AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tried to settle his nerves. "I need you to have faith in Charlize's skills. She's resourceful and capable. She’s perfectly trained for situations like this. Trust that she can keep herself safe until the DEA is able to make their move. We can't risk compromising the operation by acting prematurely."
Mick knew Carmen was right. He couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment. He had to trust that Charlize could handle herself, just as she had on their previous missions. But the thought of leaving her in danger gnawed at him. He’d had these kinds of moral dilemmas before but not like this. And that was the point. Something was different. It shifted in him in the worst way possible.
He knew Carmen wouldn’t want to hear this but it needed to be said. "I can't keep doing this. After we get Charlize out of there, assuming we both make it out, I want to be done. No more missions, no more calls. I want a life for both of us. We’ve done our time trying to help whoever we could. It feels like something has shifted and I have to listen to that voice in my head."
Carmen's response was understanding but he knew this was not what she wanted to hear. "I know the toll this life takes on all of us, Mick. I'll respect your choice, but I don't want you to act rashly right now because you're worried about Charlize. She can handle herself, then we’ll get her out of there. After that, we’ll talk about the future.”
"The way I feel about Charlize and what I'm willing to do to save her is the exact reason I know it's time to stop taking on new missions," Mick said, his voice unwavering. "I want a chance at a different kind of life. One where we're not constantly in danger, where we can be together without the shadow of a mission hanging over us. And as long as I’m in love with her, I won’t ever be able to be objective about protocol and mission integrity."
“Love? Last time I checked you two were barely on speaking terms. The idea that I was putting you back on a mission together seemed like the end of the world.”
“Now the end of the world, of my world, comes if she’s in trouble and I can’t get to her.”
“You know I can’t stop you from trying to get to her. If you go in there, be safe. Just do some recon. Don’t walk in there blind. The DEA teams are mobilizing. If you’re in there when they raid, I can’t guarantee they can keep you from any crossfire.”
“I know. In case it goes bad—”
“Boy, you really are ready to retire. You know better than to jinx something like that. Don’t finish that sentence.”
CHAPTER 34
She’d played plenty of roles in her job. She’d had to be naïve, strong, uncaring, and weak at times. This however was proving to be the hardest she’d had to play before. Her façade of cruelty began slipping at the edges as she wrestled with the weight of her charade. It was her job to stop the bad guys, but for now she had to pretend to be one of them.
The men were still unconvinced as they pushed her roughly into the apartment building and grunted for her to climb the stairs. The air was heavy with tension, and now she felt the eyes of six menacing men fixated on her. They all saw her as a threat. The person coming in and proposing changes that could push them all out onto the street. She was a danger they wanted to neutralize. But at least they didn’t think she was part of a bigger conspiracy to take them down. If they did, they’d never have brought her here. They’d be trying to move the women. Hide the drugs. Silence witnesses.
Charlize had to admit, their initial confidence had shaken her. They were unbothered by the idea of killing her if they had to. They were sloppy brutes who only saw one way to get things done. She had to convince them she wasn’t a barrier but a path forward.
The men exchanged uneasy glances as if second-guessing their decision to give Charlize an opportunity. They had thought they could break her, make her beg for mercy, but instead, she had shown a fearless determination that had left them off-kilter.
"Bring them all in,” she demanded. “Everyone in the house, bring them into this area.”
"We usually keep the kids separate," one of the men finally argued, hesitating to comply with Charlize's orders. "Especially when we're trying to prove a point and maintain control. It’s a punishment to keep the kids from them.”
“You wanted to see just how far I'll go? How dirty I'll get my hands?" Charlize's words were filled with malice, each syllable carrying the possibility of something she would regret terribly. She had to convince them she was one of them; she would do whatever it took to prove her loyalty.
The men, for a moment, seemed unsure of their own leadership structure. Was she in charge? Did they take orders from her?
“The kids stay upstairs,” another man stuttered.
Charlize's eyes blazed with anger. It wasn’t a big jump from her actual emotion, terror. She was not afraid of what these men would do to her, but what they’d do to everyone else if she didn’t stop them.
"I don't care what you usually do. The children need to be kept in line too. I want to send a message they can all see and understand that what happened with Rose today will never happen again. What are you afraid of? You think the kids and a bunch of moms are going to gang up and overpower the six of you fully grown armed men? This is the kind of weakness that needs to be reined in."
Deep down, Charlize hoped feverishly that the DEA's operation was proceeding as planned. She knew that keeping the women and children together would be safer when the authorities finally moved in. Corralling them into one room would help and that was all she could think to do for now. But eventually her stalling would end and she swallowed hard at the idea of following through on something horrible only to keep the cover alive. It was unbearable.
As the men began to reluctantly gather the women and children into the room, Charlize scanned their faces, searching for anyone she might recognize. Her eyes locked onto one woman, a face she had seen before. It was the same woman she had encountered on that fateful night when she had broken into this very building to gather evidence about the basement. Marcy had tipped Charlize off about the realtor which had become a vital tip.
Recognition and fear flickered in the woman's eyes as she met Charlize's gaze. They shared a secret now—a silent understanding that neither of them wanted to be here but maybe they could help each other again.
When all the women and children were finally assembled in the room, the men's impatience grew, their demands becoming more insistent. "Do it! Make an example out of one of them!" one of the men snarled, his eyes filled with cruel anticipation.
Charlize took a deep breath, her hands trembling inside her pockets. “Get me a knife. Something sharp.” She gestured with her chin toward the kitchen. Shockingly one of the burly men followed her orders. He fumbled through the drawers loudly and returned with something she could use. It was a sharp kitchen knife with a sturdy wood handle.
She knew she couldn't harm any of these women, no matter how convincing her act had to be. Collateral damage was not an option.
Gulping down her own fear, Charlize began explaining what had happened to Rose, her voice wobbling with a blend of sadness and cruelty. "You see, Rose thought she could try to run and actually get away. She tried to take on the organization and get her son out of here. It cost her both their lives."
Sobs erupted among the women and older children, and Charlize fought back tears, wishing she could comfort them. Instead, she had to continue with the charade.
