Here's the next part for you:
Present day. Miami:
"What did Horatio have to do to convince the Malucci's he was on their side?" She hated asking, she really didn't want to know the answer but knew she had to ask if she was going to help Horatio get out of the mess he was in.
Agent Collins looked at her and smiled smugly, "They sent him a message a few days after he was released from the hospital, inviting him to an informal chat."
"I take it he went?"
"He didn't have much choice, Miss Duquesne. He insisted on full immunity from any crimes he had to commit to keep his cover intact. Even I was surprised at what lengths he went to."
Flashback. New York 1994:
It had been several days since his meeting with the Malucci's, the meeting had unnerved him more than he cared to admit. Mainly because he surprised himself at how easy the lies came off of his tongue. He had managed to convince Frankie that his goons had beaten some sense into him; he told the brothers that the safety of his loved ones was more important to him than his shield. He shocked himself when he also told him that the extra money would come in handy.
Benny was not so easy to convince, the younger brother kept eyeing him suspiciously, giving him odd looks. His older brother Frankie insisted on a show of faith from him, wanting to see how just how committed he was to their cause. Inwardly he balked at what they were asking him to do; it went against his very nature as a cop. Putting on an air of bravado that he didn't feel he simply nodded his head and told the brothers that he would do as they asked, but not before asking for a down payment for his work first. Frankie laughed and patted him on the shoulder and told him he liked his style and even Benny raised an eyebrow at his remark.
He left the meeting feeling sick to his stomach, he felt dirty and used. He made his way home quickly, shutting the door behind him and leaning on it heavily. The bruises on his face were fading fast but the mental anguish at leading a double life was weighing heavy on his heart, "And it's only just started, it's going to get a hell of a lot worse," told himself as he closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the wooden door.
He stood there for a long time, playing over and over the lies that he had already told to the people around him. After a while he couldn't take it anymore, he made his way over to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Taking a long, hard look at himself he hung his head in shame. He winced as he took his shirt off and ran his hand lightly over the bandage on his abdomen before getting under the steaming hot water and hoping to wash the guilt away.
The shower didn't work, he got out feeling worse than he had when he entered, dressing as quickly as he could he made his way to the kitchen. Opening the liquor cabinet he picked up the first bottle he saw and poured himself a large measure of
scotch, eyeing the pills on the counter he tapped two out on to his hand and threw them back along with another mouthful of alcohol. Trudging to the sofa he dropped down and covered his eyes with his hands.
He pushed the thoughts of that day from his mind as he sat at his desk in the squad room, he'd been back at work almost a week. He accepted the smiles, pats on the back and well wishes of his colleagues, plastering on a smile and answering their questions as vaguely as possible. They hadn't questioned him too hard about the incident and he hoped that he had given them the impression that everything was fine. He loosened the tie around his neck and undid his top button; it was an unusually hot day in Manhattan. The sun was shining fiercely in the bright blue sky and the humidity was making the heat of the day almost unbearable. He tried to concentrate on filling the report out in front of him. He and Andy had taken a trip to Lower Manhattan to check out a crime scene, on the way over his partner had starting asking him questions he was finding uncomfortable to answer.
"Anything up, kid?" Andy asked him, when he didn't reply his friend tried again. "John, you listening to me?"
The voice was louder this time and shook him from his daydream. "Sorry, Andy?" He mentally admonished himself for being caught daydreaming, his mind focussed on the upcoming show of faith he would have to provide the Malucci's in a few days' time.
"Is something on your mind? We can talk about it if there is," His partner was a good detective; he'd taught John everything he knew. It was obvious that Andy wasn't going to drop it until he was satisfied he knew what was going on. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and fiddled with his tie, loosening it slightly.
"Nothing's the matter. I'm fine Andy" He hoped that his partner would take him at his word and leave it there; he glanced at him and saw the wary look he was being given, "Honestly." He plastered on a smile and looked out of the windscreen at the road ahead.
Still Andy badgered him, "If it's about what happened Fancy can set you up with an appointment with the department shrink if you want."
He wasn't expecting that response, "No, definitely not." His tone was harsh but Andy's comment had taken him by surprise, he let out a long breath as he tried to regain his composure. "There's nothing wrong. I'm fine." He gave his partner a look that signalled that he didn't want to discuss the matter further; he could feel his temper rise. He didn't want to fall out with Andy but he was finding his constant questions increasingly irritating. It seem as if his friend had got the message as he shut his open mouth and returned his eyes to the road as they continued their journey in silence.
He looked down at the report on his desk; he had been working on it for the past two hours and had got no further than the first page. If he didn't start sorting his act out people were going to start to notice the changes in him. The beeping of his pager made him jump, he looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed. He picked up the phone on his desk to access the message; his heart sank as he listened to it. Grabbing his suit jacket from the back of his chair he made his way out of the squad room and out of the precinct.
He trudged wearily down the steps and looked to his left; the black sedan car was waiting further down the street. He walked in the direction of the parked car; he heard Andy call out to him but paid him no attention as he continued to walk. As he reached the car Agent Collins climbed out, dressed in a dark suit and smiling smugly at him he would have given anything to punch the shit-eating grin off of the other man's face. "I got your message," he said as he regarded the FBI agent, "What do you want?"
"I'd like to know how you're little chat with the Malucci's went."
"I did what you wanted, made them think I'd join them." He answered petulantly.
"It was that simple? They just took your word for it? The brothers aren't that naïve." The other man's tone was condescending and it began to irritate him.
"Of course they didn't. They insisted on a show of faith, they gave me instructions to make sure a piece of evidence goes missing in the case of one of their thugs."
"Interesting," Collins smiled. "And you'll be able to accomplish this, I take it?"
He shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling ashamed of what he had agreed to do for the sake of his cover. "It shouldn't be too hard; Medavoy and Martinez are handling the case. I'll offer my expertise on the subject and give them a helping hand."
"Detective Kelly, if I didn't know you better I would say that you're enjoying this. You're definitely cut out for this kind of work, I had no idea you could be so devious."
He placed his hands on his hips, angered that Collins could accuse him of enjoying any of this. He was lying to the people he cared about and was neck-deep in an undercover operation that he wanted no part of, he was hating every minute of it. "This might all be a game to you, Collins. This is my life you're playing with."
"You make it sound like you mean something, you're expendable, Detective Kelly, and you'd do well to remember that." The other man smiled at him smugly.
He knew he had to walk away before he lost his temper; the urge to knock the pompous agent on his ass was becoming hard to resist. He turned his back on him and walked back up the street, he stopped as Collins called out to him.
"You should be careful who you turn your back on, John. You're going to need a friend like me."
He knew that he was being goaded but he felt his frayed temper snap. "Screw you!" he shouted over his shoulder before he stalked back towards the precinct. He had almost made it to the steps when Andy stopped him.
The older man stubbed his cigarette out before asking him, "That guy giving you grief, John?"
"Oh crap," he thought, "Andy saw the whole thing, what if he heard what we were talking about?" Thinking on his feet he replied with the first thing that came to his mind, "It's nothing, Andy. Just a business associate of Robin's old man trying to muscle in on his estate."
Again his partner wouldn't leave things well enough alone, "You sure, it looked like it was getting a little heated."
Andy looked at him as if staring at him would make him open up, it had the opposite effect. He sighed tiredly before answering, "Andy, I can handle it. Please, just leave it." He gave his partner a tight smile and walked past him before the other man had a chance to say anything else.
As he walked back up the stairs to the squad room he knew he and Agent Collins would need to find somewhere safer to meet in future, he couldn't risk his colleagues placing the pieces of the puzzle together.