Things happened very quickly. Cheryl said "Yes!" but then qualified her reply to say "But first you have to hear me out. You might change your mind when you hear my story"
She then outlined what she could in a public place before taking Matt back to the safe house where she had arranged to meet Dave, her controller.
There Matt was given the full information including the fact that mass arrests were going to take place tomorrow.
"So 'Cheryl'" Matt finally said. "I can't get used to that name. Yes I want to be with you. I honestly didn't know the business was a front for a cartel. As you know I thought some of the transactions were a bit strange and could not believe how profitable trucking could be"
"Are you willing to testify? It won't be easy. Once these arrests are made they will come looking for us. They will know I was an agent. They know we are close and you will raise suspicions as well. We are likely to be targets"
"If you are willing to testify we will put you into a witness protection program" cut in Dave.
"What is my alternative?"
"Refuse to testify, but if so you are on your own. Because of your association with Cheryl you may be a target anyway"
"If I go into a witness protection program can I still be with Madeline? Sorry I mean Cheryl"
"Cheryl will be going into a witness protection programme irrespective until the protagonists are all locked up for good. We should be able to keep the two of you together but I would have to get higher approval. What I can guarantee is that if you refuse to testify you will not know where Cheryl has gone"
Matt looked at Cheryl. His life would never be the same again "I'll do it. I love you"
Things moved very quickly from then on. Matt remained at the safe house for the next 24 hours while Cheryl worked with other agents and the state police to make arrests. By the next evening 14 arrests had been made including that of Pedro Nicolas, the local head of the cartel, and Henry Jones, the apparent owner of the trucking firm. The operation was deemed a great success.
A day later Matt found himself relocated to a small town in Maine, he was given a new name 'Sam Bradbury' and a job in the backroom of a bank. He was introduced to his handler and told never to contact his family or friends. So far he had not heard anything about whether Cheryl would be joining him.
Cheryl stayed in LA for another week to tidy up loose ends and make sure all the paperwork was in order. Word got out that there was a million dollar bounty on her head and it was decided it was now too hot for her to stay in LA. She was flown to a safe-house in New York. despite her pleading through the appropriate channels she was not told of Matts' whereabouts.
Things started to go wrong shortly afterwards. A judge somehow ruled that there was insufficient evidence to hold Mr Nicolas in custody. he was released on bail and fled to his seaside mansion. A few days later a pigs head was thrown into Matt's mother's yard. With it was a note to say that her son was as good as dead.
Cheryl was summoned to the organisations Washington DC head office.