Read Online Hidden Agenda by Lisa Harris - Free Book Online

wasn’t the only one who had questions. For instance, why had she been on the island?
    He shifted his weight, trying to ease the pain radiating through his rib cage. “I’ve been working under him. We met in Atlanta yesterday. He tried to warn me that my life was in danger.”
    â€œAnd you chose not to listen . . . why? Because clearly his warnings were right on target.” She stared at him with those piercing brown eyes as if trying to read his mind. “The thing is, I’m trying to decide why I should trust you. I don’t exactly like the thought of ending up like your friend.”
    â€œI suppose you need to trust me for the same reason I have to trust you.” Michael frowned, just as unhappy with the situation as she was. “Because we can now assume that Tomas knows you helped me escape, which means there are now men after both of us who want us dead. Like it or not, Olivia, we’re in this together.”
    Ivan slipped back into the front seat with a bunch of junk food from the vending machines. Olivia handed Michael two painkillers, a Coke, and an energy bar.
    â€œThanks,” he said.
    She nodded at him, ripped open a bag of Fritos, and reached for a chip.
    Michael popped the pills into his mouth, praying that they’d bring some relief. He was tired, physically and emotionally.The never-ending fight for justice wasn’t motivation enough anymore. He wanted out. Knew that once he walked away from this situation—if, in fact, he was able to walk away from it—he was going to walk away from all of it.
    Maybe he could take the heat off himself. “What about you? What brought you to Valez’s island?”
    â€œI’m not sure I’m ready to switch the subject so quickly.”
    Michael sighed. “Okay. What else do you want to know?”
    Ivan watched their conversation while Michael weighed his decision. According to Tomas, his cover was already blown, and with a probable contract out on his life, he didn’t have anywhere else to run.
    â€œWhat do you know about Antonio Valez?”
    â€œAuthorities suspect he’s not simply a wealthy businessman but involved in laundering money for the Cártel de Rey.”
    â€œAnd you? What do you believe?”
    Michael searched her guarded expression. She was fishing for something, but he wasn’t sure what yet. “I believe he’s far more than a money launderer. I think he’s the leader of the cartel. La Sombra.”
    Olivia shivered, a frown flitting across her face as she shot a glance at her brother. “The Shadow.”
    â€œYou’ve heard about him?”
    â€œMurder . . . kidnapping . . . torture . . . I’ve read he’s ruthless. That he kills migrant workers for refusing to become drug mules. Beheads his victims simply to make a point.”
    â€œThat’s a fair description.”
    â€œBut if that’s true, why would he be here, living in the States? I thought most cartel leaders tend to stay south of the border.”
    Michael took off the wrapper and bit into his energy bar. Fishing for information, but also informed? She’d been on the island. She had to have a connection to Valez, and he needed to know what it was.
    â€œThe border has become fluid,” Michael answered. “A few years ago, high-ranking members of these criminal organizations wouldn’t have chanced it, even with passports and visas. Now authorities are discovering more and more of them living right here in the US. A majority in south Texas, yes, but Valez discovered his piece of paradise along the coast of Georgia and doesn’t want to give it up. He found a way to rule his soldiers from there, taking trips as needed.”
    â€œSo if you go to the authorities, what happens?”
    â€œKendall warned me that another undercover cop was recently killed, and they believe it was organized by someone inside the