Page 37 of Wicked Sin

As she didon the way to Washington, Taylor sleeps on the flight back.

Not me.

I spend the next five hours watching in horror, via text message, as the FBI takes over a case they don’t fucking deserve because they’ve clearly fucked this up since it was their fucking safe house that got leaked.

Woods: They have given me their assurances she will be safe.

Luke: I need to go on record stating that I don’t believe that to be true.

Woods: I hear that. Get her back, and we’ll figure it out.

I’m not sure what there is to figure out. I’m not handing her over to the Feds. Not after all I saw today in D.C.

Her tense relationship with Cole Parker.

Her middle sister’s refusal to see her.

The accusation that she knows all sorts of things about her mother, and the way she reacted when Parker said that.

I’ll need to debrief that carefully to the FBI, though, because they’ll have the resources to question everyone involved, including Amelia Dashford Reid.

They can question her about it while she’s trying to flip on the financial crimes charges.

They can take the case.

But they can’t take my witness.

When we land,Agent Ferdinand is waiting at the gate. With a flash of his badge, we’re taken out a back exit to a car waiting on the tarmac. Another generic sedan is right behind it.

Armed to the max, but almost certainly without a plan.

“I’d like a chance to debrief with your team before you whisk her off to parts unknown.” I give him a tight smile. “Compare notes, so you’ve got a complete picture of what’s going on.”

“We can do that as we drive,” Ferdinand says. He shows me a copy of the note left at the safe house. “We’ve shared this with your team already.”

It’s not an agreement, and my internal warning flags go way up.

I don’t need to look at Taylor to know that she’s on guard, too.

“Is it time I speak to my attorney?” She’s staring past the car, at an airplane taxiing. She sounds bored. “This is all a bit…I’m not sure I understand what’s going on. Definitely time for legal counsel. Don’t you agree, Agent Ferdinand?” She turns her gaze to him and flicks her eyelids.

I didn’t even know that was a thing that could be done, but I just saw it happen.

Imperious to the max.

Obnoxious to the max, too.

It works, though.

He sighs and opens the door for her. “To the station we go, then.”

I go around to the other side and get in behind the driver. Ferdinand takes the front passenger seat and off we go with the other car trailing behind us.

I give the captain a heads up that we’re coming in, but I don’t go into any details. I don’t tell her that Taylor is demanding to see a lawyer who I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist. I don’t need a paper trail on what might go down. It needs to be spontaneous.

Taylor doesn’t look at me, doesn’t acknowledge anyone in the car for the agonizing drive from the airport to the northeast part of the city. Maybe she’s on the same page.

Maybe she’ll turn that imperious, obnoxious gaze on me next.

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