Chapter 37

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"You've got to be kidding me," Fran said.

"I'm serious," Chris said as they waited for Rhonda in the coffee shop.

"He actually said that he might have a lead on where C.J. and Matt are," Fran said, putting sugar in her tea.

Chris nodded. They heard someone coming and looked up to see Rhonda heading toward them.

"I got everything on digital," Rhonda said, sitting down in their booth.

Fran looked at Chris.

"Not everything," Fran said, "Chris overheard Andre talking to his men that they might be closing in on where C.J. is hiding."

"We don't even know where they are," Rhonda said, "How would they find out?"

"Well, if they do, it could put Matt and C.J. in more danger," Chris said.

"I told you that you should have gone to Jonathon with your plan but you didn't listen."

"That meeting was really creepy," Fran said, "That guy gives me a really bad feeling."

Chris nodded.

"So what happened during the part of this adventure that was actually recorded," Rhonda said.

"Oh he gave us some bogus story about wanting to partner with our foundation," Fran said, "But he's after C.J.'s location. He asked questions about her whereabouts in a casual way but Chris shut him down."

"You didn't give him any clues," Rhonda said.

"No, but he gave us a few," Chris said.

Fran nodded.

"He said that he was going to surprise some friends in a warm place," she said, "Maybe that's where he's based."

"Too bad it isn't Hell," Rhonda said.

"He'll get there soon enough," Fran said.

Rhonda shook her head.

"We're in way over our heads with this guy," she said.

"You're right," Chris said, "We might have to talk to Jonathon if there's a chance that Andre is going to find them."

C.J. and Matt walked back to the main house to meet with Antonio. Bertha let them in and they entered into the dining room where he stood with both Zeke and Brady. When Antonio heard their footsteps, he turned around to face them.

"You're not going to hit me again, are you?"

Matt stepped forward.

"We're here to listen to what you have to say," he said.

"Fair enough," Antonio said, as they sat down at the table. Bertha brought some ice tea in tall glasses for them and some fresh fruit, "As I said the other day, I worked security for Andre and his men at most of his compounds around the world."

"So you know the ins and outs of every place he's based at?"

Antonio nodded.

"Pretty much," he said, "But not all of them. I'm aware that there might be a compound located not too far away from this island chain but I haven't been able to pinpoint where yet."

"And even if you do, you have no way of knowing if he's even there," Matt said.

"That's correct," Antonio said, "We would have to have perfect timing to catch him in this part of the world unless he can be lured here."

"So what did you do for Andre?"

"I guarded his prisoners," he said, looking at C.J, "And I set up some of his security detail at several compounds. Went on several missions for him to secure locations where he could conduct his business."

"You know what his business is, don't you," C.J. said.

"He buys and sells human beings," Antonio said, "and some he keeps for himself."

C.J. looked away at those words and felt Matt slip his hand in hers. She squeezed back.

"So what have you got to sell us," Matt said.

Jonathon tried to remain in his chair in his office as he faced the three women who told him what had taken place that afternoon.

"Who do you think you are, Charlie's Angels?"

"I guess that makes me Drew Barrymore," Rhonda said.

Jonathon lost his cool and slammed his papers on the desk.

"This operation if you call it that could have jeopardized your lives, not to mention this investigation."

"You just said several days ago that the feds weren't even investigating Andre Duval," Chris said, "That he was not a suspect in any wrongdoing."

"That's the official version of what's going on," Jonathon said, "But we're at a very sensitive stage in the process."

"You've been there since C.J. first crawled out of that river and called you for help, Jonathon," Chris said, "Six months in hiding under an assumed name, two kidnapping attempts and a life on the run and you're still saying the same thing."

"I told all of you that we needed to be patient," Jonathon said, "Methodical if we were going to nail these bad guys."

"So who are these bad guys," Chris asked.

Jonathon looked at the three women.

"I think everyone in this room knows the answer to that question."

"So why are you telling us how dangerous Andre is one second and the next telling us he's not under investigation," Fran said.

"Because it's not as simple as locating him and sending agents to take him into custody," Jonathon said, "We have to build a case against him that we can take to a grand jury so we don't lose him."

Matt and C.J. sat at the table listening to Antonio's sales pitch.

"How do we know we can trust you," Matt said, "That you're not playing both sides against the middle."

"If my word doesn't mean anything to you," Antonio said, "then you don't but you need inside help locating Duval and penetrating his defenses. That kind of help is going to be difficult to find."

"Because he eliminates his traitors," Matt said, "except for you."

"My relationship with him as an independent contractor puts me on different footing than the others," Antonio said.

"Okay, say that's the case," Matt said, "then you're riding an awfully thin line here."

Antonio nodded.

"And I just have to ask myself, why is that?"

"I have my reasons," Antonio said.

"And…"

"They are not pertinent to any business dealings I have with you."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other.

"How do we determine that without knowing your reasons," Matt said.

"You will just have to trust me," Antonio said.

"Why should we trust you," C.J. said, "I don't trust you, not after what you did."

"I had no choice," he said.

She rose from the table,

"I think I've heard enough," she said, starting to walk away.

"C.J…"

She shook her head at Matt.

"No, this man's taken enough from me already," she said, "He's not taking away what I've got left."

She started walking away.

Antonio stood up.

"Wait a minute," he said.

She stopped and turned around to face him crossing her arms.

"I'll tell you my reasons," Antonio said, "But only you and you can make your decision. If you veto my proposal, I'll walk away."

C.J. looked at Matt.

"Why are you offering this?"

"I guess I owe you that much for my role in what Andre did to you," Antonio said, "The rest of you can wait here."

"Wait a minute," Matt said.

C.J. held up her hand.

"I'll be fine," she said, "I'm not giving this man another chance to betray me. He'll have five minutes to convince me that's not his intention or I'll knock him flat again."

"So what kind of case are you taking to the grand jury," Chris asked.

"There's several avenues to take," Jonathon said, "There's C.J.'s account of her kidnapping by Duval and then there's the unsolved murder of Semour Piser which might be related."

"Someone's actually investigating the murder of that miserable pimp," Fran said.

"If Andre's responsible for his death," Jonathon said, "It might be the easiest way to get to him."

"But what if Andre didn't actually kill Piser," Chris said, "What if it were someone else?"

Jonathon looked at her.

"There wasn't much from forensics to definitively point to anyone," he said.

"Not even with DNA?"

Jonathon leaned back in his chair.

"There were DNA samples," he said, "But if they don't produce a match from the national database, then they aren't much help."

"So then what will you do?"

"That's where it gets complicated," Jonathon said.

C.J. and Antonio walked outside on the beach, as the tide began to come in. She had her hands in her pockets and walked quietly. He began telling his story. She didn't want to hear it.

"Okay," she said, raising her hand, "I just want to know what your angle is in all this. Why you're here and why you think you have the right to ask for my help."

"Cutting right to the chase," Antonio said, "Okay, I have my reasons for recruiting you and the others on getting to Andre and stopping him."

C.J. stopped walking.

"Like what," she asked.

"You know he's a monster already," Antonio said, "I shouldn't have to convince you of my reasons."

"You worked for that monster," she said, "Tell me your reasons or I'll walk away right now."

"You know your friend, Houston, was going to shoot me after he heard what I did to you."

That gave her a start.

"Why did you tell him?"

"He had me at gunpoint, demanding that I tell him where you were," Antonio said, "He really believed I knew where to find you. I believe he would have killed me if I hadn't told him that I could help them bring Andre down."

"Maybe he should have done it," she said, "But you're not worth what it would have done to him."

She started walking away. He reached for her arm. She turned around to face him.

"Don't touch me," she said, "or I will kill you. He's not the only one who has a gun and knows how to use it."

"I believe you would do that," Antonio said, "But that's not really you talking. Andre made you that way, didn't he?"

C.J. started walking again.

"You're not the only woman that Andre hurt," Antonio said.

Something in his voice touched her and made her stop. She clenched her hands into fists.

"You're probably right," she said, "He told me he only hurt women who deserved it so there must have been others before me."

"My sister didn't deserve what he did to her," Antonio said.

C.J.'s brow furrowed.

"Your sister?"

He nodded.

"She was 18 when she crossed paths with Andre," he said, "He took a fancy to her like he did you only she didn't run away from it like you did. Not that she didn't try."

C.J. closed her eyes.

"What happened to her?"

"He killed her," Antonio said, "for betraying him. But not right away."

"He would have done the same to me if I hadn't escaped," C.J. said.

"But you did. My sister tried and failed." Antonio said, "That's why he's trying so hard to find you now and he'll kill anyone who stands in his way."

"He's already tried that and he's already hurt people who tried to help me," C.J. said, "That's why we're here."

"But that's only temporary," Antonio said, "He will find you. After all, I did. And that means more people will be hurt or killed. Probably even Houston."

She put her head in her hands.

"I'll leave again before I let that happen," she said, "And this time I won't tell anyone where I'm going."

"Why don't you work with me to bring him down," Antonio said, "If I wanted to betray you, you'd be back with Andre already."

C.J. pulled her jacket around her.

"I don't trust you," she said, "How do I know you're not setting Houston and me up for an even bigger fall?"

He took a deep breath.

"Because if I did that, I would ruin any chance I had of finding my other sister," Antonio said, "She's still under his control."

"Who is she?"

Antonio reached into his wallet and pulled out a worn photograph of a young girl. And C.J. knew then her decision had been made.

Matt sat with Bertha in the kitchen waiting for C.J. and Antonio to return. An hour had passed and still no sign of them. Brady and Zeke had gone to contact Serena to get more information on what she had uncovered.

"She's okay Matt," Bertha said, "I don't think he's going to harm her."

"He's already done that," Matt said.

She sat down next to him at the table.

"Do you think that there's any way to find Andre and bring him down without Antonio's help?"

"It could be a lot harder if what he says is true," Matt said, "But that's a huge 'if'."

"And you think he might be setting the both of you up to help his boss?"

Matt nodded.

"I don't know if I can take that chance," he said, "Certainly not where C.J.'s concerned. She's been through enough."

"Yes she has," Bertha said, "But she needs to have a chance to go back to her life and she can't as long as Andre's still in control."

Brady and Zeke came back in the room.

"Did you get through to Serena," Bertha asked.

"Yes, we did and she thinks she's gotten some more useful information off the disk," Brady said.

"That's good news," Matt said, "So we'll go meet with her tomorrow."

Brady looked at Zeke.

"The news isn't all good Matt," Brady said, "Serena's been on the wire and she found out that there's a warrant out for your arrest by the feds."

"For what," Bertha said, looking back and forth between them.

"Obstruction of an investigation," Matt said, "I was threatened with that a while ago."

"It's not likely they'll come out here even if they find out where 'here' is," Brady said, "But we've got to be careful."

"Careful of what?"

The four of them looked up as C.J. and Antonio entered the kitchen.

"Chris, Jonathon is right. The three of you were way over your head."

She watched as Dan paced in their living room after she had told him what had happened at the restaurant.

"I had to do something Dan," Chris said, "Matt and C.J. will never be able to come home unless someone actually does something to incriminate Andre Duval."

"But that's not going to be you, Chris," Dan said, "You're not trained to do this kind of work. And Andre's an extremely dangerous man whose got C.J. and now Matt in his crosshairs for whatever reason and he won't stop until he finds them."

"I know that," Chris said.

"And he'll use anyone to get any information that will lead him to them," Dan said, "And if you don't have the experience and skills, you'll wind up giving him what he needs without even knowing it."

Chris sighed as she sat down on the couch.

"All I wanted to do was to help them," she said, "And I overheard him telling his men that he will find them. I believe him."

"Which is why we have to let Jonathon and the feds do their job with this investigation," Dan said, "I know it's frustrating how slow these investigations proceed. Hell, it used to frustrate me when I was a cop but that's the way it works."

"But it's not working," Chris said, "It's been months and this creep is still free and our friends aren't."

"I'm not disagreeing with you that something's wrong," he said, embracing her, "There's just not much we can do about it."

Matt and the others looked up at C.J. and Antonio, who sat down at the table beside them.

"Oh...nothing," Matt said, looking at the others who nodded in agreement.

"We were talking just in general," Brady said. C.J. appeared satisfied with that.

"So what's the verdict," Matt asked.

C.J. looked at Antonio and then back at him.

"I think we need his help at bringing down Andre," she said.

They all looked at her in surprise.

"Why the change in heart," Brady said.

She paused for a moment then looked at Antonio. He pulled the photograph out of his pocket and placed it on the table in front of him.

"This is my sister," he said, "She still is with Andre."

Matt picked up the photograph of the young girl and looked at it.

"How long ago was this taken?"

"The last time I saw her before I went into the military," Antonio said, "She should be in her late teens now."

"How did she end up with Andre?"

"My parents fell into hard times when I left and there was a drought on the farm, killed the crops and animals. They must have been desperate."

"They sold her?"

Antonio nodded.

"She was about eight at the time," he said, "She was bought by a middle man and wound up put into domestic service for Andre. When I got back from the service, I went to the village and found out what happened. I searched everywhere for her. Took odd jobs, moved from place to place when I found leads. It took a long time to find out where she was and more time to be hired by Andre. He vets his men very carefully."

"Then what," Matt said, "Did you find her?"

"No, but I heard more information about her," Antonio said, "The day that I crossed paths with C.J., I heard that she had arrived at that location to work directly with Antonio."

"Did you see her," Bertha asked.

He shook his head.

"No, I had just missed her," he said.

"That must have been very difficult," she said, "To come so close and not see your own sister."

Matt gave the photograph back.

"So you want us to help you find your sister, in exchange for helping us?"

"Yes," Antonio said, "We're in a situation where our cooperation with each other can be mutually beneficial and also get the job done more effectively with less risk."

"Does she even know that you're trying to find her," Matt said.

"I don't think so," Antonio said, "But I do know she probably misses her family even after what's happened."

"How do you know if you return her to them they won't just sell her again?"

"She will stay with me," Antonio said, "I can make enough to provide for both of us. Pay for her to go to school in the United States."

"What's her name?"

"Elena."

Matt turned to look at C.J. in surprise at the sound of her voice answering his question.

"You know her?"

She nodded.

"She saved my life," she said, "I never would have been able to escape without her."

Elena worked hard at her desk but her mind drifted elsewhere. She heard the footsteps behind her and knew that Andre had arrived. He dropped some papers on her desk.

"It's just some contracts that need to be amended before they are signed," he said.

She looked at them then placed them aside.

"When do you need them finished?"

"The end of the day will be fine," he said.

He started to leave, then paused.

"Are you happy here?"

She turned around and looked at her employer.

"Why of course I am," she said, "I am very treated and live very well."

He walked behind her.

"You would never leave me, would you?"

She shook her head.

"Oh no, why would I? Where would I go that would be better than here?"

"That's good to hear," he said, "You would tell me if it were otherwise."

She nodded.

"I know you miss her," she said, "the woman who left."

"She will be returning soon," he said.

"Does she want this?"

"You will learn that women seldom know what they really want or need," Andre said, "Or what's best for them or their place in life."

"She seemed so unhappy here."

He looked at the younger woman.

"What's troubling you," he asked, "Did she tell you anything while she was here?"

Elena shook her head.

"No, she didn't," she said, "No not a thing."

She watched as he left the room, leaving her alone.

"I want to help her," C.J. said, "And if that means helping him, then I'm willing to do it."

Matt looked at the others.

"Okay, so how do we find out where Elena is?"

"I don't know," Antonio said, "I do know Andre keeps her close to him these days. She works as his assistant."

"So if we find her," Matt said, "We'll probably find Andre nearby."

"She was assigned to watch over me where I was kept," C.J. said, "I don't think I would have made it if it hadn't been for her visits."

Antonio sighed.

"I don't want anything to happen to her," he said, "I already lost another sister to Andre. He killed her after she tried to escape several years ago. She had been missing for years but I never knew what happened to her until it was too late."

"Which is what would have happened to me eventually, if Piser or any of Andre's men had caught me," C.J. said, "I say that we find Elena and bring Andre down."

The other men thought about it.

"If you don't want to do it, I'll understand," she said, "But my mind is made up and I will do whatever it takes to do both of those things even if you don't get involved."

Matt paused and the others waited for him to say something.

"So where do we start," he said finally.

And with that, the planning began.