Levi

Chapter four

''So you tellin' me, that all I gotta do is rat out Hector and I'm free to go?'' Lincoln repeated for the umpteenth time. He simply couldn't grasp the fact that this deal had been offered him. Valentina nodded.

''But you think I shouldn't take the deal?'' He asked rethorically. Valentina released an annoyed sigh. She had made her opinion on this deal very clear from the start and she was getting tired of having to repeat herself knowing she was already screwed.

''Lincoln, you're shoving the fact that you have to plead guilty completely under the rug. Besides, do you honestly think it's a good idea to rat out someone like Hector? Let's talk facts here, Hector will chase you down the depths of Hell to get you back for that.''

''They're offering me a Witness Protection Program, so he'll never get to me.'' Lincoln simply replied to that. For a moment, just a slight moment, Valentina felt a sting in her chest. It is not something that happens often. It doesn't happen often at all. But the way Lincoln didn't care about his companion getting thrown in jail, the way he was willing to put an end to the loyalty they had shared for years, it made her remember.

''Excuse me for a moment.'' She said quickly before she left the room, the sound of her heels clicking against her office floors as she made her way to the ladies room.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a good few moments. This was the part in the movies where the traumatized main character would wash their face and pathetically think it'd help. But Valentina refused to mess up her make-up just for the sake of a dramatic scenery. She grasped the sink, her fingers curling around the edges as she leaned on it for support.

Deep breaths.

She had to take deep breaths to avoid this from escalating. Valentina has been in this situation multiple times, and by now, she has figured out how to deal with situations like these.

It's funny how in certain situations, breathing properly becomes art.

Her heartbeat rang in her ears like an annoying alarm and tears threatened to spill. But she wouldn't allow them.

She breathed in deeply for three seconds as she made sure to breath through her belly instead of her chest. Holding her breath in for a good 6 seconds, before she breathed out 9 seconds.

Breath in; 1, 2, 3.

Hold in; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Breath out; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Repeat.

She kept going like that untill she was sure she had stabilized her breathing. After she had, she didn't rush back to her office. Instead, she stayed for a little while longer to make sure she wouldn't have another mental break down.

She was taking this case too personal. She had fucked up a couple times already- a couple times too much. She had to get this case over with as soon as possible.

She knew Lincoln wanted to take the deal. And it would have probably been best for her too, because that way, she'd be done with this case by next week. But despite how she felt towards Lincoln right now, she was still a defense attorney. And she had to do her job properly. She couldn't allow him to walk into a shitty deal and mess up his life. But then again, the deal wasn't that shitty. The only shitty part would probably be that he had to plead guilty. But he wouldn't necessarily be punished for it. He'd be out on a probation and he'd have witness protection to protect him from any of Hector's guys that would possibly want to get back on him. The only punishment Lincoln was facing was having a rap-sheet.

It was a win-win situation for the defense and the prosecution.

Both Valentina and Levi knew that putting away Lincoln wouldn't have helped make the world a better place in the least bit. Putting away Hector, however, would have. Hector is the Fed's first step to taking down the colombian drug cartel and Lincoln was their only way of taking Hector down.