“Oh God,” Eddie managed. “I’m sorry,” he chuckled and fought to get himself under control. He finally straightened up and continued to smile at Knight. “I’m Lita.”
Knight blinked at the Nordic godlike man in front of him. “So what? Lita’s a codename?”
“No. It’s a nickname. Lita is short for Hypolita; even though my last name is pronounced hy-pol-it-a.” Lita chuckled again and resumed walking toward the range.
“Shit,” Knight muttered and felt stupid for not making the connection. He was still too pissed off at what Fish had told him and full of aggression from his confrontation with the large agent when the man next to him introduced himself for his mind to consider the spelling of Eddie’s last name.
“Slade has a thing for shortening names. He does it with all of us. Zepple is Zep, Hunter is Hunt, and there are a few others. I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up as Nie,” Lita chuckled again.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” Knight growled.
“We got to get him back first,” Lita said seriously.
“Fisher gave me the rundown on what happened and seem convinced that Slade would be fine as Fernandez’s guest until the product delivery.”
“Slade knows his shit and Fish is probably right, but the look Zep shot me as I was being escorted out of Fernandez’s has my warning bells ringing like crazy.”
“So, Zep is still there with Slade, but he’s been under for a while? Fish said Slade wasn’t without backup on the inside.”
“Yeah. Zep’s been under for thirteen months now,” Lita confirmed.
“That’s a long time to be in deep, alone,” Knight commented. “You don’t think he’s turned or anything like that, do you?” Knight hated that he had to ask, but he didn’t know the man.
“No,” Lita said with conviction. “The look he gave me was too full of fear and concern for Slade to be anything but genuine.” Lita paused and met Knight’s gaze. “Slade’s in trouble. If not already, he will be soon.”
“My gut told me as much,” Knight cursed and ignored Lita’s raised brow. “Why isn’t Fish moving up the timeline to get Slade out?”
“Too risky. Slade set the delivery date per our protocol before Fernandez forced him to be a guest until delivery. Fish won’t move unless Zep sends a 911, but I don’t think Zep will get the chance before it is too late for Slade.”
“Fuck,” Knight cursed. “Tell me you are talking to me right now because you aren’t going to let Slade be Fernandez’s guest for the next four days.”
Lita grinned. “That’s exactly why I am talking to you.”
“Then I’m listening.”
“Even if it fucks up your chance at becoming an INET agent?” Lita asked. “Because if you throw in with me to get Slade out, chances are that Fish might not be able to save your ass even if he decides he wants to.”
Knight didn’t even need to consider Lita’s warning. He liked Slade and if saving the agent’s ass got him booted from INET, then they weren’t an agency he wanted to work for, regardless of the fact that they were the pinnacle of undercover drug vice.
“I’m still listening,” Knight replied and grinned when Lita smiled.
“I get one call to Slade to verify I set up the shipment as ordered. We can let him know through an established code that we are coming to extract him and Zep.”
“Fernandez didn’t ensure you didn’t know his location?” Knight asked as they continue to walk.
“No, but it wouldn’t matter if he did. Most of us who go undercover agree to bio trackers.”
“You’re shitting me,” Knight said incredulously.
“Nope. You would be given the option for one before your first undercover op,” Lita informed Knight. “Slade has a tracker so even if Fernandez moved him, we will know where he is. Zep has one too, and as of…” Lita looked at his watch. “Two hours ago, they were both still at Fernandez’s San Antonio mansion.”
“What’s the plan?” Knight asked as they passed the firing range and took the path back toward the trainee dorms.
“You’re going to show up as his very pissed off brother and demand to see him,” Lita said. “Hunt and I will be your backup.”
Knight frowned because Fish’s point about his inability to speak Spanish was valid. There was no way Fernandez would buy that he and Slade were brothers if he couldn’t speak the same accented Spanish as Slade; regardless of how much they looked alike.
“Won’t work,” Knight stated. “I don’t know Spanish.”
“You don’t need to. You’re going to be his uncultured American half-brother and business partner who happens to be extremely pissed that he is doing a deal behind your back so he doesn’t have to share the profit.”
Lita grinned and Knight considered the pros and cons of the cover. The cons were a lot because even though the lie seemed plausible it still sounded too much like a Hollywood movie plot for Knight’s comfort.
“Hunt will be your muscle and I’ll be the ‘not as loyal to Ruiz as I appeared’ other bodyguard for you.” Lita explained his plan, “We just need to get into the same room as Fernandez. Zep is in Fernandez’s inner circle and is always close to him. That leaves one, maybe two, others who would be present. Even if Fernandez has two of his loyal men in the room when we meet, the numbers are in our favor.”
Knight couldn’t fault Lita’s logic. At best it would be he, Lita, Hunt, and Zep against Fernandez and one of his men. At worst, it would be him and Zep against Fernandez and one of his men. If even odds were the worst case scenario he would face to get Slade out, Knight was more than comfortable with them.
“When do we go?” Knight asked.
“When can you be ready?” Lita countered.
“Now.”
“Good.” Lita nodded and unclipped his phone from his waist to make a call. “We’re good to go,” Lita said into his phone. “Yeah...Uh Huh… Okay… Good… See you at one then.” Lita ended the call and looked at Knight. “They assigned you an INET laptop, right?” Lita asked.
Knight couldn’t help but grin as he thought of his INET issued computer. He hadn’t booted it up since the night he finished his research on Billinger. He didn’t even use the laptop to research Fisher, but instead use the campus library. Just thinking of the laptop brought memories of Slade going to town on his ass and the techs, along with the whole damn floor, getting an ear full.
“Yeah but it’s not secure,” Knight informed Lita.
“What do you mean not secure? It’s INET issued.” Lita was genuinely confused.
“It’s bugged.” Knight glanced at Lita’s surprised expression. “Video when it booted up and audio all the time.”
“No shit?”
“No shit,” Knight confirmed. “So, anything you are thinking of having me use it for will be monitored.”
“All right,” Lita replied thoughtfully. “I’ll bring you mine. It won’t raise any flags when we log into Fernandez’s file. Is your training piece your only weapon?”
“Yeah. They wouldn’t let me bring any of my own,” Knight’s tone indicated Lita should already know as much.
“Doesn’t mean you listened,” Lita grinned. “I’ll bring you a few weapons. You wear your training weapon like the rest of us, minus the holster, so I’ll grab you one of those along with a shoulder holster and one for your ankle. Fernandez will expect you to be armed to the teeth, especially if you are the thug brother.”
“Thug brother, huh?” Knight raised a brow.
“Yeah. You are American after all.” Lita laughed and they stopped in the middle of the courtyard between the dorm and the cafeteria.
“I’ll be back at,” Lita glanced at his watch. “Let’s say noon. That should give us enough time for you to go over the file and to get you outfitted for the op. What’s your dorm number?”
“Three sixteen,” Knight replied.
“See you at noon then,” Lita stuck out a hand again and they shook.
“Noon it is,” Knight nodded and Li
ta turned away.
As Knight watched the large agent walk away, he noticed several of his classmates looking from him to Lita’s retreating back. He ignored them as he turned toward the cafeteria. His gut was still screaming over Slade’s safety, but now that he had a plan to do something about it, it wasn’t nearly as bad.
It was after ten so he didn’t have much time before Lita returned. He needed to eat since he didn’t know when he would get the chance to do so again until after they extracted Slade safely. Food then a shower, Knight thought and had to make himself do both slowly just to kill time.
Slade surfaced from the haze of drugs that were forced upon him. It wasn’t the first time he resurfaced, but it was the first time since he had entered Fernandez’s mansion that he was alone. As he tried to shake off the drugs, he became aware that cocaine wasn’t the only drug Fernandez had forced into his vein.
Slade had worked undercover long enough that there had been other times where he couldn’t avoid taking drugs. Those times sucked balls when dealers didn’t believe his shyness about shooting up in front of others or when he couldn’t avoid doing a line of coke or meth to prove he was an addict. Sometimes actually doing the drugs just couldn’t be avoided.
The few times Slade had been forced to shoot coke, the high was intense, but it never lasted long. Hence, the high addiction numbers. In the past, even the almost pure product they offered the traffickers hadn’t affected him like the shit Fernandez shot him up with. Slade wasn’t sure what else was in the syringe, but he knew it was more than just cocaine. The vivid hallucinations reminded him of LSD and the urge to fuck felt like ecstasy laced Viagra. For all he knew, the coke was laced with all three.
Slade glanced around the room. It was a bedroom and he was sprawled across a king size bed. His suit pants were a wrinkled mass, his suit jacket was nowhere to be seen, and his shirt and shoes were nowhere to be found.
He pushed off the pillows that propped him up against the headboard of the bed. Slade’s head swam and bile rose in his throat. Sweat broke out on his brow and he leaned over the side of the bed because he was sure he was going to puke. The door to the room opened just as Slade lowered his head and threw up all over the floor.
“Shit, he’s awake,” a voice that Slade didn’t recognize reached his ears.
“Just because he’s moving doesn’t mean he’s awake,” a voice Slade did recognize answered.
Hands pushed on Slade shoulders and he had no choice but to allow those hands to maneuver him back against the headboard of the bed. He didn’t have the strength to fight and barely managed to open his eyes and focus on the man above him.
“Get me a rag.”
Slade looked into Zep’s face and even though the dredges of drugs still flooded his system, Slade could read the concern in his fellow agent’s eyes.
“Do him first,” the second voice ordered.
“He’s not going anywhere. Shit, he can’t even sit the fuck up,” Zep commented dryly. “Give me the needle and get me a rag to at least wipe him down.” Zep held out his hand and the second guy handed him a syringe.
“Why you even give a shit when he’ll be dead soon, is beyond me.”
“Just get me a fucking rag,” Zep growled and glared at the man.
Zep didn’t return his attention to Slade until the guy entered the bathroom. The sight of Slade’s condition made Zep sick, but he knew his fellow agent understood the precarious role he was forced to maintain. Zep spared only a moment to ensure his cohort in Fernandez’s ranks was out of earshot before he spoke.
“Slade,” Zep whispered harshly as he pushed the plunger on the syringe to empty most of the shot against the side of the bed. “I don’t know if you’re coherent enough to understand me. Fuck, I hope you are. Shit. Lita is sure to be coming, but Fernandez wants Ruiz to remain doped up until delivery of the shipment. I’m gonna shoot you up again, but it’s not the dose I’m supposed to give you. I need you to zone out once I give it to you and stay that way. Do you understand?”
Slade heard Zep’s words and watched as the man looked nervously over his shoulder toward the bathroom. Slowly, to fucking slowly, he began to comprehend what Zep said.
“He has to see me giving you the shot,” Zep hissed and pulled Slade’s arm into his lap. “Do you understand?”
The desperation in Zep’s voice was thick. Slade understood and nodded. He hated the fact that he was going to be drugged again, but knew that Zep didn’t have a choice.
“How long?” Slade managed to ask.
“You’ve been here four days. This is the first time he sent me to re-drug you.” Zep glanced at the bathroom again. “Lita will be here…”
Noise from the direction of the bathroom halted whatever else Zep was about to say and Slade felt the prick of the needle in his vein.
“Here.”
A damp rag landed unceremoniously on the center of Slade’s chest, but he didn’t have the fortitude to glare at the man. The burn of the small amount of drug that Zep pushed into him was enough for Slade’s minimal awareness to fade to black. His last thought before he succumbed to the unwanted high that was being inflicted on his body was to wonder if Lita would bring Knight with him when the extraction came.
Twenty-Three
Promptly at noon there was a hard rap a Knight’s door. He opened it, but didn’t invite Lita in. Instead, he stepped into the hall and closed his door behind him. Knight carried his backpack that held the clothes he wore the day he showed up for training. Neither man spoke as they left the dorm, crossed the training grounds, and got into Lita’s car.
“Hunt is waiting for us at the airport. You can get changed and review the file on the flight to San Antonio,” Lita informed him as they drove away from INET’s property.
Twenty-five minutes later they pulled into a private airport. Ten minutes after that they were crossing the tarmac toward a private jet.
“That an INET jet?” Knight asked.
“Yeah. It’s one we use regularly,” Lita replied.
“Regularly enough that no one will think twice about us stealing it for an unsanctioned mission?” Knight asked more out of curiosity than concern that they were going to catch hell for what they were about to do.
“No, but borrowing it won’t be a problem.” Lita glanced at Knight as they approached the plane’s stairs.
“Borrowing, huh?” Knight grinned.
Lita smiled back. “Yeah.”
Two men stood at the base of the stairs that led into the plane. One was obviously the pilot so Knight deduced the other was Hunter. It was Hunt that Knight looked over with a critical eye.
The guy had flaming red hair and even from a distance, Knight could see the freckles that covered his face. Knight would bet his truck that the agent had green eyes to go with his ginger appearance. Hunt wore combat boots, jeans, and a dark T-shirt under his brown leather jacket. He was built like a runner and he was as opposite from Lita as anyone could be. As Knight looked him over, the man never broke eye contact with him as they approached and Knight decided he liked him for that alone.
“Eddie,” the pilot greeted when they stopped in front of both men.
“Sam,” Lita smiled at the man. “You sure you want to do this? Because if not, now is the time to change your mind.”
“I’m sure,” Sam replied without hesitating. “I owe you and Slade so it’s the least I can do.”
“You don’t owe us, Sam,” Lita began but Sam cut him off.
“Yes, I do. If it hadn’t been for you two, I never would’ve gotten Debra back. So, just get on board so I can take you to San Antonio.”
“All right,” Lita agreed and turned to Hunt. “Everything we need is on the plane?”
“Of course,” Hunt replied in a tone of voice that sounded as if the man should have said ‘duh’ before he turned to Knight.
“I’m sure he told you,” Hunt nodded toward Lita. “I’m Hunt and you must be Slade’s new partner, Knight.”
“Yeah he
did,” Knights shook Hunt’s hand. “So does the whole team already know who I am?” Knight asked as they climb the steps.
“Only the important people,” Lita laughed from behind Knight.
All three men got settled and soon Sam had them in the air. Once they hit cruising altitude, Knight changed and accepted Lita’s laptop to review Fernandez’s file. He read through it quickly while only partially listening to the two INET agents discuss football. Knight closed Lita’s laptop and had to ask the question that was suddenly bugging him.
“Slade told me that all the dealers and traffickers are always taken out of the game whether they end up in prison or not.” Both Lita and Hunt looked at him and Knight waited for one of them to reply.
“Do you have a problem with that?” Lita finally asked.
“Nope.” Knight grinned because he really didn’t. Arresting the dirt bags who flooded the streets with poison instead of just taking them out was the hardest part for Knight when he worked with TPD vice.
“So what’s your point then?” Hunt asked curiously.
“I was just wondering why Fernandez hasn’t just been taken out. Why waste time trying to bust him when it’s easier and more cost-effective to kill him,” Knight paused and looked at both agents whose expression said they approved that Knight didn’t have a problem killing the assholes who were polluting the streets. “Unless you’re trying to turn him? Because I know INET has to already know who he is supplying.”
“We are and we do,” Lita confirmed.
“Most of the cartels Fernandez is supplying change locations too often for us to just go in and take them down,” Hunt explained.
“If we could persuade Fernandez to help us it would make our job much, much easier,” Lita added.
“So, aside from getting Slade and Zep out alive, we want to take Fernandez alive as well,” Knight commented instead of asked.
“Our only goal is to get Slade and Zep out,” Lita replied.
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