Chapter 30
“You sure your intel is sound, and no one will tie this back to you?” Saul asked Devin as they sat in his modest, nondescript rental vehicle outside the upscale hotel Eduardo Jimenez was reported to be staying at.
Neither of them could afford to be seen here or connected to what was about to go down.
“You can leave this to me, if you like.”
Devin shook his head. “Nah. I’ve got your six, man, and you need someone to cover your back.”
“I don’t want to jeopardize your cover. I just came to warn you in case things don’t go to plan and there’s a possibility you’ve been compromised.
” Saul told him, looking over at the other man, his chiseled features sharpened by the harsh glow of the streetlamp that split the darkness, twisting around them like a portent of doom.
Hopefully not theirs.
“Nobody’s been looking my way since the Viper’s death. They’re all too worried about this woman in red and how she got into the complex.”
“You got any ideas on that?” Saul asked, genuinely curious. It was a bold move to walk into the Cosa Nostra compound and take out one of the main players.
“Not a one,” Devin admitted. “But I’d sure as hell like to know. Made my job a hell of a lot easier, that’s for sure.”
“So, they’re not pulling you out?”
“Nah. There’s still Franco and Don Salvatore to deal with.”
“What about Mika?” Saul wondered about the heir to the New York Cosa Nostra.
Devin pursed his lips. “Mika’s trying to turn things around. His efforts were handicapped by Vito, so he may have more success now he’s gone.”
Saul nodded. He knew how it worked. You chopped off the head of the snake and another one immediately grew in its place. There was no eradicating these organizations, so oftentimes it was better the devil you knew. “So, the alphabets will leave Mika to take over?”
“So long as he’s not causing too much of a problem.
And to be honest, they could do a hell of a lot worse, so I think it’s the right decision.
Mika’s… decent.” He said the word begrudgingly as a member of the thin blue line did towards those who lived in the underworld.
But they both knew nothing was black and white.
There were fifty shades of grey between the forces of policing and crime.
And with corrupt politicians and law enforcement on the take, more than half of it overlapped.
Movement in front of them brought the conversation to a close, as Eduardo Jimenez materialized out of the night, his presence an even darker stain on what was already a black background.
“He’s alone,” Devin remarked, surprise evident in his voice.
“Doesn’t want to call attention to himself,” Saul responded. “People would start to wonder why, if he came to an upmarket hotel like this surrounded by his goons. Although I doubt they’re far away.”
“So how do you want to play this?” Devin asked as Jimenez strode into the luxurious foyer of the hotel, its golden interior a pool of light spilling out onto the blacktop and puddling in front of the building. “No one would think twice about you being here as a guest.”
“Not exactly dressed for it,” Saul chuckled, pulling on a pair of gloves and looking down at clothing more suited to the dive bar he’d met Devin in. “And neither are you.”
Besides, he didn’t want there to be even the flimsiest thread linking him to this place.
“We’ll go in through the staff entrance. Take the back stairwell up to Jimenez’s suite. Once we’re there, you keep a look out and I’ll do the rest.”
Unlike Saul, who technically didn’t exist as a government asset, Devin was on the payroll. Plausible deniability protected him from any wrongdoing, even if it was the enemy they were taking out. Because yeah, nothing was black and white. Not even the deserved execution of hostiles.
“We get compromised, just knock on the door, get out of there, and don’t look back.”
“Understood,” Devin said with a sharp nod before the two of them exited the vehicle.
Saul had managed to remotely bypass any CCTV cameras before they entered the building, thanks to a neat little gadget Zack had handed him, telling him it would benefit from a test run. So far, he was pleased to report the device worked like a charm.
The stairs were, as usual, deserted. Everyone was in a hurry and used the elevators these days.
Peeking out onto Eduardo’s floor, they found it thankfully empty. Devin stood, checking the doors, elevators and stairs while Saul made quick work of picking the lock. “Neat skill,” he murmured under his breath.
“If I’m not out in ten minutes, make yourself scarce,” Saul breathed as he tested the door handle and gave Devin a final nod before sliding like a wraith into the room.
The light patter of water indicated Jimenez was taking a shower.
Saul moved silently through the luxurious suite, scanning for any sign of the briefcase Jimenez had been carrying, which he suspected contained the evidence against him. His heart raced as he rifled through drawers and luggage, hyper-aware of the running water that could stop at any moment.
In the closet, he found it. Picking the lock took precious seconds, but inside he hit pay dirt - a laptop and several flash drives.
Several things occurred to him in those life-defining moments.
He didn’t have time to check and erase everything, or even upload the special virus Zack had provided on a memory stick which would corrupt any document opened which had Saul’s name attached to it, so he’d have to take the whole case.
And leaving Jimenez alive to flap his lips was way too risky, especially if the man had backup recordings.
But this wasn’t like a normal black ops sting. This wasn’t a government operation. There would be no immunity if he was caught. Not that there ever was, but strings could be pulled to make sure certain problems either disappeared or never saw the light of day.
This was different; there was no one working in the background to cover his ass.
Saul was still having his ‘come to God’ moment when the shower shut off.
The bathroom door opened and Jimenez emerged in a cloud of steam, a towel slung low on his hips.
Their eyes met and time seemed to stand still.
Then Jimenez lunged for a gun on the nightstand.
Saul was faster, tackling him to the ground where they grappled furiously, rolling across the plush carpet.
Jimenez may have been a cartel boss, but he was old and soft… and naked. Whereas Saul had years of training and a hell of a lot to lose.
He got Jimenez in a chokehold, squeezing until the other man went limp.
Saul quickly checked for a pulse - still there, but weak.
He couldn't risk Jimenez waking up and identifying him.
With grim resolve, Saul tightened his grip.
Seconds ticked by as he felt Jimenez's life slipping away. Finally, the body went slack.
Saul stood, his hands shaking slightly as adrenaline coursed through him. He had to move fast.
He grabbed the briefcase, then carefully arranged Jimenez's body to make it look like he'd slipped getting out of the shower. The scene had to pass scrutiny.
Saul did one final sweep of the room, straightening a couple of things that had been knocked or looked out of place. As he reached for the door handle, he heard a soft knock - his prearranged signal with Devin.
He opened the door to find Devin's face tight with tension.
"We've got company coming up the elevator," he hissed, checking over his shoulder.
Saul's mind raced. They couldn't risk being seen leaving Jimenez's room, or even standing near it since the man was dead.
He grabbed Devin's arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door quietly behind them.
He put a finger to his lips, motioning for silence as they listened to the elevator ding and footsteps approach down the hallway.
"Shit," Devin mouthed, eyes wide as the footsteps stopped right outside the door.
Saul's pulse thundered. There was no time to hide the body or clean up any further. He made a split-second decision, pushing Devin towards the balcony. They slipped outside just as they heard a key card slide into the lock.
The opulent suite was on the 20th floor, the night air crisp and cold as they stood pressed against the wall.
Saul's heart pounded as he heard muffled voices inside, then a woman's scream.
He grimaced, knowing Jimenez's body had been discovered way sooner than he would have liked. Time of death would be easily established since rigor mortis had not yet set in, and anyone on the premises would be suspect - but especially people like him and Devin who shouldn’t be there.
"We need to move, now," he whispered to Devin.
The balconies were close together, separated by decorative iron railings.
It was a risky maneuver, but their only option.
Saul went first, leaving the case with Devin before gripping the railing and swinging his body over to the neighboring balcony with practiced ease, then catching the case Devin threw to him.
The other man followed, his movements less graceful but just as effective.
They continued that way, moving from balcony to balcony until they reached the far end of the building.
Finally, Saul peered through the glass doors and found an empty suite. With a few deft movements, he picked the lock and they slipped inside.
"Now what?" Devin whispered, his chest heaving from both exertion and adrenaline.
"We walk out the way we came, like we belong here," Saul replied calmly, though his own pulse was racing.
Devin nodded, and Saul led the way to the stairs, forcing himself to adopt a relaxed posture. As they descended, the tension was palpable.
A quick peek through the small window in the stairwell door revealed the lobby in chaos.
Police had already arrived, their flashing lights visible through the front windows.
Hotel staff were scurrying about, trying to keep guests calm.
The two of them continued to the rear of the building, praying no one suspected anything more than an accident, so it wasn’t being covered.
Luck was on their side. Saul and Devin slipped out of the staff entrance, blending in with the commotion as hotel employees rushed about in a panic. They walked briskly but calmly down the street, putting distance between themselves and the hotel.
Once they were a few blocks away, Saul ducked into a narrow alley, Devin close behind. He leaned against the brick wall, letting out a shaky breath. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, leaving him feeling drained.
"That was too damn close," Devin muttered, running a hand through his hair.
Saul nodded grimly. "But we got what we came for." He patted the briefcase. "This should contain everything Jimenez had on both of us."
"What now?" Devin asked.
"Now we part ways and pretend like none of it ever happened," Saul replied. "I'll take care of destroying the evidence."
Devin hesitated. "You sure? I could help..."
Saul shook his head. "You've risked enough already. Get back to your cover before anyone notices you're gone."
After a moment, Devin nodded and melted into the shadows.
Saul let out a rough breath. He had one more thing to take care of before he returned to Elysium and persuaded Sadie to take a chance on the two of them.