Line of Fire (Book #1) GirlXGirl

SEVEN

Being involved with this was dangerous. The least he could do was give me some insight on why he was here. Or some answers. Honestly, any kind of information on this rapidly growing problem would ease my mind. If he was going to keep coming to me for help, then he needed to give me an incentive to want to assist.

"I'm here to make a trade," he claimed.

"A trade?"

"Information for your agreement to help me with this case."

I rolled my eyes. "As great as that sounds, secrets don't pay the bills, Chapman."

"We can talk money later if you accept."

This time I allowed my gaze to lock with his. Was he serious? I couldn't help but ask, "Why us?"

"Because I can't trust anyone but Monroe, and it's gonna take more than just the two of us to close this case."

I pondered the thought, wondering what Derik would think if he knew what I was up to. He was the one to make these types of decisions. Not me. It wasn't my place to make the call for my entire team, but I had a feeling that I needed to accept. And I was always the one to trust my gut.

I looked at Chapman. "What happens if I accept your offer?"

"I tell you what this is all about," he answered, "And I make arrangements for monetary payment."

"And if I don't accept?"

He sucked in a tight breath. "I drop you off back at Derik's so you can continue struggling to hold a steady job and support your family."

His choice of words struck a nerve within me. The jab about my personal life sparked a fire, and I believed that's what he had intended to do.

"You can do something good, Alexa," Chapman continued. "This is an opportunity for you to help on the good side. To fix a broken system and get paid for it. This is the break you've been searching for, isn't it?"

I stared at him. Dark eyes were intently staring back. There was something in his expression that told me he wasn't leaving without a yes. But Chapman was right. This was an opportunity to do something good. This was an opportunity for redemption. But was I ready to open Pandora's box?

"What do you want us to do?" I asked without any more hesitation.

He smiled in victory. "Antonio informed us that there's a ship coming to port tomorrow night. The cartel he was working for is importing-"

"Wait," I couldn't help but interject, "You're investigating drug cartels?"

Chapman nodded stiffly. "Kind of, but it's a bit more complicated than that. I believe someone inside the GIB is helping the drugs get across our borders."

The accusation hit me like a punch to the face. An international drug cartel was possibly being funded by our own government? I had heard of things like this happening but never knew if it was true.

I shook my head, "Why would they do that?"

"Plenty of reasons," he paused, "But I believe the driving force is information on other cartels. They sell information to the GIB on other cartels, which allows our government to shut down their competition. The GIB repays them by allowing them to run their business to the states. It's extremely political."

This was much more serious than I had anticipated.

Chapman glanced at me. "I need you and your team to get on that ship tomorrow night and get evidence."

"What kind of evidence are we talking about?"

"Pictures of the dealers with the GIB officials, the drugs..." he claimed. "If we can identify at least one of those people on that ship it could lead us to the root of the problem."