CHAPTER FIVE
Finally, a win. My last two weeks at the restaurant went smoothly, Mia didn’t give me any trouble—at least not any more than usual—I was able to install the software in the cartel’s program, and I was just a few days away from relocating to Holy Water and seeing my grandpa again.
To be honest, it wasn’t a win yet. But it also wasn’t a setback. That I counted as a win.
Mia and I were able to be civil. Mostly because we avoided each other. I wasn’t sold on her. And I wasn’t about to share my findings with her. So, when we parted ways at the motel we were staying, I waited for her to go into her room and left to meet my CI.
When Aaron arranged our first meet-up, he assured me the guy was solid. And so far, he seemed reliable. I was sure he had some military background, although I couldn’t tell what branch.
He and Aaron never told me why, but the man—whose name was never shared—seemed deeply invested in the investigation. I wasn’t sure what he did between our meetings, but I knew he was doing his own share of dig-up.
I couldn’t say we were friends, but I liked the guy enough to always worry if he would make it to our next reunion, and why he looked so painfully sad. I’ve been meaning to set up a meeting for days, but it was hard getting rid of the always-attentive Mia.
I arrived a few minutes early at our usual spot, and I didn’t have to wait for him for long. He opened the door, took a quick look around, then closed it behind him once he saw I was the only one inside. “Hey.”
“Hey. How have you been?”
He tightened his lips. “The usual. What about you? Any news? Did you reach the woman I told you about?”
“I managed to arrest her, but Aaron forced my hand into working with her. ”
“ What? ”
“I know, I’m not happy with it either.”
“Did you arrest her?”
His outburst seemed odd. “Well, yeah. Why are you so upset? You’re the one who told me she was involved.”
He ran his hands through his hair in distress. “She isn’t involved, she just knows a lot. I didn’t mean for you to arrest her; it was just to talk.” He paced around the small room in distress. “Aaron didn’t tell me about it. Is she okay? Did you hurt her?”
“Why would Aaron tell you anything? You’re my CI. And why the hell would I hurt her?” Did he really think I’d do something like that?
“Is. She. Fine?”
“ Yes ! She’s fine, she’s free, we’ve been working together, and she’s pissing me off.”
I didn’t miss the shadow of a fond smile right before he schooled his features. “Good, that’s good. She’s an asset, she knows a lot.”
“I wonder how,” I mumbled.
“What do you mean?”
I placed my hands on my hips and shook my head. “How come she knows so much? After all the great work she’s done, the DEA still deemed it necessary to have her fired. Isn’t that a red flag? A sign that she isn’t as trustworthy as everyone seems to think?”
“Or it’s a red flag that someone up in the agency doesn’t want her uncovering secrets, and it’d be safer for them to keep her away.”
That possibility struck me. I hadn’t thought of that. Was that the case? Was she in fact a good person? Or was she just too good at fooling everyone?
I shook my head again to leave the wondering for later. “Do you have anything new?”
He pulled out a file from inside his jacket. “A while ago, the guys and the woman from Bryants & Walker raided one of the cartel bases. Somehow, the members knew it’d happen. I still don’t know how. The Alacráns attacked, but the three from the Company managed to not only rescue the girls they were trafficking, but they brought in one of the members.”
“Yeah, Danny informed me about it right before they went in, but I was already undercover. Is there something wrong with it?”
He shook his head. “No. But one of the guys who attacked them is lurking around. Since Matias is dead—although they don’t know about it—that man seems to be taking up on Matias’ job. I’ve been following him and was able to take some photos.”
I picked up the file and pulled the photos. “That’s awesome. I’m going to run his face in the system to identify him and see what jumps up.” I checked my watch. “I better get going. Are you being safe? Is there anything you need?”
He looked down and shook his head. “I just need this to be over and back to normal.”
I scoffed. “And what is normal?”
He gave me a sad smile. “Be safe. And keep the woman safe. Things will be a lot easier for you if you learn to trust her.”
But trusting her was the hard part.