But with Becca in my life, I suddenly had a reason to get out. Other than protecting my family, I finally had a reason to live. Climbing sometimes took me beyond the usual day-to-day difficulties, but I was beginning to feel like that wasn’t enough.
And besides, I couldn’t exactly have a serious career if I was smuggling drugs for the mob.
What was I going to do once it was all over? I realized I had been running drugs for so long that I didn’t know anything else. I could still climb, and wanted to get back into it, but it almost felt strange to have the freedom to get back out there.
Fortunately, I didn’t have much time to follow that train of thought. I looked up as I heard a car winding its way down the road toward the campsite.
It was the same car as the last two times. It parked, waited a minute, and then Rigley climbed out of the front seat.
I stood and went to meet him halfway through, the black duffel held tightly in my fist.
It was the moment I was both dreading and excited for. A mix of adrenaline and fear spiked through me and all I wanted to do was throw the money at his feet and leave. But it wasn’t going to be that easy.
I had to make my case. I had to give him a reason not to kill me on the spot.
“Hello, Mister Smuggler.”
I nodded to him. “Rigley.”
“Uneventful trip?”
“Easy as always.”
He stood staring at me for a second, his arms crossed. I could see the unmistakable bulge of a gun in the front of his waistband, barely concealed by his tight white T-shirt.
“What’s in there?” he said, nodding at the bag.
I dropped it onto the ground. “It’s full of fifteen thousand dollars.”
His eyebrow shot up. “And why did you bring that today?”
“I wanted to give it back to you.”
He took a moment to absorb that. “Give it back to me?” he said slowly.
“Yes. It’s your money.”
“I’m afraid I do not understand.”
“I’ve heard some rumors about your organization,” I said.
“My organization is none of your concern.”
“But it is, actually. I heard you and Jacques don’t get along very well.”
He studied me for a moment. “It is true that there are certain disagreements between us and the people in your country.”
“I heard it called a war.”
“My patience is not unlimited, Mister Smuggler.”
I nodded, getting to the point. “I learned some things about your people in my country. I learned where they’ve been hiding and laundering all of the money they’ve been making off your drugs.”
“That’s a very dangerous thing to say to me.”
“But it’s true. And I learned exactly how to get ahold of that money. Do you know a diner called the Blue?”
“I have not heard of this diner.”
“It’s the business they run. It’s the place they use to filter their money.”
“Where did you get the money in that bag?”
He looked agitated, annoyed. He was glancing around him like there was something about to happen. I realized I was making him much more paranoid than I needed to by beating around the bush and coming at it slowly.
“I stole this money from the Blue.”
His eyes widened. “You must be stupid.”
“I stole it from them to give to you.”
“You stole from me.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m giving it back to you. So that you can win your war.”
He suddenly pulled the gun out from his waistband and held it out at me. My heart skipped a beat and I took a step back. In all my time running drugs, I had never had a gun pointed at me, and it was terrifying.
“I think you’re mistaken. That money is our money.”
“You’re telling me that you wanted them to have this much cash on hand? Even in the middle of a war?”
He stepped closer, his eyes narrowed. “Even in the middle of a fucking war. That money was meant to stay where they had it.”
“But you didn’t even know about the diner.”
“Because I didn’t need to know. But once laundered, the money would have come back to us through other legitimate ways.”
Fear jolted through me, fear I never imagined. “I want to help you pay for your war.”
“You stupid boy. You robbed us.”
“I’m giving it back.”
“I do not want it back. The American dollar is stronger than the Canadian dollar. We make more money in your country.”
“This is only half,” I blurted out.
He stopped in his tracks. “There’s more?”
“Yes. This is only half.”
“Thirty thousand dollars?”
After we took our cut