“I had a feeling he might, although I’d hoped and prayed that if it ever happened, he’d decide to stick around for my sake.” She dabbed at her eyes. “He couldn’t bear the idea of being locked up.”

“Then why become a drug dealer?”

“He tried other businesses but didn’t get anywhere until he started dealing. That’s when he started making serious money. Finally.”

“Where can we find Sal Vincent?”

“If I send you to him, I’ll be dead within an hour, safe house or not.”

“He won’t get to you in our custody.”

“You have no idea what that son of a bitch is capable of.”

“Reminder—I just came from my dead brother-in-law’s wake. I know what he’s capable of, and you’re going to help me ruin him.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Coordinating an operation like this one involved a lot of people, as Sam soon discovered. According to Kevin Kavanaugh, the DEA had been pursuing Vincent for years, but had thus far been unsuccessful in locating his operation.

Leslie had told Sam where it was and other information that only an insider would have, such as where Vincent lived, where he ate breakfast and where his mother was buried, along with the info that he visited her resting place daily. Vincent traveled with a huge entourage of well-armed security, making it so no one could get near him without risking their lives.

As Sam laid out the details she’d gotten from Leslie, Kavanaugh stared at her without blinking. She wasn’t sure if he was impressed or horrified by her. What did she care? She’d done her job and would be responsible for bringing down a kingpin who’d eluded law enforcement for years.

“We’re going to need a few days to prepare for this,” Kavanaugh said.

“And you’ll coordinate with our team?” Farnsworth asked.

Sam had called the chief and captain to update them on what she’d learned from Leslie, and they’d both come to HQ for the meeting with Kavanaugh.

“We could take it from here,” Kavanaugh said.

“That’s not happening,” Sam said. “This is our bust. We brought you in on it as a courtesy.”

“So getting the credit is more important than getting the guy?” Kavanaugh asked.

“We don’t give a rat’s ass who gets the credit,” Farnsworth said, “but you’re not doing this without us. You wouldn’t even have a mission to coordinate without Lieutenant Holland’s excellent work.”

“Granted, but the more people involved in a mission like this one, the greater the chance of something going sideways.”

“Believe it or not, Agent Kavanaugh,” Farnsworth said, “we’ve actually done this before.”

Sam wanted to kiss the chief on the lips for saying all the things she was thinking.

“I need to get back to my team and coordinate with them, and then we’ll circle back to you with a plan.”

“I wouldn’t recommend going rogue, Agent Kavanaugh,” Farnsworth said.

The agent gave them a filthy look as he got up and left the room.