“As you keep telling me, amiga. I am not your friend, but I am not your enemy. Mi mama did not raise a stupid man who will go to war with a woman who is now in a position to take what I have built. Even if she would give it away because she says she is not interested.” The admission sounded so truthful it stunned her into silence. “You did not think I had the cojones to admit that. Now you know I tell the truth. I have given you the bullet that will kill me if you choose that.”

“I’m not your enemy, Hector, and you’ve helped me enough in the past with information that if you do go to war, it’ll never be with me unless you make a move on my family.” She looked at Remi as she said it and her old friend nodded. “The wolves at your door have nothing to do with me or mine.”

“I believe you, but I need you to tell me you will share with me what you find.”

“I’ll do that, if you make the same promise.”

“Perhaps we will never do business, but friendship might not be bad,” Hector said and laughed.

“Perhaps, and I’ll talk to you soon.” She hung up and sighed. “Just what I don’t need on top of everything else.”

“True, but I’m shocked to hell he admitted he’s in that bad a position,” Finley said. “I’d think a guy like Hector would rather cut his tongue out than verbalize a weakness.”

“He’s not lying. The destruction of everything he has will make it tough for him to keep his standing. We’re going on vacation, but you need to work on finding whoever this Jerome Rhodes is,” she said, standing. “Ask Merrick for some help and maybe you two can make headway on him and the Kennison family. All these damn unknowns are driving me batty.”

“I’ve found all there is to find on these people. They’re not real and the trail ends when the people you know as Drew and Taylor Kennison came into being,” Finley said. “The only thing I have to wonder is if this has anything to do with Nicola.”

“The Kennison duo arrived before you and Nicola’s parents did,” Katlin said. “This has your guys in the feds written all over it.”

“I’m not with the feds any longer, cousin, so cut me some slack. We should get some answers after last night sooner or later, but we might not have that kind of time. The only way to know for sure right now is if I ask my old boss, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not.”