The Kings Of Cool

135

So do symbiotic relationships.

Dennis walks into the Orange County Task Force office, flashes his fed-creds, and demands to see the boss.

Commander Roselli looks like he just swallowed hot piss, that’s how happy he is to have a fed on his turf, trodding on the flowers, making the dogs bark. But he summons Boland upstairs and makes the introductions.

“Deputy Boland, Special Agent Dennis Cain, DEA.”

Boland nods at the fed. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“You have an op going against a Benjamin Leonard?” Dennis asks.

Boland hesitates, looks at Roselli.

Roselli says, “Go ahead.”

“Boss-”

“I said go ahead.”

Boland turns back to Dennis. “Yeah, I do.”

“No, you don’t,” Dennis says. “Whatever you had going, shitcan it. Now.”

“You can’t just walk in here and-”

“Yeah, I can,” Dennis said. “I did.”

“Leonard is dealing marijuana in our jurisdiction,” Boland argues.

“He could be selling enriched uranium to Osama bin Laden outside the teacup ride at Disneyland,” Dennis says, “and you will stay the fuck away from it.”

“What,” Boland asks, “you want the bust for yourselves?”

“He’s a federal CI, idiot,” Dennis snaps. “You keep fucking around, you’re going to jeopardize an operation that is so far above you, you’d need a ladder to sniff its asshole. You burn this guy, you’re going to be on the phone to the AG-that’s the attorney general-of the United States, dipshit-explaining why.”

Roselli says, “You’re running an op on our turf, you should have let us know.”

“So it could leak to our target?” Dennis asks.

“Fuck you,” Roselli says.

“Okay, fuck me,” Dennis answers. “Who you don’t fuck is Leonard. Dicks out, hands off. Him, his friends, his family, his dog if he has one. There is a force field around him that you don’t get near unless you want to get zapped. Do we understand each other?”

They do.

They don’t like it, but they understand.

Ben Leonard is untouchable.