absence of affection- javier peña

Part 13

"Well?" she continued avoiding eye contact "I'm sorry." he told Vanessa "For what, sleeping with your informant who is a fugitive?" she finally looked at him "How do you know about that?" he questioned "Oh, please. Murphy can tell too but he doesn't know for sure. I do." she told him and he gave her a look that basically told her to explain. "Okay. The other night I went to your apartment because I needed to talk to you and I opened the door and you weren't anywhere to be found so I assumed you were sleeping and when I walked to your bedroom." she stopped herself "Fuck." he said as he looked away "Yeah, that." she nodded. "Listen, I'm sorry you had to see that." Peña told her "I mean it's fine I just...was shocked. You don't even know her." Barlowe shook her head "I'm sorry." he looked down "Did you get a good view at last?" he asked as he looked back at her "Oh, shut up." she rolled her eyes and hit his arm before getting out of the car.

Peña quickly got out of the car and followed her to the door before leading her inside and then being escorted to Carillo. A man opened the door and the agent's walked inside. Peña greeted carillo in spanish upon entering. "Thank you for coming." Carillo said as he looked at Peña and then saw Barlowe "I see you've brought a friend." Carillo spoke. "I understand the narcos are back from Panama." Carillo said as he shook Peña's hand and then Barlowe's. Peña asked Carillo a question in Spanish to which Carillo replied in English. "Because these men aren't cleared, and if we speak Spanish, it could get back to Pablo. It also can help your American counterpart get involved in the conversations." Carillo said as he looked at Barlowe. "I appreciate it." she chuckled. "So I started this to monitor Pablo's sicarios' communications." Carillo led the agents as he spoke and Peña removed his sunglasses. "SAT phones, landlines, you name it." Carillo listed. "I've got dozens of wiretaps, but I've only managed to seize about ten kilos in the last month. Probably because I've listened to my own men tipping the narcos off. So I've had to start surveilling them." Carillo told them. "I listen to them tell their girlfriends they're afraid...cry to their mothers when one of our men gets shot down. But every once in a while...I hear them trade secrets with Pablo." Carillo looked at the agents as he spoke. "Do your bosses know you're doing this?" Peña asked as Carillo lit a cigarette. "I trust them even less." Carillo told Peña.

"Most of my men are from here, where they can get to your mother, your aunt, your cousin." Carillo continued. "How do I fight...when my soldiers are already working for Escobar?" Carillo questioned as he sat on his desk. "Well do they have to be from Medellín?" Barlowe asked and Peña cocked his head to the side in agreement. "Let's continue this later, eh?" Carillo proposed and the agents nodded before saying their goodbyes and walking out. The two agents got back in the car and drove to the office. When they arrived at the building, Barlowe started walking to her office. "Where you going?" Peña called out to her "My office?" she pointed to her office on the left of her "Nah." he shook his head and motioned for her to follow him. She furrowed her brows and shook her head before she sighed and followed him "I need your help." he told her as they walked into his office. "With what..." she questioned "Sit." he told her as he pointed to a chair and she followed directions. He pulled out a file and began looking at papers, not talking. "Hello? What do you need my help with?" she asked him "I just needed you to keep me company." he looked at her "So I could be getting work done right now in my office but I'm here?" she crossed her arms "You followed me and plus, we know that you're not complaining about spending time with me because you've wanted to do it since we met." Peña told her with a smirk. "Oh, you're an ass." she said with shock. "Now let me do my thing." he told her "And that is?" she asked with a smile before they were interrupted by Wysession knocking on the doorframe.

"They just picked up that commie priest, Father Sobrino." he said as the agents turned to look at him. "He's gonna talk, and when he does, I hope your DEA boys understand what's important in this hemisphere." he said in a condescending tone. "Well, how about you, uh...clue us in?" Peña spoke as he leaned back and lit a cigarette. "Drug dealers, I mean, bad as they are, they want your money. Communists want everything." Wysession began "I don't know about you, Peña and...you–"he looked at Barlowe "But I like to own shit." he said "Right." Peña replied with his lip curled a bit "Good talk, Lou. Very, uh...enlightening." Peña said and Barlowe smiled trying to hide a laugh. "Yeah...very." Barlowe nodded "Yeah." Wysession replied before turning around, getting ready to leave. The agents sighed and chuckled "Oh." he turned around and they got serious again. "This...priest?" Wysession began "If it comes out that he was your informant and you protected him..." he continued "I'm gonna make sure you're tried for treason. Both of you." he looked at Peña and then Barlowe. They both stared at him as he walked out of the room. "What the fuck." Peña whispered "You're not involved in this and he knows that." he continued. "You need to get fake papers for Elisa and you need to do it fast." Vanessa said.Although she didn't necessarily like Elisa because of her actions, she didn't want her dead after she helped them.

"I'm gonna go talk to Colleen. She'll have something." Peña said as he cleared his throat and stood up "You coming with?" he turned to face Vanessa "I'm actually gonna head home." she told him "You want a ride?" he asked "I'll be good." she smiled "Do you wanna maybe go out for a drink tonight?" Peña asked and Vanessa looked at him with surprise on her face. "Uh...yeah, sure, I can do that." she nodded "I'll meet you there at 10." he told her and she nodded. She went back to her office and Peña walked in. "Murph and I are about to get ready to leave. Carillo asked us to do something. Do you want to come with?" Peña questioned "Yeah, sure, but I thought Steve was off today?" she said, unsure "He thought so too." he replied with a chuckle "I'm driving, he's downstairs waiting." Peña told her and she nodded before following him to the elevator then to Murphy "This won't affect tonight, I promise." he told her "I wasn't worried." she replied as they walked over to Murphy "Hey, looks like you two are getting along." Steve smiled at Vanessa and she gave him a death stare "Shut up." she mouthed. She then smiled and walked past him to Peña's car where they drove to the designated location. "What is this? Storytime?" Vanessa asked after Steve finished telling Peña how he met Connie "Now it's your turn to tell a story." Steve told Peña.

"I was driving to the church. Was with my buddy, John. He was my best man." he began as Steve took a sip of his beer. "We were late." Peña sighed and thunder began rumbling. "It was fucking blazing outside, 110 degrees. Whole bridal party was sweating their balls off, I'm sure." he said "And all of a sudden I stopped the car." Peña said "Please don't tell me you left her at the altar." Steve said "I don't know if she actually made it to the altar." Peña said and Steve started quietly laughing. "Well, you saved her a lifetime of hell." he said as he looked at Peña "Now for Vanessa..she's already in this hell so I think that you two–" Steve began and Vanessa reached and smacked him on the cheek to shut him up. "Stop talking." she told Steve "Oh, we haven't heard you tell a story yet." Peña pointed out.