Page 73 of Diamonds in the Mud

Then my phone chimed with the pickup time and place, and I had to leave to fulfill my role. When I left, both Felix and Nadia were gone.

There were some rumors that the two were involved. It was strange how little Felix acted like he cared for women, yet Nadia still stuck close to the gang. She didn’t strike me as a woman who would allow herself to be pushed into the background.

Hell, she probably could out-bench me. She often came into the gym with Felix, but it was very apparent she had her own set up somewhere else. You didn’t get arms like hers without lifting daily.

Jumping on my bike, I headed to the pickup spot, a cheap motel on the other side of town.

I staked the place out first, watching who came and went for almost half an hour before it was time for me to head over to room two-twelve.

I knocked on the door and was completely shocked when someone familiar opened the door. Ryan West, six foot two, one-ninety pounds, and all muscle. His jet-black hair was longer than I remembered and was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He still wore stupid gamer shirts and jeans with holes in them along with his cowboy boots and hat, which was sitting on the bed next to a backpack that I assumed was full of the drugs I’d come there to purchase.

The guy looked like your all-American country kid just making a buck on the side.

“Shit,” I said under my breath and quickly glanced around.

Ryan smiled brightly at me and, much like I had done, glanced around outside.

“We’re clean,” Ryan said under his breath.

“Ditto,” I told him. “I’m solo.”

He jerked his head, motioning for me to come into the cheap motel room, which stank of cigarettes, booze, and sex.

When I stepped inside, he shut the door and then held out his hand and shook my outstretched one.

“Fancy meeting you here.” Ryan laughed.

“What in the hell.” I shook my head. “How long has it been?” I asked, sitting down when Ryan motioned to the chairs.

He narrowed his eyes. “LA?” He shrugged. “I heard you did good work in Vegas.”

I nodded and glanced around. “Heard you were in Houston. I expect this is the same setup as LA?”

Ryan nodded. “The guys are in the next room,” he said. “Stand down, he’s DEA,” Ryan said firmly. “After this gig, I’ll head back to Houston. I’m just standing in on this one.”

“This is just a simple pick up for me.” I sighed. “If it goes south, it will ruin what I’ve got going. I’m hoping to tag much bigger fish on this one.”

I’d worked with Ryan on a couple of small-time busts. He’d been the rookie back then, and while I had gone on to larger stings, apparently he still worked the small hotel gigs.

“I’ll have my guys check with…” He waited.

“Jasmine Thompson, Supervisory Special Agent, DEA,” I supplied and knew that the agents next door would call Jasmine to confirm my gig. No doubt, I’d walk away with whatever drugs had been arranged for the pickup.

“Lucky, I guess, that you got the gig to pick up.” Ryan sat down and got comfortable. “If anyone else had shown, we’d have hauled them away.”

“Yeah,” I said with a frown.

“Think it was on purpose?” Ryan asked.

“Do I think they knew this was a bust?” I asked.

Ryan nodded.

I thought about it quickly. If Felix knew this pickup was a sting and had sent me along for the sole purpose of figuring out if I was a narc, then if I brought the drugs back, he’d have his confirmation. Then again, if he knew Ryan was a sting and I got busted, Felix would trust my loyalties.

But in truth, I’d made a dozen or so pickups since Declan had gone into hiding. Each one had been from different people and places. Any of those could have been stings. If he was questioning my loyalty, why now?

I quickly played through the last week or so and knew deep down that I hadn’t done anything to raise his suspicions.