The other agents snicker. Frank gives them an angry look and they immediately stop. I wonder how I’ve managed to work under him all these years.

“They’re not running guns, either,” I continue. “I don’t think the Steel Infidels even carry guns. The entire time I was hanging around them, I never saw a single gun. Do you know what they do at their parties? They play basketball. What kind of a motorcycle gang plays basketball?”

“Damn it!” Frank says angrily. “Somebody better tell me what was on a month’s worth of tapes then.”

“Not much,” I say. “Mostly talk about tattoos, boobs, and whose turn it is to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home. Normal brother stuff.”

Frank suddenly looks suspicious of me and turns to the other agents to confirm. “Did all of you watch and listen to the tapes, too?”

“Yes, sir,” they all say, nodding.

“All of them?” he asks again.

“We split them up,” one of the agents says. “So between us, we went through every minute of tape. There’s nothing suspicious on the tapes.”

Thank you, rookie agent. I owe you a drink.

Frank glares at me. “I’m very disappointed in your work on this case. For the next month, you’ll be staying in the office and helping out with the paperwork on the other active investigations. I’ll have to think long and hard about sending you out into the field again anytime soon.”

I nod and try my best to look contrite. Everything is going exactly as I planned. All I need to do from this point on is mark time and keep my nose clean for a few more weeks, then I can kiss this life goodbye forever.

“What about Operation Thunderclap?” I ask. “Does this mean you’re shutting it down for good?”

“What the hell do you think?” he yells in irritation. “Yes, I’m shutting the operation down today, and that includes the taps on their landlines. I’m taking enough heat about that already from the local judge. We’ve wasted enough agency resources on this case as it is. Operation Thunderclap is over.”

Yes!

For the first time in weeks, I can finally breathe again.

I can’t wait to call Sam.

Chapter Thirty

Lila

––––––––

I’m dreading this.

Seeing Sam’s family again now that they know about me is going to be a disaster. He thinks his brothers and their wives will accept me because the investigation is over.

I know differently.

It’s going to take a long time to gain their trust.

Maybe forever.

I wouldn’t trust me either if the situation were reversed.