Page 87 of Locked and Loaded

Dragan leaned against the tent pole, arms crossed. "Lennox, why don’t you stick with the money side? Mick, you come at it from the people side, and hopefully we meet in the middle."

She looked up at him. "Is this why they want me dead? Because I can actually do something instead of just being a pawn?"

The question hung in the air. Dragan didn't flinch. "Probably. They knew the picture was out there. Your stolen cell phone isn’t a coincidence. Since you didn’t play ball with the reporter, it’s easier to eliminate you before you discovered what you had."

A strange sense of relief washed through her. It was twisted logic, but it made sense. She wasn't just some random victim caught in the crossfire. She was a threat. She'd been a threat this whole time and hadn't even known it.

"If they're that worried about it," she said, "then it must lead somewhere."

“And you and Mick are going to find out where.”

She looked at him and something shifted. The broad shoulders. The way he stood, coiled and watchful, even when he was trying to appear relaxed. The confidence that came from knowing exactly who he was and what he was capable of. She'd noticed all of it before, but now it hit differently. He wasn't just protecting her. He was betting on her.

It made him about ten times sexier. Which was inconvenient, given the circumstances.

"Okay," she said, pulling the tablet closer. "Let's find out who these people are. Mick, send me everything you've got on that Maltese firm, every trust they've registered in the last two years.”

“On it,” Mick said. “I’m on hold with a marine surveyor. I want to know what marina builds slips like that. Give me twenty minutes."

For the first time in weeks, the knot in her stomach loosened. She had a purpose now. A direction. Something she could actually do instead of sitting around waiting for news about Chloe, or chasing dangerous dead ends. The doubt was still there, the awful question that lived in the back of her mind… whether her sister was already dead or had she managed to survive somehow? But now she had something to push back against it. Action. Real action.

She was going to find the person who ran these auctions. And when she did, she was going to help Dragan burn their whole operation to the ground.

Mick's voice came through the speaker again. "Right then. Let me walk through what I've got so far, properly this time."

Lennox pulled up a blank document and cracked her knuckles.

"Start from the beginning," she said.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Dragan left Lennox working with Mick and went back to the business tent. He reached out to Armand and sent him the information they had. Maybe he could make some headway on the financials. He asked permission to share some Society business on the next call he was about to make, and Armand approved the request. Dragan sent a couple of texts, and when he got the affirmative, he made the video call.

“Mon ami,” Fontaine said as he puffed on a cigar.

“Hey, Dragan,” Logan said by way of greeting. “Mitch is here with me.”

“Hey, man,” Mitch called out.

Jameson Drake’s face appeared in another window on the call. He was dressed in a suit and was obviously sitting in a boardroom somewhere. “Maric,” he said. “Armand, nice to see you. Mitch, Logan.”

“I have some news. I’ve gotten Armand’s permission to share some things as well.” Dragan took a moment to organize his thoughts. Then he said, “First, let me catch you all up.” He proceeded to tell everyone about the search for Lennox and then Chloe and the continued search for whoever was trying to destroy the Lock and Key Society.

“I am truly sorry to hear all of this,” Drake said, glancing at his watch, “but I’m not sure what it all has to do with me.”

“The Global Climate Initiative Gala,” Dragan announced. “It’s the front for the next auction.”

Every party on the call went silent, stunned expressions all around.

“Are you sure?” Drake asked. “I’ve known Margot St. Clair for years.”

“Enzo Valardi just confirmed it to me,” Dragan responded.

Drake’s mouth firmed into a thin line.

“Lacy’s also known Margot for years. Are you sure she’s involved?” Logan asked.

Dragan gave a small shrug. “I have no idea if she’s involved, but I trust Valardi, and if he says the auction is being held under the cover of the event in Malta, then I believe him.”