eyes swept his vest, his jeans, and the scruffy straw cowboy hat he’d put on the kitchen counter.
“Let’s start with the basics. First, tell me why you look like that.”
“My appearance is the least of your troubles.”
“If you’re talking about something official, this conversation should be happening at the station. And if you’re talking about something personal, don’t waste your breath. We’re over.”
“I’m talking about Rio County. And this isn’t something I can take care of at your office.”
“You don’t look like a person who can take care of yourself, much less a problem.”
“Just let me finish.”
She held out her palm in a “go ahead” motion.
“There’s a new cartel moving into the area—up and down the river around here—”
She started shaking her head while he was still talking. “I stay on top of that kind of thing. I know all the players.”
“Not this one. The man in charge is known as El Brujo.”
“The Sorcerer?” she asked.
“His real name is Pablo Ortega.”
“So what kind of ‘spells’ does he weave?”
“The kind you can’t even imagine,” Santos said grimly. “He does all the usual—dope, gambling, and hookers—and as a sideline, he’ll have his men kill anyone you want dead and make them suffer beforehand. Usually, he tends to his first love, which is smuggling weapons across the Texas border to sell to people in his own country who shouldn’t have them. And I’m not talking .22s.”
“That’s a federal offense. Let the feds take care of it.”
“They know what’s going on. But it’s not that simple.”
She studied him, her eyes meeting his for a long silent moment. “Does this have something to do with ACES? I heard the whole Ammunition, Contraband, and Explosive Suppression team was disbanded. In fact, I heard you got fired.”
Santos stiffened as he realized she’d bought the cover story they’d circulated. Was it that easy to make her think the worst about him? “I retooled the team. We’ve changed our approach, and now we’re undercover.”
He picked up his spoon, only to let it drop again. He didn’t like to think about the problems they’d had even before Lilith had gone silent. Leaks, confusion, misinformation. He’d found himself wondering about things he didn’t want to wonder about, including the question of just how close his confidential informant remained to Ortega and all his tempting wealth. It wouldn’t have been the first time a confidential informant had turned double agent.
“It was a good plan except…”
“Except…?” Rose’s voice seemed to soften, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe he was imagining it. He hadn’t seen much kindness lately.
“I’ve got a source in as deep as a source can go. And I haven’t heard from her in weeks.”
“Her…?”
Keep it simple. One wrong word and she’d know he was lying. She always had. “We call her Lilith.”
She gave a curt nod. Using cover names protected everyone involved, especially on a deal like this one.
Then she frowned. “Is she local? Someone I know? Is that why you’re here?”
Careful, he warned himself. “She’s from here, yes, but I knew her back in San Antonio.”
“If she’s from around here, I should be able to find something on her. I could ask around—”
“No.”
This was exactly what he’d thought she would say and was exactly what he could not let happen. In fact, preventing Rose’s involvement in this was one of the primary reasons he was there. She simply couldn’t find out what was happening until he was ready for her to know the facts. He didn’t have to guess how she’d react if she’d accidently learned he was in Rio County undercover. A preemptive strike had been his only viable choice. He’d told himself to go big or stay home, so he’d fabricated the one lie he knew would get her attention.
“No. The last thing I want is to draw attention to her. And if I’m wrong about why she’s gone silent, it could blow her cover. And then she’d be dead.” Rose blinked at his bluntness but he continued. “I sent her out here almost two years ago. She only communicated with us sparingly—she couldn’t get away more frequently, so when she first went quiet, we didn’t get too worried. We thought she just couldn’t get out. That was six weeks ago. She hasn’t shown up, and we haven’t heard from her.”
“Do you think she’s dead?”
“I have no idea.” He reached for his tea and took a long swallow, wishing it were something stronger. “Ortega wants to establish himself in Rio County, and she’s about as close to him as