CHAPTER EIGHT
I was freaking livid.
We had an amazing opportunity to put a dent in the cartel’s operation, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it, because once again the agency was telling me “no.” And once again, it felt like someone high-ranked was working too hard to hide things.
I wanted to believe Ethan and Aaron’s team could do something good. They were trained, after all. But it didn’t sit right with me that Ben, Danny, and I were helping strategize an operation we weren’t a part of.
I was still fuming when Aaron and Ethan arrived at the operation house to meet us again. We were going over the assignment another time before they could head to their teams.
“As soon as we finish it, we’ll let you know,” Aaron tried to placate me. “I want you around for any interrogation.”
“You know this is messed up, right?”
He sighed. “I do, Mia. Believe me, I’m not happy either. But we need to treat it lightly. At least until I can talk the superiors into letting you and the company all in. I’ll fix this.”
I knew he was trying his best. It just didn’t make me feel better.
Aaron walked away to check the files again and talk to Benny and Danny about what they were coming up with. They were as frustrated as I was, but we were all sucking up. Being a mature adult sucked sometimes.
Ethan was putting on his apparel when he approached me. And just like that, I was annoyed. The man looked good in long sleeves, he was yummy with tattoos on display, I was just then realizing Phoenix was also hot in a Kevlar vest. Thank God he wasn’t wearing glasses.
“Any news?”
I shook my head. “Their operation is still scheduled. If you follow the time marks we set, you’ll be fine.” Seeing him and Aaron getting ready was pissing me off again. “I can’t believe I’m being left out like a newbie.”
He clicked his tongue. “I’m sorry.” I was about to feel fond of him when he added, “But you heard the man.” He raised his hand next to his head and slapped the wall. “If you’re not this tall, you can’t ride on the rollercoaster.”
I scrunched my nose up. “I hate that I loved that comeback.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll find lots of other troubles to get into.”
“I don’t look for trouble. It just…pops up in front of me.”
“I wonder why,” he mumbled.
“I’m actually looking forward to a quiet night. Do you think you could get me some of the songs the cartel is listening to before you go? You know, from the program you installed?”
He squinted his eyes. “Since when do you listen to their music?”
“Since I’m bored to death and asking you very nicely.”
I gave him my most innocent smile, which didn’t seem to appease him at all. He strode to his computer anyway. “Any particular genre?”
“Nope. Everything you can get.”
Without further questioning, he downloaded the files I requested and handed them to me on a flash drive. It was difficult to maintain civility with someone you didn’t entirely trust. And who didn’t trust you. Aaron intervened, sparing us from prolonging our discomfort when he called Ethan to leave. He looked at me one last time and tipped his chin.
As I watched them both walk out the door, I did something I hadn’t done in a really long time. I prayed.
I could only hope they’d be back in one piece.
Trying to distract myself from the ongoing assignment, I sat down at the table that was temporarily assigned to me, so I could listen to the songs Ethan had downloaded. A few months back—even before we rescued ten girls who were being trafficked by the cartel—Benny, Danny, and I reckoned one of the Alacráns’ bases. I managed to steal a lot of their external hard drives and documents, including tons of songs.
It made no sense that they’d save so many songs among sensitive information about their operation. So, I listened to each one of them, hoping to find something useful. And what do you know? Jackpot .
They used the audio to send hidden messages behind the songs. Since then, for every audio we encountered, we separated the sounds to know the cartel’s latest news.
Instead of listening from the oldest files like I used to do, I felt the urge to listen to the latest audio one of the members had uploaded to their computer. Modesty aside, it was one of the best decisions I made.
Benny came from the kitchen with his gazillionth cup of coffee. “Why are we still here? We should just go back home.”
Danny plopped down on the sofa next to my table. “Aaron wants us here for the interrogation.”
Ben snorted. “Oh, come on, Dee. They’re leaving us out of the fun stuff. Do you really want to be a part of the by-the-boring-book questioning? And who knows if they’ll really let us be around?”
Danny sighed. “I know. But think about the zeroes.”
Ben groaned, sat down on the cushioned chair, and leaned his head back. “How could I forget about the zeroes? But are they worth it?”
Still listening to the songs and taking notes, I replied, “Remember when I asked you the same question? I told you the money wasn’t that—”
That’s when I understood the urge to listen to the latest audio. I wasn’t as fluent in Spanish as Danny. But there was no missing the ambush the cartel was planning.
Broken messages like, “ the Badge informed us about a new raid ,” or, “ change of plans, we’ll pull the feds inside ,” or, “ the first truck will circle around and get back to trap the pigs ,” or, “ the order is for no law enforcement to come out alive, ” and “ the geeky manager is a fed, make him regret, ” made my heart sped up, making it even hard to breathe.
Danny’s worried voice startled me, “Mia? Cari?o , what’s going on?”
I stared at them horrified. “The cartel figured out about the raid.”
“ What? ”
“They’re being set up. The Alacráns will kill Ethan and Aaron.”