“I will. Thanks.”
“Don’t open the door for anyone.”
“How will I see the doctor if I don’t let anyone in?”
“He has an access code to get up here and Berta will announce him beforehand.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after your meeting then?”
“You certainly will.”
Dane kissed her and pulled a credit card from his wallet and lay it on the counter. He retrieved the heavy briefcase he had packed from a nearby chair and got onto the elevator, blowing her a playful kiss before the doors closed between them.
An hour later, he was sitting across the table in an empty bar, talking to a Crosby, a friend he’d called earlier in the morning to meet him there. He was the only person Dane could think of that might just be able to get to the bottom of this fiasco and put an end to it. It fell under the old “the truth shall set you free” adage.
“So, the Black Talons want your construction company to launder money and are after you and your girlfriend to get their hands on it? They’ve already abducted her once and are threatening to do so again if you don’t give them what they want?”
“That’s right. They wouldn’t have given her back to me without it the first time if she had not escaped.”
“How the fuck does an Omega female escape from the most cutthroat dragon clan in the country?”
“Long story, but she’s a Beta and a multi-shifter. She can get quite small when she wants to evade someone.”
“That’s handy. It’s not always convenient to become the biggest mythical creature the world’s ever known. Anyway, moving on. Listen, I don’t know what I can do for you, man. You know there aren’t a lot of shifters in the bureau and this isn’t exactly a story I can handle to the humans in my branch.”
“I know, that’s why I brought you something you can give them,” Dane told him.
He reached down beside him and picked up the briefcase, laying it on the table beside the cups of coffee his friend Clara had given them so they could talk while she cleaned. This was her bar, but it wasn’t open yet. It wasn’t the first time she’d let Dane use it for meetings he didn’t want done in public. Before, it had always been high profile real estate deals.
“What’s in there?”
“Books we found in the ceiling of the main construction office and a bundle of cash that was stuffed between the beams.”
“Is there more there?”
“Books? No. I don’t think so. Cash? Yes, but we don’t know how much.”
“You know I’m going to have to bring some guys in and gut the place, right?”
“Yes, I’m counting on it. In fact, the more visible you make yourselves, the better. Announce it to the press when you’re done.”
“You know this could blow back on you.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m cooperating, and I’ve got great lawyers. Plus, I have you on my side.”
“Yeah, but you’ve already said you don’t want it known that you brought me this stuff. How am I supposed to say I came about it?”
“An anonymous source always works pretty well, doesn’t it? Besides, those books go back for years before I owned Turner and Hood Construction and stop before I bought it. No reason for anyone to think I was involved. I’m just an unknowing third party caught completely by surprise.”
“Alright, brother. I’ll do what I can with it. I’ll give you a heads up when the raid is going down so you can make sure your construction crew isn’t caught in the middle of it unnecessarily. Nothing to do with them, I’m assuming. None of them worked there for the previous owners?”
“Not that I know of. If they did, they lied about it.”
“We’ll double-check. Alright. I’ll be in touch,” he said, standing to shake hands.
Crosby left through the back exit, the briefcase in his care. Dane could only hope for the best now. It was the only way he knew to end this. If he sold it, they would buy it and continue business as usual. It getting raided by the FBI would put an end to that. They wouldn’t dare go back in knowing they might be watched, so they’d give up interest in getting it back.
He just hoped they’d end it with that and not seek further revenge for him fucking them over. If they didn’t let it go, he could still have a problem on his hands. For now, he just had to keep Adriana safe until the FBI had a chance to look over the books he had given them and do their thing.
When he arrived back at his apartment, Adriana was up and about. She had showered and was running around in a cute little summer dress and sandals he’d never seen before. He was instantly disapproving, clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he entered.