Be Careful What You Wish For(32)

She nodded her head, as if she knew what he was talking about.
“So, how did you end up in prison?”
“I ended up in prison because I murdered a man in the United States where I could get caught.”
She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t.
“Why did you kill him?” she asked finally.
“Does it really matter?”
“Yes, it matters,” she said.
“I murdered him because he got six of my men killed, not to mention two hostages,” he said, his face emotionless. “Their lives were worth 25,000 to him. I learned later that he blew all of it in Vegas the next weekend. That’s why I killed him.”
She stayed silent for a moment, and then shook her head. “I don’t understand,” she said softly. “Will you tell me the whole story?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “I think if I don’t, I’ll always question what happened.”
“You can’t just trust me?” he asked. She looked at him sadly, and then shook her head.
“No, I don’t think that I can,” she replied. “I wish I could, but you’ve never given me the chance to make any decisions for myself. If you won’t trust me, how can I ever trust you?”
He rolled to his back, and put both hands behind his head. She did the same, looking up at the stars and marveling at how bright they seemed. She’d never seen anything quite like it. If only life wasn’t so complicated, she could spend her time with him simply enjoying the life they were leading. But she couldn’t just do that, she needed to learn what was really going on, and he was the only one who could tell her. As much as she wanted to turn her brain off, it wasn’t happening. She had to know.
“Well, I told you I did contracting with insurance firms,” he said. “I was negotiating a hostage release in Sinaloa, up in the mountains. There were two businessmen who’d been snatched off the street in Mazatlan by drug dealers, and I suspect there was more going on between them than a simple ransom demand. Anyway, it was complicated by the fact that one of them had ties to the CIA.”
He paused took a breath, and she drank that in. What a strange world he lived in. Who had ties to the CIA in real life? It sounded like a movie…
“When they heard about the situation, they sent an advisor down to work with me. Someone in his office had a big mouth, because they told a co-worker, who just happened to be a drinking buddy of Edgar’s, about the situation.
“Now I suppose that any human being with a scrap of decency would have pity on hostages, but not this guy. He decided that information on our operation might be worth something to someone. Edgar found him a buyer. We’d made arrangements for the exchange at a little airfield outside El Quelite. When we arrived the kidnappers were waiting. We were poised to do the exchange, and then they struck.”
“Who?” she asked, breathless.
“A rival cartel,” he said softly. “Edgar and his pal sold us out to them. They swooped in, killed everyone in sight and took the money. Only five of us got out alive.”
She stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond.
“When I recovered from my wounds, I started investigating what happened,” he said, his voice growing hard. “I found out about Edgar from one of the drug dealers, and when I came up to the States, I found him and his friend. I watched those bastards for weeks, waiting for just the right moment. I waited until they went out drinking one night and ambushed them in the parking lot. I killed the CIA leak first, but I underestimated Edgar—he pulled a gun on me and shot me. I woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed.”
“What did he tell the police?” she asked softly.
“He said he thought it was a random act of violence, that I’d been trying to mug them,” Sean said softly.
“I didn’t bother contradicting him. I figured that I’d do better pretending it was a crime of opportunity rather than a hit. They’re a little too excited about the death penalty in Texas to take chances. They offered me a plea bargain and I took it.”
“And Edgar just got away with it?” she asked softly.
“Until I got back to him,” Sean said with dark satisfaction. “He killed my men, Sandra. He deserved to die.”
“Why did you get caught in the first place?” she asked softly. “I’ve seen you in action. I wouldn’t have thought a man like Edgar could get the drop on you.”
“Honestly?” he said, his voice still toneless. “I lost my cool. I’d intended to follow them for a while, learn their habits and make it a clean hit. Instead I lost my temper. When I saw them drinking and laughing together I couldn’t stand it. I had to get them. And I had to do it right then.”