning back in his chair. He’d thought their biggest threat would be the Dark Disciples opening a chapter in Liberty Lake. The admiral’s call proved him wrong.
Chapter Three
Katrina followed Gunner’s directions, taking winding roads a few miles into the country. The final turn led her along a beautiful tree-lined drive to a large home overlooking the valley below. Slowing to a stop fifty yards away, she took in the total scene.
Two stories with numerous windows and a wraparound porch, she found herself staring at the glorious structure. She guessed it to be over three thousand square feet of wood and river rock.
“Hey. I was in the back.” Gunner walked toward her, jeans low on his hips, and a t-shirt tight enough to emphasize the taut muscles of his arms and chest. Although not easy, Katrina forced herself not to stare.
“No problem. I wanted a few minutes to look at your place. It’s quite lovely, Gunner. You must enjoy coming home each night.” If it were her place, she’d settle in and never want to leave.
“Thanks. I’m real pleased with how it came out.”
“How long did it take you to build?”
“Three months to get it buttoned up so I could do the finishing work inside. Rock, Ghost, Fuse, Tracker, and Moses helped when they had time. Some of the other guys would stop by when they could. Wrath even stopped by a few times. How do you want to do this?”
“I’ll park my car up by the house, then you can walk me around the entire exterior.” Before getting behind the wheel, she grabbed her phone, taking several pictures.
“Meet you up there.” Gunner walked beside her car, motioning her to an open spot to the side of the house.
Opening her door, he offered his hand to help her out. Katrina handed him the pie, gathering what else she needed while Gunner took a good look at her car. He hoped the engine and transmission were in better shape than the exterior. They used to call something in this condition a junker.
“It gets me where I want to go.”
He winced at being caught. “Assuming the important parts work well.”
She shrugged. “As good as you’d expect. I have a good road service account, which I make the most of. Anyway, how about showing me around.”
Gunner shook off the knowledge she drove a death trap and headed to one side of the house. He’d return to the subject of her junker later.
“Besides the trees, there are various sized rocks and shrubs on both sides and the back. But there’s also a good deal of blank area in the front and back. Those are the areas I’d like you to tackle first.”
Katrina took measurements, jotted down notes, and snapped pictures as Gunner showed her around the property. It was large, lush, and perfect for blooming plants to add color. She couldn’t wait to get started on the planning.
When finished, he escorted her into the house through the back door. “Wow. This is gorgeous, Gunner.” She walked ahead of him, taking in the large great room, stopping in front of the floor to ceiling rock fireplace.
“I gathered the