Page 69 of Hidden Ascent

“That’s what the courts are for.”

“Is that why you’re here? You want to find out what I can do for you and then go see a judge to check if it’s okay? Or is breaking the law okay only if the people you’re hurting are bad people according to you?”

“There’s a greater good to think about.”

“Just like the greater good of my daughter?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“I know. That’s exactly my point. Life’s complicated.”

“And it’s too short,” Jay said. “Can we stop pretending to be philosophers and get back to the topic at hand?”

“If Isla promises to play nice.”

“I already told you I wouldn’t charge you.”

“Charge me for what?”

“Money laundering perhaps? Or kidnapping a federal agent?”

“Isla,” Jay said. “This is why I didn’t want to bring you in here.”

“He asked.”

Carl pushed Isla’s gun closer to her. “You can have this back. Jay, it’s been good to see you again. But I’m sorry. I won’t be able to help you. I’ll see to it that you don’t have any trouble leaving.”

He pushed his chair out from the table and stood.

“Wait,” Isla said. “I’m sorry. I’ve come here to ask for your help, and I’ve been disrespectful. If there’s anything you can do, it would mean a lot to me if you would help us. I just want to find out what happened to my team.”

“Will you make sure the feds leave me alone if I do?”

Her head dropped. She wanted to say yes. But she knew there were lines she couldn’t cross, even to bring justice to her team. Maybe Carl was right to a point, but not every area of the law was gray. Some things remained very clear, and this, for her, was one of them.

“I can’t do that.”

“I already knew you’d say that, but it was worth a shot. Okay, I’ve decided I will help you after all.”

“You will?”

“Yes, but not out of the goodness of my heart.”

“I would never expect that. But why the sudden change?”

“You apologized. A federal agent apologized to me for being disrespectful. I’ll think fondly of this moment for years to come—What? You’re not enjoying yourself.”

“No. I don’t find any of this amusing.”

“It’s a pity. People usually warm to me quite quickly. You could use with a bit of loosening up.”

“You said you’re going to help. Can we stick to that?”

“The truth is, I don’t like what Sharpe’s done to my guys. There are some good ones in there still, but he’s changed things. What he’s got them doing now goes beyond what even I would do.”

“I’m surprised you still care,” Isla said.

“We were like a family.”

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