His Secret Past by Katie Reus Page A

old school. He’d kept hard copies of everything, and all his blackmail of Davis and Foster had been under a tight lock and key.
    Her frown deepened. “Couldn’t they just say they were working undercover?”
    Hunter snorted. “No. Years ago, they dealt directly with Juan Calero off the books. Back then Calero didn’t have as much protection, and since he wasn’t head of the cartel at that time, he wasn’t a big threat to them.”
    “So what happened?”
    “Calero killed his uncle and took over the territory in Northern Colombia and all of Panama. When that happened, everything changed. He stopped dealing with anyone working for the CIA because he figured he didn’t need their contacts anymore. And he was right.”
    “I still don’t understand.”
    “Calero wasn’t stupid. Killing his uncle wasn’t something he decided to do overnight. He knew when he took power that his list of enemies would triple. So back when he was just a lackey for his uncle, he collected anything and everything on all the dirty agents he’d secretly worked with.” Hunter had to give it to the guy—he’d been savvy. The few dirty CIA agents had given Calero overseas contacts and private intel on dealings of other cartels. In exchange, Calero had lined their pockets with cold, hard cash. It had been a brilliant move on Calero’s part. When he hadn’t needed them anymore, he’d cut them loose, and as security, he’d made sure he had all the blackmail he’d ever need on the dirty agents. His uncle and everyone else had underestimated him until the day he’d taken control of the cartel.
    Alexis’s expression was thoughtful as she digested his words. “Davis and Foster can’t be the only two agents, though, right?”
    He half-smiled and nodded. “You’re right about that. There were a total of five men he blackmailed, but the other three are dead.”
    She bit her bottom lip, obviously wanting to say something else.
    “What is it?” he pushed.
    “Did you kill them?”
    His eyes narrowed a fraction but he couldn’t blame her for asking. “No. All their deaths were work-related.”
    “Okay, how exactly did you get the information Davis needed from Calero then? You said Davis blackmailed you into working for him, so how’d you get it?”
    He’d been expecting this question. Actually answering was harder than he imagined. “I took it.”
    “Care to be a little clearer?”
    “Are you sure you want to hear this, Alexis?”
    She nodded.
    He schooled his features and prepared himself for her reaction. “I saw an opportunity and knew if I didn’t take it, I might never have another chance.”
    “Are you being intentionally difficult? What happened ?” She gritted her teeth.
    “It took six years to gain access to Calero’s very private estate, and once I had it, I didn’t waste the opportunity. Once inside, breaching his security was easy enough but getting out was almost impossible. I had to kill him during my escape, Alexis.” Hell, he’d had to kill a lot of Calero’s men during that escape. “And even if I hadn’t had to, I’d have done it anyway. You don’t steal from Calero and live. I would have been hunted the rest of my life.”
    Her pale eyes widened, but she wasn’t truly surprised. He could see it clearly. She’d been expecting his answer. He wasn’t sure what to make of that. She expected him to be a killer. For once, he was unable to hold her stare. He shifted his entire body away from her.
    He was surprised when he felt her hand settle on his forearm. His muscles clenched under her touch but he didn’t pull away. He knew he should. Letting her touch him was another thing he could add to his list of stupid ideas, but he savored the small contact.
    “I don’t judge you for what you did, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Her voice washed over him like a soothing balm.
    “You should. I’ve killed a lot more men than just him,” he muttered, willing her to hate him.
    In response she