“Were they able to collect anything of value?” Dace asked.
“Not really. It was a smoky mess by the time they arrived. You have to understand, this place was out in the middle of nowhere on the water's edge – one of the safe houses that cell used.” Eva proceeded to give them the lead they were hoping for, even if it was still a vague one at best. “The house was smoldering, and the boat and dock on fire – bodies in both.”
Eli’s interest was piqued. “How many bodies are we talking?”
Eva shook her head. “More than a dozen – hard to tell. That boat and any evidence on it are beginning to sink, so you’ll need an underwater recovery team to get better answers there.”
“Carter, can you get a team out there? Make it look official?” Dace asked.
He nodded as he grabbed his phone and began to type. “On it. I have several active cartel cases. It’ll be easy to justify and expedite.”
“Anything from the morgues?” Dace questioned. “Were you able to locate an increase in body counts, cremations, anything?”
“I think this was your cremation, Dace.” Eva’s tone grew monotone and cold. “You aren’t going to like this, but I’m certain this is from your Moss Bridge attack. It reeks of cartel – no dignity, dirty, and almost like a warning. This wasn’t an accident. And Dace, it was only one town over from Moss Bridge.”
“So they very well could’ve been watching us all along.” Eli was stunned and angered. “These bastards had their eyes on us a while they were staged there.”
“I’d have to agree with you. Intel shows they’d been there a solid week prior to Ivy’s father and his team arriving. They were ready and waiting. Covered their tracks by burning the evidence, bodies included, to the ground.”
“The cartel had that cleaner do it. Took care of Moss Bridge, removed the bodies, loaded them in his van, then went straight to the safe house and burned all of it. Gannon’s guys down there said the van disappeared on them. Makes sense now.”
“You mean the van that was in the carport? Burned,” Eva told them. “From what I gather, nothing was left in the way of evidence.”
“Jesus.” Eli stood and paced the room. “We aren’t going to get anything out of this find, are we?”
Carter raised a hand. “Let me work on that. I’m deploying a federal forensics team. I handpicked these guys, and it’s all off the books for now. If there’s something to be found, they’ll get it. If you want to send a part of your team to assist or oversee, just give me a name and time. I’ll make sure they have clearance and get in.”
“We’ll send a small crew as liaison. Anything you guys need, they’ll help facilitate.” Dace would move heaven and earth at this point. They were so close to seeing the big picture.
Silently, Dace monitored Eli’s responses and studied his body language. He’d been quiet the past few days, taking in all of the information but not sharing any or contributing as he had been before. Eli hadn’t even been to see Ivy much. Something was off with him, and Dace was wondering if he was still a friend or foe. Sure, the guy was still laser-focused on his number one suspect and trying to sell the idea, but when Moss Bridge and the safe house became a part of the picture again, he changed, and Dace wondered why.
Eli had already admitted to staying behind when Ivy left Moss Bridge. He’d even shown them the two bodies he’d moved. Who was to say he didn’t move the rest, especially when they were found only one town over. It all seemed awfully convenient. He might have even been working with the man in the van. He seemed to have a lot of answers the day they stood at the site of the alleged crime and kidnapping, but now…he was silent.
It wasn’t lost on Dace that Eli never divulged the lead he said he’d run down after following Ivy back to Portland. Though very forthcoming in some ways, there were still many holes in Eli’s story, and they were growing by the minute. Where had he been? What was distracting him now? Here they were, showing all their cards on the table, and he very well could have been wearing his poker face all along.
Just like Eli pointed out when speaking of Ivy’s father, everyone in their business – at least at a certain level – knew who the brothers were, including Eli. He knew what they did and what they were capable of. If he’d been studying them long enough, he knew exactly how to play them and get away with it for a short time at least. The brothers weren’t to be outplayed, but that didn’t mean this guy couldn’t be a perfect distraction.
Taking a lesson from Declan, Dace weighed a devil's advocate scenario. If Eli was behind any of it, why would he show up there? The brothers were the last people someone like him would drop in on – it was certain suicide, if guilty. Unless what he was there for was worth more than his life and worth dying for.
Ivy…
Eli was smart, well trained, and still mysterious as fuck. He’d know how much time he had before it was all pieced together because he was right in the center of it all. They were handing him his timeline and warning shots. He’d know when the time was up and when to bail.
But then Dace couldn’t help but circle back to the idea that he was there to help. Not help the brothers, but help Ivy because he couldn’t do it alone. He’d said that more than once since his arrival. He was there to help – help himself to Ivy, maybe. Eli had admitting to loving her, after all. It didn’t matter that her love for him was of a different nature. Though Ivy seemed happy beyond words to see Eli again, Dace couldn’t forget that it could have been because she’d thought he was dead.
Eli knew an awful lot about Ivy and Cash. He wasn’t just a bodyguard. He was like family to them. Maybe Ivy and Eli were passionate at one time, but that didn’t seem to be the case any longer – at least not on her part because she was spending her nights with Dace as if no time had passed between them.
Dace wasn’t naïve enough to believe she’d been celibate all those years, and if he was the only warm body around, maybe it went there. Maybe the man was helping raise Dace’s son in his absence. Maybe Ivy and Eli were both guilty and working this thing together, and Cash was just a pawn to grab at Dace’s heartstrings. Master manipulation.
Dace knew he was full of shit, and this was his brother getting in his head. He didn’t believe the bullshit he was spinning anymore than he believed in Santa Clause. He’d keep tabs, figure out who Eli really was, where he’d been, how he fit into all this – again, friend or foe? If Eli was hiding something or knew more than he said, Dace would get so close to the guy he’d be the first to rip it out of him.
If he was behind it, they were right on his ass and about to reveal him. Dace made a mental note to keep tabs on him – have him tailed – and make sure he hadn’t trusted the wrong asshole.
Unaware of what he was interrupting, Dace went after Eli. “Cut the shit, Eli. Start talking.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Or we’ll have no choice but to turn you over to the feds,” Dace threatened.
“What are you doing, Dace?” Wylie asked.
Dace put up a hand to silence his brother.
“Fine, I’ll play.” Elis chuckled. “And what exactly are the feds charging me with?”