Free Covert Operations by Sara Schoen Page A

discussing a trade with one of their rivals, the Son Reyes Cartel, which Camden was against after the leader held a gun to his head in their last exchange. He deserved it, but no one enjoyed being held at gunpoint. Other than his father, Camden had contacted Danielle, who had called him back a short time later. She’d been blinded by a lie, hoping to find me, unable to see who Camden really was. Someone had to know what the Cardozas were really like.
    I lifted my eyebrow curiously. Maybe I could track down someone who had come in contact with the Cardozas and lived to tell their side of the story. I had thought about passing that to Demon before, but I couldn’t find the information and gave up on the thought. There were more pressing matters at hand, which included not having the barrel of a gun shoved into my temple because I’d gotten caught. I knew they were looking for information like that, not the low level stuff I had been sending back with Demon. To get that information, I would have needed someone closer to the top than as I was, someone who knew their way around.
    That would explain why they sent in the other agent. Demon said she’d been in the cartel previously. If she could find out who had survived, or who the cartel was tracking down, they would have enough evidence to put away the leaders, and Camden. They would cripple the cartel, and make sure their leaders were behind bars. Once they were out of the picture, taking out the members would be easy. They would have no one to guide them, and tracking them down would take no time at all. They would be destroyed, and wouldn’t be able to recover.
    I glanced at Camden as he let out a low groan and rubbed his temple in annoyance to whatever his father was instructing. I bit back a laugh and gestured back to the phone so he could return to jotting down notes before Miguel asked if he was still listening. A glowering expression took over my features once his stare wasn’t on me anymore. I always got along with my family, and it shocked me as I grew up at how many people didn’t get along with their parents. Bringing my friends over was embarrassing because they would talk about how much they hated their own parents. I liked mine, but just like my friends, Camden wanted to be out of his father’s shadow, to be on his own. He took it to a new level by wanting to be better than his father, and it bothered me.
    It wasn’t a competition over who could kill the most people, or make the most profit, but Camden didn’t see it that way. He only wanted to take over the cartel so his father would see his abilities. Then Camden would pass it off to his own son as soon as possible, and leave without a thought. It was childish, and a lot of work to go through just to prove something. I could be wrong. Camden did have an interest in running the cartel, but he didn’t like the work. He might change when the time came, but I doubted it.
    I also had doubts about the two rookies Demon sent in to help me complete the mission. Camo had already stepped on my toes when she snuck up on me in the old office, and it was only a matter of time before she or Night Stripe found a way to get us all killed. I would just have to find a way to keep myself off their kill list. I couldn’t let them see me as a threat.
    I fully blocked out Camden’s conversation with his father as they discussed the deal, and focused on Demon’s comments during our brief meeting. He’d told me more information than he usually intended to, possibly because he understood the risks. Deniability wouldn’t help much if someone suspected me of being a traitor, especially so high up in the cartel and as Camden’s right hand man. I would have to be dealt with swiftly, and permanently, before either of the other agents could react. I knew it, but Demon didn’t need to think about it. That part was up to me. His job was to keep me out of the loop, like when he didn’t answer all my questions about the Sandtown