grin still remained intact after returning. I snatched up the water and gulped it down at once. Ah, relief at last!
"I'll do it," I said, slamming the s t yrofoam cup down on the desk. The bottom cracked and had I not finished all the water inside, it would have spilled all over the table. A few tiny drops escaped.
"You're sure?" he said quizzically.
I sat in silence for a couple of moments considering my options. Roland had already told me I couldn't leave, and honestly, after this whole Ramón thing, I believed him. Somebody would drag me back, even if I was kicking and screaming. They were asking me to go undercover, to uncover the things that I had originally hoped to discover on my own. It was the old me, the me that I had perfected for years. Now I just had to make sure I was a good actor too. Could I do it?
I bit my lip and caught myself before it started to hurt. "Yes," I said.
"All right. Let's talk about the plan then. You've got t o understand one key thing here: Roland's got one foot inside one of the largest, most legitimate businesses in the world. His other foot is deeply embedded in a world of crime. It's hard to figure out which is which sometimes. "
"So who were the people at the StarChem annual thing?" I asked. "Were those all severely well-dressed criminals?"
"Maybe in their own weird ways," Ramón said quietly. "But no, those people were all legit. He takes money from legitimate investors and turns it around in black market dealings. Huge returns that he can launder through StarChem. And how can we touch him? It's the biggest chemical company in the country. It would take weeks just to collect the stuff that would then take years to sort out before we even came close to having anything we could actually use in a court of law. "
Ramón gave me an overview that made a lot of sense. The most important part of this was that I remained close to Roland, something that didn't surprise me at all. Yes, that meant I still had to sleep with him, even though the idea seemed weirder than ever. Yep, I had to take one for the team . I was like the wife that was testifying against her own husband.
Sometime in the near future, Roland was supposed to be carrying out a huge scale drug and weapons deal, one that could only be stopped if I could provid e information that linked him directly to it or placed him at the scene of the crime . Roland had countless organizations formed to make his illegal operations as invisible as possible—the other reason why I needed to work from the inside . This deal had been in the works for years, a direct involvement with criminal organizations in Eastern Europe. Roland had probably paid off every law enforcement agency from here to Europe to ensure that this all went down.
"A number of his competitors have fallen ill and died under mysterious circumstances," Ramón had said. "He's ruthless, but professional."
I needed to remain close and piece together the puzzle the best I could. E ach week going forward I'd meet with Ramón and fill him in on what I'd found. I was already aware that this could go on for months if that's how long it took to get the information—or it could be over in a week. There was just no guarantee. He also gave me a pen that had a GPS tracker embedded inside of it. Just an inconspicuous ink pen that I could keep in my purse. "Not perfect," he said, "but it's a backup."
I would not be allowed to leave until they pulled me out after this , unless I was in a position of incredible danger . I understood that rule maybe too well.
Ramón had me back within an hour or so of me leaving the building for "lunch." He dropped me off near where I had gotten in the van. I walked the rest of the way and wisely used the time to sort out my thoughts.
My slow approach to the building was filled with fear and growing anticipation, but I realized I just had to suck it up and go for it. Who knows how long I would have stuck around on my own anyhow. I just knew a little
"I'll do it," I said, slamming the s t yrofoam cup down on the desk. The bottom cracked and had I not finished all the water inside, it would have spilled all over the table. A few tiny drops escaped.
"You're sure?" he said quizzically.
I sat in silence for a couple of moments considering my options. Roland had already told me I couldn't leave, and honestly, after this whole Ramón thing, I believed him. Somebody would drag me back, even if I was kicking and screaming. They were asking me to go undercover, to uncover the things that I had originally hoped to discover on my own. It was the old me, the me that I had perfected for years. Now I just had to make sure I was a good actor too. Could I do it?
I bit my lip and caught myself before it started to hurt. "Yes," I said.
"All right. Let's talk about the plan then. You've got t o understand one key thing here: Roland's got one foot inside one of the largest, most legitimate businesses in the world. His other foot is deeply embedded in a world of crime. It's hard to figure out which is which sometimes. "
"So who were the people at the StarChem annual thing?" I asked. "Were those all severely well-dressed criminals?"
"Maybe in their own weird ways," Ramón said quietly. "But no, those people were all legit. He takes money from legitimate investors and turns it around in black market dealings. Huge returns that he can launder through StarChem. And how can we touch him? It's the biggest chemical company in the country. It would take weeks just to collect the stuff that would then take years to sort out before we even came close to having anything we could actually use in a court of law. "
Ramón gave me an overview that made a lot of sense. The most important part of this was that I remained close to Roland, something that didn't surprise me at all. Yes, that meant I still had to sleep with him, even though the idea seemed weirder than ever. Yep, I had to take one for the team . I was like the wife that was testifying against her own husband.
Sometime in the near future, Roland was supposed to be carrying out a huge scale drug and weapons deal, one that could only be stopped if I could provid e information that linked him directly to it or placed him at the scene of the crime . Roland had countless organizations formed to make his illegal operations as invisible as possible—the other reason why I needed to work from the inside . This deal had been in the works for years, a direct involvement with criminal organizations in Eastern Europe. Roland had probably paid off every law enforcement agency from here to Europe to ensure that this all went down.
"A number of his competitors have fallen ill and died under mysterious circumstances," Ramón had said. "He's ruthless, but professional."
I needed to remain close and piece together the puzzle the best I could. E ach week going forward I'd meet with Ramón and fill him in on what I'd found. I was already aware that this could go on for months if that's how long it took to get the information—or it could be over in a week. There was just no guarantee. He also gave me a pen that had a GPS tracker embedded inside of it. Just an inconspicuous ink pen that I could keep in my purse. "Not perfect," he said, "but it's a backup."
I would not be allowed to leave until they pulled me out after this , unless I was in a position of incredible danger . I understood that rule maybe too well.
Ramón had me back within an hour or so of me leaving the building for "lunch." He dropped me off near where I had gotten in the van. I walked the rest of the way and wisely used the time to sort out my thoughts.
My slow approach to the building was filled with fear and growing anticipation, but I realized I just had to suck it up and go for it. Who knows how long I would have stuck around on my own anyhow. I just knew a little
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