Worth The Wait Part9

Rami reclined in his office chair, idly twirling a set of Baoding balls in his left hand. Things were finally falling into place for him at the department. He had held the position of lead detective for over a year now, forging connections with colleagues both clean and corrupt, who had shown him the ins and outs of playing the game. Playing dirty never deterred Rami; if anything, it emboldened him. His father, a man well-acquainted with bending the law, had once told him, “Sometimes you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt. And sometimes, you keep a few extra cards for leverage.” It was a lesson he never forgot. There were moments when he longed to stop looking over his shoulder, but the power had a way of consuming him. Each passing day made him feel more… untouchable.

The staged robbery and murder had unfolded seamlessly. The Rosalia cartel believed it was a hit orchestrated by rival factions across town, which heightened their defenses and increased their demand for protection and supply. Rami, working under the thumb of their boss, had no intention of remaining their puppet for long. His strategy was to keep their operations running smoothly, permitting certain distributions while turning a blind eye to more egregious activities—for a price, naturally. Soon, he would supply them with the “protection” they sought, orchestrate a mock recovery of the stolen drugs, and then sell it back to the Rosalia cartel at twice the original price. With any luck, they’d turn on each other in a war of his own creation.

Just as a smirk spread across his face, the desk phone rang. It was the secretary. “Hey, Rami, you’ve got a woman on the line. Says she has information about the warehouse murders.”

“What the hell?” Rami bolted upright, the casual ease vanishing from his posture. “Put her through,” he ordered sharply.

“This is Detective Rami, Homicide. Who am I speaking with?”

“Detective, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“I’m in the middle of something. Who is this?”

“Someone who can help. I know more about the cartel murders than most.”

“Alright, are you a cop?”

“Not exactly. I’m an editor at the local paper. I’ve been following the case closely and have uncovered some… intriguing details. Details I think you’d find useful.”

“Listen, I don’t have time for games. Get to the point, ma’am.”

“But rest assured, if you play your cards right, you’ll come out a hero.”

It was that line that caught Rami’s attention. Despite his skepticism, he felt a tug of curiosity. “Alright,” he said grudgingly, his voice tense as he hunched over the phone,“What’s your name?”

“My name isn’t important right now. You’ll learn it soon enough. What matters is the name of your sole suspect in this case.”

Rami’s frustration mounted. He didn’t need some amateur sleuth complicating his plans—especially not now. “Lady, I’m running out of patience. You have ten seconds to start making sense.”

“Alright, alright. There was someone else at the warehouse that night. I can lead you to them, but we can’t discuss this over the phone. Can we meet? I’m not here to waste your time.”

“You already have, and I don’t speak to journalists or editors or any of that shit.”

“You spoke to Crystal.”

Rami froze, his composure shattered. “How the hell do you know about that? Who the hell are you?! You been fucking watching me, huh?!”

“Meet me tonight at 9:30, Washington Park, behind the old church. I’ll explain everything.”

Monica hung up, letting out a long breath. She felt as if she’d been holding it for the entire conversation, straining to maintain her poise. Despite the tension, she was confident that Rami would take the bait.

Rami, meanwhile, was anything but confident. He slammed the phone on the receiver, boiling with rage. The certainty he usually clung to now slipping away. His thoughts were swirling as he tried not to panic. Who would just have the balls to call him and say, “I know something you don’t know.” And how the hell did she know he talked to Crystal. How does she even know Crystal? He sat for a moment to regain his composure before walking out of his office. He took a sip of water and cleared his throat. After instructing the secretary hold all his calls he stepped outside for a cigarette.

This was the moment he had dreaded—the moment when his control wavered. Whoever this woman was, she knew too much. But he needed to find out just how much. He would meet her tonight, learn everything she had to share, and then… make sure she never had the chance to tell another soul.