Chapter 4

But I couldn't understand. When did the swap happen?

Three years ago, Leo went dark. Out of the four undercover agents our department planted in the cartel, three were tortured and killed. Leo was the only survivor, but we lost contact with him.

Everyone thought he was dead.

Without hesitation, I volunteered to take over the mission. Three months later, with the department's help, I managed to get close to one of the cartel's mid-level bosses and successfully infiltrated the syndicate.

That was when I saw Leo again.

He was chained to the wall of a damp basement. His body was a map of raw, infected burns and cuts. He looked half-dead, but it was him.

The boss who brought me down there laughed and said, "We probably got the wrong guy. The Big Boss suspected he was a fed, but no cop could survive six months in this hole without singing."

I didn't dare show any emotion.

In the brief second our eyes met, Leo looked at me. He was in agony, but his eyes were sharp, fierce, and unbroken.

He silently mouthed five words: *Don't worry. I'm okay.*

I almost broke down right then and there.

He had survived the torture that we thought no human could withstand.

I was 100% sure that the Leo in the basement three years ago was the real Leo.

Later, he cleared his name, got promoted within the cartel, and we started working together. He never betrayed me. In fact, he saved my life multiple times.

So, the Leo of the past three years must have been real too.

Exactly when did this impostor take his place?

I racked my brain, but I couldn't find a single gap.

"Mason, the gift should be ready by now," "Leo" said as we walked out of the restaurant. "Let's grab it, book the earliest flight, and head home."

I couldn't make up any more excuses to delay.

I pretended to have a sudden, agonizing stomach cramp. I locked myself in a bathroom stall and messaged my handler, asking him to send over every encrypted log of our communication during the undercover years.

We had pretended not to know each other, communicating only through cyphers left at dead drops.

I needed to read every single word. I needed to analyze the syntax, the slang, the tiny habits to see if there was a shift in tone.

But after reading them three times, I found absolutely nothing.

Outside, "Leo" knocked on the door.

"Mason? If your stomach is that bad, I'll run to the pharmacy. If we delay any longer, we’re going to miss the red-eye flight."

His voice made my skin crawl.

A sudden, terrifying thought hit me.

What was the point of this impersonation?

***