by Margaret Kay
“It’s big business, big money,” Garcia said. “And if you think about it, from the perspective of the cartel, it’s smart. They still keep a piece of the business and the revenues. They’ve lost a lot of money since so many states have legalized weed. That’s why they’ve stepped up production and distribution of the other drugs.”
“Also, several agencies have split up the list of properties outlined in that file you found, Garcia. They will each be thoroughly investigated and seized,” Shepherd said.
“Any word on that property in the Chain-of-Lakes area we surveilled?” Mother asked.
“Yes, Mendoza has given up info on it. He had it rigged to burn to the ground if it was breached when he wasn’t there, taking out anyone within. DEA hasn’t given up what intel they found there, but I know they are still processing it.”
“What about Vargas? Has anyone determined if he was in bed with anyone?” Jackson asked.
“Mason believes he is clean. I’ll leave CIA business to Mason. If Vargas is dirty, Mason will find out and deal with it. Of that I have confidence,” Shepherd said.
“So, why didn’t Greg Andrews pass his file contents along to Vargas if he trusted him? The amount of intel he had detailed out was significant. He had to have spent months on it,” Garcia said.
“I don’t know,” Shepherd replied. “I agree, he didn’t trust someone. Or he didn’t want to tip anyone off without all the info he could find.”
“Speaking of the CIA, what about Collin Lowry AKA Chad Logan? How did he really die? Car accident my ass!” Madison piped up.
“That too is on Mendoza. According to the encrypted file, that Garcia broke, Andrews and Logan were getting too close. He knew Andrews had done recon in Colorado at the New Mountain facility. Logan was getting too close to the ownership and financials. Evidently Logan wasn’t as good at hiding his hacking as Garcia, because Mendoza back-traced Logan’s intrusions into their systems and found him,” Shepherd reported.
“Oh, and Sienna, we found Michael McKnight. The cartel didn’t get to him, just the police. He’s sitting in jail awaiting trial on possession, with intent to sell charges,” Cooper informed her.
“That’s ironic. He’s facing charges when in some states it’s legal for recreational as well as medical use,” Sienna thought aloud.
“Yeah, and many of those prescriptions are issued to people with nothing wrong with them but a desire to use weed,” Garcia said. “From an enforcement perspective, this whole thing is a fucked-up mess. I’m glad I’m not with the DEA any longer.”
“And you’re glad not to be under as the infamous Razor any longer too, I bet,” Madison said with a smile.
“I’m glad that persona is permanently burned. It’s too bad though, that we couldn’t get Gomez. Scooping him up would cause a major disruption,” Razor said. “Mendoza was high ranking, but his role will be replaced too quickly.”
“But the partnership with the Juarez Cartel won’t be. We finally found the connection between Mendoza, Juan Carlos, and the Juarez Cartel. Part of it was in Greg Andrews’ encrypted file, Mendoza filled in the rest of the blanks.” Shepherd said. “Follow this one as it is a convoluted mess. Juan Carlos, as it turns out has a wife and two small sons. They live in Juarez, Mexico where she is from. She is the sister of one of the highest-ranking lieutenants in the Juarez Cartel. They met at a resort in Cancun, where they both worked when they were teens. They fell in love, got married, and thought they could leave their families and their crimes behind. They were wrong. When her brother found out he sent some of his people to Cancun and they brought her home, but she was already six months pregnant. Seeing it as an opportunity, her brother made a deal with Juan Carlos. Juan Carlos, it turns out, is Mendoza’s nephew. Mendoza was a known rising star in the Medellin Cartel. When Juan Carlos told him the deal and about how his wife’s brother was keeping his pregnant wife as collateral, Mendoza saw opportunity, as well.”
“So, basically, everyone was using Juan Carlos, his wife and kids,” Madison remarked.
“Yeah, including me.” Garcia said with a sigh. He had no idea Juan Carlos had a wife and kids. But he hadn’t really cared to get to know the kid. He just used him.
“It was the job,” Shepherd said coldly.
Garcia’s eyes traveled from Shepherd to Joe Lassiter, who sat beside him. He merely nodded to Joe. Yeah, he’d be talking with Joe about this he knew. Joe would never let this one go.
“No more leverage, no more using Juan Carlos to orchestrate anything. And after the Juarez Cartel just lost all their people at that warehouse, I’m sure they won’t be too anxious to make any new deals with the Colombians,” Cooper added.
“Plus, some of those properties in the file have already tracked to the Mexicans. One location is believed to house more slave labor that have been forced to process the drugs,” Shepherd said. “This was a win that we haven’t seen in a long time. We helped keep a lot of drugs off the streets last night. And about Gomez, the DEA is working that angle. If they can use Mendoza to lure him out, before he figures out Mendoza is in custody, they’ve got a good shot at him. That’s their play though, and we are out of it.”
“Thank God!” Garcia spoke. It was time for them to get out of the DEA’s business and get back to what they did best.
That sentiment was repeated around the table by many.
“One last item,” Cooper said. “My brother will be in town next weekend and Madison has contacted her family. They can make it in, so we are going to get married then. Shepherd and I have adjusted the operational calendar for a day off for most, so, everyone, keep your calendars open.”
“And since suspending operations at the Agency is hard to manage, we’ll have the baby baptized then too,” Jackson added.
“Yes! Two blessed events I get to officiate,” Lambchop said with a big smile.
Many at the table chuckled.
“Okay, that’s it,” Shepherd said. “Good work everyone.”
The meeting ended and everyone began to get up.
“Garcia, hang back, we have one more item,” Shepherd said.
Garcia noticed Shepherd hadn’t pushed back from the table. Neither Cooper nor Lassiter stood.
“I’ve got Sienna,” Madison said. “We’ll wait in the kitchen.”
So, Madison knew there was more for him. Garcia nodded to Sienna to go ahead. Madison was the last out of the room. She closed the door. Garcia didn’t retake his seat. He just stared at Shepherd expectantly. He knew whatever it was, he wasn’t going to like it.
“Sit,” Shepherd said. “DEA has asked for one more favor.”
“That’s how this started six months ago! Fuck them and fuck their favor!”
“Garcia, sit,” Shepherd repeated, more forcefully.
Garcia reluctantly took his seat.
“Juan Carlos isn’t cooperating. They haven’t told him yet that we know about his family. They want you to do that and offer him a deal. If he gives everything up, the DEA will get his family out of Mexico, bring them here, and give them new identities. He’s been kept from his family by her brother and Mendoza. From what we read in that decoded file, he’s only been allowed to spend a total of thirty days with his family in the last several years. And all phone communication has been closely monitored,” Shepherd said.
“Why me?”
“The DEA thinks if he’s going to trust anyone, it will be you because of your history,” Shepherd said.
Garcia barked out a sarcastic burst of laughter. “I’m the last person he’s going to fucking trust. I’ve used him, deserted him, twice, and I’m a cop.”
“You also spent a great deal of time with him. You have a rapport. If he’s going to trust anyone, I agree it’s you,” Lassiter said.
“Will he be able to see his family?”
“If he gives everything up, he just may be able to be with them,” Shepherd said, much to Garcia’s surprise.
“That sounds too good to be true, which if it’s coming from
the DEA, it’s a bull-shit lie that I won’t be a part of.”
Shepherd and Cooper both laughed.
“I thought so too,” Shepherd said. “I got it in blood from Manning. It’s a bona fide offer, but it has an expiration date.”
“Of course, it does,” Garcia said.
“The DEA wants you to go to the facility where they are holding Juan Carlos and present the offer. Don’t take no for an answer. You know the man, know what buttons to push,” Shepherd said.
“And know how to use his family against him. Haven’t enough bastards run that play on him?”
“This time it will be different because it’ll be you, and we’ll hold Manning’s feet to the fire. If they make this offer and Juan Carlos plays ball, we’ll make sure the DEA doesn’t renege. You have my word on that,” Shepherd guaranteed.
Garcia breathed out heavily. He nodded. If there was even a chance, he could right the wrong he did to Juan Carlos when he pulled out the first time, he had to try. “When?”
“You’re to leave immediately,” Cooper said, tossing a key fob across the table. “The location is programmed into the GPS in the car. You can tell Sienna you’re going before you leave. Madison will have her till you get back.”
Garcia’s eyes flickered back to Shepherd. “I’m trusting you on this one, Shep. If it doesn’t go down the way it’s supposed to, you’ll have my resignation.”
“Garcia, you know me. If I say I’ll make Manning deliver what’s promised, you know I will.”
Garcia almost felt guilty. Yeah, Shepherd was one of the good guys, had more integrity than anyone he’d ever met. “Okay.” He stood, key fob in hand.
“We’ll let them know you’re on your way,” Cooper said.
Garcia nodded again. He still didn’t like it. “You tell Manning that if they renege on this, I will personally be coming after him. He hasn’t seen what I’m capable of.” His voice was dead serious and so was his gaze.
Shepherd nodded. “I’ll be right there with you.”
“Me too,” Cooper added.
“Come see me when you get back,” Lassiter told Garcia as he moved towards the door. The three men watched Garcia leave. Lassiter turned back to Shepherd. “Manning better not renege. Garcia will kill him if he does.”
Shepherd ran his hand through his hair. His head was pounding. “I’ll personally deploy a team to get Juan Carlos’ family out if Manning doesn’t. But I’ll still need you to talk Garcia down when he gets back or put him on leave if you can’t. He can’t be operating with that attitude.”
Lassiter nodded. Yes, he found Garcia’s threats to be both credible and concerning.
X-Ray
Garcia hated what he was about to do, but it was the last item to finish to finally be done with this assignment that had taken up too much of his life. Agent Williams continued to talk as they walked through the long corridor towards the interrogation room that they had Juan Carlos in. They were words that Garcia didn’t pay any attention to.
“Garcia, you got that?”
“Yeah, I know the play.” He pinned the agent with a harsh stare. Garcia considered this youngster as nothing more than an annoyance. After all, Garcia had lived and breathed this mission for more years than Williams had even been with the DEA. Williams had no place lecturing him of anything.
And he knew Juan Carlos well. He had helped to create Juan Carlos. When he left the first time, Juan Carlos was a kid that was in over his head. He shouldn’t have even survived, let alone rise in the cartel ranks to the position he did. Garcia knew he should have found a way to take Juan Carlos with him back then. Maybe they could have gotten his family out and to safety years ago.
“Good luck,” Williams said. “He hasn’t said shit to any of us.”
Of course, he hadn’t. The man was protecting his family or trying to. Garcia knew that. How was it that Williams and the other DEA Agents didn’t? Even at the Silo last Fall, implementing interrogation techniques that were less than approved, Shepherd Security hadn’t been able to completely break Juan Carlos. They got needed intel, but not everything, that it was now obvious Juan Carlos knew.
Juan Carlos did a double take on Garcia as he entered the holding room. Juan Carlos sat, cuffed to the table. Garcia knew that he recognized him by the look on his face. Garcia took the seat across from him and sat the computer tablet onto the table.
“Hello, Juan Carlos.”
“You’re a Fed, a fucking Fed?”
“Something like that,” Garcia admitted. “And you’re a lieutenant. You rose through the ranks quickly.”
A scowl curved over Juan Carlos’ face. “I’m not talking to you.”
“Then just listen. What your next forty years will be like are up to you. You can be buried in a hole so deep you never see the light of day or you can come out of this smelling like a rose.”
“I’m not giving you any information.”
“We’ve got Mendoza too, and he has decided to cooperate, wants to see his kid before he’s a grandfather. What about yours? Do you ever want to see your sons again?”
Juan Carlos looked shocked that Garcia knew about his family.
“Yeah, we know about your wife Rosa and your two sons, Jose and Enrique.” He turned the display on his tablet for Juan Carlos to view the feed of his wife and sons in Mexico. The boys played with a ball. A beautiful young woman watched them from nearby.
Juan Carlos’ eyes went wide.
“That’s them isn’t it?” Garcia asked softly. “Your wife is beautiful, and the boys look just like you. Don’t you want to be able to see them again?”
Tears flooded Juan Carlos’ eyes. He shook his head. “You know Gomez. I say one word to you and I’m a dead man, and so is my family.”
“Unless we can protect them. I can get them out of Juarez and bring them here, give them new identities, and let them live their lives in safety. It’s your choice. I think we both know that where they are, something bad will eventually happen to them. And your sons will most likely fall victim to the streets and follow in your or their uncle’s footsteps. Is that what you want for them?”
Juan Carlos didn’t answer. He just stared daggers through Garcia.
“What if I tell you I think we can get Gomez?”
“What does it matter? There will always be another Gomez, another Mendoza, another me.”
“Maybe, but this alliance with the Juarez Cartel is specific to you, Mendoza, and Rosa’s brother. And this deal with the legal growers, that’s unique to Gomez and Mendoza. And now that more of their men have been killed, I doubt anyone else in the Juarez Cartel will be anxious to trust the Colombian’s. So, I’m thinking this helps to reduce the volume of drugs getting into the US, at least in the short-term. We’ll take any wins that we can get.”
“You can’t protect my family and I don’t believe you can get them out.”
Garcia smiled. “I can do both. You know me Juan Carlos. If I say I’m going to get something done, I do. This is no different.” Garcia paused and eyed him, remembering how young Juan Carlos was when he first met him. He was already a father then and Garcia never knew. “I know how your family has been used against you. That isn’t what I’m going to do. It’s not right what both Rosa’s brother and Mendoza, your uncle did.”
Juan Carlos again looked stunned that he knew about that.
“I told you, Mendoza is cooperating. Once he knew he’d be allowed to see his daughter if he cooperated, he hasn’t shut up. But you’re different than him. Mendoza is a stone-cold killer. You’re not. You’ve done what you’ve had to do to protect your family. I understand that, and I’d do the same. That’s why you’re getting offered this deal and Mendoza is not. You cooperate fully and not only do we get your family out and give them new identities, you get to be there with them.”
“Rosa’s brother will never stop looking for them. They’ll never be safe.”
“That’s why we’ll make it look damn convincing that they’re dead. Amigo, you can
trust me on this. I’m not going to leave your family hanging out there, and I’m not going to use them against you.”
Juan Carlos rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
“If I’d known about them when I pulled out the first time, I would have taken you with and we would have gotten them.”
“Yeah, because all you Feds care about my family.”
“No, just me!” Garcia insisted. “The only thing I feel bad about regarding any of this is that I left you hanging the first time.”
“Yeah, you did. And Gomez expected me to be you when you were gone.”
“And you didn’t want any of it. I know that.”
