Chapter Twenty #3
“Rex, old man,” he said, eyes bright with tears as he looked me up and down.
“Seeing you like this…well, dammit man, it’s a sight for sore eyes.
” He sniffed and stepped in close, hugging me hard as I patted him on the back.
When he pulled back, he was wiping away tears.
He cleared his throat and waved at the chair.
“Well, get back into the jolly thing and let me get you to the office. I believe the others have a surprise for you.”
I smiled and shifted my weight, lowering myself into the chair, not so gracefully. It was going to take time to get my legs back under me…so to speak.
We got to the office twenty minutes later. Seeing it from the seated perspective the wheelchair allowed was strange. It took longer than usual getting through security with the chair, and by the time I drove off the elevator, I was feeling excited as hell to see everyone.
Alain ran ahead of me and opened one of the heavy, glass doors for me to pass.
Bonita, the receptionist, got up and ran around the counter, bending over to give me a huge hug.
She was crying with joy by the time she finally turned me loose.
I smiled at her as she patted my hand. God, it felt good to be back.
As I made my way back to the bull pen, several agents stopped to shake my hand and wish me well.
Zipping around the corner, Patsy spotted me first. He leapt out of his chair and ran over.
“Rex!” He bent and hugged me hard as I hugged him back. When Nash decided it was his turn, I stopped him.
“Hang on. Jeeves! Where is my butler?” I called out.
Alain rolled his eyes but I grabbed the walker from him with a huge grin and got to my full height.
It took effort, but by the time I was standing, everyone else was out of their chairs, whistling, shouting, and hollering.
They took turns hugging me and clapping me on the back, starting with Nash.
When I’d finished greeting all the guys, they all started singing.
“For he’s a jolly good fellow! For he’s a jolly good fellow!
” The chorus filled the room, and it took me longer than it should have to notice their eyes were trained on something behind me.
I looked around to see what had their attention as Candy came into the room holding a massive cake.
He walked around me so that I didn’t have to sit back in the chair just yet.
Several candles were lit and the giant CONGRATULATIONS REX!
!! was written in scrawling cursive frosting. It was a sight to see.
He wore a wide grin, holding the cake up, so I didn’t have to bend very far. I held onto the walker with both hands, my legs trembling, doing a balancing act I still wasn’t entirely comfortable with. I bent as far as I dared and blew out the candles as everyone began patting me on the back.
“Shall we take this into the conference room?” Candy asked.
“Sure.” I dropped back into the chair with relief, making the transition look a little less ungainly each time. I wheeled myself into the conference room and the others followed, bending to hug me, and shake my hand.
“Welcome home, buddy. I’m happier than a pig in shit.”
I laughed as his Virginia twang—which hardly ever made an appearance—came out. “Thanks, boss.” I looked up as SAC Bradley came striding into the room with his hand outstretched. I shook it as he clapped me on the back, wearing a huge smile.
“Welcome back, Monroe!”
“Thanks, SAC.”
“I just want you to know how much you’ve been missed.
” When I opened my mouth to speak, he held up a hand.
“I also want you to know that even though you had a lot of sick days accumulated, the paperwork finally got sorted, and you’ll be backdated.
You won’t have to use them all up on your recovery.
And with the Bureau’s excellent health plan benefits to cover injuries on duty, all your time off is covered.
Take as much time as you need to recover.
We want you fighting fit when you return to work. ”
I shook his hand again. “Thank you, sir. I’ll do my damnedest to try, sir.” I glanced at Candy with a fond expression. “Candy—uh, Captain Sorensen—will no doubt put me through my paces.”
“You’d better believe it.” After Candy’s reassurance that he wouldn’t let me slack, SAC Bradley left the room, and I cut the cake, passing pieces around for everyone.
The guys launched into a retelling of each and every detail of the Op.
I explained the set-up Candy and Judy had arranged for me and how I’d watched the operation from the perspective of not only Candy’s helmet cam, but Mickey’s, Patsy’s, and Mars’.
“Watchin’ you guys work was fun as hell,” I told them.
When it settled down, Candy canted his head at the doorway.
“Let’s go back to my office to talk.” When I nodded, he looked at the others. “Don’t you guys have reports to write?”
There were many grumbles and a lot of laughter as the team made themselves scarce. I followed Candy back to his office, and he moved a couple of chairs out of the way so I could wheel right up to his desk. He sat in his chair and looked at me.
“I don’t know how long you plan on staying today, but if you have a few minutes, I wanted to give you the lowdown on what I’ve been able to learn since the Op last night.”
“That’s great, boss. Thanks.”
“I spoke to my counterpart down in Peru and it seems they cleaned out a hell of a nest of vipers down there. As we expected, by hitting both the distribution network here and their set-up down there with simultaneous strikes, we were able to pretty much devastate their whole operation.”
“That’s great news, boss.”
He nodded. “It is. “I also wanted to tell you that SAC Bradley got a call this morning from his counterpart on the DEA here in Los Angeles. I’m not sure if you know it, but ever since we caught Turley last year, they’ve been going through a purge of anyone they even suspected of questionable ties to the cartel. ”
I raised an eyebrow. “How’d they do that, boss?”
“With the help of Trevor Willis, the DEA agent who’d been undercover in the cartel for many years.”
“I thought we cleaned up all them snakes back then.”
He nodded. “We thought so, but then—and I haven’t even briefed the team on this yet—apparently, they found out another one of their agents had been talking to Luca Hernandez from the Los Lobos Cartel.”
“No shit,” I said, “the guy who was throwin’ the quinceanera for his daughter the day Mars killed Castillion?”
He nodded. “The very same. It turns out that Hernandez had been a paid informant for that questionable agent for a long time. The agent listed him under a totally different name, had been paying him an informant salary which most probably went into the agent’s own pocket.
He was also collecting tons of money from Hernandez to put a bug in his ear about DEA operations whenever he thought he could get away with not telling him the whole story.
He was basically another double agent, just like Turley was.
He didn’t want to get caught by the DEA the way Turley had, but once he learned of our Op last night, he went to his boss and confessed the whole thing. ”
“Why would he do that?” I asked. “Did he think he’d enjoy federal prison?”
Candy chuckled. “He cut a deal. He asked the DEA for protection from the cartel.”
I nodded. “Makes some sense considerin’ Los Lobos would’ve skinned him if they found out first.”
“Probably,” he said. “So anyway, he figured he might’ve been blown when we killed Castillion, and like you say, eventually would’ve been killed by Hernandez.”
“So, he just turned himself in?”
Candy nodded. “He fell on his sword and told the higher ups.”
“I guess he figured he’d rather do jail time in a U.S. Federal lockup facility than die at the hands of the cartel. Them cartel dudes can get pretty medieval when they find a rat.”
“That’s true. I’m really glad we didn’t bring the DEA in on our operation until after it was all said and done. Who knows what he would have spilled?”
“Nothin’ good.” He nodded. “So, seriously, do you think we’re done with this? I mean…” I hesitated for just a second. “Um, what’s gonna happen with the valets’ families now?”
He sat forward in his chair as a massive grin spread across his bearded face.
“I figured you’d want to know.” I nodded.
“We’re letting them return to their homes and businesses now that the danger from Aguilar and his distribution network has been neutralized.
The threat came from them, not Hernandez and Los Lobos. ”
I breathed a massive sigh of relief. “I’m so glad Cachi, his family, and all them others can go home now.”
“I am too.” He cocked his head to the side as he studied my face. “And just what are you going to do with all that time off now that you’re on the mend, Rex?”
I dragged my gaze away from him, looking down to my lap where I twisted my hands. When I looked up, he was watching me closely. “You think he’ll forgive me, Candy?”
“For sending him away and lying about how you really feel about him?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He smirked. “What do you think?”
“Uh…I don’t know. I was pretty shitty to him.”
“Yeah, well, since he constantly tells everyone on the team that he loves you, every time he calls to see how you’re doing, I think it’s a fair bet, he’ll accept your apology.”
I felt my eyes widen. “He-he’s been talkin’ to everyone?”
He nodded slowly. “He’s called every guy on the team at least once. And every time someone stops by to see how he’s doing or brings him groceries, he or his mama sends food back for you. So, I’d venture to guess, that means he forgives you.”
I shook my head as realization dawned on me. “The food the team kept bringin’ me at the hospital.”
He laughed. “What? You thought everything they brought to the hospital was cooked by the guys? Don’t be stupid. You’re the team cook. The rest of those guys can barely boil water.”
“Cachi sent it?”
He nodded. “Most of it, yeah, except for a few dishes they managed not to burn. He’s been cooking alongside his mama, just for you. Of course, we can’t discount the In-N-Out and other fast-food Mickey brought you. He knows you love it and needed a change of pace now and then.”
I shook my head. “Shit. I really was a total asshole to him…to you guys too, especially Alain since he was with me the most.”
Candy laughed. “You know everyone loves you like a brother and trust me when I say this, we all understand your predicament.” I nodded. “So, what are you going to do?”
“I guess I’m gonna go out there and thank all of ’em again for puttin’ up with my selfish, shitty ass, and then…yeah, then, I’m gonna ask ’em for one last favor.”
He stood up. “What’s that, Rex?”
“I’m gonna ask someone to drive me out to the safehouse to talk to Cachi.”
He grinned widely, coming around the desk, and holding out his hand. I took it. “That’s good, Rex. That’s really good.”