Chapter Nineteen
NINETEEN
ETHAN
Five Days Ago
“You’re doing the right thing, Son,” my dad says to me. “I’m proud of you.”
We’re sitting in the office of the U.S. Attorney, waiting to be told what the next step is.
When I told my dad about Logan and Felix, expecting him to tell me to kill them both, he shocked the hell out of me when he said he thought I should go to the police.
I realized he really was changing for my mom, to be a better man for her, and I knew I wanted to do the same thing for Nevaeh.
And so I did what he suggested and went to the police.
Turns out the U.S. Attorney’s office was already building a case against Felix and while they were close to putting him away, they weren’t close enough—which was why he was still out there, sliding under the radar by having assholes like Logan doing his dirty work for him.
After meeting with the U.S. Attorney, a plan was formed, which would take down not only Felix, but Logan as well—ensuring Nevaeh would be safe.
Over the next month, I focused on Nevaeh during the day, and at night, when I wasn’t working with the U.S.
Attorney to take Logan and Felix down, I was working on legalizing my business, including nixing the illegal gambling and underground fighting.
It would mean taking a huge cut in profit, but with all the investments I’ve made over the years, I would be okay, and Nevaeh and I would still be able to live a more than comfortable life.
My dad was in the same boat as me. He made deals with men who were interested in taking over his various operations, and when we were both done, what was left were several clubs and hotels and casinos that we would make sure remained successful—legally.
In exchange for working with the U.S. Attorney, he agreed to grant my father and me immunity.
Turns out, while we might’ve had the local police in our pocket, the big dogs were slowly building a case on us.
The U.S. Attorney shared that through their investigation of Logan, they became more than aware of our years of illegal activity.
Maybe not right away, but eventually they would’ve taken us down.
Before I agreed to work with them, I required his promise in writing, and he came through.
“Mr. Romero,” U.S. Attorney, Dan Wade, says, sauntering through the door and shaking my hand. “Are you ready to bring these pieces of shit down?”
While my dad goes home to make sure my mom and Nevaeh are safe, I spend the next several days going over the plan with the FBI.
Bottom line, I needed to make Logan believe I was going to agree to sell Nevaeh.
They had received intel he was holding several women for Felix and the transfer was going down in a few nights.
All they needed was for me to get verbal confirmation and to lead them to where they were holding the women, so the arrests could be made.
Because Logan was desperate for Nevaeh, and not the sharpest tool in the shed, he agreed all too easily. When I showed up—with an FBI agent who was disguised to look like Nevaeh—they were right. Logan was there with Felix and the women they were preparing to ship overseas to sell.
Logan yelled and screamed, pissed I threw him under the bus, while Felix kept his mouth shut.
He was a skinny Hispanic man in his forties, and I would always remember the amused look on his face when he locked eyes with me and winked.
At the time I chalked it up to him being in denial, being cocky.
I was too stuck on Nevaeh being safe to think about it any deeper than that.
I believed the U.S. Attorney when he told me he had it in the bag.
I would later find out, though, that bag he was holding, had a huge hole in the bottom.