Page 120 of Hidden Ascent

“I didn’t have a choice. Maddy’s life was on the line. I did what I needed to.”

“Oh yeah? So, you’re going to tell me you had everything under control?”

“Not exactly, but I wasn’t going to let Maddy lose her life for me. I had to do something.”

“That’s what we were all trying to do. You think I would have left her here?”

“It would have taken too long. I had to act.”

“You could have died.”

“So?”

Gunfire echoed from somewhere else in the building.

“Uh, guys?” Maddy said. “Maybe we should continue this elsewhere.”

“Yes,” Jay said in a low growl. “Let’s go.”

“What’s Carl doing here?” Isla said as she followed him to the door.

He checked the hall before waving them out. “He called me and told me what you were about to do—Wait here a sec.”

Jay hurried down the stairs and checked the adjacent halls, then nodded up to them.

“I understand why you’re here,” she said when she joined him at the bottom of the stairs. “But why ishehere?”

“You’d know that better than I would.”

“Would I?”

“Whatever you said to him back at the bar, when he called me to tell me what you were doing, he offered his services. He said the Red Wolves needed new leadership.”

“He’s going back to them? I thought he was done with gangs.”

“He won’t lead them. He just thought it would be best to remove their current leader.” They heard more gunshots. “Let’s get out of here.”

“I can’t wait to read the newspaper articles on this one,” Maddy said from the back of the line. “Astute businessman gets caught in the crossfire of two rival gangs. He’s lauded as a fallen hero for his work to restore peace.”

“Sounds about right.” Jay opened the back door and waved the two women out. “Charlotte and Will are waiting for us. We’ll catch up with them and see what information they got. We should be able to help Whitlock clean house when we know who Sharpe was controlling.”

“Before we do that, Jay, can I have a word?” Isla said when they reached the car.

“There’s no time.” He got into the driver’s seat, leaving Isla and Maddy outside the car.

“Sorry about all this,” Isla said.

“Sounds like Jay’s taking it personally.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about that.”

“I won’t. It has nothing to do with me. I’m not that great at the interpersonal stuff anyway. Emotions make me itchy. I’d prefer to stay out of it.”

“Then we’d better get in the car and find out what your sister and Will have for us.”

Chapter26

Isla stoodon the sidewalk in front of the federal building, watching the front door as people came and went.

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