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“As a martyr,” Navarro said, as if the answer were obvious.
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t be obtuse,” Navarro said. “If she should, say, die in the line of duty, murdered by the MC, that would give the FBI all the reason in the world to bring their entire weight to bear on the MC.”
“Hold on,” Harris said. “We never talked about the murder of a federal agent.”
“We’re talking about it now. And if you want this to remain as nothing but talk, you will convince her to plant this evidence. Otherwise, my men will take our talk and make it reality.”
“Don’t do that,” Harris said quickly. “Don’t… you’re not going to need to do that.”
“Of course not,” Navarro said, leaning forward to pat Harris on the knee, as if he were comforting a child. “I have every confidence that you will be perfectly convincing and get her to play along. But my men will be there as… here is another American corporate phrase for you… as an abundance of caution.”
Harris couldn’t think of anything else to say. He wanted to protest, he wanted to come up with some way to stall Navarro and buy enough time to think of another way to get Piper to get him the dirt he needed on the MC, but he had nothing.
Navarro looked him over like a cat who was almost finished playing with a mouse. He stood, smoothing his hands down his suit, and nodded to his henchmen.
“Let me give you some advice, Steven,” he said, as his gunmen opened the front door for him. “When a man has to do something difficult, it’s best to not think too much about it. Simply get it done, and get it over with. Then you can go back to being the man you tell yourself you are.”
With that, he left, followed by the gunmen who never took their eyes off of Harris or their hands off of their guns on their way out the front door.
17
Navarro’s words stayed with Harris the next day as he drove to his meeting with Piper.Then you can go back to being the man you tell yourself you are.
He was going to need to be that man today. He needed to be the in-control FBI supervisor, the wise mentor with all the answers, not the broken and corrupt puppet of a cartel enforcer. That was the image he had to project to Piper right now, if he wanted to stay alive.
Harris straightened up his tie. Straightened his back in his driver’s seat, as well, as he parked his car at the meeting location.
He’d told Piper to meet him at a local park. She drove in on her motorcycle, helmet on and dark visor shut, to keep her identity secured from any random passersby. Only after she’d parked near his car… not next to his car, but nearby… and climbed into the passenger’s seat of his car did she take off her helmet.
“How’s it going,Dad?” she said, flashing a little grin.
Something had her in a good mood. Harris couldn’t have that. He had to put a stop to that quickly, get her on her back foot, scared, so he could more easily try to manipulate her.
“Don’t call me that,” he said, face as stern as his voice. “This isn’t a damn social call.”
Piper froze in place. His words had clearly bitten in; Harris knew that she had looked up to him from the start as a fatherfigure of sorts, especially when it came to undercover work. He intended to use that to the fullest.
“I don’t understand,” Piper said. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” he said. “Are you kidding? I put you in that MC to...”
Harris paused for dramatic effect, putting on a frustrated look. He had to sell this hard. Piper was an idealist, but she was also motivated to win, so he had to play this right if he was going to get her to go along with Navarro’s plan to plant the heroin at the MC clubhouse.
“Look,” he said. “I’ve been trying to cover for you as best as I can.”
Piper looked genuinely concerned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re supposed to be undercover gathering information,” Harris said. “Instead, you’re shooting it out with bank robbers like it’s the Wild West. The bosses aren’t happy. They aren’t happy with you at all.”
None of that was true, of course. The truth was, not only was there talk of commendations for bravery for Piper, there was some chatter from on high about pulling Piper out of undercover work and making her into a sort of public relations hero.
A lone female agent, going up against three armed suspects and coming out on top? The brass was eating it up like cotton candy.
But he couldn’t let Piper know that. He needed her to think that she was in trouble, real trouble, like the kind of trouble that could end a career. Then, she might agree to fall into line with Navarro’s plans.
“Now I’m stuck trying to clean up after you,” he continued. “After this mess you’ve made. I’m having to call in favors… I’m really going out on a limb here for you.”
