The Race: The Tale of Love and Betrayal

"I can't believe that scumbag Jonathan showed up unannounced. And he even had the audacity to steal from me! Unbelievable!" Patricia exclaimed, sitting with her siblings and Nicole in the gazebo outside, surrounded by a big, beautiful pond with different colored fish swimming around. It was the afternoon of the next day, and the group had gathered to discuss their plans.

"Well, what did you expect?" Nicole asked, sipping her juice. "A pig is a pig, and it will always behave like one, even if it wears cool clothes and appears charming. Anyway, you did a great job keeping your cool. He had no idea you were onto him. And we better keep it that way so things don't blow up in our faces. Jonathan is still involved with the big fish we want to catch, so if we're not careful, things could get out of hand."

"You should have seen his face when I sent him those messages. He looked pretty freaked out, like he had seen a ghost. It was hilarious," Alisha chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah! But I would have preferred catching him in action and giving him a blow to the face. But I guess your torture is way worse than a punch. That scumbag isn't going to get a good night's sleep for weeks," Zach said while throwing some fish food into the pond.

"That's because we need to keep him on edge. The more paranoid he gets, the more mistakes he'll make. And we need those mistakes to gather evidence against Ricardo," Patricia said.

"Yes, but let's be careful. We don't want to push him too far too soon. We need him to stay close but not too close. So make sure to give him the dose of torture one sip at a time. Whoever he's working for won't like the idea of their puppet being blackmailed by someone. Things could get out of control if they get involved," Nicole cautioned as she finished the last drops of her juice.

"I think it's brilliant. We keep him guessing, make him sweat a little. He deserves it for what he's done. We'll give him the final blow when the right time comes, and I'll enjoy it to the fullest," Alisha said with a smirk, her eyes lighting up with mischievous thoughts.

Zach chuckled. "Well, with you breathing down his neck, I can definitely see a sweet revenge victory." He moved away from the pond and asked, "So what's the plan now? What did that jerk Morales say? Is he going to help you get into the club?"

"Yes. He said he's going to speak to some friends and inform me about their decision. So right now, all we have to do is wait for his call," Patricia replied.

"Are you sure you can trust him? I know he likes you, but don't you think getting him involved will complicate things? What if he discovers you have hidden motives and decides to use it against us? What will we do?" Alisha asked.

"Don't worry, Alisha. Jethro won't suspect a thing. Besides, you said it yourself—Jethro likes Patricia, and we'll use that to our advantage and turn it into his weakness. He's our main card in this game, and we'll use him to gather all the evidence we need against both him and Montenegra. So when it comes to the blame game, he'll be the one taking the fall, not Patricia," Nicole said.

"But this is dangerous territory, so you guys better not get involved. Your mission is to keep an eye on Jonathan and report anything you find that could help us in our investigation. Got it?" Patricia said, looking at her two siblings.

Alisha and Zachariah grunted in agreement.

"Good. We need to finalize our strategy. Yesterday, I had an encounter with Agent Isaac Phillips. He's been following me and spying on me for a while, which complicates things because he knows I'm up to something and that I'm investigating Ricardo Montenegra," Patricia revealed.

"Well, that can't be good," Nicole said.

"Yes, it does complicate things. But Agent Phillips has been after Montenegra's illegal dealings for a long time. At first, I didn't want to involve him since the people we're going after know his identity and most likely want to get rid of him, which complicates things for us and could jeopardize the mission. But after thinking about it long and hard, I decided to bring him onboard. He's been hunting down these cartels for years, so he has the experience and connections we need to gather evidence to bring Ricardo Montenegra down," Patricia said.

"But are you sure, Patricia? You said it yourself—he could jeopardize this mission if we involve him. Don't you think it's risky? Besides, we don't know if he's not working for someone who might also be involved in Montenegra's shady dealings. Montenegra's network is big and includes those working in the government. So do you trust Agent Phillips enough to involve him in our plans?" Nicole reasoned.

Patricia pondered for a moment before saying, "I'll meet him at the old warehouse on 5th Street tonight at 10 PM. And yes, I trust him. He's been hunting down cartels for years. If anyone can help us bring Ricardo down, it's him."

"Okay, Patricia. If you think it's okay, then fine. I guess it will be helpful having a federal agent working with us. That will be a great advantage," Nicole said.

"But just don't get too close. Remember, we're doing this for Dad. We can't afford any distractions," Alisha said.

Patricia narrowed her eyes at Alisha's comment. Alisha shrugged and added, "You know what I mean..." with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Patricia sighed and shook her head.

"Don't worry, Sis. If he tries anything funny or turns out to be a traitor, we'll be right here, ready to back you up if anything goes wrong," Zach reassured.

"Thanks, guys. I couldn't do this without you. Let's stay focused and be careful," Patricia said as she stood up.

"She's not going to be alone tonight because her strong best friend will be by her side. And if anything goes wrong, I'll show Agent Phillips who he's messing with," Nicole said, standing beside Patricia.

"Okay, you two. But be careful... Alisha and I don't want to lose either of you. So please watch your backs, okay?" Zach said, standing in front of his sister and her best friend.

"Don't worry, Zach, we will," Patricia assured.

The family spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other's company and discussing plans to buy horses for the ranch and hire more personnel to help around.

...

Later that night, around 10 PM...

Patricia pulled up to the warehouse, her heart pounding with anticipation. She turned off the engine and waited inside the car with Nicole. She surveyed the area, looking for any sign of Isaac, but the surroundings were eerily quiet.

"So, we wait now? I thought your agent would have already been here by now, considering he's desperate to get on board," Nicole said, slumping into her seat with a sigh.

"Patience, Nicole. We're not here for a friendship reunion but for business. Classified business. I'm sure our dear agent is just being cautious," Patricia replied. "So let's be patient and wait."

"Well, if you say so," Nicole muttered.

After a few minutes of waiting, Patricia almost gave up, thinking that maybe Isaac couldn't make it after all. Then she saw a small light flashing inside the warehouse. It was barely noticeable, but when it was directed at her car from the window, she knew it must be Isaac signaling her to come inside.

"We should get inside now. I think our guest has arrived," Patricia said, starting to move out of the car.

"Well, it's about time!" Nicole exclaimed, and the two of them exited the car and headed into the warehouse.

Nicole was ready to scold Agent Phillips for making them wait, but as she opened her mouth to speak, her words got stuck in her throat. Her eyes landed on a very handsome man wearing a black leather jacket with dark jeans, golden brown hair, pink lips, a sharp nose, and the most captivating blue eyes she had ever seen. He was nonchalantly sitting on the window sill.

"Wow, is that...?" Nicole whispered, loud enough for Patricia to hear.

"Yes, it is," Patricia whispered back.

"Wow... now I get why you fell hard for him. That is what I call a man right there. Is he still single?" Nicole said in a low, coquettish tone.

Patricia gave her friend a look of disbelief, then shook her head and continued to approach Isaac.

"I thought we were having this meeting alone. Who's your friend?" Isaac asked.

"This is Nicole, my best friend and also my lawyer. She's helping me with my investigations," Patricia replied.

"So, you are Agent Phillips? Wow... I guess I have to say it's truly a pleasure to finally meet you," Nicole said, extending her hand for a handshake.

Isaac reluctantly accepted it. "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Nicole. I hope we will get along well."

"Don't worry, we will. As long as you don't turn out to be a traitor, otherwise..." Nicole exerted pressure on Isaac's hand, looked deep into his eyes, and continued in a low, firm voice, "It won't end well for you." Then she gave him a chilling smile.

Isaac gulped but appreciated that Patricia had someone looking out for her. He returned a smile to Nicole and said, "Then it's a good thing I'm not." He broke off the handshake and turned to Patricia. "So... here I am, Ms. Milton, as I promised. Now tell me, what can I do for you?" He moved towards Patricia and stood in front of her.

Patricia didn't reply but handed him a golden-colored hard drive. Isaac examined it for a moment and asked, "What is this?"

"Your first piece of evidence," Patricia replied.

"That hard drive contains evidence that Montenegra is using his illegal betting clubs and online platforms to steal money from people and their banks. Patricia and I were able to gather evidence that pinpointed some corporates involved in these shady activities. We've already listed them on the hard drive, so you can review them. But there's someone in particular we need your help with," Nicole said. She briefly looked at Patricia, who gave her a small nod before handing a folded document to Isaac.

When Isaac unfolded the document, his eyes widened in shock before returning to their normal demeanor. He looked at the two women and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Patricia and Nicole exchanged small, sinister smiles. Isaac watched them, thinking, 'What have I gotten myself into?'