Page 65 of Unbridled Fire
“He told me he changed his mind, but as you heard, we weren’t sure he could get into the country. Thank God he did.”
“A crisis averted, for sure. Now that Marco and Oskar are dead, I’ll close and seal some of their open files at the agency.Less of a paper trail to implicate you or Katia on the fraudulent financial deposits.”
“Thank you.”
We walked to the side door and stepped onto the gravel outside. Michael slid into the backseat of his SUV and gave me a wave goodbye.
I began walking down the sidewalk to my car when two men stepped into my path. Glancing up, I gazed into the furious eyes of Daniel Kelly.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Lifting a pair of handcuffs, he tilted his head. “Leo Stabler, you are under arrest for aiding and abetting known criminal Michael Caruso.”
Chapter 24
Leo
Isat in the interrogation room at the Brooklyn FBI field office, furious that Daniel had arrested me. He must’ve been building a case against me since he started, and I racked my brain for ways to save myself from going to prison. Although I’d been careful, Daniel was a seasoned agent, and I was sure he had evidence against me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made the arrest.
Jermaine entered, carrying a cup of hot coffee, and he placed it in front of me.
“Daniel said I could bring you that,” he said, his tone compassionate. “Sorry, man. You’re a good agent and you don’t deserve this.”
I took a sip of the coffee and sighed. “Thanks. I’m no saint, and I’ve made questionable choices along the way, but this is bullshit.”
“Absolutely. Daniel will be in soon. Did you ask for a lawyer?”
“I’m going to see what he has and stay mum. If I feel like I need to request one, I will.”
Jermaine flashed a sympathetic smile. “Good luck, Leo.”
He exited and I waited a few more minutes before Daniel entered. His expression was sour, and I noticed the file folder in his hands. He tossed it down on the table and pushed it toward me.
“That’s everything I have so far,” he said, tapping the folder. “It’s enough to make your life hell, Leo. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s dirty agents.”
I lifted my eyes to his, remaining silent as I stared him down.
“But you seem to be one lucky bastard. I’m turning this over to a different agency. They’re going to take it from here.” His nostrils flared as his eyes narrowed. “You could’ve been so much more, but maybe we’re just different types of agents, Stabler.”
“I don’t see the world in black and white like you do,” I said, crossing my arms. “We all do the best we can in the ways we decide.”
Daniel’s eyes darted between mine before he nodded. “That we do.”
He left, the door making a loud click as it closed behind him. A few minutes later, two men in jeans, polo shirts and baseball caps entered. They sat in the seats across from me, and one pulled the folder toward him. Opening it, he slowly whistled.
“Daniel was really on your case, huh?” the man asked. “He’s a stickler, and that’s why the suits in DC put him here. He serves his purpose.”
The other man leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “But we all have different purposes to serve, Leo. We know you understand that.”
Annoyed, I lifted my hands. “Excuse me, but who the fuck are you guys?”
They glanced at each other and smiled. Facing me, the man on the right spoke.
“Brian DePalma, and this is Jack Casey.” The other man saluted. “We used to be field agents too.”
“So?” I shrugged.
“I get that you feel like a caged animal right now,” Jack said. “We’ve both been there.”
