Page 131 of Arranged

“What do you need to tell me other than that you set me up?”

“That wasn’t me. As soon as I found out about your sister, I contacted you. They wanted to lure you out.”

“That much I figured out already.”

“There’s more. You have…” He choked again and the machines responded, a beeping sound indicating a nurse would arrive shortly.

“What, Louis?”

“You have a leak.”

“In the DEA. You bet. A mile wide.”

“No, in your organization. I mean in the one you’re…” He closed his eyes, licking his lips slowly.

“That I’ve accepted as my own? Who is it?” At least we were getting somewhere.

“I don’t know, but this is bigger than both of us. Corruption.”

“Are you trying to tell me within the ranks of the DEA?” If he was attempting to tell me this went to the top, that was something new and very interesting.

“Yes.”

“These agents were afraid I’d expose them,” I mused. “So they did what they could to destroy all evidence I was undercover and working for the DEA.”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t I believe you? I think you did this.” A leak. A part of me wanted to be angry, but my instinct had been impossible to ignore as of late.

He stared at me with sad eyes. “I understand why you think that. They used you. I let them do it. I thought for the greater good, but I was wrong.”

“When did you suspect I was being used as a pawn?”

“Six, eight months ago.”

“Why didn’t you pull me out?”

His laugh was bitter and scratchy. “I tried. You said no. Remember? After that, I was barely kept in the loop.”

Louis was right about that. “Now what?”

“Like I said, I have evidence. At my house. You know where I live. There’s a shed out back. A floorboard under the potting bench. It will tell you everything you need to know.”

I took a deep breath. “That doesn’t change anything, Louis. I’m finished with the DEA.”

The man didn’t look surprised. “You found your place.”

“Yeah, I guess I did. I never really fit in with the DEA. How many times had I heard that? Too black and white. No gray. Maybe they were right. Now, I only see shades of black. I like it that way. You can keep your evidence.”

“They’re going to kill me, Jeff. They won’t stop there. They will use whatever method they can to destroy you. This is much bigger than either of us realized.”

“Let them try, Louis. I’m a different man than when I went undercover. I lost my conscience a long time ago. If they want to fuck with me, let the try. I don’t think they’ll like what they find.”

* * *

“I need you, Alejandro. Your expertise.”

Hearing the strange tone in Don Lupini’s voice forced my hackles to rise. “What happened?” He’d insisted he meet with me alone, keeping Drago, Gio, and the other four soldiers waiting in the sunroom. I wondered how long it would be until a fight broke out. There’d been tension the moment we’d walked in. And I’d yet to promote another warm body to the rank of Capo.

---