“Ah yes.”

“Got food for you and a note that I put inside the bag.” He set it down on the desk and Julie could see it came from the Mexican restaurant she and Luke had been headed for when she’d left. “Paid in advance including the tip.” He waved and backed away. “Gotta run. More stops.” He took off for the hallways.

Julie’s stomach and her nose applauded the wonderful smells coming from the bag and she quickly went to find the note.

I planned to eat this with you, but Blake called and has something he wants me to see regarding that situation we discussed. I’m not calling because I’m going to pick you up from work and if I call you can tell me not to.

Luke

PS Lock the lobby door.

Julie leaned on the desk. Luke hadn’t let her walk away.

Chapter Thirteen

Leaving Julie when there was so much tension between them was killing Luke, but keeping her safe had to come first. Twenty minutes after sending her the lunch order and note, Luke sat behind his desk on his computer at Walker Security, waiting for Blake to arrive and trying to figure out how Elizabeth Moore’s sister had gotten his phone number. And there it was. A proposal Royce had submitted for several charity events involving Elizabeth Moore that included Luke’s phone number. That was how the sister had gotten his number. She must have Elizabeth’s computer or charity documents. Nothing overtly sinister and he hoped like hell that was the case all together. After reading the journal, he wasn’t so sure.

Blake walked through the front door from the street, with two men on his heels, both stiff, in slacks and button downs, with faces made from stone. Cops or some type of law enforcement, Luke decided instantly. He didn’t get up. It wasn’t that he didn’t respect those who protected the innocent. He’d simply been around the track enough times to know everyone who was supposed to be a good guy wasn’t, and many who were still pulled the power play every chance they could find.

“This is Brian Murphy,” Blake said, indicating the stocky black man who stood at his right shoulder. “He’s ATF and he saved my ass a time or two.”

Murphy won Luke’s immediate attention and his respect. Luke dropped his feet to the floor and pushed to his feet.

Murphy, who looked at least ten years older than Blake, laughed low and hearty as he extended his hand to Luke across the desk. “Yeah, the kid was wild, but he kept things interesting. We miss him.”

Luke rounded the desk, accepting Murphy’s hand. “He’s still wild, trust me. He doesn’t seem to understand that red sports cars, motorcycles, and women by the bucket come with some downsides, like danger.”

Murphy chuckled and ran his fingers over his chin. “I think that might be exactly what he likes about those things.” He indicated the tall man standing next to him with sandy brown hair and closely set untrusting eyes. “This guy here is Tom Hendrix.”

“DEA,” Blake said, “and I haven’t worked with him but he’s on a task force with Brian that you’ll find interesting.”

Luke gave the man a quick once over and a nod, crossing his arms without an offer of his hand. Hendrix wasn’t eager to offer his hand either. Luke didn’t like him, but that didn’t mean the man wasn’t good at his job.

“Ex-SEAL, I hear?” Hendrix asked.

“That’s right,” Luke said, and then motioned to a few chairs. “Why don’t we sit and you can fill me in on this task force.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Blake said, claiming a chair. Murphy sat down next to him. Hendrix leaned on the desk across from Luke. Luke stayed as he was, arms still crossed, legs in a V.

Blake pressed the conversation onward. ”I used some connections to check out the names in the journal you were given. Dragonfly pulled up nothing, but Paul Arel gave me a hard agency hit.”

Luke arched a brow. “I’m listening.”

“He’s a French-Canadian Citizen who owns a jewelry store he uses as his excuse for travel,” Murphy said. “He’s also the leader of a cartel that is a little too good at the money laundering used to hide their drug and weapons operations. We haven’t been able to nail them.”

“We need to have enough hard evidence to take him down and keep him down,” Hendrix said. “And it sounds like this Ms. Harrison has a way in through the doors we need open.”

Luke didn’t like the sound of this. “How exactly is that? She’s got a journal with names. Nothing more.”

“Arel is a big art fanatic,” Hendrix said. “Not only is he suspected of having some highly-sought stolen pieces in his personal collection, but he buys expensive, even rare art, with illegal money, and then transports it across international lines.”

“Then resells it here on this side of the border for the cash,” Blake added. “The illegal money becomes perfectly legal.”

“And the connection Julie has is Judge Moore,” Luke said, thinking there was no way he was letting Julie snoop around for these guys.

“That’s right,” Hendrix said. “And as of this morning, Ms. Harrison agreed to take over a charity event that Judge Moore’s wife was supposed to host tomorrow night.

Luke didn’t let his surprise show, but damn it, he’d told her to stay away from Moore. “And you know this how?”

“We have the judge well monitored,” Hendrix said.

As in wire taps, Luke assumed. “She’s not playing bait or even snitch, so don’t ask.”