Chapter 46 The Investigation Splits

Chapter 46 The Investigation Splits
Isabella's POV

The television in the safe house shows the DEA raid happening in real time.

Agents in tactical gear are breaking down the doors of a warehouse in north San Isidro. Guns drawn. Commands shouted. The footage is shaky but clear. Inside the warehouse, there's nothing. No product. No weapons. No evidence of criminal activity.

The warehouse is empty.

Isabella knows this warehouse. Damián showed it to her once. Showed her how he rotates his operations. How he never leaves anything valuable in the same location for more than a few weeks. How he stays ahead of law enforcement by being unpredictable.

She gave the DEA this location. And he abandoned it days before the raid.

On the screen, an agent in charge looks frustrated. He's standing in an empty warehouse talking about how they acted on intelligence and found nothing. How the targets clearly had advance warning.

Isabella knows exactly how he had advance warning. She told him. She went to the safe house and briefed him on locations. And he moved everything before the raids could happen.

She didn't mean to. But her incomplete information was just enough for him to understand what was coming.

Over the next three days, Isabella watches the DEA conduct seventeen raids across San Isidro. Every single one finds an empty location. Every single one comes up with nothing.

The news coverage becomes increasingly frustrated. Federal agents claiming they're disrupting cartel operations. Federal agents claiming they're making progress. Federal agents clearly frustrated that every raid yields nothing.

Isabella sits in the safe house and realizes what she's done.

She came to the DEA with information designed to protect Damián. She gave them locations that were already abandoned. She provided names that led nowhere. She gave them just enough information to justify federal action while ensuring that the action would fail.

She sabotaged the investigation. On purpose. While telling herself she was being careful. While telling herself she was just being strategic.

Lu finds her sitting in front of the television watching another empty warehouse.

"You knew these locations were abandoned," Lu says. It's not a question.

"No," Isabella lies.

"Yes, you did," Lu says. She sits beside Isabella. "You knew because Damián told you. Because he showed you how his operation works. And you held back that crucial detail when you debriefed with Webb."

Isabella doesn't respond.

"Do you understand what you've done?" Lu asks. "Do you understand that you've compromised the entire investigation?"

"I was protecting my sources," Isabella says. "I was protecting people who don't deserve to go to prison."

"You were protecting Damián," Lu corrects. "You were protecting the man you love. And in doing that, you've made the DEA look incompetent. You've wasted federal resources. You've allowed a major cartel boss to continue operating with impunity."

Isabella's hands are shaking.

"I can't help you destroy him," Isabella says quietly. "I can't provide information that will bring him down. I can't be the reason he goes to prison."

Lu stands and walks away from her.

"Then you need to tell Webb that," Lu says. "You need to be honest about your compromise. Because if he figures it out on his own, if he realizes that you've been deliberately sabotaging the investigation, he's going to prosecute you for treason."

Isabella realizes the full weight of her situation. She's caught between impossible choices. She can't help the DEA without destroying Damián. She can't protect Damián without betraying the DEA. She can't exist in both worlds anymore.

That night, Lu receives a call.

Isabella can hear the conversation from the other room. Hears Lu saying things like "Yes, sir" and "Understood, sir" and "I'll inform her immediately."

When Lu hangs up, she comes into the living room where Isabella is sitting.

"Webb wants to see you tomorrow," Lu says. "He has new evidence. He wants to discuss it with you before moving forward with prosecution recommendations."

"What kind of evidence?" Isabella asks.

"He wouldn't say," Lu responds. "But he sounded angry. He sounded like he's figured something out."

Isabella spends the night unable to sleep.

She lies in the dark of the safe house and thinks about all the ways this could go wrong. Webb could have discovered that she deliberately withheld information. He could have figured out that she's been protecting Damián. He could be building a case against her now.

Or he could have found something else. Something about the investigation. Something about the raids.

The next morning, Isabella walks into the DEA field office with Lu at her side.

Webb is waiting in a different conference room this time. This one has windows. This one feels less like an interrogation room and more like a legitimate office.

On the table in front of him are photographs. Satellite photographs of property ownership records. Financial transactions. Bank accounts registered under shell companies.

"We found something interesting," Webb says without preamble. "We found that Damián Flores has been systematically moving his assets for the past three days. Moving them to locations we didn't raid. Moving them to properties we don't have on our radar."

He leans back in his chair.

"Which suggests," Webb continues, "that he had advance warning of our raids. Which suggests that someone inside the DEA is feeding him information. Which suggests that our investigation has been compromised from within."

Isabella's heart is pounding.

"Of course, we already know who that someone is," Webb says. He looks directly at Isabella. "It's you. You're feeding him information. You're sabotaging the investigation. You're working for both sides."

"I'm not," Isabella says. But her voice sounds hollow even to her own ears.

"Yes, you are," Webb says. He pulls out another file. "We have phone records. We have surveillance footage. We have evidence that you've been in contact with people in Damián's organization. We have proof that you've been providing information."

Isabella realizes she made a mistake. She thought she was being careful. Thought she was being strategic. But she left evidence. She made contact with someone who was being monitored.

"What are you going to do?" Isabella asks.

"That depends on you," Webb says. He opens another file. Inside are more photographs. Of Damián. Of Isabella. Of moments they shared together.

"You have a choice," Webb says. "You can cooperate fully with this investigation. You can provide complete and accurate information about Damián Flores and his organization. You can help us build an airtight case that will put him away for life."

He pauses.

"Or," Webb continues, "you can refuse. You can claim attorney privilege. You can invoke your rights as a federal agent. And I will prosecute you for treason. For sabotaging a federal investigation. For working with a known criminal organization."

Isabella feels trapped.

"If I cooperate, Damián goes to prison," she says.

"Yes," Webb confirms.

"If I refuse, I go to prison," Isabella says.

"Yes," Webb confirms again.

"And there's no third option," Isabella says.

"There might be," Webb says. He slides something across the table. "Damián Flores has requested a meeting with you. He's offered to surrender himself in exchange for immunity and relocation. He's offering to dismantle his entire organization peacefully instead of fighting federal prosecution."

Isabella's breath catches.

"We think he'll only agree to this if he can see you first," Webb continues. "We think you have more influence over him than any federal threat. So we're going to arrange a meeting. You're going to see him. And you're going to convince him to cooperate with the DEA."

"And if he refuses?" Isabella asks.

"Then you testify against him," Webb says. "You give us everything. You help us build the case that will destroy him."

Isabella realizes the DEA has boxed her in completely. Either she helps them destroy Damián or she goes to prison herself. Either she betrays the man she loves or she betrays her country.

"When?" Isabella asks.

"Tomorrow night," Webb says. "You'll meet him at a neutral location. You'll have one hour. You'll tell him to cooperate with us. And you'll come back here and report everything he says."

He closes all the files.

"And Isabella," Webb says, "if you try to warn him, if you tip him off, if you do anything except follow our instructions exactly, I will charge you with treason. And you will spend the rest of your life in a federal prison. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Isabella says.

As Lu drives her back to the safe house, Isabella realizes that tomorrow she has to choose. She has to sit across from Damián and either convince him to surrender or betray him to the DEA.

Either way, she's choosing to destroy the man she loves.

And there's no way around it.