Arranged

Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

A lejandro

Presbyterian Hospital was a small, private facility located just outside Brooklyn. I found it easily enough, parking in a space in the back of the garage. I’d told no one where I was going, insisting Gio check on two of our locations prior to heading to the meeting. He’d been none too happy, his grumbling continuing as he’d driven away.

This was something I had to do on my own.

My weapon was concealed, but easily accessible. This could be a setup, luring me in for capture. I’d been careful, watching the building and anyone driving up to the facility for almost thirty minutes before pulling into the garage.

If there were agents, they were hiding better than they normally did. With no armed guards or any suspicious people lingering in the entrance, I headed for the elevators. Only to take a sharp detour and take the stairs instead.

As soon as I opened the door, I prepared myself for several federal agents. There were people in the corridor, but no one who I believed was there to apprehend me.

But I remained cautious as I approached the room.

When I walked inside, I was shocked to see the nurse hadn’t lied to me. Louis was still alive, although his arms, chest, and neck were covered in gauze. He’d obviously been in a fire or an explosion. I checked the tiny bathroom, finding no one.

I moved closer, peering down at him and shaking my head. He was hooked up to various machines, but seemed to be breathing normally.

After a few seconds, he seemed to sense my presence and opened his eyes.

“You came,” he said. His voice was scratchy, somewhat breathless, but stronger than I would have suspected.

“I figured I had no choice. I thought you were dead.”

“I’m sure I will be soon.”

“Who did this?”

“I don’t know for certain. I didn’t see their faces. There were three of them.” He took a gasping breath and I was certain he wasn’t going to make it through the night. “But I can guess.”

“Rogue agents.”

“Yes. Working with… someone. That’s what I was trying to discover. I think there are at least two more.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I’m no fool, Alejandro. I keep records.”

My ears perked up.

“What do you need to tell me other than that you set me up?”

“That wasn’t me. As soon as I found out about your sister, I contacted you. They wanted to lure you out.”

“That much I figured out already.”

“There’s more. You have…” He choked again and the machines responded, a beeping sound indicating a nurse would arrive shortly.

“What, Louis?”

“You have a leak.”

“In the DEA. You bet. A mile wide.”

“No, in your organization. I mean in the one you’re…” He closed his eyes, licking his lips slowly.

“That I’ve accepted as my own? Who is it?” At least we were getting somewhere.

“I don’t know, but this is bigger than both of us. Corruption.”

“Are you trying to tell me within the ranks of the DEA?” If he was attempting to tell me this went to the top, that was something new and very interesting.

“Yes.”

“These agents were afraid I’d expose them,” I mused. “So they did what they could to destroy all evidence I was undercover and working for the DEA.”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t I believe you? I think you did this.” A leak. A part of me wanted to be angry, but my instinct had been impossible to ignore as of late.

He stared at me with sad eyes. “I understand why you think that. They used you. I let them do it. I thought for the greater good, but I was wrong.”

“When did you suspect I was being used as a pawn?”

“Six, eight months ago.”

“Why didn’t you pull me out?”

His laugh was bitter and scratchy. “I tried. You said no. Remember? After that, I was barely kept in the loop.”

Louis was right about that. “Now what?”

“Like I said, I have evidence. At my house. You know where I live. There’s a shed out back. A floorboard under the potting bench. It will tell you everything you need to know.”

I took a deep breath. “That doesn’t change anything, Louis. I’m finished with the DEA.”

The man didn’t look surprised. “You found your place.”

“Yeah, I guess I did. I never really fit in with the DEA. How many times had I heard that? Too black and white. No gray. Maybe they were right. Now, I only see shades of black. I like it that way. You can keep your evidence.”

“They’re going to kill me, Jeff. They won’t stop there. They will use whatever method they can to destroy you. This is much bigger than either of us realized.”

“Let them try, Louis. I’m a different man than when I went undercover. I lost my conscience a long time ago. If they want to fuck with me, let the try. I don’t think they’ll like what they find.”

* * *

“I need you, Alejandro. Your expertise.”

Hearing the strange tone in Don Lupini’s voice forced my hackles to rise. “What happened?” He’d insisted he meet with me alone, keeping Drago, Gio, and the other four soldiers waiting in the sunroom. I wondered how long it would be until a fight broke out. There’d been tension the moment we’d walked in. And I’d yet to promote another warm body to the rank of Capo.

That would have been moving too fast.

Don Santorelli’s body was still at the morgue. I’d arrived to find Gio and Rocco waiting outside Lupini’s estate not so patiently. With Bronco still missing, I’d been forced to place my trust in a few others I knew would keep their mouths shut and remain armed at all times.

At least the men guarding my house were trustworthy.

I’d been invited to an obligatory late lunch, the lengthy timeframe meant as a get to know each other better session. Don Lupini had been searching for and trying to exploit any weaknesses.

I’d shown none. At least he hadn’t dared try to use his daughter and our marriage against me. Now I didn’t know what to expect.

He scratched his head, staring at me sheepishly. “A shipment is missing. I don’t think I need to tell you what that means.”

A shipment, which meant another cargo full of illegal weapons. “Warehouse or port this time?” He had a strong presence in the various ports, but I highly doubted someone would be brazen enough to attempt stealing off a heavily guarded cargo ship.

“Warehouse on seventy-third. It was a stopover location because I heard the DEA was sniffing around. The shipment was supposed to sail tonight. After what happened before, I took extra precautions. I have no clue how the fuckers found out.”

I bristled slightly, hearing his words. “One crate?”

“Four, but they had some very specialized weapons inside. Military grade explosives and missile launchers for a very special overseas client. From what I understand, you know your weapons, so I don’t need to tell you how much money is on the table. No sign of the fuckers who did this. Nothing. Not how they got in or how they managed to steal it from under my nose.”

I’d made a point early in my career to drop hints regarding my expertise in bombs. It must have been a selling point Don Santorelli had used. “I know my way around them, Don Lupini. You didn’t have any warning?”

“None, including the silent alarms didn’t go off. You also know security systems. Yes?”

I knew exactly what he was asking. He was certain one of his men had turned off the system and unlocked the door. I could likely detect if the system had been tampered with and if it had been done internally.

“Yeah, I do. Any suspects?” I asked and given we could see the sunroom from the man’s office, I glanced toward where Drago was standing.

He followed my trail and sucked in his breath. “You have men that you would trust with your life. Yes?”

“I do.”

“So do I. I’m confident you will continue the terms of the alliance as agreed upon by Luis, God rest his soul. What you won’t do is question my judgment with my men. In turn, I will honor you in that manner as well. Do we understand each other?”

While I did and knew it was a sore point, nothing had changed my mind about Drago.

I held up a single arm in surrender. “Understood.”

“Good. I don’t like what’s happening. It feels as if the ground is about to crack under our feet. I can’t be arrested and if this buy goes south, my reputation will be tarnished. That will invite another syndicate to roll in. We cannot allow that to happen.”

“Are there any other reasons to believe the DEA might be involved? Theft is generally frowned upon in their world.”

“My boy. You haven’t spent any time in prison. Have you?”

I had to laugh. “I fully admit I have not.”

“Good for you.” He clapped my arm. “That means you’re smarter than some of the Neanderthals who work for me.” His jovial grin faded. “Someone is out to get me in the same way as they attempted to do with Luis. Forgive me for saying this, but I don’t buy the fact the man had a heart attack. He was made of fucking steel.”

“Well, I’ve yet to hear anything different from the coroner. But I’ll have the woman search more carefully.”

“Good. In the meantime, we need to keep the sharks at bay. You will likely be seeing or hearing from the Russians. They’re already on the move.”

That much I’d gotten out of the search on the dark web. I was fascinated he’d already heard.

“Could they be behind the shipment theft?”

Don Lupini sucked in his breath. “Definitely. You’ll know. The fuckers are all carved with a symbol on their necks.”

“I’ll see what I can find. We need to maintain a strong show of power.”

“Yes, we do. The shipment will go out tonight as anticipated. Perhaps you can have some of your men at the port if for no other reason than to highlight our alliance. You know how news travels.”

He anticipated there being an issue, but was fearful of telling me.

“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I’ll head to the warehouse and see what I can find.”

“Why don’t you take Drago with you. He’s gruff around the edges until you weed through the armor. I heard you were a little like that yourself.”

I laughed. “News does travel fast. I’ll make a point of taking him with us.”

Don Lupini’s eyebrows shot up. “Why don’t you do this alone? Just the two of you.”

“Bad blood?”

“Let’s just say your instincts are correct. I wouldn’t want to put them in a locked room together. Only one would come out alive.”

* * *

Twilight was fast approaching. The day had turned out to be more of a shitshow than anything.

I continued to think about my visit with Louis. I wanted to feel for the man, but I didn’t. Maybe what I’d told him had been right. There was no sign of a conscience left. I would eventually search his shed for the information, but the possibility it was a trap was currently too high.

“I don’t know why the fuck I’m forced to take you under my wing.” Drago hadn’t spoken a word since we’d left Lupini’s estate.

“Because Don Lupini believes the sun rises and sets on your fat ass. However, I do not. In my mind, you could lose a little weight.”

I almost expected him to wreck the car he was driving out of anger. When he burst into laughter, I slowly turned my head, staring at him. He was driving a huge black Dodge Ram instead of some muscle car like I would have expected. While wearing a suit, he’d yanked off his jacket, pulling down his tie so he could unfasten the top button on his shirt.

He’d yanked at the tie more than once since we’d left.

“That’s what my girl keeps telling me, but I can’t stop eating her cooking.”

Hearing the change in his tone almost allowed me to smile. “There’s nothing wrong with a woman who can cook.”

“Right? I keep telling the Don that.” He chuckled again, his smile fading. “I don’t like you. You don’t like me. But apparently, we’re forced to work together.”

“Apparently, you’re right. I’ve heard you’re the best at what you do and I appreciate that.” While I understood the reasons the Don had asked me to help, the entire situation had my hackles raised. Almost as if the entire theft was a setup.

Without backup, I was taking a risk the opportunity would be too tempting to ignore, but I’d had Gio check with the cargo ship before speaking with Lupini’s men assigned to security for the night.

Besides, Don Lupini had asked for my full trust and I had to give it to him.

“I’ve heard you’re a narc and if that’s true, I will kill you myself.”

Proving my worth by using a heavy dose of testosterone irritated the hell out of me, but I’d learned it was often necessary. Especially in a pinch.

I grabbed his tie, wrapped the material around my fisted hand, and yanked. He almost wrecked the truck, fighting to maintain some sense of control as I twisted the tie until his face turned beet red.

“Fuck. Fuck!” He slammed his hand on the steering wheel.

“I don’t think I need to explain to a man in your position how insulting it is to be confused with some filthy, deceptive assholes who think their shit doesn’t stink. Now, I’ve had enough of your bullshit.”

He’d managed to slow the truck, narrowly avoiding causing a wreck. When he pulled over, I didn’t try to stop him. He finally took his hands off the wheel, gasping for breath, but relenting to my control.

“Fuck this shit.” I finally let him go, pushing him with enough force that he was pitched against the driver’s door.

I didn’t bother pulling a gun on him. Maybe it was my way of ensuring he knew I was disgusted. After coughing for a full minute, he cleared his throat. “While I was only half joking, I don’t like shitholes pretending like they’re better than everyone else.”

“Maybe we have something in common, Drago. Neither do I. So please, remove the goddamn tie. Wearing a suit isn’t in your best interest.”

He snorted and before he pulled back onto the road, he yanked it off, tossing it into the seats in the back.

“This could be a setup. I don’t like the odds.”

The look he threw me was knowing. “We’ll go in nice and slow.”

“You trust the men at the warehouse?”

He scratched his head. “Yes.”

“You mean mostly.”

“I trust them. What about your guys? Do you trust them?”

I sighed. “Mostly.”

“It’s good to be cautious.”

Yes, it was. When something looked too good to be true, it usually was. What my lovely bride had told me had stuck with me.

Something was off.

We both remained silent for a few minutes as he got back on the road, nearing the warehouse. I’d memorized the locations of Lupini’s warehouses and businesses. Another prudent activity handled prior to going undercover. At that point, it had appeared Lupini had been poised to take over Santorelli’s entire regime.

What a difference two years made.

“Heard you got a missing man,” Drago said.

“Unfortunately. He was a good soldier.”

“Bronco Teagan?”

I gave him a look. “Yes.”

“I went to school with his older brother. Bronco’s a good kid. Never should have gotten mixed up with this shit if you ask me. He was the smart one, but wanted to follow in his big brother’s footsteps. If the stupid shit had just stayed in school.”

A huge part of me was shocked hearing Drago’s testament. “Let’s hope he didn’t turn rogue.”

“No way, man. Not a single one. That kid is so fucking loyal that when his father was beating the fuck out of him, he believed he deserved it. I would have cut the fucker’s nuts off. Anyway, if something happened to Bronco, he’s not behind it.”

I kept staring at Drago, a strange sense pooling in my chest.

“He still driving that beat-up Torino? He was planning on fixing that piece of shit up for years.”

“He’s driving a souped-up old Blazer now. It’s his baby. There are pictures of an ocean scene on the back.”

Drago looked down. Only briefly, but I’d caught it.

“What?” I pressed.

“Black Blazer? Maybe from the eighties?”

“That’s the one.”

He slowed the truck and glanced into his rearview mirror. “Look, man. I know you don’t trust me, but right now, I need to check something out. Something I think you’re going to want to see. Fucking kill me later if you’re so inclined, but this needs to happen.”

“What is it?”

He didn’t wait for my full approval before spinning the wheel. “Maybe that’s something you can tell me.” With his foot on the accelerator, he weaved his way through traffic until he was headed to a shitty part of town in the Bronx.

“My girl lives out this way. I keep trying to get her to move in with me, but she calls herself an independent woman. Anyway, I go see her just about every day. Stay the night often. You notice things. You know? In our line of work, you gotta keep sharp. It’s the weird stuff that stands out I remember the most. I never forget anything either.” He tapped his forehead and threw another look into the rearview mirror.

That prompted me to slant my gaze toward the side mirror. He was anticipating being followed. “What do you think you saw?”

“Something that was very much out of place. And too fucking close to my girl’s place. I don’t like that shit. No one messes with my woman. You know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

He rolled around another corner and came to a screeching halt. “That’s my girl’s place over there.” Drago pointed out the windshield across the street to one of the nicer tiny homes on the street. “And that vehicle has been there for two days without moving.”

As soon as he nodded to my side of the vehicle, I turned my head. The house was obviously abandoned, but the vehicle pulled next to the side was an older black Blazer. And the decals couldn’t be mistaken.

With the weapon in my hand, I jumped out, scanning the street before heading toward the Blazer. Drago was right beside me. As soon as we neared, he turned and checked the area as I’d done before.

“I can ask around. People know me on this block. Pretty damn well.” Drago’s voice was low, but just as menacing as always.

I didn’t answer because in my gut, I knew I wouldn’t need to. While it didn’t appear there was anyone inside, I noticed a tarp over the cargo hold.

Keeping my gun pointed at the vehicle, I turned the handle on the back, not surprised in the least to find it unlocked. As soon as I lifted the hatch, the putrid stench hit us.

“Fuck me!” Drago hissed.

I jerked down the back and tugged on the tarp.

The kill hadn’t been pretty. Bronco’s neck had been sliced open, but the cut was wide and jagged. That meant there’d been a struggle.

I looked away briefly. “This was going to be used against you, Drago.”

“What the fuck?”

“To blame you for everything that’s been happening.”

Drago had an incredulous look on his face for a split second before narrowing his eyes. “I’ll kill the motherfucker.”

I studied the kid. His eyes were still open, rigor mortis already set in. There were other signs of a struggle, including some bruising to his face. Enough so the corresponding fist that hit him should have a few bruises of their own.

“I might allow you to help me do that.” A strange feeling washed over me as I thought about the last few days, including the weird occurrences. I fisted my hand around the weapon, trying to take a deep breath. “First. I need your help.”

“Doing what?”

“Taking out some trash.”

He didn’t have time to respond before we both heard the screech of tires. My instinct was working overtime.

“We got company,” I told him, both hands on my weapon.

“Then I guess we fight.”

The dark vehicle rolled in our direction. A slight flash drew my attention.

The windows were rolled down.

And they were heavily armed.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!