Page 58 of Dangerous Seduction

“Sir, I have to go,” I said, gaze flicking back to Morrow’s image on the screen. “But we’re not done discussing this. I need to know what’s going on.”

Morrow’s jaw tightened ever so slightly. “Just focus on getting out of there, Ramirez,” he reiterated. “We’ll handle the rest.”

The video call ended, and I closed my laptop, feeling a growing sense of unease. I stripped off the last remnants of my Eva Morales persona, trading the designer dress and jewelry for a simple T-shirt and jeans.

Something wasn’t right. Morrow’s evasiveness, his sudden insistence on pulling me out before even approaching Dante with an offer of immunity for his testimony – it all felt off, like pieces of a puzzle that refused to fit together no matter how hard I tried. And then there was Valentina’s urgent summons, a lifeline amid the chaos that threatened to consume me.

As I stepped into the sunshine, a surge of determination coursed through me. I had to uncover the truth, no matter what. The mission and sacrifices I had made couldn’t all be for nothing because that would mean Matt died for nothing.

With a deep breath, I climbed into my car and set off towards the cafe, speculating about the possibilities and unanswered questions. Whatever was going on, whatever secrets were being kept from me, I was determined to uncover the truth.

The cafe was nestled in a quiet corner of Miami, unassuming and discreet – the perfect place for a meeting of this nature.

I scanned the dimly lit interior, quickly finding Valentina tucked away in a secluded booth at the back. She looked up as I approached, her dark eyes glinting with relief.

“Nat,” she greeted me, her voice a low murmur as I slid into the booth opposite her. “Thank God you’re alright. I was starting to worry.”

I managed a tight smile as I took in the tense set of her shoulders, the way her fingers drummed an erratic rhythm against the tabletop. “What’s going on, Val?” I asked. “Your text sounded urgent.”

Valentina leaned forward as she glanced around the cafe, checking for potential eavesdroppers. “I don’t know how to say this, Nat,” she began. “But... there’s a mole within the DEA.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. “A mole?” I echoed, my mind reeling with the implications. “Are you sure?”

Valentina nodded. “I wish I weren’t,” she said. “But I’ve been digging, and the pieces just don’t add up.”

She reached into her bag and withdrew a thick manila envelope before sliding it across the table towards me. “Take a look at these.”

With trembling fingers, I opened the envelope, my eyes widening as I took in the contents – a stack of surveillance photos, grainy but unmistakable, showing members of the Reyes cartel engaged in what appeared to be a routine drug deal.

“This was taken two days before the raid on the warehouse,” Valentina explained. “Notice anything off?”

I studied the photos, furrowing my brow as I tried to understand what I saw. At first glance, everything appeared routine—the cartel members exchanging packages and conducting their business as usual. But then, something caught my eye, a subtle detail I almost missed.

“The location,” I breathed as the realization hit me. “This isn’t the warehouse we raided. It’s somewhere else entirely.”

Valentina nodded. “Exactly. And that’s not all.” She reached into the envelope again, producing a bundle of documents – surveillance logs, phone records, and other intel that had been gathered in preparation for the raid.

“Look at the dates,” she instructed her voice tight with barely contained fury. “These logs, these phone records – all point to the cartel operating out of the warehouse we raided. But these photos prove otherwise.”

My mind raced, the pieces falling into place with a sickening clarity. “Someone tipped them off,” I whispered in disbelief. “Someone at HQ leaked the raid’s location, and that’s why the warehouse was empty of drugs.”

Valentina’s jaw clenched as she nodded. “And that’s not even the worst part,” she said. “You know, the intel that led us to that warehouse in the first place. Can you guess what I found out?”

I shook my head as a sense of dread settled over me.

Valentina’s eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she reached across the table to grasp my hand. “I’m so sorry, Nat,” she said. “But it looks like Matt was set up, and a mole in our department was behind it.”

I felt the world spinning around me, a flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm me as the truth sank in. Matt’s death, the raid that had gone so wrong – it wasn’t the Reyes cartel’s doing, not entirely. Someone within our ranks had betrayed us and sold us out to the people we were trying to bring down.

Anger and grief had consumed me after Matt’s death, but now they sharpened with this revelation. I had spent all this time blaming Dante, blaming the cartel for my partner’s loss.

Even as this newfound knowledge threatened to crush me, clarity surged within me, reigniting my determination to see this through. One thing was clear: Dante Reyes was not the true enemy here.

No, the real enemy was the corruption that had taken root within the organization I had sworn to serve, the rot that had plagued and spread, claiming the lives of good men like Matt. And if I had any hope of bringing those responsible to justice, honoring Matt’s memory, and ensuring that his sacrifice was not in vain, then I needed to act – but not as I had initially envisioned. Because with the knowledge that a mole had been working against us all along, the game had changed.

If I could convince Dante to turn against his father and help me expose the mole within our ranks, then perhaps there was a chance – a chance for redemption, for justice, for a future that didn’t involve bloodshed and betrayal.

As I looked into Valentina’s eyes, I saw the same resolve reflected at me, a steely determination that burned brighter than the flickering candles that adorned our table.

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