But how?
Then an idea came to her, and she almost dismissed it right off the bat. How could she think about him now? He had betrayed her trust and broken her heart. He had lied about who he was.
Pierce Hunt.
If she was right, Hunt’s quick mind—the one he had used to trick her—his tactical prowess, and his sheer determination could be exactly what she needed.
Would he answer her call? Deep down, she knew the answer to that question. It hadn’t all been a lie between them. It couldn’t have been. She had seen him struggle with his emotions while on the witness stand during her father’s trial. The passion they’d shared—nobody could fake such intensity.
She’d never dialed the contact number written on the small piece of paper he had left on her desk the night before the DEA had barged in and arrested him and her father. Even after the trial, when she’d needed answers, she had resisted the urge to call and had even thought about burning the damn thing. But she had held on to it. She could recite its message from memory.
Just know you’ll always have a home in my heart. If something happens, call this number. I’ll always be there for you.
Chances were he’d tell her to fuck off, but it was worth a try.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Miami, Florida
In the formal living room, Hunt had settled into an uncomfortable silence with Jasmine. Moon was in the kitchen fixing everyone a drink, and Detective Milburne was on the phone in the adjacent room. The more Hunt thought about what had happened to his daughter, the more irritated he became. His heart wanted to blame Jasmine and Moon for the situation Leila found herself in, but his brain told him he was as guilty as they were. There was nothing to gain by playing the blaming game.
Hunt also had to concede that it was hard to control whom your child hung out with at school. Sophia Garcia seemed to be a great kid—if a little bit spoiled—and, knowing Jasmine, he was sure she tried as hard as she could to permit Leila to hang out only with peers who would be good influences. He couldn’t fault her for not knowing that Sophia’s father was the Tony Garcia. She had never talked to the man—only Moon had—and it was clear to Hunt that the football star hadn’t known about Tony’s ties to the drug trade. Hunt believed Moon when he told him that as far as he was concerned, Tony Garcia was a legitimate business owner.
Hunt’s thoughts moved to the last time he’d spoken to his daughter. They had argued about her boyfriend.
A boyfriend.
It seemed so trivial now. Had he been too harsh with Leila about it?
Moon came back to the formal living room carrying several drinks on a tray. Hunt’s cell phone rang before he could take his Diet Coke, and he excused himself and stepped into the hallway to answer.
McMaster said, “Heads up, Pierce. The FBI just issued a warrant for your arrest.”
The words were so unexpected that Hunt froze.
A warrant? What in hell for?
He didn’t have time to deal with this bullshit. “On what charge?”
“I’m not exactly sure, to be honest. I got a tip from one of my contacts at the MDPD. He said it’s about today’s ambush.”
None of this was making any sense. He had done nothing wrong.
McMaster continued, “The moment I’m officially notified about the warrant, I’ll have to disclose your location to the investigators. If I were you, I’d ditch that phone of yours.”
Clearly, his boss was trying to help him. Getting a new phone was easy, but what was he supposed to do with the fingerprints he’d taken from the assaulters? He didn’t have the freedom to wait any longer to decide whether he could trust McMaster. He had to.
“Can you do me a favor?” Hunt asked.
“I just did,” McMaster replied before hanging up.
Damn!
Could he really blame McMaster? He barely knew the guy, and McMaster had put his neck out for him by telling him about the warrant. But that didn’t explain why a warrant had been issued in the first place.
It’s about the ambush, McMaster had said.
Hunt’s phone chirped again, this time with an automatic alert from the call center he used to monitor his former undercover phone numbers. There was a message waiting for him. He entered his nine-digit personal identification number and listened. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized Anna’s voice.
I’m not even sure you’ll get this. But if you do, please reach out to me. You know how. If what we shared ever meant anything to you, I beg you to make contact. I need your help.
Did she know Leila was his daughter? No, it was impossible. She had no way of finding out, unless Leila had said something. Highly unlikely. His daughter barely talked to him, and their relationship was touch-and-go. Plus, Leila was using her mother’s maiden name.