Читать книгу Undercover Twin - Lena Diaz - Страница 9

Chapter Three

“You’ve been building an undercover presence in the Keys for quite some time,” Rickloff said.

Nick shrugged. “About eight months, off and on, in preparation for a major op next year. We’ve been coordinating with the Key West office on that.”

Rickloff waved his hand as though that was inconsequential. “That operation is a long ways off. My need is more immediate. I need you to use your cover now, on my task force.”

“The Key West office is okay with this?”

Rickloff exchanged a glance with Waverly. “I haven’t notified them yet, but I will. That’s not for you to worry about. And I’m not asking much here. I just want you to help me draw out the big fish.”

A gnawing suspicion started in Nick’s mind, the suspicion that Rickloff wasn’t being honest with him. Why would a task force out of Miami operate in the Keys without coordinating with the head of the Key West office?

“All right,” Nick said. “I’ll bite. Who’s the big fish?”

“Jose Gonzalez.”

“The Jose Gonzalez? The top of the food chain in the Keys?”

Rickloff nodded.

Nick snorted and shook his head. “Exactly how do you plan to get Gonzalez? The man has never even had a speeding ticket. Everyone knows he’s dirty, that he’s the biggest dealer around, but no one can ever get any evidence against him.”

Rickloff leaned forward, his dark eyes blazing with excitement. “That’s because they’ve never had the right bait. We’ve got his girlfriend up on charges that could put her in prison for years. If we make a deal with her in exchange for her cooperation, I think we’ll be able to finally get enough evidence on Gonzalez to bring him down.”

Nick had feared this would be Rickloff’s angle. He’d expected it. But that was before he knew Gonzalez was involved. Using the girls as bait with someone like that was unthinkable, far too dangerous.

He looked at his boss, expecting him to speak up, but Waverly remained silent.

Nick cleared his throat and forced himself to speak in a reasonable tone of voice. “Let me get this straight. Are you saying Lily Bannon is Gonzalez’s girlfriend? And that you want to somehow use her to bring Gonzalez down?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. The two of them met about six months ago on a trip up here in north Florida. They’ve been a hot item ever since. Our CIs tell us Gonzalez actually thinks he’s in love with Miss Bannon. We want to use that against him.”

“Are these confidential informants people you’ve been working with for a long time? You trust them?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then tell me how, exactly, you think you can use Gonzalez’s affection for Lily Bannon against him?”

“Simple. We want you to be her contact in Key West. We’ll make a deal with her. We’ll drop the drug charges if she gathers incriminating evidence against Gonzalez and gives it to you. As soon as we have enough evidence to make a case against him, you’ll pull Miss Bannon out. In return for your cooperation, we drop your suspension.”

Nick turned to Waverly. “You do realize this is insane?”

Waverly turned a dull red. “It’s risky, yes, but I think it could work.”

Nick shook his head. “The problem here is that neither of you fully understand who you’re dealing with. Gonzalez is a twisted psychopath. All the other dealers fear him. If anyone crosses him, in any way, he kills them. I don’t care how much you think he may care about Lily Bannon. If he suspects for one second that she turned on him, that she’s providing evidence to the DEA, she’s dead. And exactly what makes you think you can trust an alcoholic and a junkie to hold herself together for this kind of operation? She’ll crack under the pressure. And when she does, Gonzalez will pounce. There’s only one outcome from this. Disaster. And I want no part of it.”

He scooted his chair back from the table and stood. “I’d rather stay suspended than risk a woman’s life. I’ll take the paid vacation while Internal Affairs investigates me. And I assure you I’ll be contacting Lily Bannon to advise her not to help you. It’s far too dangerous.”

Rickloff shot up from his chair. “You’ll do no such thing. We need Miss Bannon’s cooperation.”

“Don’t count on it.” Nick strode to the door and yanked it open. He froze when he saw who was walking through the squad room toward him.

Rafe. And Heather.

Heather looked so pale the freckles on her face stood out in stark relief.

Nick met them halfway. “What happened? Are you okay, Heather?”

She shook her head but didn’t say anything.

Rafe reached into his pocket and pulled out a clear evidence bag with a piece of paper inside. “Lily Bannon has been abducted.”

* * *

THE CONFERENCE ROOM quickly filled with a mix of DEA agents and police officers. Captain Buresh—Rafe’s boss—barked out orders, along with Waverly and Rickloff.

Nick stared at the note through the plastic bag.

I’ve got what you want. You’ve got what I want. Let’s trade.

The most obvious interpretation was that Gonzalez had abducted Lily and wanted to trade her for his kilos of cocaine.

So much for Rickloff’s theory that Gonzalez was in love with Lily.

The second line of the note gave the location for the trade—Skeleton’s Misery, a bar in Key West, along with tomorrow’s date and the time of 9:00 p.m.

He glanced at his watch. It was eleven o’clock in the morning. That didn’t give them much time to come up with a plan to save Lily. As soon as he’d seen the note, he’d run out to his truck to grab his map of the Keys. But when he’d returned, the conference room was in chaos. He’d tried several times to get everyone to be quiet, but no one was paying him any attention.

Rafe was leaning against the far wall, shaking his head, obviously as disgusted as Nick was.

Screw it. Lily didn’t have time for this. And neither did Heather. She was sitting as still as a statue in her chair at the far end of the table, so ghostly pale she looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

Enough was enough. Nick raked his hand across the conference room table, sending folders, pads of paper and pens flying. The room went silent and everyone stared at him in shock.

“Now that I have your attention,” Nick said, “I want everyone out except essential personnel.” He plopped his rolled-up map onto the table. When nobody moved, he glanced at his brother. “Rafe, want to help me explain to everyone who the nonessential people are?”

Rafe grinned. Between him and Nick, they went around the room directing people out the door.

Nick finally closed the door and turned around to a much more orderly, and quiet, conference room. The only remaining people were the same ones Nick had been talking to earlier, plus Heather, Rafe and Captain Buresh.

“You’ve got a bit of an ego to order all those people out, don’t you, son?” Rickloff said.

“Lily Bannon’s life is on the line. And we don’t have a lot of time to figure out how we’re going to save her.”

He unrolled the map. Rafe grabbed some of the pads of paper off the floor and helped Nick weigh down the corners so the map would lie flat. Everyone except Heather gathered around the end of the table, leaning over the map while Nick drew a circle.

“That’s Skeleton’s Misery,” he said, pointing to the circle on the western edge of Key West. “It’s a new bar that opened up this year. That’s where Gonzalez wants to make the trade.”

“Tell me about the location,” Rickloff said.

Nick pointed to the street running out front. “It’s one of the more isolated bars, at the end of the tourist strip. The street is narrow, more for walkers than cars. The nearest cross streets are a mile south, here―” he pointed to another spot on the map and marked an X “―and two miles north.” He marked another X. “The only other access is from the ocean. There’s a dock right behind it, again, fairly new. The bar caters more to locals than to tourists, so it won’t be as crowded as some of the others, and there shouldn’t be a lot of boats at the dock.”

“What do you mean it caters to locals?” Waverly asked.

Nick glanced at Heather. Some of the color had returned to her face, and she was watching him intently.

“Heather, would you like some water or a bite to eat?” Nick asked. “Rafe could take you outside, get you something.”

Rafe was already heading to Heather’s side when she raised her hand to stop him.

“I’m not going anywhere. I want to hear this. I want to know how you’re going to help Lily.” Her voice broke on the last word and she clasped her hands tightly on the table in front of her.

Nick belatedly wished he hadn’t allowed Heather to stay in the conference room when he’d ushered everyone else out, but he didn’t have time to argue with her.

“When I say the bar caters to locals,” he continued, answering Waverly’s question, “I mean it’s raw. It’s little more than a shanty with loud music. No fancy menus, no live bands, and the people who run the place are ex-cons.”

Heather seemed to withdraw into herself and sank farther back in her chair. She was probably imagining her sister in that bar.

“I imagine the courts will insist on keeping the kilos we got from the bar as evidence until the case against Lily and Heather is settled. So we’ll need to check some kilos out of the evidence locker to use for the trade,” Nick said to his boss. “Do we have that much on hand?”

Waverly shook his head. “I doubt it. Other than that bar raid, we haven’t made a cocaine bust in quite some time. Any cocaine we’ve confiscated would have already been destroyed.”

“We’ve got that much,” Rickloff said. “Not a problem. I can have an agent bring the drugs down to the Keys and meet up with you.”

“Good. We can place a couple of guys up the street here, and down here.” Nick pointed to the map. “Gonzalez chose a good spot. There aren’t a lot of hiding places. Maybe we could bring a few guys in from the water, have them hide out in a boat at the dock behind the bar.”

“All right,” Rickloff said.

“We’ll have to pick an undercover agent who can pass for Heather in dim light.” Nick glanced at Heather. “Five-two, small build, long, curly brown hair, blue eyes. Do you have any agents like that in your Miami office?”

Rickloff shook his head. “I don’t have any women in my office.”

Why did that not surprise him? Nick shook his head. He was less and less impressed with Rickloff the more he learned about him.

“I know the Keys office has some women, several of whom might be good candidates,” Nick said.

Rickloff shook his head again. “I’m not ready to involve that office just yet.”

Nick’s suspicion that Rickloff might be trying to hide his operation from the Key West office had just been confirmed. But since neither his nor Rafe’s boss were saying anything, he decided to let it go. For now.

“All right. There are five women in our unit here in Saint Augustine,” Nick said. “But they’re all taller than Heather.” He glanced at Rafe. “Do you have any policewomen who could pass for Heather?”

Rafe shook his head. “I don’t know anyone that small in stature here.”

“There has to be someone we could use,” Nick said. “We’ve got a state trooper headquarters down State Road 16. And the Saint Johns County Sheriff’s Office isn’t far from here. Or we could even ask for help from Jacksonville. Rafe, could you contact the other offices, see if they have someone available who fits the physical profile? The eye color may not matter. They could wear colored contacts.”

Rafe nodded and pulled out his phone, but Rickloff shook his head.

“This is too important to risk using a look-alike when we’ve got an exact match for Heather Bannon sitting right in this room.”

Nick swore under his breath. “You want to use Heather as bait.”

“What I want, Special Agent Morgan,” Rickloff snapped, “is to ensure that nothing goes wrong with this operation. We have a unique opportunity here. No matter what I’ve tried over the years, when it comes to Gonzalez, nothing sticks. I would have rather gone with my original plan to use Lily so I could get Gonzalez on drug charges. But they caught Capone for tax evasion. If I have to settle with getting Gonzalez for kidnapping, so be it. As long as I can put him away, that’s what matters.”

Nick stared at him in disbelief. “What matters is that we catch the bad guys without risking the lives of civilians. And please tell me you didn’t just categorize a woman’s abduction as a ‘unique opportunity.’”

Rickloff’s face flushed. “Poor choice of words.”

“You think?” Nick crossed his arms. “You have the note. You have the time and location to make the trade. All you have to do is send in a team with an undercover policewoman and four kilos. If Gonzalez or his men show up, great. You save Lily.” He thumped his fist on the table. “And you don’t risk the life of another innocent civilian by using her as bait.”

Rickloff shook his head. “Gonzalez and his men know Lily too well. They’ll expect her identical twin to look just like her. They won’t fall for a stand-in.”

“She’ll keep to the shadows. Wear the same clothes, a wig. It will work,” Nick insisted.

“If Gonzalez realizes we tried to trick him, he’ll kill his hostage.”

“You don’t know that,” Nick said.

“I’ll do it.” Heather’s soft voice broke through the argument and everyone looked at her. She swallowed hard and fisted her hands on the table. “I’ll be the bait. I don’t want to risk my sister’s life by using some other woman to pretend to be me. I’ll do it.”

Nick braced his hands on the table. “You are not getting anywhere near Gonzalez.”

“Tom,” Rickloff said, addressing the ADA. “Are you willing to give Heather Bannon the same deal we were proposing for her sister earlier?”

Tom nodded. “We are. Her full cooperation in exchange for dropping the charges.”

Heather glanced at Tom. “Drop the charges against my sister, too.”

“Done.”

“Then it’s settled.” Rickloff rubbed his hands back and forth. “Agent Morgan, you’ll escort Miss Bannon into the bar. I’m not sending a civilian in there alone.”

“Right, because you’re so worried about her safety,” Nick said, not bothering to hide his sarcasm.

“Nick,” Waverly admonished. “You don’t have anything to bargain with here. If you won’t agree to this plan, we’ll send a different agent to back up Miss Bannon.”

“Really? Who? Who else could you send that has a built-in cover already? If you send someone without a solid cover, you risk Gonzalez thinking the DEA is involved. He’ll kill Lily without even attempting an exchange.”

Heather sucked in a breath.

Nick immediately regretted his candor. “I could be wrong.” He didn’t believe that, but he didn’t want Heather to give up hope, either.

“Your concern for Heather Bannon’s welfare is commendable,” Rickloff said. “But you’re overthinking this. We’ll have backup nearby. She won’t be in any true danger.”

Rafe made a sound of disgust.

His boss shot him an admonishing look.

“If Gonzalez pulls a gun on Heather,” Nick asked, “can your backup get there faster than a bullet?”

Rickloff’s jaw went rigid. “If you’re convinced we can’t protect her, then agree to the plan. You can be the one to protect her. You’ll buy us the time we need to move in if something goes wrong.”

Nick shook his head. “Find another way to save Lily and bring down Gonzalez. I’ll take my chances with Internal Affairs. And Heather can take her chances with the judge.”

He strode toward the door and yanked it open.

“Nick, wait,” Heather called out.

He half turned, his hand still on the doorknob.

Heather appeared to be struggling for words. She folded her hands on the table and aimed her sad eyes at him like the sights on a rifle. “I can handle this. I’m an experienced private investigator. That might not seem like a big deal to a DEA agent, but it means I’ve been in a lot of tough, dangerous situations. I’m adaptable and a quick thinker if things don’t go as planned. I’m also an excellent marksman, so I can defend myself, or watch your back. I can handle this.”

“You’re still a civilian, untrained in law-enforcement procedures,” Nick said, softening his voice, trying to make her understand his concerns. “You shouldn’t have to defend yourself against a drug dealer, or worry about watching anyone’s back. You’re also emotionally involved. That makes you vulnerable. And that makes you dangerous to yourself and everyone else.”

Heather’s eyes practically flashed sparks at him. “Look, I know Lily is screwed up, but she’s still my sister. She’s my twin. There’s a bond between us other people—people without twins—can’t possibly understand. It’s like...we’re two halves of a whole. If something happens to her, I don’t...I don’t know if I could survive.” She drew herself up, lifting her chin defiantly. “I am going to do this, with or without you. But I’d feel safer if you were the one to help me.” Her fingers curled into fists on the top of the table. “Nick, I’m begging you. Please. Help me save my sister.”

The plea in her voice was difficult to ignore. But all he had to do was think about her being shot, or worse, tortured, by Gonzalez or his men, and his resolve hardened. He searched for the words that would make her accept the reality of the situation. “I’ve spent months, years, going undercover with guys like this. They live by their own code. They don’t care about the law. If they even suspect you’re lying, about anything, they’ll try to kill you. Trust me on that.”

“I do trust you. I trust you to protect me. I don’t have to know much about the DEA to realize that these men wouldn’t be arguing to get you to work on this case if you weren’t the best agent for the job. I want the best for my sister. If you don’t do this, Lily could die.”

Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. It was probably killing her to ask for his help, after what she’d been through this weekend and his role in it. And watching her, listening to her, was tearing him up inside. But how much worse would it be if he gave in? No matter what angle he used to look at this plan of Rickloff’s, he couldn’t see any good coming out of it.

A tear slid down Heather’s face and she wiped it away, her face turning the dull red of embarrassment.

Nick swore beneath his breath and glared at Waverly and Rickloff. “You’re both bastards.”

Rickloff nodded. “Maybe I am. Maybe we both are. But when this is over, I have faith that Gonzalez will be behind bars.”

“And do you also have faith that Lily and Heather will be alive? And unhurt?” Nick asked, his voice low and deadly.

Rickloff let out a deep sigh. “If you don’t agree to help, I’m still sending Miss Bannon undercover with another agent. Is that what you want? For me to put her life in the hands of someone else? Someone who isn’t as good as you? Someone who doesn’t have as good a cover as you have?”

Nick swore again. He dropped his hand from the doorknob and turned fully around. He stared at Rickloff for a long moment before turning his gaze to Heather. Without looking away from her, he spoke to Rickloff. “All right. I’ll go to Key West. I’ll help you get Gonzalez and get Lily out of there. But I’ve got some conditions of my own.”