Free Dirty Angels 01 by Karina Halle

my stare. “You’ll be paid enough so you never need to work again, if that is what you mean.”
    He swallowed hard, and I could sense his leg bouncing restlessly under the table. “There are rumors, you know.”
    “About me?” I asked simply.
    More nervous gestures. “Yes.”
    “Are they about how large my dick is?”
    Relief washed over his face, and he managed a laugh. “Not really.”
    “Too bad. It’s true, you know. About my dick.”
    He didn’t seem too impressed. He spun the bottle of beer around in his hands. “They say you end up killing most people who do jobs for you.”
    I shrugged. “So?”
    “Is it true?”
    I tapped the cigarette and let it ash onto the floor. “It’s not a lie. Look, if I promise not to kill you, will that ease your worries?”
    His forehead scrunched up, unsure of what way to take me.
    “I keep my promises,” I added. “Just so you know.”
    “Well, that will help,” he said.
    “Then it’s settled. You do your job, I’ll pay you a lot of money and I won’t kill you either.” I signalled the bartender to pour me another drink, then went back to staring Juanito down. “So, before you start jacking up my bar tab, tell me your plans.”
    Now that his worries were eased, he was able to clearly explain exactly what he had to offer. Juanito had done some work with Esteban while I was in prison. Este was the technical guy who could hack into accounts, security systems—hell I think he’d even done some fucked up wizardry with satellite cameras before. But Este was needed at my side, for counsel and for my own protection. Juanito would infiltrate the Reyes compound as best he could, spying on Salvador and Luisa’s routine for a week or two before reporting back with concrete intel. I had no doubt that Salvador had his new wife watched, but as the days went on, I also had no doubt that one of them would slip up. When that happened, we would make sure it happened again.
    Then we would take her.
    Juanito, at first glance, didn’t look like the kind of man best suited for the job. Aside from his nervous mannerisms, he had a wiry build and a young face with round cheeks. But I knew better than to judge a book by its cover. All you needed to know about a man was in his eyes, and in Juanito’s I could see the confidence in his skill. That sold me.
    It also made me stop regretting my promise not to kill him—perhaps he would come in handy in the future.
    “When will you start?” I asked as I nodded my thanks to the bartender who placed another glass of tequila in front of me.
    “Tomorrow,” he said matter-of-factly. “I can be in Culiacán by noon. By tomorrow evening, I promise you I’ll know what house they are staying at and where. I’ve got connections there.”
    I raised my brows. “Who doesn’t,” I muttered, and then swallowed my drink. I cleared my throat. “Well, Juanito. I guess that’s it.”
    “And you’re not going to kill me?”
    “My promise is my promise,” I told him solemnly as I made the sign of the cross over my heart. He probably didn’t believe me, but when he realized he wasn’t dead yet, he would. I gestured to the door with a flick of my wrist. “You better be on your way. Este will pay you your deposit tonight. You’ll get the rest after you deliver Luisa Reyes.”
    He licked his lips eagerly and got off the stool. “Fifty thousand American dollars.”
    I nodded with a tight smile. The longer I was in the business, the less I liked spending money. People like Salvador and other narcos, they wasted it on lavish bullshit. I liked the finest things in life, but anything better than the finest was just gratuitous.
    But in order to get ahead, you needed a loss leader. Luisa was my loss leader.
    I stuck my hand out and Juanito stared at it in surprise before he shook it. Call me old-fashioned but a deal was not a deal unless you shook on it. There was still a code among men in this business.
    His eyes widened as I squeezed his hand and