Mastering the Devil (Rush Series Book 4) (10 page)

“We’ll be ready.”
 

Chapter 5

Alex was sitting in the hotel’s conference room surrounded by real estate personnel,
contractors, city officials, and of course, Sal Monoco, the Dragon Towers’ foreman. They were all seated around a cherry-colored veneer table, water glasses, with varying amounts of water in them, set in front of each person.

Currently, the room was silent with the exception of Rush Drayton’s voice coming from a small black box in the center of the table. Alex tried to concentrate on Rush’s instructions, but Cash’s words from earlier that morning kept looping through his mind. He’d just been leaving the hotel when Cash had called him.

“Have you found her,” Alex had asked without preamble.

“Yeah,” Cash replied. “But we’re heading out now to that address she found.”

“You can’t talk her into waiting just a little bit longer. She’s in no shape…” Alex said before being cut off by Cash.

“We both know she won’t be dissuaded. If I hadn’t come across
her when I did, she’d be going by herself. At least this way I can try to contain the situation,” Cash interrupted.

Alex had sighed heavily. “I hope so. Call me when you get back to Mexico City.”

“She’s a good agent,” Cash reemphasize, Alex had assumed this was to help ease his mind.

“Not when it comes to
the situation her mother and Miguel Munoz,” Alex had replied.

“I’ll call you later,” Cash had said before disconnecting the call.

Now, Alex glanced at his watch for the thousandth time, wondering what had transpired between the time of Cash’s call and now. Looking up, he was surprised to find every eye on him. Realizing he’d missed something, he said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Can you please repeat it?”

From the box on
the table, Rush Drayton said patiently, “We need to move forward with this project. It’s costing me money every day we are delayed. How are you coming with your side of things, Alex?”

“I have a plan in motion
,” he said vaguely, in deference to those surrounding the table who weren’t on his ‘need to know’ list. He wouldn’t tell Rush either. Plausible deniability was what made Alex a valuable asset to any corporate head.

Silence met his words as Rush digested his words from half a world away. Finally, he said, “Well, let me know when the situation is… resolved.”

“Will do,” Alex responded.

After a few more comments, Rush signed off, then all eyes turned back to Alex once again. Clearing his throat and struggling to clear his mind of everything that didn’t have to do with work, Alex said, “Well, I think we’re all clear on our instructions. I need those reports Rush wanted by the end of the week. If you run into any problems… I
mean problems of any kind, I expect to be the first call. Okay?” Alex said as he glanced around the table.

Head
s nodded as the men and women began gathering their belongings in preparation to leave. “Sam, I need a word before you leave,” Alex said.

Sam sat back down. Once the room was empty, Alex shifted his eyes to Sam’s dark ones edged with graying eyebrows. “What’s up, Boss?”

“I spoke to Jose Gonzalez this morning,” Alex said.

Sam’s eyebrows bunched together. “Jose Gonzalez?”

“Our man from Spartacus Aluminum. He’ll be ready to roll in two days. You need to ensure the jobsite is cleared except for a bare skeleton of a crew. It needs to
appear
like it’s just a normal work day, but the less people there, the better.”

“What’s the plan?” Sam asked.

Alex blinked at him from across the table without answering. Eventually, Sam coughed, getting the message that Alex wasn’t going to answer… and he wasn’t – Sam wasn’t on the ‘need to know’ list either. In Alex’s experience, the fewer people who knew the plan, the better.

Finally, Alex said, “I have to go back to Mexico City this afternoon for a meeting. I’ll return tomorrow. I’ll call you when I arrive back in the city. If there’s anything you need, or if a situation arises, please call me.”

Sam gave a brusque nod of his head and Alex began neatly stuffing papers and paraphernalia back into his briefcase. Rising, he leaned over and shook Sam’s hand. “Tomorrow, then,” he said, before turning and exiting the room on his way to Mexico City.

The hours to Mexico City were taxing on Alex as his mind flitted between fearing for Devon’s safety and
the mission he was about to partake in. Her note still irked him, which in turn made him angry that he still continued to worry about her. This was what
she
chose, what she’d always chosen. But his last image of her – her head thrown back and her eyes closed as passion erupted over them – continued to plague him. He knew it’d take him a long time to get over Devon Montanez.

Sighing, he turned his head to stare out the window from where he sat in the backseat
, as the town car slid smoothly through the curvy back roads en route to Mexico City. Tomorrow, he was meeting with two of his friends from his CIA days. He needed expert help in dealing with whatever thugs were plaguing Dragon Towers’ distributors. But getting through the thugs wasn’t Alex’s only objective, he needed to know who was behind the attacks. As every good military man knew, you had to cut the head off the snake to kill it; otherwise, it’d slither away, only to come back with more force the next time.

Alex glanced at his watch once again when the car pulled up to the hotel. His lips thinned when he saw the time. Why hadn’t Cash called? Had something happened to her… to them both and
Cash was unable to call? He clicked his phone on and dialed Cash’s number. It rang several times before he answered.

“Devlin.”

“I expected to hear from you already,” Alex stated, “everything okay?”

“Yes.”

“Well? What happened? Is everything okay? Did you find Munoz?” Alex asked sharply.

Another pause. “We’re on our way back now,” Cash answered vaguely.

Frustration and irritation flooded Alex. “What the hell happened, Cash?” he snapped.

“That’s not for me to say. But everything… is as good as can be expected,” Cash replied.

Alex realized that Cash must not be alone. That he must still be with Devon. It then dawned on him that Devon didn’t want him to know what had transpired. It felt like a slap in the face, especially as he’d agonized over her all day long.

Unclenching his jaw, Alex finally said, “I’ll be back at the Hyatt in Mexico City until tomorrow evening if you need me.”

“Good to know. Later,” Cash replied, then the line was disconnected.

Alex remained seated in the back of the car, never
-minding the people parked behind him waiting for him to unload and his car to move forward. Well, that was that then. She’d truly separated herself from him. It was really better this way, anyway, he told himself. It was a long time in coming. Deep down inside, he felt a sense of loss, almost like a boat which was missing its rudder. He felt adrift, lost, with no direction. He shook his head at his own schoolgirl-like folly. He was never actually
with
Devon to lose her. But the heart wants what the heart wants, he remembered reading somewhere.

Slowly, with the gait of an old man, he climbed from the car and went into the hotel. Later that night, as he lay staring up into the darkness, he remembered her words when she’d come to the hotel –
I don’t know how to let you go
– he guessed she’d finally figured it out. Slowly, he began to fall back into his old patterns. Methodically, he began replacing hurt and vulnerability with firm resolve. It was done… choices and consequences, that’s what life was made up of. Coldness settled over him as he firmly shut the door to his past with Devon Montanez.

Cash listened to Devon and her mother talk quietly in the backseat. They’d held hands throughout the long drive back home, apparently not wanting to break contact. There was a lot of history for them to catch up on. He still hadn’t heard from Jacob Roundtree yet, which he found odd. Cash also didn’t like the unsettling feeling he had of impending doom. When his phone had rung, in the rearview mirror, he’d seen Devon’s head snap up at the intrusive sound. He debated about not answering, but just couldn’t do that to Masters. So, he was vague, wanting to ease his mind, but not wanting to break his partner’s trust at the same time. This was Devon’s story to tell, or not tell. He wasn’t getting in the middle of her business.

~M~

They arrived at Devon’s and her mother’s home a little after seven that evening. Her mother cried when she realized Devon had kept their family home in her absence. Tired from the stress of the day, they ordered pizza, and all sat doggedly in the small breakfast nook which looked out over the lighted pool.

“You don’t have stay,” Devon told Cash once dinner was over.

“I don’t feel comfortable in leaving you alone tonight. I need to see how this plays out, okay?”

She exhaled visibly. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“I’ll sleep on the couch in the front room. I think it’d be better, if for tonight, you sleep on the couch in the den. That way we can guard against intrusions in the front and back of the house,” he said.

“Why don’t you go shower first. I think I have some old sweats that belonged to my father that you can change into, if you’d like.”

“I’d like that a lot,” he replied, stretching his arms over his head.

Devon glanced behind him and saw the creamer on the counter. “Huh. I thought I put that away this morning.”

“Well, you’re allowed to be a little forgetful when a house explodes and falls on you,” Cash said with amusement.

Both Devon
’s and her mom’s head snapped up at his words, each horrified but for different reasons.

“What?” he asked.

Her mom turned accusing eyes to Devon. “You were in a house that exploded and collapsed? That’s what the mission was where you were hurt?”

“Thanks a lot, Cash,” Devon muttered before turn
ing to place a calming hand over her mother’s. “I’m fine now. Don’t worry,” she assured her mother.

Shaking her head, Sharon said, “You should just go back and work with Roman at the restaurant.”

Devon sucked in a breath at her mother’s words. Her mother didn’t know Roman had been killed by Lex Vega while Miguel had stood by and calmly watched.

Scrubbing a hand over her tired features, Devon said, “Mom, there’s still so much we need to talk about, but I’m dead tired. Why don’t we get some sleep and talk tomorrow?”

Sharon studied her daughter for a long moment. “Whatever you think is best.”

“I’m gonna go
grab that shower now. Devon, if you’ll come with me and get me those clothes and a towel, I’d appreciate it,” Cash said.

They walked down the hall towards the master suite, which Devon guessed now
rightfully belonged to her mother. She stopped short causing Cash to nearly run into her. “What is it,” he asked, immediately on guard.

“The bedroom door is closed.”

“So?” Cash asked drawing the word out for several syllables.

“I never close the doors. I don’t like not knowing
what’s behind them.”

Easing around her, Cash slipped his weapon from its holster and eased open the door. Quickly, he reached a hand around and felt for the light panel on the wall. Immediately the room was flooded with illumination. He stepped forward and scanned the room, then opened the walk-in closet door, then moved quickly to the master bath. There was no one in the room.

“We need to check the rest of the house, just to be sure,” he said.

Methodically, they searched each room, but found no one and nothing else out of place.

“Maybe I did just shut the door. I was a little distracted this morning,” she offered in way of apology.

“We should have checked
the house first thing when we arrived. We’re slipping, Montanez,” Cash replied. “But it has been a long week for both of us. I guess we’re allowed.”

“I’ll get those sweats for you,” she replied as she continued to eye the now open door to the master suite. “How odd,” she murmured.

Devon located the sweats and returned back to Cash, “Here you go,” she said as she made to move around him.

Catching her arm, he hesitated a beat before saying, “Devon
, now that you’ve gotten your mother back… is it over?”

She scrunched her eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”

“Can you let the rest go?”

She tensed at his question. “You mean forget about Miguel and all he’s done?” She blinked slowly as she thought the question. So many emotions ran through her at the thought of Miguel getting away with all
his atrocities. Finally, licking her lips, she replied simply, “I don’t know.”

Cash exhaled deeply, wishing for
a different answer. Clearing his throat he broached the next most sensitive topic. “I know it’s none of my business, but I think you should call Masters. You’ve been through a lot together. I think you owe it to him to let him know you’re okay… and about your mother. I know he’s concerned about you.”