Terry shook her head. She lost earning potential when her deal with Pedro Fernandez fell apart. All the drugs got destroyed in the fire. Everything on his computer got wiped clean. Someone knew where to look for the formula to create the drugs because his safe was empty. Terry would have to start from scratch. It took nearly a year for Terry to convince Pedro he could trust her. There was only one man Terry trusted to get her another contact.
"Hello," Aaron answered when he saw Terry's number on his phone.
"Do you have a new group?" Terry demanded.
"Not yet, Darling. My last debrief was a bear. Don't worry, my love. The top brass doesn't suspect anything," Aaron replied. Terry sighed in relief. She couldn't afford to disappoint her uncle. Vito was counting on the drug sale revenue.
"When do you get deployed?" Terry asked. Terry and Aaron were careful about not saying their names.
"In three months," Aaron answered. "I know it doesn't give you much time to connect with the leader."
"It would have to be enough," Terry sighed. "How did you manage to stay off Manoso's radar?" Terry cringed. She shouldn't have said any names.
Aaron laughed. "I told my commanding officer that Gabriela tricked me into thinking she was a drug mule. Then I convinced him that Gabriela seduced me to retrieve the intel."
"Brilliant!" Terry replied. "You do realize that won't work a second time."
"I know, my love. You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself. Handing over Manoso was almost thrilling. It's a shame he survived. You should be happy the bitch is out of your way. You're welcome for permanently removing Plum from Morelli's life. I believe that was your goal?"
"Yes, but I wanted to be the one to kill her," Terry replied.
"I've got to take this call," Aaron said, then hung up.
Vito listened to Terry's conversation. He was all for using every advantage to collect intel and land a drug deal with the foreign cartels. However, he was disappointed in Terry's approach. She was relying on a military man to do her dirty work. If the man got caught, it would bring a heap of shit to his front door. Vito would never have survived that long in the industry by relying on the wrong man. Messing with Manoso's woman was unforgivable.
The phone rang, interrupting Vito's thoughts. Vito lifted the receiver to his ear. "Your niece has been very naughty," Alexander Ramos said. "Were you aware of her plan?"
"Which part?" Vito asked. Vito thought about Alexander's cryptic statement regarding Terry and wondered if Alexander had Terry's room bugged.
"The part involving Plum's death," Alexander replied. "I've been listening to your niece since Miss Plum disappeared."
Vito grabbed the cordless receiver to continue the conversation. He walked down the hall toward the stairs. "I'm going out," Terry said as she passed her uncle. Vito waited until Terry was gone before going upstairs.
"Terry needs a tighter leash," Alexander added. "You've given her too much rope. She's going to bring your organization down."
"How did you know what Terry did?" Vito demanded.
"You'll find out soon enough, I'm sure." Alexander watched Vito walk up the stairs. It didn't take long for Vito to grab something from his bedroom. "I'm watching you. That device won't find the bug."
"Did you hack into my cameras?"
"No," Alexander replied. "I did not. But someone provided the link."
Vito searched Terry's room for the bug. He only found the one he planted after Stephanie Plum's funeral. Vito had to be one hundred percent sure that Terry was not involved in Stephanie's death. "You hacked my device!" Vito screamed.
"I most certainly have not. I'm merely using the links someone emailed," Alexander explained. "Deal with Terry before I send my men to do the job." Alexander didn't believe Stephanie had died. He felt she was alive and living with Manoso in Miami. Stephanie didn't deserve to be mixed up in Terry's plot to impress her uncle.
"What am I supposed to do? I promised my brother that I'd take care of her," Vito wondered. Vito removed the bug from its location, then deactivated it. Someone had access to the device. He'd need to purchase a new one to spy on his niece.
"Kill her," Alexander replied before ending the call. Alexander smiled as he called Rangeman.
"You've reached Rangeman. How may I direct your call?" Binkie asked.
"Manuel Ramos," Alexander replied.
"Hello," Manny said. Manny listened to everything his uncle had to share. "What are you planning to do?"
"Release the hounds," Alexander said, laughing. He hung up before Manny could ask for more details.
-SMSMSMSM-
"Babe?" Carlos asked. He removed the laptop from her thighs and placed it on the coffee table. Carlos lifted her from the couch, then sat with her on his lap. "What did you find?"
"Oh," Stephanie replied. She didn't know where to start. Carlos gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. His primary concern was figuring out what upset his wife.
"Start at the beginning, Querida." Stephanie grimaced and pointed at the laptop. Carlos shifted his grip on Stephanie to grab the computer. He read the intel Stephanie uncovered.
"I wondered how Gabriela knew which military group to target," Stephanie explained. "How did Gabriela know there was a reconnaissance team in Brazil?"
Carlos read Stephanie's research. One name stood out from the rest. Stephanie felt Carlos tense beneath her. She tugged at the laptop to see what triggered his response. "Who is Aaron Thiboult?"
"The man Gabriela seduced," Carlos replied. "His is also one of Terry Gilman's associates." Carlos pointed to the grainy image of Terry and an attractive blond male.
Stephanie gasped. "You don't think…," she said, trailing off before finishing her thought.
"That he accepted the reconnaissance missions in regions to get intel on drug cartels," Carlos said, completing Stephanie's thought. "He sells the intel to Gilman."
"We don't have enough proof," Stephanie replied. Her eyebrows furrowed when an email appeared in her inbox. "Can you open it?"
Carlos clicked on the email. He scanned the attached audio and video files before opening them. The audio played. Stephanie gasped when she heard Terry Gilman's voice. She didn't recognize the other.
"That's Aaron Thiboult," Carlos said. Stephanie rethought her stance on Terry searching for her. Terry only wanted the money and to win favour with her uncle. Rumour spread about Vito wishing to retire, but he didn't have anyone he trusted to take over his empire. Terry was a natural choice. She had to prove her worth.
"What do we do now?" Stephanie asked.
"We have to get the military involved. He can't be allowed to continue. I may not agree with a lot of the general's decisions, but to use the intel to bring dangerous drugs into our country is inexcusable," Carlos replied. A knock prevented him from continuing their discussion. He gently moved Stephanie from his lap to answer the door.
"Are you guys seeing this?" Zero asked.
Tank, Lester and Bobby arrived a few seconds later, not allowing Carlos or Stephanie to answer Zero's question. "Who sent the email?" Lester asked.
Stephanie checked the sender and smiled. "Manny," she replied. She used a trick Hector taught her to trace the files back to their origin. "Ah. It seems Alexander Ramos shared them."
"Did you know Manny was related to Alexander?" Tank asked. Ranger shook his head while Stephanie nodded.
"I discovered that tidbit after researching the Ramos genealogy," Stephanie replied when Tank raised an eyebrow. "What? I was bored." She used Ranger's phone to order Manny to the house. Stephanie smiled when he entered the house less than a minute later.
"I was already on my way, Ranger," Manny said, holding up his phone. Ranger raised an eyebrow before settling his gaze on Stephanie.
"Right. That message was from me. How did you get those files from Alexander?" Stephanie asked. "And how did he get them?"
Manny explained everything his uncle shared. Stephanie furrowed her brows, wondering who sent Alexander the links. Hector. "Babe? What does Hector have to do with this?" Carlos asked. Stephanie must have spoken Hector's name.
"He hacked into Grizolli's home security, then sent the links for Alexander to listen. How did he get the codes for the bug planted in Terry's room?" Nobody had an answer. The easiest way was to enter the house to grab the numbers from the device. Stephanie's phone chimed. She read the message and laughed. Ranger read the message over Stephanie's shoulder and laughed.
"Care to share?" Lester asked, grinning. He knew whatever someone told Stephanie was going to be good.
"The bug used to be in Morelli's house. It belongs to Vito Grizolli. Hector got the codes when I disappeared. Vito must have planted it there to overhear Morelli's conversations. Then Vito removed it shortly after I disappeared," Stephanie replied. "Vito probably didn't know Rangeman had access to the device."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he knows now," Lester said, laughing hysterically.
Stephanie's phone chimed again. "You would be correct, Lester. The bug got decommissioned. It's offline."
"Who was Gilman talking to?" Manny asked.
"T-bone," Ranger replied. "He applied at Rangeman and wants to work in Miami."
"That's not going to happen, is it?" Stephanie asked. "I could do a background check on him. If he has skeletons hiding in his closet, I'll find them."
"We have to put the dog down," Tank said when Carlos left the room.
Stephanie stared at her husband's retreating ass. She moaned when he flexed the muscles. Carlos could feel Stephanie staring at him. He grinned as he disappeared into the home office.
It didn't take long for Carlos to contact his handler to explain the situation. General Rogers wasn't amused. He was outraged that one of their finest soldiers was using the intel to support the drug rings. "How are we going to handle this, Sir?" Carlos asked. Carlos wanted to ship Terry Gilman to one of the Stans, but it wasn't his decision. He had to play it by the book.
"With extreme caution," Rogers replied. "We have to take out all the players."
"Including the civilian?" Carlos asked.
"Especially the civilian. Should we fear retribution from the family?"
Carlos thought about the question for a few minutes. "Not if you play your cards right," Carlos replied.
"Give me a few days to organize everything," Rogers said before hanging up. Carlos smiled, knowing how much Stephanie disliked military phone etiquette.
Aaron Thiboult grimaced when his phone rang. He was expecting a call from Rangeman for a job interview. The caller ID indicated it was an unknown number.
"T-bone," Aaron answered.
Carlos grinned. He couldn't wait to put the man through the ringer. "T-bone! What's up?" Carlos asked. It was unlike Carlos to personally call Rangeman applicants.
"I was wondering the same. Have you thought about offering me a job?" Aaron asked.
"We only have three month contract positions open," Carlos lied. "I need your permission to run a thorough background check."
"You've got it, Ranger. I appreciate the opportunity."
"I'll send your name to the department," Carlos said, smiling at his wife. Stephanie shoved a fist into her mouth to stifle the laughter. She left the room to start the research. "I've got my best man on the job."
"He won't find anything," Aaron cockily said. Carlos knew that wasn't true. Stephanie had already uncovered a lot of shit Aaron would rather hide. She only needed his consent to access his financials.
"I need help with a situation," Carlos said.
"Anything I can do to help?" Aaron asked. Carlos grinned. He hoped T-bone would take the bait.
"I don't have any men to spare. There's a man in Sudan asking about my location. I need someone to go there and neutralize him," Carlos said. "General Rogers said you're between missions and could help. It would benefit the military to take the man out."
"Name?" Aaron asked. Carlos knew he had T-bone's cooperation.
"Adu Kareem," Carlos replied. "It would guarantee you a job at Rangeman."
Aaron used the programs on his laptop to research the man. Carlos patiently waited until Aaron was ready. "I'll do it."
"Great. I'll send the details," Carlos said, then hung up.
"Did he fall for it?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes. Hook, line and sinker," Carlos replied.
-SMSMSMSM-
Aaron Thiboult called Terry Gilman with the news. "Are you serious?" Terry asked. She was vibrating with excitement. "I want to go with you."
"It's not a good idea," Aaron replied.
"I can take care of myself," Terry yelled. She didn't know her uncle was listening to her conversation. Terry had to think of an excuse to leave the country. Vito would never approve of her plan. Terry needed a solution to complete her task. "Make it happen."
"Fine," Aaron sighed. "Pretend you're flying to Italy. I'll meet you and bring you with me to Sudan."
Terry thought for a few minutes before agreeing. "I'm going to visit my grandparents in Italy," Terry said as she walked down the stairs. She smiled at her Uncle Vito, who was sitting in the living room.
"Are you planning a trip, dear?" Vito asked. Terry nodded, then ended her call.
"I'm going to Italy," she replied.
"When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow. I'll leave my car at the airport," Terry answered. Terry sent Joe a message, asking for a ride to the airport in the morning.
"Have a safe trip," Vito said. He knew Terry was up to no good.
Terry ran back upstairs to pack her luggage. Aaron told her to grab pants and long-sleeved shirts. She packed enough to fit in a backpack to carry on her back. Aaron said using her usual luggage wouldn't work in their situation. They would have to hike to the location. Terry packed her boots. She wasn't sure if they would be adequate, but it was all she had.
Booking the trip last minute was expensive. Terry felt the benefits would outweigh the costs. At least the earning potential made it worth the risk. Terry hoped her uncle would be proud of her for taking the initiative.
While Terry was preparing for her trip, Vito requested a meeting with his trusted employee. Franco Colombo met Vito Grizolli in his office. He patiently waited for Vito to ensure the office got secured. Vito pressed a button to disrupt any bugs or cameras in the vicinity. "Sir?" Franco asked.
"I want you to follow Terry to Italy. She has some scheme with a military man. Whatever she's doing must be stopped. I don't want the department of defence on my doorstep for some misguided attempt to impress me," Vito explained.
"What should I do to stop her?" Franco asked.
"Whatever you deem is necessary," Vito replied.
Franco nodded and left the Grizolli household. He went home to pack a bag and book a flight to Italy.
Joe picked up Terry in the early morning and drove her to the airport. He kissed her and wished her a safe journey. She promised to call him when she needed a ride home. Joe never asked where she was travelling. Terry caught her flight. She sat in her first-class seat, then closed her eyes. People filed past her as they boarded the flight. Franco sat in the row behind Terry.
He followed Terry at a safe distance when she got off her flight in Rome. Instead of calling a taxi as Franco expected, Terry met with an attractive man. "Aaron," Terry said, smiling. She wrapped her arms around her friend, then kissed him gently on the lips.
They held hands as they exited the terminal to catch another flight. Franco maintained a safe distance and paid a teen to listen to where Terry planned to go. The boy returned and said, "Sudan."
Franco shook his head. He had no intention of flying to the region. However, Vito wanted Franco to remain on Terry's tail. Franco reluctantly arranged a flight to Sudan.
Terry and Aaron met a man at the airport. Franco had changed his clothes on the flight. He didn't want Terry to recognize him. When Franco got off the plane, he slipped on the glasses to complete his disguise. Franco bumped into Terry, planting an undetectable tracker in her bag. He could trace her movements without following her on foot. Vito would owe Franco hazard pay when he returned.
It took a three days for Terry and Aaron to hike to their contact. "Let me do the talking," Aaron warned. Terry rolled her eyes.
"Who are you?" the man asked in accented English.
"I'm looking for Adu Kareem," Aaron replied. Kareem scanned Aaron from head to toe. He nodded, then three men appeared to frisk Aaron and Terry.
"Get your hands off me," Terry said when the men patted her down. "I'm here to make a deal with Adu Kareem."
Kareem laughed. "What is your business, woman?" he asked.
"I want to transport your drugs to America to sell," she replied, ignoring Aaron's warning to let him do the talking.
Adu Kareem laughed before nodding to the man who frisked Terry. "Stupid woman. I do not desire to conduct business in America," Kareem said. He twitched his hand. "Women have no business in such things." Kareem extended his hand toward his guard.
Terry's eyes opened wide as the guard pulled the trigger. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head before she hit the ground. Kareem's guard shot Aaron next. "What do we do with them, boss?" the guard asked.
"Send them home in a coffin," Kareem said. "Search them for identification."