Incriminating Evidence (13 page)

* * *

They’d done just as Zach described with the pickup and exchange of vehicles. Now they were together in his friend’s car and headed north. Even given the circumstances, Jessica was feeling better knowing that they had a game plan that didn’t include anyone else. She was with the only person she truly trusted. Yeah, he might have faith in all the agents at the FBI, but Jessica knew better. Anything was possible. It appeared that there could be corruption on so many different fronts that Jessica didn’t even know where to begin.

“We’ll stop soon and find a hotel. We’ll get adjoining rooms and try to get a little rest before we make our next move.”

“Who do you think sent the man that attacked me tonight?”

“It would be obvious to say that it was from the Hernandez family. Mick had just said that he couldn’t control his kids. So that’s an easy explanation. Ana got mad that you’re coming after her. When the SUV couldn’t take you out, she decided to get more aggressive.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“Because what if we’re missing something? What if there are other threats out there?”

“So you’re thinking that the breach at the FBI didn’t have to do with the Hernandez family, but something else?” she asked.

“I don’t know. We can’t rule out the possibility that somehow your connection to this Markov investigation was uncovered if there was a security breach at the FBI. And from everything I know about Markov, he’s even more ruthless than Mick. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“You didn’t mention before that you thought I could be a target for Markov.”

“I wanted to make sure we had things under control before I brought it up. I know it’s a lot to take in, Jess. And once again, maybe this is the rookie side of me wanting to make sure I’m not missing any possible threat. Regardless of where the threat is coming from, I’m not going to leave you.”

“I know that, Zach. And I will vouch for you to Brodie, Ford and whoever else at the FBI might question what you’ve done here tonight.”

“Ford told me to do everything in my power to keep you safe. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do. Since we trashed our phones, we’ll have to get new ones today when the stores open.”

“What will Brodie think happened to us? Won’t he be worried?” she asked.

“Yes, but it’s a small price to pay for your safety. He’s a seasoned agent. He may figure out that I thought something was wrong and decided I had to act.”

A thought occurred to her. “What if we’re playing right into the enemy’s hands?”

“What makes you ask that?”

“What if the whole point of whoever is behind this is that they wanted us out of the picture? To be on the run and afraid instead of investigating these cases.”

“I hadn’t considered that exact angle of having you stop your work. I’ve been so focused on your safety that I wasn’t thinking of it in that way.” He paused. “That opens up other possibilities related to the two investigations.”

“Which makes me wonder if running away is the right thing to do.” She’d come this far. It felt wrong to give up now.

“Here’s a place we can stop and rest for a while. We’ll discuss after we get some rest.”

“Okay.” But she already thought she had her answer. They needed to go back and finish what they’d started.

TWELVE

W
ide-awake after having slept for about an hour, Jessica now found herself at the small desk in the hotel room. Zach was probably still asleep next door, and she didn’t want to disturb him. He needed rest to be able to do his job. She, on the other hand, had nothing but nightmares the longer she lay in bed. It was better for her to stay awake. At least that way she could face her fears head-on.

So she sat there thinking about their situation. And praying for guidance. Because she really felt as though she needed God’s help right now. She didn’t want to put herself—or Zach—in unnecessary danger, but she also wanted to see this thing through.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a light tap on the hotel room door. Would Zach be coming to the main door? She figured he would’ve knocked on the adjoining.

She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to ensure it was Zach before she opened it. She sucked in a breath.

On the other side of the door stood Luke Hernandez.

“Jessica,” he said softly. “I know you’re in there. Please let me in. I promise I’m not here to hurt you. But you’re in danger. I’m still one of the good guys.”

She had to make a decision. There was something deep inside her that told her to believe Luke. So she opened the door, and he walked into the room.

“Zach is right next door. He’ll be in here in half a second if I yell.”

He took a step toward her but held up his hands. “I told you, Jessica. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not the one you should be afraid of.”

“What’s going on, Luke? How did you find us?”

“I tailed you all the way here once you left the safe house.”

“But I never noticed anyone.”

“Well, I am a trained law enforcement officer,” he responded. Then he took a seat in one of the two chairs in her room.

She sat in the other. “What’s going on with you and Ivan Markov?”

“That’s one of the reasons I had to find you and Zach. I couldn’t trust anyone else at this point.” He paused. “I’ve been set up, Jessica.”

“By who?”

“I don’t know exactly. But it was someone in law enforcement. It has to be. No one else would have the skills—or the inside scoop—to pull off something like this.”

She really wanted to believe him, but she needed to confront him directly and see how he responded. “Luke, I saw the photos of you and Markov.”

Luke nodded. “I know. The photos are legitimate. I met with Markov.”

“But why would you have done that?”

“Because I was assigned to.”

“By who?”

“My boss at Miami PD told me I was working on a special highly confidential assignment. I believed him.”

She took in what he was telling her and started to try to play it out. “Whoever is pulling the strings has people in multiple places working for him.”

“So you believe me?” Luke asked, his dark eyes wide.

“I actually do. I never thought you were one of the bad guys. And then when I saw you had a discrepancy in your financial records that didn’t match up with the evidence your father turned over to me, I thought something didn’t add up.”

“Wait.” Luke leaned toward her. “My dad is involved in all of this?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“He actually called and asked for a meeting with me. He told me to lay off your sister and that he had evidence that you were involved in an illegal drug operation with other cops. He gave me a jump drive full of documents. But when I reviewed it, I didn’t see anything about any other cops. But I did find a lot tying you to Ivan Markov.”

Luke shook his head. “It was all a setup. I had no idea my father was involved. This is making more sense, though.”

“That your father would be involved?”

“My father has been trying to take out Markov for about three years. But it’s much harder than you would think. Even for someone like Mick Hernandez.”

“And what about you?” she asked. “Did you know that your father was targeting you?”

Luke let out a big breath. “I knew that he wasn’t happy with me. He wanted me to help Simon, but I told him there wasn’t anything I could do. I went to the trial, but it wasn’t because I believed that Simon was innocent. I know my dad has a pretty big evil streak, but even I didn’t think he would come at me directly like that. Although come to think of it, I was probably just collateral damage or icing on the cake. He cares much more about Markov than he’ll ever care about me. I can tell you that much. He might have seen an opportunity to deal with me at the same time as taking down his nemesis.”

Her head was swimming with all of this information. And the fact that Luke was sitting directly in front of her. And not as a threat—as a friend. “Who do you think is coming after me?”

“I wouldn’t put it past my father to play both sides. But you know what? Whoever set me up may be after you, too. You said you found some evidentiary discrepancies?”

“Only one. Everything else was airtight. But Zach did report what we found up the chain.”

Luke nodded. “Which means if he reported it up, then everyone that matters would know about it by now, including those we wouldn’t want to know. I don’t know who we can trust.”

“This is a tangled web. We don’t know who is working with who or what the final agenda is. And most importantly, who is the one in charge and calling the shots?”

“We do know that my father is after me, and would probably be happy if you were out of the picture, too. Especially since he thinks you’re going to go after Ana. She’s his pride and joy. Let me tell you, Simon has issues, but Ana is our father through and through. A combination of smart, deadly and depraved. I wouldn’t put anything past her.”

“But your father is the one who came to me and asked me to prosecute you. I assume he wanted me alive to be able to carry that through.”

“Yeah, but he’s a smart man. He knows that you wouldn’t bring a case unless you were certain. And since it’s a setup, he’d have to know the likelihood of it all coming together is slim. But it got you off Ana’s case for a bit and put the heat on Markov.”

“Which would allow Mick and Ana to do something big while everyone’s attention was on you and Markov. Sounds like a pretty brilliant plan. Especially if it ended with your father’s competition being put away after all these years.”

A loud knock sounded at the adjoining door.

“Uh-oh. That’s Zach. You might want to be careful because when I let him in, he’s going to freak out that you’re here.”

“Understood,” Luke said.

Slowly Jessica opened the door, and Zach walked in. “I thought I heard voices.”

Zach’s eyes locked on to Luke’s. Without hesitation, Zach pulled his weapon.

“Put the gun down, Zach. It’s okay,” she said. Then she reached out and touched his arm that wasn’t holding the gun.

“What are you doing here?” Zach asked Luke.

“It’s a long story,” Luke responded. “But the short version is that once I realized I was being set up, I went dark. Trying to figure out who framed me. And I needed to let you guys know the truth.”

“How can you claim that?” Zach asked loudly. “I saw the photos of you and Markov together. The FBI determined they weren’t doctored. So you better come up with a more convincing story.”

“Zach, let the man speak,” Jessica urged. “We all need to be on the same page here. And it would help if you lowered your gun.”

“First, tell me where your firearm is, Luke. I want to see it. Put it on the ground, slowly.”

Luke did as Zach asked and removed his gun from his waistband, placing it on the hotel room floor. “See?” He held up both of his hands. “I’m not a threat to the two of you. I’m one of the good guys.”

“Explain yourself,” Zach ordered.

“As I told Jessica, I was told by my supervisor at Miami PD that I was going to be assigned to work on an undercover sting that was a joint agency operation. DEA, FBI, Miami PD, the whole nine yards. The op required me to meet Markov. I was tasked with playing the role of dirty cop who wanted to get in with his business. And that’s exactly what I did. What I didn’t know until just now when I spoke with Jessica is that my father had some role in all of this.”

“And we don’t know who actually set Luke up to take the fall,” she added.

“Right,” Luke said. “All my orders came straight through my boss, Steve Young. I don’t know whether he was in on it or if they tricked him into thinking it was a legitimate operation and he was just executing what he thought was all aboveboard.”

“But he and everyone else denied there being any undercover operation.” Zach started pacing back and forth in the hotel room while Luke didn’t say a word.

Jessica was still trying to process the whole thing. After a few minutes of silence, she decided to speak up. “I think we should go back and face this down. Figure out what Ana is really up to with Mick and also determine who is working with Mick to set up Luke. It has to be someone on the inside of law enforcement. This is far too big to just walk away from. We can’t risk it getting even bigger than what it is now, and we don’t know how far the corruption goes.”

Zach immediately started shaking his head. “That’s way too dangerous, Jessica. We know that you’re a target. Why would I take you back into that?”

“Because it’s the only way that I’ll ever be safe again. We need to get to the bottom of this. Ferret out the true criminals here. If not, I could be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life. That isn’t how I want to live.”

“She’s right, you know,” Luke said. “If we walk away from this now, we’ll still be at risk.”

Zach turned his attention to Luke. “Man, I still haven’t bought everything you’ve said. You’re treading on really thin ice right now.”

Jessica appreciated that Zach was trying to protect her, but he needed to be more objective. She needed to try to defuse the situation right now. “Luke, will you excuse us for one moment? I’d like to speak to Zach.”

“Sure,” Luke said. “Go ahead. I’ll just wait right here.”

Jessica grabbed Zach’s hand and led him into his room, shutting the adjoining door behind them. Then she walked over to him and looked directly into his eyes. “Zach, I am thankful for how much you are trying to keep me safe. And the level of dedication you have to my security. But you’ve got to be a bit more open-minded about Luke.”

Zach reached up and gently touched her cheek. “Can’t you see, Jessica? I’m willing to do anything in this world to keep you out of danger. I can’t afford to trust anyone where your safety is concerned. Because honestly I don’t know how I’d be able to make it if something happened to you—especially on my watch.”

“And that means the world to me, but I’m telling you that Luke isn’t one of the men we need to be concerned about. He’s on the run, too. His father is trying to take him out, and who knows what other enemies he has? At this point, we should see him as an ally, not an enemy.”

“How can you be so sure?” he asked.

“When I look in his eyes, I believe he’s telling me the truth. And beyond that, his story makes a whole lot of sense when you look at all the facts. The discrepancy I found in the documents. Mick’s level of involvement. I find it totally plausible that Luke felt he was doing his job when he was working with Markov. So I’m asking you if we can go back in there and if you will give him a chance.”

Zach didn’t immediately respond. Then he nodded his head. “I’d do anything for you, Jess.”

Her heart pounded at his words, but now wasn’t the time to focus on her romantic feelings. “Thanks, Zach. Let’s go.”

They walked back into her room and found Luke seated in one of the chairs.

“Okay,” Zach said. “Where were we?”

“I understand that you would be hesitant about all of this,” Luke said. “And about me in general. But think about it. If I’d wanted to hurt Jessica, she’d be dead by now. That wasn’t my intention and never will be. I know you find it hard to believe that anything good could ever come out of my family, but I refuse to be defined by them. I made a choice to take a different path—a much harder path. One not filled with luxuries and people doing whatever I tell them. But I still have my soul and my integrity—and a strong faith in God that has gotten me through all of these incredibly tough times. So I hope that you would look at me now, man to man, and realize that I’m telling the truth. That I’m here to help and not hurt.”

Hearing Luke’s impassioned words rendered her speechless. But what was even more stunning was watching Zach’s reaction. Zach walked over to Luke and offered him his hand. The handshake between the two men solidified an alliance and what Jessica hoped would be friendship. They were going to need to work together if they were going to get out of this mess.

“Okay, guys,” she said. “Now that we’re on the same page, we need to come up with a plan.”

“Jessica’s right,” Luke said. “There are so many moving parts here.”

“The way I see it, we have a couple of issues to tackle,” Zach said. “We need to determine what Ana is planning. We had intel that something big was going to go down. What if the timing of that got pushed back and it’s still to come? With us out of the picture, that would open up a way for them to operate unfettered.”

“And two,” Jessica said. “We need to determine who is setting up Luke to take this fall for the Markov operation.”

“What’s your relationship like with Markov?” Zach asked Luke.

“It’s good, but it was a ruse. He thinks I’m one of the bad guys. My cover story was bolstered by the fact that I could say that I wanted to work with him not only because of the size of money involved with his drug operation but because it was personal, a way to get back at my father.”

“Maybe we can use your Markov connection in our favor,” Jessica said. “I’m just thinking out loud here, guys. I’m sure Markov has sources everywhere. What if we can get intel from him about what Ana is really up to? Markov could provide us absolutely vital information on what her intentions are and probably operational details, as well. We go after her and shut down whatever they have going and gain evidence to be able to put on a case against Ana. Then we also have to work our own sources to determine who could be after you, Luke. We could go back and act like we never saw you. Go about our business while you work the Markov angle and report back to us.”