Page 24 of For the Love of Animals

“I turned it off to avoid interruptions, but it’s nice to know you care.”

That… That… “I care about my career.”

“Rumour has it your new captain’s on Pablo Huerta’s payroll. Did you know that?”

Pablo Huerta was one of Lozano’s main rivals. “Where did you hear that? What evidence is there?”

“Just a whisper or two right now, nothing concrete. But that doesn’t mean the rumours are wrong.”

No, it didn’t. And it wouldn’t be the first time members of GAFE had betrayed our country for the opposition either. In 1999, a good number of elite operatives joined Osiel Cárdenas Guillén to form the Los Zetas cartel, and years of bloodshed followed.

“Fine. I don’t enjoy my job. Happy? But I believe in our objective, which is to rid Mexico of as many Lozanos and Huertas and Guilléns as we can.”

“You can do that without working for GAFE.”

“How? I couldn’t even come up with a plan for Lozano on my own.”

“You’ve got a month left in the army?”

“Nice to see you’ve been through my personnel records.”

“I heard you talking to your mom about it last night.”

Oh. Oops. “Yes, I’ve got a month left, but I’ll probably sign up for another year at least.”

“Why don’t you try working somewhere else?”

“Because I don’t want to work for a criminal, and in case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t many legitimate opportunities for snipers around here.”

“You could move away. To another country, even.”

“My family’s in Mexico.”

Mexico’s Special Forces Corps was based in Temamatla, not far from where I grew up on the outskirts of Mexico City. I went home every time I had a day off, and Mamá still did half of my laundry. Sure, it felt suffocating at times, but could I really move to a whole other country? The only foreigner I knew was Nate, and I wasn’t even sure if I liked him most of the time. But on the other hand, did I want to spend another year of my life at GAFE, dreading every new set of orders I received?

“Yes, I know that,” Nate said. “It would be a big move if you decided to leave.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to do anything else. Come on, let’s get dinner, and I’ll explain what I was doing tonight. That burrito place on the corner any good?”

“There’s a better one three streets away.”

Nate tugged on a T-shirt and held out a hand. I stared at it.

“If we’re getting married, you should at least be able to hold hands.”

“We’re not getting married.”

“Your grandma seemed convinced we were.”

“The pair of you deserve each other.”

“She’s a bit old for me, don’t you think? Plus that satin-lined casket she’s ordered might be slightly small for two.”

“You’re still wearing lipstick.”

“Shit.” He grabbed a tissue and scrubbed at his face. “Gone?”

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