Chapter Eight

Don lightly pressed his fingers against the earpiece in his right ear, straining to hear every word that his best friend spoke. He wanted to make sure he heard everything right; a part of him still hoped he could find something to prove that Danny was innocent. That this all was a mistake. Unfortunately, the more Don thought about it, the less likely Danny's innocence seemed.

" . . . the feds?" Clarke was saying. "I'm still not sure that this isn't a setup."

Don heard Danny scoff. "Weren't you paying any attention? I spiked my buddy's kid brother's drink to get them off our backs for a while, and now you're backing out of the deal? You don't get that option. Not after everything I've done for you."

Don felt an angry heat rush through him as he replayed Danny's words in his mind. He didn't need any other proof. Danny had nearly killed Charlie, and he was blowing it off as some minor inconvenience. Any hope of helping his friend out died in that instant.

Megan glanced sideways at Don, her concern on her face. She could see the anger rolling off of Don in waves. "Don, maybe you should sit this one out."

Don merely tossed her a look that told her what he thought of that suggestion.

Megan sighed, not intimidated in the slightest. "Fine. Then let David and Colby lead in. We don't want our case compromised by personal vendettas."

Don thought about that for a moment, then finally nodded. "All right, people. David, Colby, when I give the signal, we charge. Everyone else, keep your positions. I want these guys."

He heard the murmurs of assent through the lines and realized that the attack on Charlie in the safety of the bullpen had affected more than just him. The other agents at the office who knew Charlie had come to see the young professor as a member of the team, and each of them were determined to bring down the people responsible. Don felt some of his anger ebb at that thought.

"I want the rest of this shipment out on the streets by tonight," Danny was saying. "Don't tell me no; just make it happen. I want my money. If I don't get paid by midnight tonight, you won't be as lucky as the runt I drugged earlier."

Megan's hand shot out at lightning speed, clamping down solidly on Don's forearm. It was the only thing that kept Don from charging into the building.

"We got 'em," she said into the microphone, her voice taking on a steely edge. "Move out!"

The agents swarmed over the building, appearing as if from thin air as they surrounded the warehouse and blocked every potential exit. Don ran into the open, hearing Megan right beside him. At the front door, he could just see David and Colby pause and nod at each other before bursting into the building, guns out.

"FBI!" David shouted, his voice clashing with Colby's as they identified themselves and barked orders for everyone to freeze. "Don't move! Stay where you are! Put your hands where I can see them!"

Don hurried into the building after his team, striding through the crowds and right up to Colby and David, who had just finished cuffing Danny's hands behind his back. Danny turned to Don, a look of anger on his face.

"Donnie, what the hell are you doing?" he demanded. "You just ruined a sting operation that took a long time to set up!"

"Save it, Danny," Don snapped. "We got everything on tape. You've been accepting kickbacks from a major druglord for the last two years! You've turned the other way while hundreds of innocent kids died from this stuff!"

"It's called collecting evidence," Danny shot back. "I had enough to put some of these guys away for years when you interrupted me!"

"Really?" Don stepped closer to Danny until he was barely an inch away. "Where is all this evidence? You haven't checked anything in, you've shared nothing with your supervisors . . . Or maybe you can explain how some of your 'evidence' ended up in my brother's coffee?"

Something flickered in Danny's eyes too quick for Don to identify. "You don't know, Don. How can you just stand there and let this happen? You think because you have a badge that you're on the good side? You don't know shit."

Don tempered his voice. "Listen, Danny, I know about your fiancée, and I'm sorry, but you're punishing innocent people for the mistake of one man. You can't do that. We have a justice system for a reason."

"Don't stand there and preach to me, Donnie," Danny snapped back. "You don't know what I went through! I told him not to go through with the sting, and he decided to do it anyway! Despite all the evidence I brought to him, he gave the fucking order, and I had to watch while Jessica died in my arms, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it!"

"But helping drug dealers, Danny?" Don pressed.

"Why the hell not?" Danny spat. "I wasn't getting anywhere in the DEA. That sonofabitch ASAC of mine received a commendation for that bust, and I had to bury the love of my life! If I have to work with corrupt people, I figured I may as well get something out of it."

Don stared at his old friend in shock. Surely this wasn't the same man who had stood by him through high school amidst all the teasing and ridicule. "Danny . . . why Charlie? He didn't do anything to you."

Danny snorted. "He didn't have to. I figured dosing him with Blaze would get you and your team off of my coworkers' backs long enough for one more big payoff."

A strange ringing sounded in Don's ears. He felt his anger begin to bubble up through the numbness that had settled over him in his shock at the callous, dismissive way Danny had spoken of Charlie.

"Really, it was more of a bonus than anything else to mess with him," Danny continued, a smile twisting his lips. "He was always such a pain in the ass, even if he did get me out of some homework jams back in school. I bet the little pest never told you how I used to beat him up; hell, he was probably grateful to even hang out with us at all that he didn't mind getting knocked around every once in-."

He got no further than that. Don's hand clenched into a fist, and he let it fly with all of his strength. His fist connected with a satisfying crunch against Danny's nose, sending the DEA agent flying back onto his rear.

Don stared down at Danny, his fist still clenched at his side. Danny was curled on his side, blood streaming down his face.

"My nose!" he yelled. "Dammit! I think you broke it!"

"Consider yourself lucky," Don spat back. He turned his burning gaze onto the nearest agent. "Get him out of my sight."