50

Maybe I was thinking too much like a conspiracy theorist, but I was exactly in the same mindset as Joshua. Refusing to leave any stone unturned. After printing a few files that I preferred looking at on paper, I moved to the second jump drive, the one stolen from Christine’s office. The moment I shoved it into the system and pulled up the files, I could tell exactly why Joshua had been concerned.

Everything was password encrypted. Even if I knew Christine more personally, it would take hours, maybe days to try to figure out her password. That was assuming that she’d used just one. For all I knew, this could have come from someone else, the password only existing in her mind. Fuck. I tried a few, including her birthdate, but that didn’t work.

I wasn’t tech savvy enough to know how to go about setting up a search system. What would I do instead? I started jotting notes.

A few minutes later, I realized I wasn’t alone. When I looked up, the fact Christopher was watching me intently, his little nose wrinkled and his brow furrowed, drew a smile from me. “How did you sleep?”

Instead of signing the answer, he shrugged then walked around the desk, glancing at what I was doing. He seemed enthralled by the number of files, studying them as if he had the answer that I needed.

“They’re work files from my job.”

He slowly turned his head, studying me in the strangest way. Then he signed something that would haunt me for the rest of the day.

Do you love my daddy?

I was clueless how to answer. “Your daddy is a very special man. Did you know he saved my life?”

His little eyes opened wide. He shook his head.

“Yes, from a bad man. That makes your daddy a hero. Did you know he secretly wears a cape at night while making certain that you’re safe at all times?”

He widened his eyes even more as if in awe of what I’d told him. When he shook his head again, I tugged on his shirt.

“Yes. He’s just like Superman flying high in the sky.” I flitted my hand, dancing my fingers as if flying. Then I shifted my gaze toward the door after sensing a presence.

Joshua stood just inside the doorway, his arms folded, a look of amusement on his face. “Superman, huh?”

“Why, yes. I noticed you flying high over the house last night, your red cape blowing in the wind.”

Christopher giggled, giving my neck a squeeze before racing around the desk toward his father. I had to admit, the joy on Joshua’s face was the most delightful thing I’d seen in a long time. It almost made me crave becoming a mother.

Almost.

I wasn’t quite certain I was cut out for it.

Joshua dropped down, tweaking the little boy’s nose.

Even from where I was, I could tell he was signing something to his father, the man obviously trying to figure out what he said. Then I could tell the moment when he knew exactly what his son had asked. “Yes, I do care about Ms. Barrios, and I would protect both you and her against any monster. You don’t need to worry.”

Christopher debated the answer, laughed then kissed his father right on the cheek. The moment was so touching I found myself swooning.

“I was wondEricag where you ran off to,” Joshua said. “It’s about time for your breakfast. Why don’t you greet Margaret and grab a bite to eat?”

I could tell Christopher was debating. Then he nodded in an exaggerated manner before stomping like only kids could do out of the room. It was difficult to stifle a laugh.

Joshua drove his hands into his pockets, the man looking as debonair as ever. After shaking his head, he walked closer. “You’ve been filling my son’s head with stories of magic?”

“I don’t know about magic. I think you are a superhero.”

“Uh-huh.” His eyes twinkled until he glanced at what I was working on. “Making any headway?”

“Not with the encrypted files. I’d need a programmer or hacker to figure it out. But I am curious about something. Have you ever worked with the New Orleans crime syndicate?”

“Are you talking about the Baranov mafia family?”

I half laughed. “You know, I’m not certain. That was out of my jurisdiction.”

“Then why ask?”

“Because of something I found when I was researching the Voltair family in my initial efforts to prosecute you. It would seem Ronald Voltair was fearful that the Baranov family was invading their territory.”

I could tell instantly the news irritated and surprised him. “Are there any specifics?”

“No, and in truth, I don’t have detailed notes on why I believed that other than something I read. My best friend’s brother is involved with them.”

“Your best friend?”

“Her name is Jennifer Zimmer. Her brother is named Brandon. She’s a defense attorney, keeping out of the business but her family does live in New Orleans.”

“Text me the names. I need to speak to my men and my family about what they might know. My father did business in the southern part of the United States for years, abandoning it because of border issues. However, what I know about the Russian mafia is that they are brutal and when they set their sights on a territory, they don’t give a shit who is in the way.”

I nodded. “I need to get into the file Christine had. Maybe I’m wrong about what she was working on. Why would she consider getting involved with the Russians?”

“Money. Greed does many things to people. If she was power hungry, eager to move up politically, the Bratva are extremely well funded, a portion of their funds kept in secure offshore accounts that can’t be touched by any level of law enforcement in the United States. It would also be much easier to remain anonymous or have a bogus corporation backing her campaign.”

“Wow. You seem to know what you’re talking about.”

He laughed. “My father developed dozens of powerful alliances over the years, which I’ve maintained greasing the palms of political candidates, including some within the United States.”

“Don’t tell me anything I’ll be forced to use against you. We aren’t married after all. I can’t use that as refusal to testify against you.”

“And you know that rule technically doesn’t apply in most situations,” he said as he leaned over the desk. “However, it would make it more difficult to rely on your credibility. Perhaps I’ll haul you away when I return to get married.”

When he pressed his lips against mine, I shuddered then did what I could to push him away playfully. “Not so fast, big boy. I’m not captured and kept that easily.”

He growled in reply as he planted his hands on the desk. “Mikey happens to be tech savvy. I’m going to ask him to see if he can do something to help you with the files before he leaves.”

“When will you be back?”

“Three or four hours. Don’t worry. I will have men positioned outside in case there’s an issue, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.” He stole a kiss anyway, laughing when I groaned. “Just stay inside while I’m gone. Margaret will be here. She doubles as his teacher for now so the little man should stay out of your hair. Here is a burner phone for you, the password all twos. I’ve programmed my number into it. Call me if anything odd happens.”

“Okay and I don’t mind that fabulous little boy being in my hair. He reminds me of the troublemaking side of his daddy.”

Now his laugh was full blown, his entire face lighting up. But in his eyes, I could sense that what I’d suggested continued to trouble him. In truth, it did me as well.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Just be a good girl or else.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I know. Or I’ll be punished.”

“Exactly.” He pulled away, giving me a heated onceover. When he walked out, it took a few seconds before I shifted my attention back to the computer. I typed in the name of the Russian mafia organization, finding more articles than I had on the Voltairs. After reading a few articles it had become apparent that they had no issue ruffling feathers, acting as if they owned the world. I started writing down a few notes, startled when I heard a man clearing his throat.

I placed my hand over my heart as I peered at Mikey. “I didn’t see you standing there.” He has something in his hand. It looked like a hard drive. “What do you have there?”

“It’s a device I had built that decodes almost any password. It’s proven to be helpful on more than one occasion,” he said as he walked closer.

“I don’t think you should tell a prosecutor the details.”

Chuckling, he inched closer. “All I need to do is attach this to the system and it will eventually decode every password connected to the computer, including every file. Decoding them might take a couple hours, but given we’re not talking about thousands of codes, maybe not that long.”

“Okay. So I just need to be patient.”

“Exactly.” He took a few seconds, plugging it in and typing in certain commands.

I moved away from the desk while he was working, drifting to one of the windows. The day was beautiful, so much so I had a feeling Christopher would want to play outside. I noticed a playset on the lawn close to the river, the beautiful setting drawing myattention. No wonder the tire swing remained. Maybe later we could spend some time outside. Like a family. Geez.

“The device is running now, Ms. Barrios. Give it thirty minutes or so and you might see some results.”

“Thanks, Mikey. And you don’t need to call me by my formal name. Selena is just fine. You did risk your life as well to save mine.” I turned back toward him, smiling. He’d been so formal around me that I was slightly uncomfortable.

“Boss man wouldn’t like that.”

“I guess I’ll need to talk to him.”

“I’m certain he’ll listen to you.” He grinned. “He doesn’t to almost anyone else.”

I laughed, which allowed him to smile. “He is stubborn.”

“Yes, he is. Don’t tell him I said that.”

I acted as if I was zipping my lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Nodding, he started to walk out of the room then stopped short. “If I may say something that might seem out of turn.”

“I’m really not that formidable, Mikey. Say whatever you need.”

“He’s much happier since you came into his life. He’s done nothing but work for as long as I’ve known him.”

“He does adore Christopher.”

“Yes, but he’s felt the burden of not knowing about being a father for years, and it’s almost crippled him. You need to understand that he has the capability of tracking down anyone. To know his son was out there, forced to go through tragedy pushed him into near depression. Having you around is a reminder that there’s more to life than work.”

I nodded, uncertain of what to say at this point.

“I’ll check back with you when I return from the meeting.”

“Thanks, Mikey.”

As soon as he walked out of the room, I glanced at the desk and the phone that was left for me, more determined than ever to figure out who was behind the mess we were in.

“Get to work, girl. The riddle won’t be solved by itself.”

While that was the truth, as I sat down, I had the distinct feeling that whatever was on the drive would alter my life in a way that would haunt me for a long time to come.

One question remained. Was I ready for that?

Now it was time to wait.

And patience wasn’t one of my virtues.

The man I adored had been gone for almost three hours. During that time, I’d watched the spinning beach ball as the encryptor attempted to find all the passwords. It seemed odd that Christine would have used more than one, but that had been the case, the files slowly being released one at a time.

Another hour had passed, the time it had taken me to look at every single one of them, writing notes profusely, gasping for air every few minutes given the startling revelations. However, notall the pieces had been made evident, what Christine and her friends had put together damning yet incomplete as far as I was concerned.

Still, my hands were shaking, my heart racing to the point I was sick to my stomach.

Information was the key to life.

That’s something my father used to say. He even lectured me on the fact that if everyone waited until they’d gathered the correct information before reacting or overreacting, then wars wouldn’t have started and people wouldn’t have died.

That’s why I wasn’t ready to jump to any conclusions. However, the moment I’d been able to open the files I’d taken from Christine’s office, the details popping out in front of me, I’d realized almost instantly that what I’d found was not only a smoking gun but an explosion ready to happen. However, it would appear I’d been wrong about a significant portion of my theory.

I sat back in the chair, ready for a glass of wine or something stronger at this point. Then I glanced at my phone, debating what I was thinking about doing. It was risky, but at this point what wasn’t? I was sick to death of both of us being forced to stay on the run like common criminals.

A few seconds later, I grabbed it, taking my time to slide my finger across the screen, still uncertain I was doing the right thing. But as my father had said, it was often the last pieces of the puzzle that provided the most insight.

After another moment of hesitation, I made the call.

I only hoped I was making the right one.