“Shutting down Guillermo may shut down his branch of the Colonel Cartel, but it won’t stop the drug trade. If his brother, Ignacio, doesn’t step in to take over, it won’t be long before another group will. My help will save very few lives. This country has a drug problem that has nothing to do with availability.”
“In general, I would agree with that. But my job, and the job of the FBI, is to do what it can to stop the cartels. It’s up to Washington to deal with the root of the problem.”
She looked out over the wrought-iron fence at a boat passing by, with the first run of tourists floating through the canal. If he was right—if they could manage to shut down Guillermo—there would be a lag. If Ignacio took over, it would be significantly less because the pipeline wouldn’t be lost, just the first head of a two-headed snake. If they could somehow wipe out both men, as well as the pipeline, the lag would be longer, and the other cartels would have to scramble a bit to get in place. They might evenbe distracted while they fought among themselves over who that new supplier would be.
Was she being selfish? Dealers would find new suppliers, but it would take a little time. Product would slow, creating high demand and driving up the prices. It might save some lives in the short run, but not many.
It felt selfish to withhold the information, but at the same time, she’d done her time. Sacrificed enough already. She understood why Hammerling wanted the information. She even wanted him to have it.
Were those few lives they’d save be enough to consider worthwhile by risking herself being the pawn of yet another agency? Part of her screamed at how awful a person she was for staying silent. That even one life saved was worth her potential imprisonment in another bureaucratic institution.
The other part screamed back just as loud at the unfairness of what was being asked of her. It wasn’t her fault if the CIA wanted to have the biggest dick in the measuring contest and hold onto the information. Information they knew would save lives if all the organizations could actually let go of their collective egos and work together.
Both choices were bad.
When had her choices ever been good?
She expected that Triumph would have jumped into the conversation by now, pissed off at Hammerling for asking this of her. Threatening to shut this all down immediately. And while he probably wanted to do just that, she was moved by the fact that he hadn’t. While he didn’t like it, he respected that it was her decision.
She held the power. She controlled the game, and it was Hammerling’s job to play within the rules of that game, similar to her situation with Triumph.
As long as Hammerling didn’t arrest her for withholding information. He’d promised Francesca and Cruz this wasn’t that type of meeting. But could he truly be trusted? They obviously trusted him. Triumph didn’t. She wanted to, but trust was difficult after everything she’d been through.
She settled for sharing her concerns. “Can you assure me protection from the cartel if I help you?”
“As of right now, off the books like this? It’s the same as your parents. My hands are tied. Tripoli and Francesca have assured me that between Cosmos and Triumph, they are willing to do what they can. But Guillermo has much more firepower, literally and figuratively, I expect. They’re running a terrible risk offering you that protection, both for you and for them.” He sighed. “Secretly, I do admire them for it though.”
It was the answer she expected, but hearing it out loud did not help his case. “With all due respect, Steven, my own employers couldn’t protect me, nor did they have my best interests at heart. Hell, I still don’t know who cut me off, turned me over, or why they did. So why would I trust another government agency to be any different?”
He finished his coffee. “I can’t answer that, Glennon. Any answer I give you will likely be unconvincing. I just have to hope that you’ll come to a conclusion that helps us.” He stood. “Think about it. Just as I can’t offer you protection, I can’t make you give up the information.”
He reconsidered. “Well, Icouldarrest you and make your life a living hell until I get it. But I think you’ve already had enough of that. I won’t force you to give me the information. Ever. I’ll hold true to my word that this meeting is off the books. Someone needs to restore your faith, and since it won’t be the people it should be, then I guess it will have to be me.”
He slid his card across the table. “In case you decide to help. But I do understand if you choose not to.”
As she watched him walk away, she pondered what to do.
THE WAITING GAME
Triumph
She didn’t saya single word all the way back to the apartment, but the tip of her braid brushed back and forth across her lips. Was she just processing? Was she upset?
More importantly, was she planning to run?
Once they were behind closed doors, he enfolded her in his arms, resting his chin on her head. He took it as a positive that she was quick to wrap her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest, with her ear over his heart.
“Are you tired?” he asked.
She nodded against him. “But I’m also wired. My brain won’t shut off. It keeps hopping between my two options regarding Hammerling’s request and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Guillermo’s coming. One way or another, he’ll find me. The waiting is going to give me worse anxiety than if he’d just show up.”
“Why don’t you go take a nap. I probably should go check on some things downstairs since I’ve been gone.” He handed her a new phone. “Cosmos left this for you. It has all our numbers in it,just in case. Text me when you wake up. If you feel up to it, you can come downstairs, and I’ll show you Elysium. It’ll be a great way to forget about things for a while.”
“Sounds good.” She went up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “I don’t know what I did to deserve your help, but I’ll always be grateful.” Then she turned and went down the hall to the bedroom.
He didn’t like that “always be grateful” phrase. It made it sound like she was going to run. He knew she was worried about the trouble she was bringing to their doorstep, but no one else was. They’d been through it before with Francesca, and they’d stand firm against whatever came for Glennon as well. His friends were far more capable of protecting others than people knew.
Part of him wanted to stay in the apartment. Guard the door to keep her from running. The other part of him knew that he needed to let her make up her own mind, much as it chafed to do so. Hovering would pressure her. However, he also meant what he said when he told her that he’d chase after her if she did. Hopefully, she took him at his word and remained here because it would be far easier to protect her here than out in the world.
