Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
He sat behind his desk while I plopped down on the chair in front of it. “So what brings you to see me? Not that I ever mind hanging out with you, but I feel this is something different.”
The tension rolled off me in waves, but it had nothing to do with telling Boomer. It was the assignment that had me on edge. I slammed my beer in one long guzzle, setting it on his desk. “It is. I’m being sent to handle another undercover operation.” Boomer and I went way back, and we’d been through war, sometimes barely surviving our assignments.
Thrusting his hand through his hair, he jumped up from his chair and paced the room. “Fuck…when?”
“Right after Christmas.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead fucking serious.”
He sat on the desk, staring down at me with utter concern. Our friendship meant a lot to both of us, so I trusted him with the truth. “Can you tell me where, or is that too confidential?”
With a long, drawn-out sigh, I said, “I’m going on assignment in the Villanueva Cartel in McAllen. I’ll be gone for as long as it takes. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s my job.”
He nodded slowly. “No. I get it, Rico. You know we have your back. You need anything or want us to unofficially lend a hand, make sure to let us know.” We shook on it, and he pulled me into a hug. “Please fucking be careful. We’ve been through so much together over the years.”
“I know. I’m going to do my best to stay alive. Why they picked me is obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to fool those fuckers.”
I’d been one of the main Mexican undercover agents who looked the part of a drug dealer, or at least I could pull it off. Not that the others couldn’t, but I had the tats to give me the extra shit needed to prove myself. None of my tats were too telling, but it gave me a hardened look to add to the role.
I hoped it would be enough…
Chapter 1
Rico
I had been accepted into the crew for several months, but only recently did I get the information needed to nail some of the cartel leaders as well as where they created their product for future busts. All I had to do was get one last bit of evidence, but the closer I was to my information, the more the danger of being discovered grew.
My only ally on the inside was Mac, or Agent Greg MacDowell, as I knew him. He’d been on this undercover assignment for almost a year and still had come up dry.
I had a bad feeling about the drop, so I contacted my people to let them know where the exchange was planned to be and then prepared for the deal. Mac was working with me tonight along with four other guys, including one of the jefes, Ernesto. I threw back a shot of tequila before we set out on the road to steel my nerves.
It was two in the morning, and we were building a case against the cartel so damn easily that I wondered if Mac had switched sides. I almost had all my ducks in a row, and they weren’t suspicious of me. It took a lot of time, but I integrated myself nicely. Tonight, though, I felt a sense of foreboding that burrowed itself in my chest.
A new shipment of cocaine was being dropped tonight from a cargo jet just off the Rio Grande River. They had to be careful because the US had a naval base in South Padre, so the drop was further inland.
“Que te paso, quey?” Mac asked. Damn. Did my body language give me away? I sure as fuck hoped not.
“Nada.” I tried to play it cool because I was in the middle of a bunch of ruthless killers. We pulled into the area and waited for the drop.
“Then why the fuck do you look on edge?” he said, cocking his brow as we stood alone in the garage before we took off.
I inched closer to him, chin up, chest out. “I don’t know. Is there a reason I should be?”
“What the fuck are you implying, old friend?” That cocky bravado only made matters worse. Mac and I were not friends, and I realized it right then.
“That I don’t trust the shadows, Mac, and all those lurking in them.”
Unfortunately, I should have trusted my gut. The blow to the back of my head sent me to the ground.
“That’s wise, but a little too late,” Ernesto said as I lost consciousness.
My head throbbed as I woke up with my hands tied behind my back and in a rusty chair. The guys I’d been with earlier stood in front of me like an impenetrable wall, including one who was supposed to be on my side. Ernesto approached first and grabbed my hair, violently slamming my head backward.