“Yeah.”
“The terrorists mentioned Gregory Becker’s name. Marcus, he’s helping to fund the rebels. He’s laundering funds to them. And I mean a lot of money. They consider him their leader in their war to take over territory because he’s the money behind it. His disgusting businesses like human trafficking and drugs help get the rebels to take more and more areas.”
He didn’t question my knowledge. “Jesus Christ! Why? I heard he was funding terrorists, but I never understood it. What in the hell does he have to gain?” he rasped.
“Money and power,” I told him. “He thinks the rebels are going to take control, which will give him control of the oil and resources. He doesn’t give a damn what their motivation might be. All he wants is to be king of the resources that will make him the richest man on earth. It’s crazy, but that’s the way he thinks.”
“Then why are you with him, Dani? If you overheard all this, what are you doing here? Why would you want to be with an asshole like him?”
I sighed, knowing it was time for me to be straight with Marcus. “I couldn’t go back to my Middle East beat, so I decided to get an exclusive story right here in my own country. He needs to be stopped. And nobody can get the evidence to convict him. I’ve heard he keeps a record of his illegal transactions so he knows how much money has been funneled to the terrorists, and by what method or shell company. If I can find that journal, I’d have the information to have him put away forever. The funding to the terrorists would stop, and he wouldn’t be able to keep luring women into prostitution or human trafficking.”
“Fuck! You were planning on exposing him yourself?” Marcus exploded.
“Not exactly. I was going to take the information to the authorities, and time my exclusive to come out the same day they arrest him. Obviously, they’d need time to track down the evidence in a more substantial form than just a journal. But those records would give them the information they need to do it.”
“So you don’t love Becker?”
I tried to shake my head against his shoulder. “No.”
“Why did you say you needed him?”
“I do need him. I have to gain his trust. He finally asked me to come to his house, so I can get access to his home office and get what I need.”
“You don’t like being with him?”
“I like being with him as much as I’d like being in a locked room with venomous snakes,” I said with a shudder. “I can barely stand next to him. I can’t stand it when he touches me, and I have to hold back my hatred while he’s kissing me.”
“The bastard kissed you?” Marcus asked in a pissed-off tone.
“What choice did I have but to pretend I was hot for him? But every moment of it has been pure torture. However, if I can help take him down, it will be worth it.”
“The clothes?”
“He chooses exactly how he wants me to look. Becker is a control freak. Unfortunately, he’s fond of the hooker attire. He’s an asshole who thinks he owns every female he dates or screws. There isn’t an ounce of decency in him, Marcus, and believe me, I’ve looked. He’s pure evil.”
It felt good to finally tell somebody why I was trying to get close to Becker, but I knew it was going to cause complications.
“I’m relieved you haven’t lost your common sense completely, and you see Becker for what he is, but you can’t do this alone. And you can’t see him again, Danica. The abuse will just get worse from now on, and you’re putting your ass in danger…again.”
“I’m not quitting. I’ve already gotten close to him, close enough to get the information we need to put him away.”
I’d known I had to tell Marcus the truth. He deserved it. He’d saved my life, and I really didn’t want him to continue to think I was submitting to a crazed lunatic. I was hoping if I told him the truth, he’d stop riding my butt about not seeing Becker again. Apparently…not.
“You’re quitting. If I have to, I’ll kidnap you myself,” he said in a demanding voice.
I sat up and stared him in the eyes. “Try it. I’m not budging. Too many other people’s lives are at stake. Greg has to be stopped. He’s power hungry, and things could get even worse than they are now. What if he decides he needs to win more territory, more wars? He’s a master at covering his ass. He’s wary, paranoid, and devious as hell. Obviously he’s been a suspect for a long time, but nobody has been able to take him down. The authorities need information, data I can give them if I can just get to it.”
“So you’re just going to go to his home, fuck him, then look for the information?”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t think I can let him touch me like that. I think I’ll throw up. I have to think of another way.”
“You make me crazy, woman. First, I’m rescuing you from the hands of people who would have eventually killed you, and now you’re getting yourself in too deep at home. This is risky and dangerous.”
“I can handle this, Marcus. I know I can. I have to do it to prove that I can still do something important. When I wasn’t able to go back to the Middle East, I missed it. There, I felt like I was telling important stories. I wanted people to understand the human suffering that was happening in that region. What I did meant something back then, and even though it might have been somewhat risky, bringing information out of those areas was vital. I lost that. Now I want to do something that’s going to help people again. I want to be done with being afraid. I want to do something useful.”
“You’re not doing this alone,” he insisted as he pulled my body against him again. “I can’t see you taking those kinds of risks.”
“I have no choice. Until I get the information, nobody will be able to touch him.” I sighed. “I have a friend I made here in Miami, a woman who was homeless and was taken in by what I believe is one of Greg’s human trafficking teams. They lured her in with a story about helping her get on her feet with a job, shelter, and food. Now they’re telling her that she owes them, and that she can’t leave until she pays them back. These jerks prey on the most vulnerable of people. Ruby was young. She hasn’t even hit her twenty-third birthday yet, and they want to auction her off so some rich man can use her body. This makes it even more personal to me. And the worst part is that I can’t take her in. I can’t help her and break my trust with Greg right now. But something has to happen soon. I have to rescue Ruby, and all the money is going to do is make the rebels stronger.”
“Jesus! You’re so damn stubborn. Why can’t you understand that I will never let you do this alone? I get why you want to do it, but it’s a risk you can’t take by yourself. And you can’t meet Becker again. If I see as much as a tiny scratch on you, I’ll lose it.”
“I’ll fight him. I won’t hold back and let him hurt me again. I can’t. It’s not good for my psyche.”