The Red Ledger 9 Read online

  “Can Keegan get you inside?”

  “Not unless he wants to go to prison for issuing me a visitor pass to kill his two o’clock appointment.”

  “Then what are you going to do?”

  “Do what I do with the least amount of attention and collateral damage as possible. Keegan has to pretend he knew nothing was amiss. Find a reason to show up late, maybe long enough so I can do what I need to and then get the hell out, hopefully without setting off a citywide manhunt.”

  Anxiety takes root. This doesn’t feel right. “Tristan, there has to be a better way. I know you’re determined, but you can’t sacrifice yourself to get to him.”

  “I’m aware of the risks. You can rest assured that however it goes down, I don’t plan on getting caught.” The rigid tension of his body softens a little. “This has to end, and you know it. Simon’s the only one standing between you and me and any kind of normal life. I never thought I could have anything like that before, but now it’s all I think about. I’m not putting you through any more of this nightmare, and I’m not staying away from you a day more than I have to.”

  His words give voice to the kind of hopes I’m afraid to say out loud because they feel too idealist to be possible. Sometimes I forget that I lost everything. My job. My identity. One of my best friends. Maybe I force myself to forget all that so I can keep surviving the way I have. To have it back…my life, my freedom, my happiness… Only my fear of losing Tristan could make me turn away from that dream.

  “We could still run. I know my father would help us. My parents already know it’s a possibility if Rivero doesn’t stick to the plan.”

  He shakes his head gently. “No more running.”

  There’s no talking him out of it. Part of me doesn’t want to either. Another part of me wants to throw myself in the way of anything that would endanger him. Intercepting a meeting with Simon reeks of danger. I used to be afraid of Simon’s henchmen, but getting clipped by the authorities is a fresh concern.

  “I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.” I can’t hide the emotion in my voice. I wish I could pretend to be stronger, but I can’t.

  “I’ll be fine. This is what I do.”

  Another promise with no guarantee.

  “Will you at least talk to my father? He might be able to help.”

  He tenses again.

  “I talked to him about the letter,” I continue. “I never thought I’d hear him say it, but he understands now that nothing is going to keep us apart. He’s fighting for us. He’ll help.”

  He’s quiet for a long time before he finally speaks. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

  I know Tristan. He’s already thought about it. He won’t trust my father, no matter what I say.

  TRISTAN

  I should go. I need my mind sharp to figure out how I’m going to get to Simon, but I haven’t slept at all. Isabel is dozing beside me, so at peace in rest that I haven’t been able to bring myself to leave the comfort of her presence. As dawn starts to push light through the curtains, illuminating more of her, I promise myself a few more minutes to appreciate her in daylight. Then a few minutes more.

  The early morning calm is interrupted by the vibrating buzz of her phone on the bedside table. I pick it up, hoping to silence it before it wakes her up. Except it’s Blake Landon’s name that shows up on the screen. I swipe the screen to answer.

  “This is Tristan.”

  “Hey. Is Isabel there?”

  “She’s sleeping.” I keep my voice low, but Isabel starts to stir.

  “Shit. Sorry. I haven’t slept yet. Been at this all night,” he says.

  “Makes two of us.”

  Isabel blinks awake and looks up at me. Her hair is mussed and her lips are swollen. Never mind that she’s naked and warm with only a little bit of sheet between us. Seeing her this way is worth every minute of sleep sacrificed.

  “Banks are opening in a few hours, and I wanted to do my research in the off hours.”

  Landon’s voice distracts me from the visual.

  “Did you find anything?” I ask.

  “I’m not sure. The accounts are all what you’d expect Knight to set up. Except for one.”

  I wait for him to continue and put the phone on speaker so Isabel can hear now that she’s fully awake.

  “Who’s Jude McKenna?”

  Landon’s question is met with more silence as Isabel and I lock gazes. I contemplate how to reply, since Jay’s involvement has been complicated from day one.

  “She used to be affiliated with Simon’s organization.”

  “Well, it looks like she might still be. There’s one account with all the big players on it. Davis Knight, Gillian Mirchoff, Michael Pope. Simon’s even listed, which was the first thing I noticed since he’s suspiciously absent from pretty much everything else. Then there’s Jude McKenna. Except she’s not a billionaire captain of industry as far as I can tell. Used to work for the DEA until she started running a rehabilitation center in DC. I went to do some more digging on her, but all her accounts have been radio silent for the past month.” He pauses a moment. “Is this making any sense to you?”

  “How much is in the account?” I ask, avoiding his question.

  I can hear Landon tapping his keys rapidly. “Just over ten million, but there are new deposits going in every day. Random amounts from different accounts. Most are international. I’ll need more time to track the sources on those.”

  “What’s the account number?”

  He rattles off the same one Mateus was told to deposit his cleaned funds into. Fucking hell.

  “Thanks. This is helpful,” I say, sidestepping further conversation about Jay.

  “No problem. I’ll let you know if anything else turns up.”

  I hang up and drop the phone onto the bed between us. Isabel’s worried look reflects my own fresh concern over this news.

  “What the hell, Tristan? Why would Jay be on the account?”

  I do my best to hide my own outrage at having missed this possibility. It’s not like we haven’t had enough to worry about, but I’d taken for granted that Jay had extracted herself from Company affairs weeks ago. I have to consider all or at least some of it was a lie.

  “Why wouldn’t she be? She’s been involved with them for years. Until Crow kidnapped her and made her a liability, it would make perfect sense for her to be involved in anything this big.”

  “Why wouldn’t they take her off the account?”

  I shake my head. “Maybe they were waiting for her to make an attempt at the funds so they could track her down and take her out. Or maybe nothing really changed between them at all. That’s a lot of money to walk away from, regardless of the circumstances.”

  “But if she hasn’t used any of her accounts, it seems like she’s still hiding.”

  Isabel is trying to give my former manager the benefit of the doubt. I can sense her reaching for a way to resolve this in her mind. God love her, she’s still trying to see the best in people when we’ve seen the worst of humanity these past two months.

  “I suppose there’s one sure way to find out,” I say. “I’m still in touch with Townsend. Under the right circumstances, I can get the truth out of him.”

  “If Townsend knows, though, that means he’s been involved too. He’d have to have known this entire time. Why would he help us?”

  “Maybe he knew, maybe he didn’t. Jay could be using him.”

  “But…” Her shoulders soften. I can almost read her thoughts, her shock and confusion painted across her beautiful features.

  “I have no idea what she’s capable of, Isabel. He may not either. But I’ll find out what’s going on, one way or the other.”

  She draws her soft touch up my forearm and back down until we’re palm to palm. She already knows what has to happen next.

  “I shouldn’t have stayed so long. I need to get going before your parents get suspicious.” Saying the words borders on painful.


  “I wish you didn’t have to leave.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, like she’s trying to hold her emotions in check.

  I’m not sure if I can survive more of her tears. I’ll barely survive walking away from her today. But I have to finish this. For both of us.

  “I’ll be back to get you when it’s over.”

  She blinks back tears and crawls gently into my arms. I hold her. I tell her how much I love her. I promise to come back. I’ll always come back for her…

  I speed away from Isabel’s house, my phone pressed to my ear. Leaving her is agony, so I decide to spread the misery. It’s early, but I don’t care. I need answers, and I need them now.

  “Who is this?” Townsend’s voice comes through the phone.

  “It’s Red. New number.”

  A pause. “Did you get the package?” Townsend’s question momentarily distracts me from my original intention.

  “I got it.”

  “And?”

  “And don’t worry about it. I need to talk to you. In person.”

  I don’t trust him not to disappear forever if he knows I’m onto his or Jay’s deceit. However he’s mixed up in her scheme, I’ll be sure to figure it out as soon as I can get my hands on him.

  “Why? What’s your problem now?”

  “Something came up in Paris. Crow got away.”

  “Fuck all. Are you kidding me?”

  When pure frustration overwhelms his usual sarcasm, I smile to myself, satisfied that I’ll be able to twist this development to my advantage. “I think I might know where he is.”

  “Well, are you going to fucking tell me, or did you call me just to catch up like old times?”

  “I need your help with something first.”

  I hear him exhale impatiently. “Let me guess. You’re going to hold out about Crow until you get what you want. That’s the way it usually works, right? I’m sick of these games, Red.”

  “You help me. I help you. That’s how it works.”

  “Or you could hand over Crow once and for all and we can be done with it.”

  “I know where he might be. I don’t have him, so you’ll have to chase that lead on your own. Until then, I can’t risk you getting distracted. When can you meet? I’m going to be in DC for a few more days.”

  He cusses under his breath. “Whatever. I can be there tonight.”

  “Perfect.” I smile again, oddly looking forward to seeing him even though it’s probably not going to be pretty.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Isabel

  My mother is sitting at the kitchen island when I come downstairs. Her palms molded around her teacup, she looks a little rested—at least less worn down than when I saw her yesterday. While I’m truly happy to have her back home with my father and me, my thoughts are solidly with Tristan. In his absence, I’m in tatters once again, wondering if this will be the time he doesn’t come back to me.

  I could have begged him to stay. All it would have done is weigh on him. He still would have disappeared out my window, leaving me alone to wait and worry while he tries to pin Simon down.

  Memories of our night together aren’t even enough to distract me from the fear that started working its way through me the second Tristan told me about Keegan’s meeting. If anyone can pull off this mission, Tristan can. I just have no idea how.

  “Good morning,” I offer brightly, though my heart isn’t really in it.

  I pour my coffee and try to wade past my worries and think about the day ahead.

  “I see you had a visitor last night.”

  Torn from my malaise, I whip around to face my mother.

  The corner of her mouth is lifted in a coy smile. “I was up early. I saw him come down the tree. He could have used the front door, you know. You aren’t teenagers anymore.”

  I’m stunned into silence, paralyzed momentarily by a remembered feeling of getting caught with him before and having to face the consequences for it. We aren’t teenagers trying to fool around behind our parents’ backs, though. There’s a lot more on the line.

  I smile a little, hoping to hide my prevailing sadness. “I wish things were that simple again. It was good to see him, though. I’ve been really worried since we got separated.”

  “I know all about that.”

  She’s talking about me, of course, but I don’t have any room in my heart for the guilt of falling out of touch. Especially when circumstances may separate us again soon. I’m bound to Tristan.

  My father interrupts the moment when he joins us. He looks like he’s ready to say something but stops himself when he sees me. “You look miserable. What’s going on?” Frowning, he looks to my mother.

  “Tristan was here,” she says lightly.

  “In the house? When?”

  “He left this morning. He just wanted me to know he was okay.” I’m not about to imply that Tristan and I did any more. He’ll suspect it anyway.

  He lets out a tense breath. “Okay. Is everything all right?”

  “He’s going to see Simon.” With those words, I hope to communicate the rest I’d rather not speak out loud—that Tristan has every intention of killing Simon Pelletier the second he gets him in his sights. If my father’s passion for justice has dimmed at all, he can’t know anything else about it. But for Tristan’s sake, I desperately want my father’s help.

  “How did he manage to track him down?”

  “He had someone set up a meeting that he plans to intercept.”

  “Where?”

  I worry the inside of my lip, scared to say too much too soon.

  My father places his palms flat on the island and leans in, his determination plain. “Isabel. Where?”

  “At the Capitol building. Simon has a reputation for taking meetings in public places—or places where it’d be difficult to make a move on him.”

  He straightens and drags his hand through his short hair. “That complicates things.”

  Meeting at one of the most iconic and well-protected areas in the country is more than a complication. No matter what he says, Tristan is too driven on this mission to weigh the true risks. His freedom. His life. Our future. We could lose everything if this goes wrong. And even if Tristan thinks he can pull it off alone, I don’t know if I can let him. Not this time.

  “Dad…I want your help. I can’t tell you anything that would compromise him, though.”

  “Compromise him? Do you have any idea how deep I’m already in this? I’m ready to pull a lifetime’s worth of favors to take this bastard down. Tristan’s not the only one worried about being compromised, believe me.”

  I look into his eyes, trying to convey the dark truth of the matter. “You know Tristan’s not going there just to talk to him.”

  He’s quiet for a long moment. My mother stares into her tea. They both know this is an ugly mission, but it’s one that Tristan won’t turn away from, no matter what.

  “We all know that bringing Simon into custody isn’t going to accomplish a goddamn thing,” my father says. “I wish things were different, but that’s the unfortunate truth.”

  Having my father fully on our side is both a relief and a fresh dose of worry. He has age and experience on me, but I’m not sure if he’s seen the kinds of things I’ve seen, even in the field. If anyone ever met their death at the end of his gun, of course he’d never tell me.

  “What if you change your mind? I need to know we can count on you, no matter what happens.”

  He lets out a frustrated sigh, but sadness simmers in his eyes. “I know you’ve been shell-shocked. I fully admit that I haven’t always deserved your trust when it comes to Tristan, but you’re my little girl. These people have already taken Mariana away from me. They’re done playing with people’s lives. I’m going to make goddamn sure of it.”

  I nod. The break in his composure silences my doubts and reinforces this new, unexpected pact between us.

  “If we can get Tristan safely in and out of the building without attracting any unwante
d attention, I think that’s half the battle. Once anyone realizes what happened inside, he needs to be long gone without any suspicions.”

  He drums his fingers on the countertop. “Anyone can enter during visitor hours, but sneaking downstairs to the hideaway offices could get him noticed.” Frowning, he squeezes the back of his neck. “Damn it. Had to be the worst possible place.”

  “He won’t wait for another chance. Last time—” I stop myself short of mentioning Miami. He doesn’t need to know about that. Not now, not ever. “He got past us. Tristan isn’t going to let Simon slip through his fingers again. I can’t talk him out of it.”

  My parents share a look, some quiet understanding passing between them. My father’s expression is resolute in a way I’m beginning to recognize and appreciate more and more.

  “I’ll find a way to get him in,” he finally says.

  “There must be a staff entrance,” I say. “Could you get him a pass?”

  “Possibly. Can he look the part?”

  “If that’s what he needs to do to blend in.” I’ve never seen Tristan in anything other than street clothes, but my father has a point. “Then what?”

  “Then hopefully he can find his way out.”

  TRISTAN

  Anticipation rushes through my veins like the choppy water flowing under the docks just ahead. I used to enjoy this more. Not knowing the extent of Townsend’s deceit takes some fun out of the hunt. I’d like to think the worst of him, but only time will tell.

  Hours have passed since I sneaked away from Isabel’s house this morning. Each moment apart from her seems to stretch out longer than the last. I’m in a better place than I was before seeing her, but I won’t be happy until nothing else can keep us apart. Finding out why Jude McKenna’s name is listed on the account Mateus was supposed to wire funds into should be a welcome distraction. Except Townsend’s late and I’m growing impatient.