Engaging his Enemy (Shattered SEALs #4) - Amy Gamet Page 0,38

charge against me, and you’re not going to believe what happens next.” Ben shook his head. “The fucker apologizes to me. He tells me his men shouldn’t have done that, and that he would take care of all the evidence against me, as long as I keep working for him.”

“It’s like a dream come true, isn’t it?”

Ben cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

Moto shrugged. “You get to keep making money hand over fist, working for your buddy DeRegina. Screw the kids who are getting addicted to meth and heroin and all the other shit he’s got seeping into the community, because you’re upward bound.”

“I came here to give you information to help take him down.”

“Oh, really?” Moto closed the distance between them, anger and disgust warring for the upper hand. “That would be great. Because we missed you yesterday while you were hanging out with your buddies, telling them all about the sting operation we had planned at the port.” He shoved Ben hard, forcing him backwards.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You were the only one who could have, brother. It wasn’t HERO Force. It wasn’t the goddamn DEA. An agent was killed. Another lost an arm, for God’s sake. Trace and Razorback were injured. They could have been killed.”

“You’ve got it wrong. This guy has all sorts of people on the payroll. He even implied that the federal agent I’m accused of killing was actually working for him!”

“Remember that someday when you find yourself at the wrong end of a gun. Your employer has a way of killing people when the job doesn’t work out, but hey—as long as you’re doing okay right now, that’s all that matters.”

Ben shoved him back. “What the fuck is your problem? I’m trying to help you here, and you keep insinuating I’m one of the bad guys.”

Moto grabbed fistfuls of Ben’s shirt. “You disgust me.” He punched him square in the jaw. “Because of you, the shipment of drugs that was supposed to come into port last night was replaced with a load of fucking fireworks. That was our chance to get this son of a bitch, and you fucked it up for everybody.”

Ben went down, holding his jaw. “Goddamn it.” Rage flashed in his eyes and he came up swinging, connecting with Moto’s kidney and nose in a one-two punch. Moto jabbed him in the stomach, then popped him in the chin. He did a roundhouse kick, landing right in Ben’s lower back, sending him down once more.

“It wasn’t me,” Ben croaked, clearly struggling to get up. “If it wasn’t HERO Force, it had to be somebody from the DEA.”

“You don’t fucking quit.” Moto towered over him, resisting the urge to kick him while he was down. “When are you going to take some fucking responsibility?”

“There was a guy there. I didn’t recognize him. Older guy, yellow hair, blue eyes. Maybe he’s the one who warned DeRegina.”

Moto didn’t believe that for a second. He shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Shit, what was his name? Tennis rackets. That’s all I can remember. His name reminded me of tennis rackets.”

Moto remembered what Razorback had said in the hospital.

I got a call from Agent Spaulding with the DEA about an hour ago. He not-so-politely told me to keep my men away from DeRegina in the future and to leave the detective work to the professionals.

He eyed his brother critically. “Was it Wilson?”

“No.”

“Spaulding?”

Ben’s eyes lit. “That’s it.”

“Son of a bitch.” Relief washed through him, tainted with a tinge of regret. He hung his head, then reached down and offered his hand to his brother.

“You’re not going to hit me?”

“No. Spaulding is a DEA agent from the sting operation yesterday. He must have warned DeRegina.” He helped Ben to a stand, then pulled out his cell phone and called Razorback, filling him in on what he’d learned.

He put his phone away and looked back at his brother, his childhood playmate, the man his parents would have wanted to be his one true friend. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

Ben wiped at his bleeding lip. “You had good reason. I haven’t exactly been a stand-up guy.” He sniffed loudly. “I want to do better. Get away from DeRegina and go straight, earn my money the right way. Just you watch.”

Moto grinned, more proud of his brother in that moment than he had been in years. “I’d like to help.”

“You can start by getting me out of those murder charges. I don’t think DeRegina’s going to do it when he finds out I’m