Bayou Pirates Read online

  His eyes lingered on hers as if he was testing her. He probably was, but she didn’t flinch, staring straight back at him. His eyes were dazzlingly blue, like the sea. They were nice to look at. She pushed this thought away, too.

  “Um, let me go make a call,” Holm said, looking between Nina and Marston and then back again as if he noticed something that they did not. “Diane should be filled in on all this.”

  “Of course, you’re right,” Marston said, finally breaking his stare-down with her and turning back to his partner.

  “Uh, what was that boss of yours’s name again?” Holm asked Nina.

  “Agent Peel,” she said. “Alan Peel. Up in our main offices in Virginia.”

  “Virginia,” Marston muttered. “There’s that damn state again.”

  “Huh?” she asked. “What’s wrong with Virginia?”

  “Oh, nothing,” he said, looking away from her and staring down at the grainy steel table between them. “Just some other thing I’ve been working on in my spare time.”

  Well, that sounded like a story of its own, and Nina was intrigued despite herself, but there wasn’t any time for that now. Plus, there was no way he would tell her anything until he and his partner confirmed that she was who she said she was.

  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t talk to them, though she wanted to do her due diligence first.

  “Can I see your badge?” she asked him.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, shaking his head as if to clear it again and reaching inside his jacket pocket to pull it out and slide it across the table to her.

  She picked it up, and it was heavy in her hands, though not quite so heavy as her own. She figured she might as well trade up at that thought.

  She reached into her bra and pulled out her own badge, sliding it over to the MBLIS agent in turn.

  He raised his eyebrows as she did this and then averted his eyes, and she thought she detected a slight tint of red in his cheeks.

  “Where else do you expect me to put it?” she asked with another laugh at his expense. “It’s hot out there in the New Orleans sun, and I need to keep it where no gangbangers have any chance of ending up.”

  “Fair enough,” he muttered, still keeping his eyes away from her as he gingerly picked up her badge and began to examine it. She had to admit, she was beginning to like this guy.

  She turned her attention back to his badge, with its shiny emblem. She ran her fingers across the surface. It seemed real enough.

  “Okay,” she said finally, sliding it back to him. “I accept your story. Want me to tell you what I know so far, ‘cause I’m pretty sure you’re not going to be squealing any of your secrets until your buddy gets back with confirmation of my story.”

  “Uh, yeah,” Marston said, raising his eyes to meet hers once more and sliding her own badge back to her in turn. “Looks real enough to me.” He gestured at the badge.

  “That’s because it is,” she laughed. “They don’t hand those out to just anyone, you know.”

  “Oh, I know,” Marston chuckled, smiling at her for real this time, not just for show because he was trying to get something out of her. “What got you into this line of work, anyway?”

  “Did three tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan with the army,” she said with a shrug as if this were nothing. “When I got back, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else. I had some connections from my military days, and got in, passed the tests with flying colors at the Training Academy. Been with the agency ever since. What about you?”

  “Similar story, except with the Navy,” he said, giving her a deferential nod. “Never wanted to give up the thrill of the job and wanted to stay near the water, so MBLIS was a natural choice.”

  “Makes sense,” she said with a nod, looking him up and down. His veins popped on his hands, his muscles taut beneath his shirt. “SEALS?” It was a guess, but a good one. He looked like a SEAL and acted like one, too. They were tough guys with a real love for the work. And for the water.

  “Yeah,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Holm and I both. That’s how we met. We’ve worked together ever since. We make a good team.”

  “I can believe it,” she said. “I heard something about you boys taking out the cartel down in Haiti.”

  Marston looked away from her sheepishly.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you,” he muttered, crossing his hands in front of him.

  “I know, I know, but you can’t blame me for trying,” she grinned. “Sounds like a hell of a story.”

  “How did you hear about that, anyway?” he asked, a little sharply. “From your boss?”

  “No, I haven’t been able to reach him the last couple of days,” she explained. “Left a message last night but haven’t heard back yet. Or at least, I don’t think I have. It’s been a busy day, and I haven’t had the time to check my work phone yet.”

  “So, where did you hear about us?” Marston asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

  “From a couple of Haitian men I met earlier today,” she said, about to launch into the whole story about the drug drop-off disaster that had occurred early that morning. But just then, Holm reentered the room, pocketing his phone as he did so.

  “That was fast,” Nina said, arching an eyebrow at the other MBLIS agent. “Your boss already get ahold of Peel? He never responds to me that quickly.”

  Peel had a number of cases going on right now, Nina knew, some more important than others. But once he knew about this new drug, she knew that it would shoot hers to the top of his priority list.

  “Yep, but she was already in contact with him,” Holm said, retaking his seat.

  “Is she telling the truth?” Marston asked, nodding in Nina’s direction without looking at her.

  “She is,” Holm said with a nod, meeting her eyes and giving her a genuine smile, causing the skin to crinkle pleasantly around his eyes. “Diane confirmed it and sent me her agency photo.”

  He pulled his phone out again and pulled something up on it to show to Marston. Nina caught a glimpse of her work photo and scowled.

  “That was a bad hair day,” she growled, and both MBLIS agents burst out laughing. She joined them.

  “Well, that’s her, alright,” Marston confirmed after glancing down at the photograph. “Though I have to agree about the hair.”

  He smiled and winked at her, and Nina pushed away yet another intrusive thought about those twinkling blue eyes of his. She smiled wryly back at him.

  “So, they were already talking?” she asked Holm. “How come?”

  “We… decided to ask for your agency’s help,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair awkwardly.

  “Really?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at the other agents. “You were willingly going to let us sweep in on this case?”

  “Well, we’ve been having some trouble with our funding lately,” Holm said.

  “I think I remember hearing something about that,” Nina said, wracking her brain for the information. “Something about some Senator in Florida.”

  “That’s the one,” Marston said darkly. “We got the issue fixed, but you know how it is…”

  “The wheels of democracy turn slowly?” she finished for him, quoting the common adage with a chuckle.

  “That’s right,” Marston said bitterly. “More like a snail’s pace, if you ask me. But anyway, we were hoping that you guys could help move things along, get us down here to NOLA. Then a case of the drug showed up in a hospital here, and we were able to get over ourselves. Diane, our boss, contacted your guy before that and heard back from him after we left.”

  “I guess it all worked out for the best, then,” Holm said with a shrug. “Especially since you’re already on the case, and it looks like we’d be stepping on each other’s toes, anyway.”

  “Fair enough,” Nina said with a small nod. “So, are we ready to talk or what?” She spread her arms wide on her side of the table.

  Both MBLIS agents nodded to her without offer
ing any words of their own. She took that as her cue to start talking.

  She related the story of everything that had happened that morning. When she finished, Holm and Marston exchanged a worried look.

  “So, they’re still getting the drug out of Haiti,” Holm said, slamming his fist down on the table in frustration. “We knew that was a possibility, but I was hoping we really hit them where it hurt when we sunk that ghost ship.”

  “I know,” Marston muttered, shaking his head. “We did hit them where it hurt, though. The drug isn’t circulating much in the Dominican Republic anymore, and cases are going down in Haiti now. The cartel is crippled. This new information proves that much. Just not as badly as we thought.”

  “Hold up,” Nina said, holding up both her hands to stop their commiserating. “You’re going to have to explain all this. Ghost ship? What’s a ghost ship? And what did you do to it? It’s your turn to do the talking now.”

  Marston nodded to her, and then he and his partner launched into a tall tale about zombies and witch doctors and creepy old ships full of lost souls. Nina just sat and listened without interrupting, her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed, and her brow scrunched together in her skepticism.

  It was all a little too much. She’d seen more than her fair share of crazy in her career with the army, and then even more so with the FBI. But this all stretched the bounds even of her vivid imagination.

  When they finished their story, she just sat there and stared at them for a few moments, letting it all sink in.

  “I don’t know, boys,” she said at long last, shaking her head and keeping her arms crossed. “This all sounds a little far-fetched to me.”

  “You and me both,” Holm said, giving a hollow laugh.

  “Look, we know this is all kind of difficult to believe, but it’s what happened,” Marston said, shifting in his seat and crossing his legs, resting a hand atop his knee. Nina noticed that his legs were pretty muscular, too. Lean, but muscular.

  “I don’t not believe you,” she said, searching for the words to describe how she was feeling. “You wouldn’t have any reason to lie, after all. It’s just all so…”

  But she couldn’t find the words.

  “Hard to believe?” Marston finished for her with a chuckle. “We know, you said that already. And it is hard to believe. We know that, too. But that doesn’t change that it’s the truth.”

  “And it’s not that far-fetched, given what you saw this morning, is it?” Holm asked.

  Nina thought back to the way that Haitian man completely changed after he was given the drug. The way his pupils and irises vanished, replaced by giant white, bloodshot bulbs. The way that he lost control of his own actions and became so susceptible to the most simple physical prodding from the other gangbangers. It was terrifying. And, though she hated to admit it, bordering on unbelievable.

  “No,” she murmured, the picture of that man’s eyes still emblazoned in her mind’s eye. “No, it’s not.”

  “So, you said it’s been a busy day so far,” Marston continued. “What happened after you left the bayou?”

  “You never leave the bayou in NOLA,” Nina chuckled. “But I know what you mean. After we gave the drug to that guy, we were stuck with the Haitians’ ship since we killed the other two and kept the one as a bargaining chip, not that it’ll matter. I’m sure the guy was right, and his cartel doesn’t care about him, anyway.”

  “Where’d you put the ship?” Marston asked.

  “We burned it,” she said. “Way out in the bayou where no one was watching. Easier that way.”

  “Damn,” Holm muttered. “Well, maybe the Police Department’s forensics guys can get something out of it.”

  “Hold on, we’re coming back to that thought,” Nina said, holding up a finger for emphasis. Sending forensics guys out there might blow her cover.

  “What happened next?” Marston asked, eager to get all the details as quickly as possible.

  “Then we took the Haitian guy to see Williams in that hotel,” Nina said, her expression suddenly dark. “He… wasn’t happy. Josh was right to be concerned about that.”

  “Williams didn’t seem like the brightest bulb,” Marston pointed out. “How much harm could he cause?”

  Nina gave a hollow laugh.

  “I wouldn’t underestimate him if I were you,” she said. “Sure, he’s not that smart, to begin with, and he gets particularly stupid when he’s loaded from what I hear—and saw today—but he’s got strength, and he’s not afraid to use it. He’s a ruthless, soulless man. I don’t know many of the higher-ups that well yet. I haven’t been in the gang long enough to earn that kind of trust, though I’m working my way up. But there are stories, and everyone hears them.”

  “Good to know,” Holm said. “Though we have him in custody now, and according to Detective Barrett, that’s more than they’ve ever been able to say before in his case.”

  “That’s true,” Nina relented with a nod. “And you may have gotten him this time. Williams is well-shielded, which is probably why he’s lasted this long on the streets even with his predilection for reckless, poorly thought-out behavior. And for sneaking some product for himself. But Beck’s the real prize.”

  “That’s what we’ve heard,” Marston said, pursing his lips together. “But let’s get back to Williams. What’d he do when you showed up with the Haitian guy?”

  “Killed him,” Nina said, giving another humorless laugh and shaking her head. “Stupid move. Not that he was much of a bargaining chip, to begin with, but still. Beck won’t be happy. Hell, he’ll be furious when he finds out Williams has been captured. Probably take it out on us if we ever see the light of day again.”

  “Then what?” Marston asked.

  “Then he beat a few guys to teach us a lesson and then went and got loaded while we were left to contact all the dealers and move the new product, try to figure out how to meet all the orders without the amount of new product we were expecting,” Nina said, rolling her eyes. “It was chaos, and half of us had no idea what we were doing since that stuff isn’t usually in our job description. And half of us were halfway to the hospital already before you showed up between the gunfight with the Haitians and Williams’s penchant for corporal punishment. At least he didn’t kill any of us.”

  “Do you know if he told Beck about what happened with the Haitians?” Holm asked.

  Nina shook her head.

  “No idea, but I doubt it,” she said. “He was pretty pissed, and then he went and got pissed. Not sure when he would’ve had time. Plus, I think he was that mad because he was afraid to tell Beck.”

  “If this guy is as dangerous as you say he is, why is he so afraid of Beck?” Marston asked, furrowing his brow together in confusion.

  “Like that detective told you… Williams is the brawn, but Beck is the brains of the whole operation,” Nina explained. “He may not be able to beat Williams in a fistfight, but he can sure outwit him, not that that would take much. And he has the whole gang at his beck and call, no pun intended. Any of those guys would be more than happy to take out Williams if they were given a chance. At a safe distance, of course.”

  “Good to know,” Marston murmured. Then, slapping the palms of his hands on the table, “Well, I think that’s all we need for now. We’ll talk to Detective Barrett and send some guys out to the bayou to take a look at that ship…”

  But Nina cut him off, holding up a finger again as a reminder.

  “Hold on, I said we were coming back to that,” she reminded the MBLIS agents. “I’m not going to let you boys blow my cover. I was just making progress here, getting promoted to working on this zombie drug, or whatever you call it. I can’t step out on that now when things are just getting more interesting.”

  Marston and Holm exchanged an alarmed look.

  “Agent Gosse,” Holm said, his tone incredulous. “You can’t seriously be considering going back undercover after today? From what you tell us, this Beck character could kill y
ou and try to make an example of you.”

  “That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Nina said simply, with a shrug to indicate that this didn’t bother her all that much, even though it really did. The mission was more important, though. The people of New Orleans were counting on her.

  “I’m not sure it’s a risk we’re willing to take,” Marston said sternly.

  “Well, it’s a good thing that’s not your call then,” Nina shot back, her eyes narrowing. “I hate to pull rank here, boys, but I was here long before you.” She leaned forward on the table on her elbows, staring daggers right into those piercing blue eyes.

  “And we were working the zombie drug case before you even knew about it,” Marston said, mirroring her body language and leaning forward on the table himself in a similar manner, meeting her piercing gaze with one of his own.

  “Doesn’t mean it’s smart to give up an advantage like the one I’ve built,” Nina said, unflinching in her resolve and her staring match with the MBLIS agent. “Mark my words, this one is mine.”

  And just like that, it was decided. Nina was going back undercover.

  CHAPTER 17

  We ended up charging Nina and a couple of the other guys with some lesser charges, and they were released on bail. That way, it was believable that we would release her because we released some others, too, and she was free to resume her undercover work without drawing suspicion to herself any more than she already had.

  This was difficult to convince Detective Barrett to allow, but after he talked with her, we convinced him that it was the right thing to do. After all, we had to get to the bottom of this zombie drug situation in the city, and Nina was our fastest ticket to getting there. Besides, we still had Williams and the guys who started the gunfight in the hotel in custody. There was no way any of them would be seeing the light of day for a long, long time.

  By the time I opened the door that night to my little hotel room at the Best Western Holm had complained so much about, I was beat. I fell down onto the bed and rubbed my eyes. It had been a long day that included two gunfights, taking down a drug kingpin, and digging up an undercover FBI agent. A very attractive FBI agent, I might add, though I was trying not to think about that part. It was a lot for one day.