All the information Ari relayed churned through my brain. I tried to put the pieces together as she got dressed so we could find answers.

Her ex-boyfriend was a top cartel member, and even though I told her there couldn’t be any connection, something was eating at me. Maybe there was. It was possible.

They’d been working their way into New Orleans for years, and the fact that they’d latched onto her was too convenient. If there was one thing I’d learned from all my years on the force, it was that coincidences did happen. You could go looking for meaning and connections, and all you’d find was lack of causation. Just because A and B happened around the same time didn’t mean they had jack shit to do with each other.

I wasn’t going to drop the possibility until I had more information, though.

But the last thing I wanted was Ari thinking there was a connection between her and what had happened to my dad. Those events were set into motion years before she’d ever met this guy.

Years before I knew the cartel was in New Orleans. Years before I had any power to stop it.

A little of my guilt evaporated with those realizations. My dad had hidden it from us all, had covered his tracks well. He didn’t want me to know there was anything going on, and he’d done a damn good job of it. If he’d been getting paid, I had no idea what he did with the money. My parents hadn’t lived a flashy life. The occasional new car and vacation was it.

I’d tried to talk Ari into staying in the safe room, but she refused. As much as I wanted to lock her inside until I had an answer about Carver, I couldn’t. I would never try to put her in a box and expect her to stay there. Ari was her own boss and would always make her own choices.

Which was why she followed me out to my Jeep, and I unearthed the crime-scene kit I rarely ever took out. I’d used it a few times for my PI cases. Fingerprint powder was messy and old-school, but it worked.

Carver had finished washing the car and had his gun apart for cleaning on the coffee table in the garage lounge area. Obviously, the guy was bored out of his mind, which worked out perfectly for me.

I pulled my pistol and turned it on him. No point in being subtle.

“What the fuck?” His expression darkened and he reached for his empty holster.

“You know about the guy who was here earlier? The one who threatened to kill Ari?”

His eyes widened, shooting from me to Ari as she stood behind me, my backup pistol held loosely in her hand. “No. What the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me? Scream for help?”

“I did yell, but the boat driving away drowned it out,” she replied.

“But—”

I interrupted because we didn’t have time for the question-and-answer game. “Security footage is missing for that span of time, Carver, and from what I understand from the boss here, this is a closed system, which means you could’ve been the one to erase it.”

His eyes got even bigger. “I didn’t do shit. I swear it.”

I lifted my shoulder, and his gaze shifted to the bag. “That’s what we’re going to find out when we fingerprint the keyboard.”

“But my hands have been all over it. That’s not going to tell you anything.”

Ari finally cut in. “Actually, that’s where you’re wrong. The series of commands necessary to disable the system or delete footage requires keys you have no reason to use under other circumstances.”

Carver sat back on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s so damn comforting.”

“It should be, because we might be able to exonerate you without any issue. All you gotta do is sit here and not move while I check. Ari will keep you company.” I looked at Ari, who hadn’t lifted her gun, but I felt confident she would if it were necessary. “Shoot him if he moves.”

She nodded solemnly, and I glanced back to Carver. “She might not aim to kill, but she’ll wound. Her dad and brother taught her how to handle a gun, and she’s a damn good shot.”

“Then do your thing. I’ll wait for your apology when you’re done.”

“We’re just taking the only precautions that make sense, Carver. It’s not personal,” Ari said, her voice cool, calm, and collected. Yeah, my girl was a badass.

I pressed my lips to her temple. “You good?”

She nodded. “Yep. Do your thing. Remember what I told you.”

I turned my back and headed to the security terminal with my kit. Ari had pulled a printout of Carver’s file she’d been given when she hired him, and now we were hopefully going to use it to rule him out.

Ten minutes later, I had my answer.

“So?” Carver asked as I walked back toward them.

“You’re right—your fingerprints are all over that keyboard.” Ari shot me a look, so I spared them the dramatic pauses. “But F1 and F10, along with a whole hell of a lot of other keys, were smudged like someone used the keyboard with gloves on. Now, I’m not saying you didn’t do that, but I’ll give you ten seconds to explain why you weren’t watching the cameras when she was out in the open.”

Carver tilted his head back, his eyes going to the ceiling for a beat before looking back at me and Ari. “Because I felt like a perv, okay? My job is to keep her safe, not stare at her while she sunbathes. The pool is fenced, and so are the outer edges of the property. I figured it was safe to give her an hour of privacy instead of feeling like a creep.”

“Where were you?”

“Walking the front perimeter.” He paused and added, “On the phone with my mom. I don’t expect you to take her word for it or mine, but you can ask her.”

Ari lowered the gun. “I believe him.”

I did too, but I was still calling his mom and checking his phone records. It took five minutes to prove that he was telling the truth. When I hung up with his mom, we told him what was going on.

His first reaction? Anger. “FuckJesus fuckJesusFuck,” he shouted. “How can I protect her if she doesn’t tell me what the hell is going on? I’ve never let a threat get near a subject. Ever.”

“First, don’t talk about me like I’m not here. Second . . .” Ari paused and flipped up her middle finger as number two. “I made a calculated decision to determine whether you were involved before informing you. Given the nature of the threat, it was the intelligent choice, regardless of what you have to say about it. I’m the boss. You work for me.”

I couldn’t argue with her. It was the truth.

Carver finally nodded. “Fine, but I need to make a report to the agency.”

“No, this goes nowhere. Not yet. Call them and get files on more guys so we can bring in more help. Only people you know and trust. We’ll have them vetted ourselves as well, but you say nothing else.”

Carver looked like he wanted to argue, but I didn’t care.

“You got a problem with that?”

“No. No problem. I’ll tell them the threat level has increased and additional security is needed. No one will question it.”

“Good.” Then I looked at Ari. “Now we have to tell your brother.”