Deep Undercover Ch. 03

"What happened here?" Las Casas spoke in a crisp staccato rhythm, emphasizing every syllable. "There are bodies everywhere."

"Sit down, Jorge. Let me pour you a drink."

Las Casas took a seat. Dana poured two glasses of wine.

"Where's Mateo?"

"He's in the cellar. He's dead."

"And the twins?"

"They're gone."

"They killed Hernandez and escaped?"

"No, I killed Hernandez and I let them go."

"You what?" Las Casas' eyes bulged. He pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at Dana's forehead.

"I killed him," Dana said, "to save your life."

"My life? How?"

"Hernandez was plotting to kill you and take over your business. His hand has been behind everything that happened here in the past 24 months."

Dana paused to take a sip of her wine.

"Crespo never stole from you," she continued. "Hernandez set him up. Once Crespo was out of the way, you were the next target. He was going to take you out as soon as you stepped off the helicopter."

"Then what about the bug? Why did he place it on my boat? Was he working with Torres?"

"I planted the bug. The twins and Torres had nothing to do with any of this."

"You? Why?"

"I was working with the police. They put me on the boat for the purpose of planting the bug."

"What information have you provided them?"

"Nothing. I didn't place it until the day after the party. The battery died before you were ever in that room again. They got nothing from it."

"If everything you are telling me is true, then I have no choice but to kill you."

"I expected you to say that. I had hoped that you wouldn't, but I knew you would. It's your nature."

"I'm a businessman. Your actions have compromised my entire enterprise."

Dana turned her face as a tear rolled down her cheek. She took a long sip of wine and then continued.

"I have an offer for you."

"I'm listening."

"I'll give you everything the Miami-Dade Police Department has on you, if you'll let me leave. Their complete files are yours, if you just agree to let me go and promise to never contact me again."

"You could have been my wife, Lydia. I would have married you."

"It's Dana. My name is Dana. And no, I couldn't. This life isn't for me. I was scared and I was desperate, and tried to convince myself that somehow, someway, I could become what you wanted me to be. But becoming that person would have meant no longer being myself. I can't do it."

"Dana. Dana. Dana. You place me in a difficult position. More than anything else, I just want to turn back the clock and start this day all over again. I want you at my side ... and in my bed ... forever. I want to show you the world. I want to give you the world. You are the first woman for whom I have ever cared enough to envision a future together. But now? The safest option for me is to kill you."

"Listen to yourself, Jorge. One second you're saying you care for me, that you want me to be your wife, and then the next that you have to kill me because it's what's best for you. Damn it, Jorge, do you care for me or not?"

"Of course I care for you. I just don't know how I can trust you."

"If you ever loved me, you'll let me go." Dana reached for Las Casas' hand and pressed the barrel of the gun against her forehead. "If not, then shoot me."

Dana closed her eyes and sobbed. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she held her head steady against the gun barrel.

"Make a choice, Jorge. Either shoot me, or let me go."

Las Casas stared at Dana for several seconds. He ground his teeth together and beads of sweat formed on his temple. He pulled the gun away and set it on the table. A tear ran down his cheek.

"Go," he said. "Get out."

"Thank you, Jorge, thank you."

Dana jumped up and wrapped her arms around Las Casas. She kissed him on the forehead, but when he tilted his face and looked up at her, she pressed her lips against his. Dana reached into her pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper.

"The twins left on Crespo's yacht. In seven days, the boat will be at these coordinates in the Dry Tortugas, approximately twelve miles north of Fort Jefferson. Be there at noon. The files will be on the boat. Everything will be there. I promise. You'll have to rebuild your organization, but with this information you can do it smarter and faster. If you make it leaner, you can surpass where you were in a matter of months."

"Good bye, Dana."

"Good bye, Jorge."

Dana hurried out of the house. She jumped into a car and drove to the airport, where she contacted a U.S. Consulate and spent the rest of the night arranging for travel documents and an airline ticket. The next morning she took the first flight to Cozumel, where she met up with Harris and the twins.

* * * *

EPILOGUE

"Detectives," Captain Hendricks said to the two men standing in his office. "Have a seat."

Harris and Espinoza sat in the two chairs placed in front of the Captain's desk. Both men fidgeted as they waited for the Captain to speak.

"I just got off the phone with my contact at the DEA," Hendricks announced. "He shared some remarkable news with me. Can either of you guess what that might be?"

"No, sir," both men answered.

"Prepare yourselves to be shocked. We finally got some justice. Crespo is dead."

"Are you sure?" Harris asked.

"How?" Espinoza added.

"According to sources, Las Casas executed him. It appears that Crespo was preparing to make a move on Las Casas, but the bastard found out first and took out Crespo before he could implement his plan. The son of a bitch shot him in cold blood in front of his wife, mother and sister. Then he turned the gun on them and wiped out the whole fucking family."

"That's great news," Espinoza said. "Have you passed this on to Yolanda?"

"I haven't had the chance. The call just came in five minutes ago."

"Do you mind if I'm the one to tell her?" Espinoza asked. "I think she should hear it in person."

"By all means."

"I'll head over to her house right now." Espinoza stood up and left the room.

Harris got out of his seat and was following Espinoza to the door when the Captain stopped him.

"Sit down, Harris."

"Sir?"

"Internal affairs is dropping its investigation into that surveillance video of you beating some man behind that warehouse. They couldn't identify the victim because the resolution was too low. Since no one came in and filed a complaint against you, they couldn't build much of a case."

"That's great. Am I off desk duty now?"

"No."

"No?"

"That's right. IA can't make a case against you, but I can't unsee what I saw. I watched one of my best detectives lose his head and pistol whip an unarmed man. Your pathetic explanations of 'gambling debts' and 'teaching a punk a lesson' don't wash with me, so I'm suspending you for two weeks without pay. When you come back, you're on desk duty for two more weeks. At that point I'll consider reinstating your privileges."

"Understood. Is that all, sir?"

"Just one more thing. That missing Cadet, Ms. Alvarado, finally turned up. It seems that she was out of the country on some family business--in Cuba, I think, is what she told her instructors. Anyway, she's been asked to re-enter the Academy next year, but she says she's no longer interested. Have either you or Espinoza spoken to her?"

"No, sir."

"That behavior is kind of strange, don't you think? She was at the top of her class."

"People change, sir."

"I'd sure like to know what caused that kind of change. Six weeks ago, I met someone who I was certain would eventually be one of the best cops in this department. Now, no interest at all. Go figure."

"Sometimes we experience things or lose things that change who we are. Sometimes those losses create wounds that never heal, or scars that never fade. If we could go back and undo what we did, we would--in a heartbeat."

"That's rather deep, Detective."

"Just thinking about some of my decisions and what I've lost, sir."

"Go home, Harris. I'll see you in two weeks."

"Good bye, Captain."

* * * *

I want to thank my beta reader, Etaski, and my editor, Linda62953, for their assistance on this story.