Operation Date With Destiny (17 page)

He gave her a look that told her he could see through her bravado, but went on to introduce the two other women without making further comment.

“
Destiny, this is
my wife,
Willow
.
”

“
And I
’
m Mercy
,
”
the
other woman who had arrived with Del
said, giving her a friendly smile.
“
I
’
m Chase
’
s wife.
”

Destiny returned Mercy
’
s smile, before her gaze moved back to the woman Del had introduced as Willow.
F
ormally Willow Sheldon, the woman Samuel Tre
’
ago held prisoner back at the same compound they
’
d just found Jackson in. The woman who
’
s first husband had also been murdered under Tre
’
ago
’
s instructions.
She suspected Willow
must loath her—after all her father was the man who had inflicted such terror and  heartache on both her and her family…
she
wouldn
’
t blame her one bit if she demanded Destiny left the island immediately.

Willow seemed to be regarding Destiny with equal wariness. There didn
’
t seem to be any hostility in the woman
’
s expression, but Destiny was feeling rather like a specimen beneath a scientist
’
s microscope
just the same
.

“
You
’
ve had a crappy few weeks,
”
she finally said, taking a seat her husband offered her then looking back at Destiny.

“
You could say that,
”
Destiny agreed. She didn
’
t feel as though she could completely let her guard down around this woman, but she did somehow feel
she
’
d passed some kind of test and that
there wouldn
’
t be any immediate
danger of
screaming
,
hysterical fits
being thrown just yet
.

“
So…do you have any plans? What are you going to do now?
”

“
I guess I
’
ll head back home.
”
What a mess! Her original plan had been to wait in the village, hand over the surveillance tape Pon was supposed to have gotten to the police and then fly back to Nebraska
. B
ut now that there was no tape and Rothman was on the loose—it wasn
’
t safe. Then her thoughts drifted
back
to Pon.
Oh God, Pon,
she thought as the wound in her heart reopened all over again,
as she
recall
ed
his last words.

“
I don
’
t think that
’
s a good idea.
”

Destiny took a shaky breath.
“
We
’
ll be fine. Besides—I need to get back to Cambodia and get the police up to that drug lab. I just wish we
’
d had it on tape as proof.
”

She glanced up and caught another swift exchange between the men and a creeping dread settled back inside her.
“
What?
”

“
We called it in once we were airborne, but we
’
ve got a bit of problem,
”
Tate told her in a calm tone that she wasn
’
t buying.

“
What
kind of
problem?
”

“
I
’
ve been digging around a bit and something
’
s turned up that
’
s going to make things a whole lot more complicated,
”
Willow added.
“
Rothmans gone
,
and since your name
’
s on the title deed—the place
technically
belongs to you
. S
o when they find that drug lab—they
’
re going to want to find you…
”

Damn it to hell!
She hadn
’
t had time to think the consequences through once everything
had
turned bad—there
just
hadn
’
t been time.

“
Your father transferred all his property into your name, years ago. You had to have known this?
”
Willow pushed.

“
Of course I
knew
about it.
”
She noticed the men seemed to ruffle at her answer and could feel the sudden undercurrent of hostility radiating around
the room
.
“
But I didn
’
t know they were running a drug cartel from it—once I discovered that, I was counting on having the evidence to take to the authorities and bring it down…it didn
’
t occur
to me that Pon would betray me and everything would turn to crap.
”

Destiny hated the accusation in Willow
’
s tone. She had enough guilt to deal with—she didn
’
t need anyone else adding their disapproval on top of it all.

“
Look, for a long time, I didn
’
t know that he
’
d transferred most of those assets to me…apparently they
’
d been kept in trust or something until I reached twenty
f
ive, then  last year I received a letter telling me I
’
d come of age to take over the investments my father had
put away for me.
S
hortly after that,
I was approached by this guy who said he was
an attorney
. He had
some
hired thugs with him and tried to make me sign
over the portfolio into his company which I later discovered was a front for Tre
’
ago
’
s business.
”

She
’
d long ago
realized
Samuel Tre
’
ago would never do anything that didn
’
t benefit himself somehow. Putting his fortune—ill gained fortune at that
,
in her name had not been to ensure she had a safe future…maybe from any other father, but not hers. No, he
’
d just used her like he used everything else in his life. She was just a means to protect his money.

“
You didn
’
t sign?
”
Johnny asked.

“
No. I didn
’
t like the way they asked,
”
she told him wryly.
“
I knew I
’
d never be able to escape him—he had people working for him everywhere…being in the Army was like being under his surveillance—he still had contacts and people to keep me in check…I knew they wouldn
’
t stop until they made me sign those papers—or killed me, so I decided to leave.
”

She
’
d been so angry at him. She hated that he
’
d hurt so many people in his life time.
How dare he send thugs to intimidate her into doing his bidding!
She wanted to strike out at him where it would hurt the most.

“
Tre
’
ago
had a soft spot for Cambodia—even after he was transferred he kept houses here. Pon
’
s mother was our housekeeper and he kept her on to take care of
things
when he wasn
’
t in residence. Until recently, she was working up at the compound—which is how I worked out that
’
s where Jackson was taken
. B
ut she refused to work there once Rothman took over and she was warned that if she ever spoke to anyone about anything relating to Tre
’
ago or what went on up at the compound they
’
d kill her and just to make sure—they took Pon
’
s older brother and forced him to work up in the lab…
so
if Tre
’
ago goes down—she
’
d
lose her son as well.
”

“
Guess that
’
s one way to make sure people keep quiet,
”
Maloney scoffed in disgust.

She shrugged.
“
That
’
s how they make it work; intimidation and blackmail. Anyway, I decided if I was going to make him pay—I
’
d start there, with the people he
’
d hurt over the years. So I liquidated a large portion of the portfolio and put the money to work
.
I used some to build schools and created scholarships for the kids—gave grants to start-up businesses and invested in their farms…I wanted his money to make a difference to those people. And I guess I thought if I got rid of his money—he
’
d be unable to hurt others.
”

“
I
’
m guessing he found out?
”
Tate said dryly.

“
I honestly never thought he
’
d do anything to my mother—I
’
d always thought he still had feelings for her…I thought she
’
d be safe. I figured
if anything
,
he
’
d come after me
.
I never expected he
’
d go straight for her.
”
She should have—she should have
realized
even if he had still loved her mother—that wouldn
’
t
have
matter
ed
.

“
They
took
Jackson
and held him
in exchange for signing over the estate…an estate that I
’
d pretty much spent.
The only reason they hadn
’
t killed him was because he
and this
attorney
guy
no longer had
any access to the money.
If they knew I
’
d been spending it they would have killed Jackson
,
too.
She lifted her gaze to settle upon Johnny.
“
I would never have involved you in this if I
’
d had a choice—I
’
d have signed the stupid papers and just let him have the money—as badly as I wanted revenge—no one
’
s life was worth risking
it
over…but I didn
’
t have that choice.
Once he discovered I
’
d taken some of that money—
”

“
So let me get this straight,
”
Willow said slowly, drawing Destiny
’
s attention away from the man across from her.
“
Tre
’
ago wants his money back
but you
’
ve spent it all?
”

“
Some of it
. There
’
s still a substantial amount of property investment—but nothing he could liquidate immediately. I used most of the cash.
”

“
No wonder he
’
s throwing caution to the wind. He
’
s desperate,
”
Willow pointed out thoughtfully.

“
I just can
’
t believe he can still wield this much power from prison. It infuriates me!
”
Summer snapped.
“
How does he think he
’
ll be able to continue doing this? I mean he
’
s got life—surely he
knows
this stash of money will run out at some point?
”