Chapter 11 #2
I held up one hand with all my fingers extended.
“Not in the last two years. Do I believe in right and wrong? Fuck, yes, but I’m beginning to realize that we’ve already passed the point where the law and those under oath to uphold it can’t be compromised.
In this case, we have a heinous criminal who will continue killing people.
Plus, if he manages to kidnap Valentina, then you know what he’ll do. ”
He looked down at his drink. “Yeah, I do. I was the one who had to pick up the pieces when he tortured a little girl. She was only fifteen. Fifteen years old and what he did to her…”
Nothing ever made him nervous. Nothing. He’d investigated so many cases in his tenure with the DEA that it seemed he couldn’t be shocked or physically bothered, but the look on his face and the way he was paling was enough to let me know the details would be gruesome.
“Let’s just say I think it was best she succumbed to her injuries.”
“And he wasn’t arrested?”
“Not enough physical evidence linking him to the crime. Trust me. That one he had a party with Delgado. They celebrate their massacres. We have dead bodies turning up all throughout Florida, but not a single other arrest. Your girl is like gold in the business.”
Like gold. That meant she had a target on her back a mile wide. “She doesn’t deserve to live in fear.”
“You’re right. No one does. It sure would be nice to take down the Delgado organization, but I think we’ll be lucky to remove Jacob Jones from the street.”
Sadly, he was right. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy testing the limits. “Ah. Now we get to the heart of the matter. The Delgado Cartel.”
“Shit, yes. You’ve heard me talk about those assholes long before Jones was arrested. Luis Delgado is pure scum.”
“How long do you think it’ll take to put Raven Intel into motion?”
Chase shrugged. “A few days. Two weeks. As I said before, I think it will evolve over time. The main thing is to establish a direct communication system and stockpile weapons that can’t be traced.”
He was dead serious about this.
“I thought of a few ideas overnight. I could handle the communications aspect.”
The way he toyed with his glass, twisting it back and forth as he grinned like some kid was almost annoying, or it would have been had I not been around Chase for so long.
The man knew his shit. “And you know I can handle the weapons. It’s amazing how many we collect during our investigations.
Serial numbers sawed off, kit weapons with no traceability.
You name it. Hell, they just sit in a warehouse sometimes for years without being claimed. ”
“We’ll need a safehouse. Maybe two.”
Thoughtful for a few seconds, he tapped his fingers on the table as he he’d thought of a location.
“I have one that could be put into immediate use. I bought a piece of property last year that I’d hoped to do a few renovations to and turn it into my retirement home.
At this point, it doesn’t look as if I’m retiring anytime soon. ”
“Where is it located?”
“Jupiter, so far enough away from Miami. Plus, I used a corporate name that has nothing to do with me.”
“You have hidden talents.”
He grinned. “You can’t be too careful in this industry, Hudson, or yours either. There are people out there who will stop at nothing to hunt down all those who accused them. Whether guilty or not.”
I thought about what Jacob Jones has said in the courtroom just after being convicted. He’d done so casually, without any sign of emotion. In fact, his voice had been soft enough that his threat hadn’t been captured by the court recordings. However, I’d heard him loud and clear.
“You will be hunted.”
Four simple words that I’d shoved aside since I’d been threatened dozens if not hundreds of times before. Most had done so in the heat of the moment, shocked at their conviction. Not this time. I had no doubt he’d make good on his warning.
And his reputation.
There would be additional dead bodies.
Another drink was brought and Chase nodded to the bartender. “You’re sure you want to do this? You have a lot to lose if discovered.” I had to ask. Maybe I was just grilling myself one last time. After this, there was no turning back.
“I guess I should ask you the same question.” He leaned over the table. “Is she worth it?”
“Get that fucking grin off your damn face.”
“I will not. Answer the question. I was able to tell she managed to crawl under that thick skin of yours months ago.”
“How the fuck would you know that?”
“The way you talked about her without giving out her name. Suddenly, you just name-dropped her in front of me. Ordinarily, I’d think you were missing a few screws all of a sudden, but I realized you like the woman.”
He’d always had a way of digging through bullshit, which was one reason he was damn good at his job. That didn’t mean his interrogation-style friendship wasn’t also irritating as fuck. “She’s alone with a kid and she’s in danger.”
“And you like her. Just admit it. I knew there’d need to be a very personal reason for you to approve of my idea.”
“I didn’t say I approved of it. But I do believe at times matters need to be handled in a different way if the law doesn’t do the job.”
“You mean taking the law into our hands to facilitate justice.”
He could always make me laugh. “Yeah, something like that.” I took another gulp, realizing the liquor was going down much easier than before. “I do like her. Too much. She managed to get under my skin. The entire thing is complicated since she has a child.”
“What about the ex?”
“From what little I know, a piece of trash. A drug addict who got caught selling a gram of coke a couple years ago. He wants nothing to do with his own child.”
“What’s his name?”
“Bruno Carvelli. Her kid is adorable. She’s got this delightful little laugh.”
Chase lifted his eyebrows. “I guess so is her mother.”
“Fuck you.”
We both laughed and the seriousness of what I was considering was starting to kick in. Was I really talking about breaking my oath and taking the law into my own hands? What did I intend on doing when I did, killing him? Did I have that in me?
The answer came to me much quicker than I would have thought. Yes, I could. I had every intention of doing whatever it took to keep Valentina safe, even if that meant breaking the law.
“So what do you think, buddy? Do you really want to do this? I admit it,” Chase continued. “I’d prefer to have the other guys sign off on it. Not that I don’t trust any of you guys. I do with my life, but…”
“But what we do and how we do it must be kept… secret.” I couldn’t believe I was not only deliberating with my conscience on whether becoming vigilantes was something I’d eventually regret, but I was actively engaging in a conversation that could alter not only my career but possibly derail my entire life.
But with every mental question asked, the answer was always the same.
Innocent victims deserved justice. Maybe they also deserved a hero. That I wasn’t, but it didn’t mean I could tolerate the horrors inflicted and consequences not received. Fuck the monsters.
“Right on, brother. We’ll be doing some good, but there will be those who try and hunt us down. At least if they gather our scent.”
“Both criminals and law enforcement alike.” They’d come hot and heavy. We’d need to have much of the organization set in place to ensure secrecy.
“Exactly. You in?”
I lifted my glass, nodding as we toasted. “Yes. I’m in.”
With the look on his face, I could tell he’d been thinking about this for a long time. “I might need to test that safehouse you mentioned.”
“You’re nervous about keeping her at your place.”
“I am. There’s a chance Delgado and the Undertaker will come after the judge.”
“Which wouldn’t bother you in the least. Would it?”
“Not even a little bit, but I won’t risk their lives.”
“One last question,” Chase began, staring me straight in the eyes. “Is this about the woman and child?”
“I already told you I will protect Valentina and Bella. Period.”
“Not them.”
The question shouldn’t have been brought up. I’d told him and the others the incident was off limits. However, he was right to question me. “Both.”
He nodded once. “Understood. Just watch your back, buddy. Jacob Jones is a very dangerous man.”
It would seem everyone had underestimated me.
So had I.
I wouldn’t mind coming face to face with the bastard. For a long time, I’d been as disgusted as my buddies on the way criminals seemed to run a wide ring around every aspect of law enforcement.
Now I had a chance to do something about it.
I intended on stretching my boundaries.
The judge wasn’t disappearing. He was simply changing colors of robes.
And so what if a little blood soaked into the material.