Sean took a deep breath. “I get it.”
“Jose Flores, the youngest of the four brothers and the one Gabriella is screwing in order to get inside, told her that Dominick isn’t happy about something major that messed with their laundering operation. She has no details—and even if she did, she wouldn’t share them in case it got out and messed with her revenge plot. But she thinks he blames Spade. Spade’s here to fix it, which makes me think he screwed it up to begin with. Do you think that someone like Dom Flores is going to let him walk away? The only reason Gabriella is helping us is because she doesn’t want the kid hurt. But make no mistake about it—she will betray us if it saves her own ass.”
“So what you’re saying is that Flores is going to kill Spade and Jesse?”
“I think Jesse is here as insurance to ensure that Spade doesn’t screw up whatever it is he’s doing. And if he does—Jesse will pay the price.”
“Spade has to know that.”
Kane nodded.
“Bastard.”
“Are you ready?”
“I hate this plan.”
“It’s the only way.”
“When does Jack arrive?”
“Soon. And then everything will happen very fast.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
After dropping Noah off at FBI headquarters, Nate took Lucy to her house so she could pack an overnight bag. He told her he already had a go-bag in the car.
“Of course you do,” she mumbled.
“What’s bothering you?”
“Just tired.” She went upstairs to avoid any more questions. Nate was Sean’s friend, she reminded herself. She didn’t need him reporting back to Sean that something was bothering her. Hell yes, something was bothering her.
She didn’t know if they would need to stay, but since there was a room for them and it was a nearly two-hour drive each way—and they didn’t know what they would need to do when they arrived—it was better to plan on staying.
It was after one by the time they got on the road, but they didn’t have much traffic to worry about. Lucy called Siobhan to get all the details straight from her, then she called Zach at headquarters to ask him to run Loretta Martinez at the address Siobhan had given her. Then she talked to Noah to give him an update—though she didn’t have anything really to tell him. He hung up quickly, no surprise. She wished she had someone else to call to avoid the conversation that Nate had been trying to start with her, but after an hour when Lucy had no one else to call and nothing to pretend to do, Nate said, “You don’t have to talk about it, but I know something’s wrong. And don’t tell me you’re tired.”
“Don’t psychoanalyze me, Nate.”
He didn’t say anything for several minutes. “You’re never late. But you were late this morning.”
“I didn’t sleep much last night, okay? If Sean told you about my insomnia, that’s under control.”
“He didn’t, but he didn’t have to.”
Great. So she always looked like something the cat dragged in? Why couldn’t people just leave her alone?
“Is Sean okay?”
“Yes.”
But he hadn’t said anything about Jesse. Not when he found out on Monday, and not last night when they talked for ten minutes, and not this afternoon after he knew that Madison had talked to her this morning. Three chances, and he remained silent.
She wanted to throttle Nate because he was making her wholly uncomfortable. Nate had become Sean’s closest friend here in San Antonio. They were two peas in a pod. Just as Sean had bonded with her brother Patrick, he’d bonded with Nate. She was glad—she loved her brother, and she liked Nate, and Sean deserved to have good friends he trusted who had his back. But she’d quickly figured out that Nate would tell Sean anything. He wouldn’t share secrets, but he would make Sean aware that she was upset. He had an uncanny way of digging around and coming up with truths that she didn’t want to discuss. She didn’t like talking about her relationship with Sean, or what was bothering her, or trying to figure out if she was the only one in the dark about Sean’s son.
Sean’s son Jesse Spade.
“What’s really going on with Elizabeth Cook?” she asked. “I’ve wondered since I got here why she never went in the field, but I didn’t really think about it.”
Nate said, “It’s all hearsay.”
“You challenged Noah.”
“No I didn’t.”
“You commented.”
“I was fishing. I really don’t know what’s going on, but I’m curious.”
“And?”
“Juan’s our boss, Lucy. I’m a soldier at heart, and Juan is my commanding officer. He never sent Cook into the field, and I don’t think Noah should shake things up.”
“We don’t even know if Juan is coming back.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’m the psychologist, remember?” She was trying to make light of the situation, but she didn’t feel light.