“Are you saying the only reason you’re pursuing them now is to kill them?” Jiena asked.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Julia’s heart twisted in her breast. It hurt to hear Miguel speak so calmly about taking lives.
“Miguel,” she spoke up. “What if General Escobar kills them? As a condition of my surrendering to him, he has to eliminate them.”
The fear in his eyes caused Julia’s heart to twist even more before it sank into her stomach.
“And what then, Julia? What happens to you?”
“Nothing is going to happen to me if I cooperate with mygrandfather. And then I destroy him and his cartel from the inside.”
“It’s a good idea,” Jiena reiterated. “And it just might work.”
“It’s a horrible idea,” Miguel insisted. “I would sooner offer myself as a trade. Or offer to leave him in peace if he rids us of the Andersons.”
Jiena lifted an eyebrow. “And allow him to continue to send drugs to the States? He’s responsible for the largest shipment of fentanyl to hit the Southwest in the past five years.”
“And what exactly has law enforcement done about it?” Miguel argued.
Jiena and Julia frowned at him. “Everything our agencies can,” Julia replied.
“It’s not enough. So, what’s the difference?”
“The difference is we’re not making a conscious decision to turn a blind eye.”
“We don’t have to honor any deal we make with him. Once I’m inside and the Andersons are dead, you can descend on General Escobar’s compound with the fucking Marines if you want.”
“He’ll kill you, Miguel.” Julia reached out and covered his hand with one of her own. “But not if I’m with you.”
Miguel placed his free hand on top of hers and caressed it. “Jules, how do you know he won’t kill us both?”
“Because he was willing to kill his own son to get to me. I don’t think he’ll kill you if I beg him not to.”
Miguel squeezed her hand. “Then we stick to our original plan and find a way in together. We’ll offer ourselves up if he kills Axis and Axalia.” He turned toward Jiena. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s a viable option, but we need the green light from the Department of Justice and the Deputy Director of the FBI.” Jiena rose to her feet. “Thanks for lunch. I must get back to my office and make a couple of phone calls. I’ll talk to you later. In the meantime, don’t do anything rash.”
They escorted Jiena to the door and bid her goodbye. When they were alone, Miguel studied Julia’s face and demanded, “What’s going through that gorgeous head of yours?”
Julia’s nerves skittered like live wires. “A bold and daring but unorthodox plan to ensure your safety, if you’re willing.”
“Lay it on me.”
Since Justiceand Tawny left to serve on Barbara’s security detail and Finnigan and Brielle worked on the same SWAT squad, Finnigan had been joining her every night for dinner and hanging out with the kids. He joked it was good practice for the family he wanted to have with Tawny in the future. It also fulfilled the promise he’d made to Justice—that he’d protect Brielle and the kids with his life, if necessary.
After they devoured the stuffed chicken breasts and vegetables Julia had prepared for dinner and shared their news for the day, they moved into the family room and tuned into President Brown’s press conference that had been recorded when it aired live on the East Coast. Barbara stood next to him, and they caught glimpses of Justice and Luca, along with the President’s Secret Service agents.
President Brown wore a grave and sorrowful expression on his face as he spoke to the nation. “We are greatly saddened by the loss of life caused by the horrific attack at Central Alabama Hospital in Aliceville. Our hearts are with the grieving families, whom we will be visiting tomorrow. Law enforcement has identified the attackers as members of General Jorge Escobar’s cartel in Central Mexico. We don’t know the reason why he ventured across the border to stage this attack. As of this moment, we are still gathering information. It is assumed that General Escobar’s target was someone in his own regime who may have defected. We do know that the unidentified subject was not among the victims, and the federal and local authoritiesare coordinating a search to apprehend him or her. We will keep you informed as we learn more. That is all for now. We won’t be taking any questions from the press at this time. Good evening. May God bless us.”
President Brown exited the White House’s press room amid flashing cameras and shouting reporters.
Brielle switched off the TV. “So, what do you think?”
“I think it’s a plausible spin,” Miguel remarked. “I’m not sure, though, if the media will buy it.”
“Let them chase their tails,” Finnigan added. “It’ll keep them busy.”
