When He's Bad (Walker Security - Adrian's Trilogy 2)

“You think it’s that easy, Pri? The Governor is going to lose his shit when he finds out our star witness is being charged with murdering his own brother, a fellow FBI agent.”

“If we lose Waters, the Governor might just lose his reelection. And if you let them drag Adrian through the mud like this, you’re no better than Waters. Get me the agreement. Stand by your witness that I will personally vouch for. Do what’s right, Ed.”

He hesitates and then offers a partial concession. “I’ll call Chicago and ask to see the evidence. Then we’ll talk.”

“There won’t be any evidence. This is a fake plot twist. When can I count on you calling them?”

“It depends. Am I about to be out on the street?”

My eyes meet Blake’s. “I’ll ask Walker to give you the night to find another service. They’re good men. They won’t want your blood on their hands. I hope we’re in this together, Ed.” I hang up on him.

“You fought like a warrior,” Adam comments.

“Fighting doesn’t matter,” I say. “Winning does.”

“You think Ed’s dirty?” Savage asks.

“I think Ed is weaker than I realized,” I reply, stopping short of any agreement on that topic.

“Weak means susceptible to corruption,” Blake interjects, his attention sliding to Lucifer. “What do we know about the trip his secretary took?”

“It wasn’t some prize she won,” he says. “Ed paid for it in full.” He looks at me. “Was he afraid for her safety?”

“It’s possible,” I say. “But as you can tell, he’s not a protective sweetie pie, either. And when he’s busy, she’s busy. With the Waters trial and election season, he’s busy.”

“Who’s helping him while she’s gone?” Blake asks.

“No one that I know of,” I say, my brows dipping. “Which is odd, but Ed’s whole decision-making process feels off right now. I’ve always felt like he was on the right side of the story, which is why I took this job.”

“Well, so far,” Lucifer says, “we haven’t proven he’s involved in anything nefarious. But we haven’t even figured out how Pitt made the connection that got him in trouble last night, either.”

“Waters is a man of resources,” Blake adds. “He clearly has someone like us, even a team of tech whizzes working to cover up his shit. My concern with that is this: I’m someone who can track an electronic path. I’m also someone who can create a fake trail and make it look real.”

I follow where he’s headed with this and I don’t like it. “You’re talking about Chicago and fraudulent evidence.”

“I am,” he confirms. “My brother, Royce, and his wife Lauren are on their way to the airport now. Lauren’s going to represent Adrian. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

“Is she good?” I ask.

“Damn good,” Blake assures me, while the entire team chimes in with agreement.

I try to take comfort in the team's confidence but I don’t quite get there.

“Royce was high up the FBI chain,” Blake states. “He’s well-connected there and knows a few people on the federal team handling Waters. That’s why we knew Adrian was a good guy before we ever hired him. We’re all well-connected to some pretty high places. We’re calling in favors, and putting our resources to work, to get Adrian a federal pardon. We’ll drive over or through Ed to get there if we have to, but whatever you can do, would be good because—”

“Any bump in the road,” I say, “especially at the holiday, could delay the trial. Not to mention, if we don’t get Adrian protection in time, I’ll have to delay the trial anyway. We need him to ensure a win. And a delay could mean more people will die.”

“Exactly,” Blake concurs. “Pri, I know you need him, but we're talking about making him a hunted man the rest of his life. He needs to limit his testimony. Behind a closed door, off-camera, whatever you can do to limit him.”

“You’re right,” I say. “You’re right. I’ll talk to the judge. And I’ll see if we can arrange his sworn testimony sooner than later.”

“Without him being arrested,” Savage says. “If he goes to jail, he won’t come out alive.”

“I won’t let that happen,” I assure him and my gut twists with good reason—I know what I have to do. I know I have to make the choice between good and evil, right and wrong. And I know how close to home that hits. “Waters isn’t sloppy,” I say, glancing at Blake. “Do you have paper and a pen?” I ask.

Blake slides both toward me. I write down three names, names I’ve tried to forget, and pass the paper back to him. “Connect the dots to my father,” I say, “and then I can make this Chicago problem go away.”

Blake doesn’t look at the paper. “You’re going to threaten to expose your father’s secrets.”