Chapter 22
Cross limped across the length of the office. What the hell was taking so long? “Shouldn’t Rodriguez have been somewhere by now?”
Tessa gave a small shrug, but there was a spark of worry in her eyes. If this fell apart and Drew got hurt or worse, there would be hell to pay, and Tessa would be the one paying it. Not that he would hurt Dane’s little sister…
“Be patient. He’s not gonna go in guns blazing,” McGuire pointed out.
“He’s going to be cautious. He’s already been burned.
Tessa stole the drugs and got away. He didn’t manage to take you in either.
The cartel is breathing down his neck. If he doesn’t get this right, he’s a dead man and he knows it. ”
Stone leaned against the window with his arms crossed over his chest. “Maybe we should check in with everyone…just to be sure.”
“Good idea,” Tess commented as she picked up a phone and called Billy and Wallace. “Anything?” she asked when Billy answered.
“You’re on speaker and no. Nothing yet. It’s quiet.”
“Is it quiet or too quiet?” Cross asked. He knew Billy well enough that the other man would understand what he meant.
Billy was silent for a second. “It’s just regular quiet.
If Rodriguez was coming, he might be here by now, but if it’s gonna be the ATF, I’d say they need another ten minutes or so to be fully ready and get here for a midnight exchange.
You know how long it takes them to get their shit together for an op like this. ”
Cross glanced at his watch. It was ten forty-five. Billy was not wrong. As a former SWAT guy, he knew the inside track on this type of thing just as well as Cross did. “We’ll leave the line open. Let us know if anyone shows up.”
Tessa picked up the next phone and keyed in a number. Riven answered on the first ring, “Hello?”
“You see anything yet?” Tessa asked.
Frankie responded. “Nope. Nothing. It’s quiet. Sorry, we’ve got you on speaker.”
Cross’s gut churned. They needed something to break their way.
“Wait,” Riven said. “I think…” her voice trailed off.
McGuire waited a beat, and then he said, “You think what?”
“I thought I saw a guy on a rooftop. Wait. There he is again.”
“What does he look like?” Cross asked as he came to a stop next to the desk.
“He’s in full tactical gear. It’s definitely ATF,” Frankie responded. “See? There’s another one.”
“We can’t see, Frankie,” Stone said in a calm voice.
“Shit, sorry. There’s another guy on the roof across the street, and a homeless guy suddenly appeared on the corner.”
Cross checked with Stone and McGuire, each man nodding slightly. “Okay, ladies, pack it in.”
“Do you want us to come back there?” Riven asked.
“No,” McGuire cut in. “It’s going to be a fire fight and I don’t want you caught up in the middle of it.”
“But maybe we can help,” Frankie cut in.
Stone said. “McGuire’s right. You two need to be clear.”
Riven mumbled something but then said, “Where do you want us to go?”
Cross leaned over and put the phone on mute. “Billy, where can the ladies wait until all this is over?”
“There’s a diner not too far from there.” He supplied the address. “It’s an all-night place. Tell them to talk to Marissa, the waitress. Tell her they know me and are waiting for me. She’ll take care of them.”
Cross relayed the message to Riven and then killed the call.
Billy was still on an open line. “Call Patch,” he directed Tessa.
What he didn’t say was that they were coming up against Tessa’s deadline.
She had to call Rodriguez by eleven so he didn’t think something was up.
Cross didn’t want her to make the call until they knew who the dirty ATF agent was, just in case Rodriguez used him and his crew as backup.
Tessa followed Cross’s order, and Patch’s voice filled the space. “Nothing so far.”
Cross wanted to slam his fist into one of the nearby crates. The stress of waiting was getting to him. He laced his fingers together behind his head and blew out a long breath.
“Did anyone else report anything?” Savvy asked.
“Yeah,” Tessa said, filling them in on Riven and Frankie’s situation.
“So it’s either us or Billy and Wallace,” Patch confirmed.
Tessa wrapped her arms around her waist. “We’ll keep both lines open. Yell out if you see anything.”
“Will do,” Patch confirmed.
Tessa glanced at her watch. “It’s eleven. What do you want me to do?”
McGuire glanced at Cross but said, “Just wait a couple more minutes. I don’t want Rodriguez to change his mind and decide to wait for the official exchange without us knowing who the crooked cop is. We need to make sure he’s taken off the board before anything goes down.”
Cross agreed wholeheartedly, but he also knew they may not have the luxury of time in this circumstance.
Drew might not have much time. That’s what he was thinking, but he didn’t have the heart to say it out loud.
He was suddenly very superstitious. Like if he said the words out loud, that might make it come true.
He swallowed and ran his hands down his face.
“Billy, you got anything?” Stone asked.
“Nada.”
“What about you, Patch? Anything?” McGuire asked.
“Nope. Nothing doin’ over here.”
“Shit,” Cross mumbled. “What do we do?” He glanced at his watch…it was already five after. They had to make the call, and soon, or Rodriguez would know something was up. The room stayed quiet, but Tessa studied him. Finally, he nodded at her. “Make the call. We don’t have a choice.”
Tessa nodded and then called Rodriguez.
“Hola, puta. Where is my shipment?” Rodriguez’s voice filled the office.
“Hello, asshole,” Tessa responded. Then she rattled off the address of the warehouse they were standing in. “One hour. Don’t be late.” She quickly disconnected the call.
McGuire took up pacing from Cross. “We might have to rethink things. Billy and Wallace might need to come back here to help us if we don’t know which cop is dirty. The last thing we need is Rodriguez showing up with his guys, the cartel goons, and a bunch of bent ATF agents.”
“You really think they might come to the exchange with Rodriguez?” Stone asked.
Cross shrugged. “Tessa, you know him best…What do you think?”
Tessa bit her lip. “I’d say…it’s a possibility. Rodriguez does not want to be out-gunned and the cartel guys are not his muscle. If he brings his bent AFT guy or guys, then it’s more firepower for his side.”
Cross bit back an oath. He couldn’t stand this much longer.
Drew was out there, and he needed to get her back.
Hell, he’d wanted to go get her from wherever Rodriguez was holding her, but the guys had quickly disabused him of that idea, citing the fact that they had no way of knowing for sure where Drew was being held and they didn’t have the manpower to find out in time.
“Anything?” he finally growled loudly enough for both groups to hear him through the phones.
“Nah, I got noth— Hold,” Billy directed. “I’ve got movement.”
Savvy said, “We got nothing. Just some overweight white guy walking around like he’s lost.”
“Wait,” Tessa said as she straightened. “Describe the guy, Savvy.”
“He’s just an overweight white guy. Average in every way. I’ll send you a pic.”
Patch added. “He is definitely not muscle, cartel or otherwise.”
Tessa picked up her phone when it chimed at the arrival of the text. She opened it, and a grin split her face. “That’s Rodriguez’s cousin, Dunlop. Rodriguez must be using him to check the situation. He doesn’t want to walk into a trap, and his cousin is expendable.”
Billy came back on the line. “There’s movement over here, but we can’t tell who it is at this point. Give us a few.” There was silence and then, “I sent you a picture.”
Tessa picked up her phone and grunted. Then she crossed to the far side of the office to make the call.
“Sanchez? Yeah, he showed up. It’s Craig Winslow.
” She was silent for a second. “Set a perimeter a few blocks away. We need to let them get in here and make sure Drew is safe before anyone moves in.”
“They’re picking Dunlop up,” Patch said. “Black SUV. They must have figured it was a setup. We’re heading back to you.”
“Okay,” McGuire said and then killed the call. He went back to Billy. “Are you and Wallace up for taking on Rodriguez with us?”
“Absolutely. We’re on our way.”
Cross turned to Tessa. “He’s gonna call. You need to get off the phone.”
She nodded. “I’ve gotta go. Rodriguez knows it was a setup, and he’s gonna be pissed. I’ll call before he arrives and we’ll work out the details.” She hung up the phone, and it instantly rang again. She immediately answered it and put it on speaker.
Rodriguez was cursing in several different languages. “You puta. You bitch!”
“Did you think I didn’t know you had people on the inside? What? You think I’m stupid?” Tessa goaded him.
“I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna slit your throat!” Rodriguez was screaming into the phone.
“Calm down, mejo,” Tessa said in a smooth voice. “I’m not gonna let you get the drop on me, but I am gonna do a deal with you. I want Drew and I want two hundred and fifty K. We’ll do the exchange exactly where I told you.”
Cross stared at Tessa. What the hell was this? They hadn’t discussed this at all. She was playing fast and loose with Drew’s life, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Money! You think I’m gonna pay you for my own shipment?” Rodriguez demanded.
Tessa’s voice went cold. “You don’t have a choice.
You bring me Drew so the assholes get off my back, and you bring me two hundred and fifty K so I can disappear, and the shipment is yours.
You need to get the cartel off your back.
This is your only play. Drew and the money.
See you in forty-five minutes.” Tessa hung up.
“We didn’t talk about money,” Cross growled.
“No, but Rodriguez has to think I’m a bent agent if this is going to work.
Why the hell would he come to the exchange if he even remotely thought I was still tight with my bosses at the ATF?
It would be suicide. Two things Rodriguez doesn’t want the most?
He does not want to get dead, and he does not want to go to jail. The idea of it terrifies him.
“Besides, now he’s sure I’m a crooked cop, and he’s totally pissed, so he’s more likely to make mistakes.
It will gall him to no end that he has to pay for his own shipment.
His ego won’t be able to take it.” She shrugged.
“He keeps that amount or thereabouts in his office safe, so it’s no added stress to get the money. It’s a win-win for us.”
Cross stared at her for a moment. How can this have gone so far wrong? “You better pray you’re right because if Drew gets hurt, there’s gonna be hell to pay, and I’m just the man to dish it out.”