Page 58 of Resolution

“What do you want my help with?” Miguel asked.

I reached for his hand, not caring who saw. He curled his fingers around mine, squeezing them. Even the touch of his hand did little to settle my nerves.

“In short, we want you, Mr. Huerta, to allow yourself to get taken—willingly—into the Cayman Islands compound so that we can get Oscar Castillo on tape admitting to crimes.”

I felt heat rushing over my skin as my heart began racing. I felt sick inside, like someone was squeezing all the breath out of me. My ears started buzzing and I was pretty sure I was close to passing out. I snapped out of it when she started talking again. “No! Absolutely not!”

“Raven,” Miguel admonished, “let SAC Bannister finish.”

“No!” I yanked my hand out of his and stood. “He’s not going to allow himself to be taken willingly or any other way into that house so he can be killed along with the rest of them.”

“Raven, sit down,” Miguel said.

He looked hurt and sick and just so fucking…unwell. I shook my head vigorously before glaring at the rest of them. “He’s already been nearly killed…by an FBI agent no less. You’re the experts! You put your lives on the line because it’s your jobs!”

“And we have an agent in that house too, Mr. Mathis,” Bannister said cooly.

“And I’m sorry about Trevor but he’s undercover and I’ll say it again in case any of you didn’t hear me. It’s his job.”

Miguel took hold of my wrist and tugged on it. “Raven! Sit down and let the SAC finish.” He sounded angry, embarrassed, and so hurt.

I sank into my chair, feeling sick to my stomach as I turned to him. I framed his cheeks, looking into his eyes as tears filled mine. “You’re hurt and you cannot do this…not like this.”

Miguel nodded at me, then turned back to Bannister who was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, clearly not happy with my outburst. “Tell us what you’re thinking and then we’ll tell you what we think of it.” He turned back to me. “Hear them out, Raven.”

I felt my skin flush hot as my ears began to burn. I searched the face I loved for a few seconds and then took a deep breath as he took my hand, wrapping it in his warm one. “Go on,” I said to her.

She dropped her arms. “Our thoughts were that the best way to get Oscar Castillo on tape was to have Miguel taken into the house so we could get his voice on a recording device. I readily admit it’s dangerous. I won’t lie about that, but we need his confession in order to put him away and break up the Sanchez Cartel once and for all.”

“With all those guys and automatic weapons?” I asked. “No way! For all you know Agent Willis is already dead, along with Aston, Tawny Flores, and Brian Leopard. And you don’t even know the first thing about what Alex Filmore tried to do to us!”

“Yes, they do, Raven,” Lincoln said. “They’ve been fully briefed. That’s why you see your friends from the FBI, the LAPD, and even the CIA here. We’ve laid out a timeline of events.”

I stared at him. I trusted Lincoln. He’d always been a friend but now I wasn’t so sure. To even entertain this horrifying plan, made me feel betrayed. “You’re on her side? Of course, you’re FBI!” I jumped up from my chair and fled the bullpen, hearing Miguel and the others shouting behind me. I needed air.

I jogged down the hallway and blew by the receptionist, slamming into one of the glass doors leading to the corridor outside the lobby. It pushed open slowly and I squeezed through the gap, then headed for the elevator. I stood in front of the double doors, punching the call button over and over, watching the numbers at the top as the car ascended floor by slow floor, seeming to stop on every one. I heard the double glass doors opening at the end of the corridor and then Miguel’s shout.

“Raven! Raven!”

I leaned forward and punched the button three more times. “Come on! Come on!”

“Raven! Stop being a child! Listen!”

He was walking as fast as he could, holding his head, fury written all over his face. I whirled on him. “No, they want to use you! They don’t care that you’ve been hurt! They don’t…they don’t—”

His arms came around me as he yanked me against him. To my horror, I burst into tears. “Raven…stop,” he crooned into my hair as I felt sobs rolling through me and him rubbing my back. “Shh.It’s okay, it was just a suggestion.Shh.I won’t do it.”

I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his shirt, shaking my head against his collarbone. I heard steps coming toward us and lifted my head. Cassidy and Mike were headed our way. I pulled out of Miguel’s arms as he let go. “You can’t let them do this to Miguel, Cassidy. You and Mike have been looking out for him since he was a teenager. You know what this means? He’s going to be cut off from everyone.”

“It’s not going to happen, Raven,” Cassidy said, reaching out his hand to clasp my shoulder as he and Mike got to us. “It was the DEA’s idea and that’s what took us so long in SAC Bradley’s office. Mike and I argued against it and so did Lincoln, Mac, and everyone else on his team. We’re your friends. We all understand that it’s been years since Miguel had to face an enemy on this scale and never unarmed. It’s suicide. You’re right, but the DEA SAC insisted on presenting her idea anyway.”

I nodded, swiping at my eyes as Miguel surrounded my shoulders with his arm. He pulled me into his side; I leaned hard against him. “Okay. Okay, then.” I blew out a long breath, feeling my panic beginning to subside.

Cassidy and Mike looked at Miguel as the elevator car finally arrived. The doors swished open. “Take Raven downstairs but stay in the building. It’s not safe for you two out there. When you feel better, come back up and we’ll talk about this some more.”

“Come on, Raven.” Miguel pulled me into the elevator, and I turned, noting Cassidy and Mike’s grim expressions as the door closed. I reached for Miguel. As he pulled me into his arms; I hugged him tight.

“It’s gonna be okay, Sunshine,” he crooned into my hair. “It’s gonna be okay.”

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