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That doesn’t work. “You fucking criminal scum all think you know how the world works. Grease some wheels, shake some hands, do some favors. That’s not what we do at the bureau.”
“I’m sure,” Carmine murmurs, smiling like he knows better. “But we’re not at the bureau right now.”
Renata cuts in before the temperature gets out of hand. “No matter what, we need a plan. Those agents inside won’t last long if we storm the place half-cocked. Burian will make sure of that.”
Craig glares at her, but he doesn’t deny her point.
“How much FBI intervention can I count on?” I ask softly, redirecting Craig’s attention back to me.
“None,” he says. “Except for me. Maybe a couple other guys. But the bureau’s not touching this, not officially. This is deeply off the books.”
“Did you ask nicely?” Carmine’s mocking tone isn’t helping anything. Fucking mafia dickhead. He hates cops even more than I do. Hates feds most of all.
“I did not ask nicely, and I don’t plan on it. If my bosses get a whiff of this, everything’s fucked. They’ll shut it down so hard we’ll be sneezing blood for the rest of our lives.”
“The competence of the bureau never ceases to amaze me,” Carmine says.
“Enough,” Renata says, glaring at Carmine. It’s actually impressive the way she’s standing up to him. “You two bickering isn’t going to help. We have a common enemy here, and he’s going to get away while you two spend all day measuring your dicks.”
“She’s right,” I say, beaming at her. I couldn’t be more into Renata than I am right now.
Carmine looks annoyed, but he nods. “Truce?”
“For now,” Craig grumbles.
“Perfect.” Renata sits up straight. “Now, boys, there are three of you. Maybe four or five if Craig’s offered extra muscle shows up. Plus, whoever else Carmine can muster.”
“I can surround the place in twenty minutes,” he says, stroking his chin. “I won’t bring all my muscle in on this, but some of the best.”
“That means we can overwhelm him.” I point at the map. “It’s a fucking strip mall. That means a front door and a back door. Knowing Burian, he’s got some other way out.”
“Roof,” Craig says, nodding to himself. “I’ve seen it before in places like that. Maintenance access.”
“I’ll station guys up there then,” Carmine says.
“Look at you, working together.” Renata claps her hands together. “I’m so proud of you boys.”
“Don’t push it,” Craig mumbles. “I don’t even know why you’re here.”
Craig has a point, but I don’t like the way he’s talking to her. “Hey, Fed, focus up on me. Forget her. The plan’s simple. I’ll stake out Burian’s place. When he’s heading over to the strip mall again, I’ll send word to you and Carmine. You two get everyone in place. We surround the store, kick in the door, throw in some flash bangs, and make sure Burian can’t get out.”
“What do we do once we catch him?” Carmine asks, glancing around.
“Kill him,” I say at the same time that Craig says, “Arrest him.”
“We’re not arresting him,” Carmine says, laughing. “But I do agree with Craig that Burian’s worth more alive.”
“No,” I say firmly, glancing at Renata. She’s staring at me hard. “Burian has to die, and he has to die fast. The longer we let him live, the more likely it is he’ll find a way to escape. You two don’t know him like I do.”
“I need to bring him in,” Craig says, slamming his palm down. “We’re not murdering anyone. It’s bad enough I’m working with you two.”
“And there’s no way in hell I’m going to trust the FBI to keep Burian in custody.” I lean toward him, staring into his face. “You can feed whatever bullshit you want to your superiors once it’s all over. Tell them Burian was shooting, it was self-defense, it was a fucking accident, I don’t care. Make up a damn story and we’ll cover your ass. But Burian dies in that store. Remember the fingers.”
Craig wilts like someone poured acid down his back. He doesn’t speak for a long moment, his face in his hands. I almost feel sorry for the bastard. “Fine,” he says softly. “He dies. But I won’t pull the trigger.”
“No worries there,” Carmine says, slapping his back. “We got that handled.”
Craig looks sick.
