Page 62 of All Twisted Up
“Noted,” I replied, doing my best to keep the anger out of my voice. But I was fighting a losing battle. “Why the fuck didn’t he leave the apartment beforehand then?” I practically shouted. “Why didn’t he tellallhis rats to clear out?”
“Other than Sibley, we have no idea who made those calls from DEA headquarters prior to the raid, or what was said to Gomez,” Candy said. “Maybe he wasn’t warned at all, and those calls served another purpose.”
I shook my head. It didn’t make sense.
“You said there were calls from burners immediately after the raid also,” Joshua said.
I glanced over at him and nodded before turning my attention to Judy.
She sighed. “A lot of traffic between Sibley, and Gomez beforehand. Then calls to and from this unknown burner after the raid. The first one was to Sibley, possibly ordering him to do something. It was a single call made after the operation when we were still searching for Gomez and it only lasted about nine seconds. The other calls—four in all—came from Gomez to that other unknown number. None of those calls connected.”
“That sounds like Gomez was double-crossed,” I said hesitantly. “Assuming the call made to Sibley came from another DEA agent, it might mean he was being directed to kill Gomez before he could get out of the building…maybe to cover up his own involvement.”
“And the other unanswered calls from Gomez might mean he was trying to get out and looking for the best way to do it,” Candy said.
I nodded. “Do we have ballistics back on the bullet that killed Sibley?”
“Yes, it came from the gun Gomez had with him,” the captain said.
I pursed my lips. “Well, that reinforces our previous suspicion of Gomez figuring out a double cross. He reached out to the mystery phone, but realized he wasn’t getting any help to exit the building, so he just turned on Sibley.”
Candy slowly nodded. “I hate to say it, but it appears that way.”
“That means a dirty DEA agent found my ID in the apartment and then sent a cartel—” Joshua broke off before looking at me. He was as white as a sheet. “What did you call it…a cartel hit squad?”
“The ones who came to your house? Yeah, that was a hit squad,” I said.
Joshua abruptly stood, pacing away from the table as he ran fingers through his hair. He whirled around and the expression on his face was filled with fear. He paced back and forth, hands on hips. “You guys are supposed to be the good guys! How do I know my family is safe if you guys—” He waved at us. “I mean, how am I supposed to trust the FBI to keep my family safe?” He turned to look at me. “How do I know it wasn’t someone in the FBI who was using that burner?”
I jumped up from the table and reached out, pulling him into my arms. He was trembling and stiff as a board. I bent and spoke quietly, feeling him relax just a bit. “Because at one point that burner was either used from the DEA’s headquarters or in the immediate vicinity of their building, Joshua. That’s not us.”
“I can assure you that your family is safe, Mr. Calder,” Candy said from behind us.
I let go as Joshua pulled free and glanced over at my boss.
“The FBI doesn’t even know where they are. The U.S. Marshals Service handles witness relocation and only a handful of people with access to WITSEC records know where their protectees are sent. That’s part of their process. In addition, they’re guarded by marshals all the time.”
Joshua nodded letting go of me abruptly and stepping back. “But how do I know that I can trust the FBI?”
“I’d say the most glarin’ example of that would be that you’re still alive, mate,” Patsy said.
I sent him a glare before looking back at the man who trembled beside me. “Joshua?” Our eyes met. “Do you trust me?”
He frowned and for a few awful seconds, I wasn’t sure of his answer.
When he visibly sagged, I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Yes, of course…of course I do, Nash. You’ve saved my life at least three times if you count the morning of the operation, at my house, and the gym.” He came forward and took hold of my hand. My fingers curled around his, not caring what the others thought about the touch. “I’m sorry. Of course I trust you, Nash.”
I nodded. “Then you can trust my brothers too. No one in the FBI is going to let anything happen to you or the kids.” I smiled. “Or Garbanzo.”
He snorted, smiling for the first time in a bit. “Okay…and I’m sorry I doubted you. This is all just so stressful. Sometimes, it feels like it’s happening to someone else and I’m just a spectator.” His eyes were sincere, and I was relieved that the clouds in the gray depths were no longer on display.
Candy cleared his throat and we turned our attention back to him as Judy and the others stood up from the table. “Well, I wanted to keep you both in the loop, Hampstead. I have a call into the marshals to let them know of the situation.”
“Why?” Joshua asked. He dragged his gaze away from the boss and back to me.
“Because they might want you to go into witness protection with your family now, Joshua.”
